~*.*Disciples of the Keyblade*.*~
Title: Rescue
Rating: K+
Warnings: Comic mischief, violence
Characters: Terra, Ventus, Aqua, Master Eraqus, Jack, Sally, Lock, Shock, Barrel, Oogie Boogie, Santa Claus
Summary: A visit to Halloweentown results in an impromptu rescue mission. Why must they meddle? Pre-BBS.
Special Notes: This chapter is still dedicated to natcat5, whom gave me the idea. Several others did also, but natcat5 was the first. Thanks a lot! Axrat, your suggestion is also in here, obviously. I hope you enjoy! This Halloweentown concept was so long that I split it so you could get an update and it wouldn't be twenty plus pages. And that's ridiculous for an one-shot.
~***~
Aqua's eyebrows met as her brow furrowed in anxiety. "But are you sure Ven will be okay?"
Ventus flashed her a grin. "I'll be fine. I can handle children." With that, he turned and pelted off after the bathtub, vanishing from sight as he rounded the corner.
Terra snorted, turning to Jack as he began issuing rapid orders about what ghoul should do what, or what specter should do this. The skeleton's face was almost split in half thanks to the huge skeletal smile that dominated most of his features.
Sally twirled one strand of hair around her finger, her expression was uncomfortably close to something like fear, making Aqua's anxiety look petty in comparison.
Jack whirled around unexpectedly and exclaimed, "Terra! I need you for something."
"Me?" The werewolf managed to sound both skeptical and surprised.
"Of course! Now that I think about it, I don't think anyone else can get this job done. I need your help with a little project of mine. You do know Christmas is only tomorrow night, don't you?"
Terra flicked his ears. Christmas is tomorrow night? Jack waited a while to kidnap Santa didn't he?
Without waiting for a response, Jack plowed straight ahead with his plan. "We have these reindeer, you see, and I'd like you to help me hook them up."
"To what?"
"The sleigh, silly! Dr. Finklestein created these reindeer just for Christmas! They'll be my team as I deliver presents to the world." Jack's voice turned strangely soft, as if the mere concept was awe-inspiring. He also seemed capable of looking straight at Terra even without eyes.
Deciding he might as well—and maybe he could talk to Jack while he was at it—Terra agreed. He turned to nod at Aqua for a moment, still standing near Sally, before trailing after the former Pumpkin King. The rest of the square was still in a frenzy, ignoring all conversation in favor of their work, conveyer belts humming as a clock that Terra just noticed ticked the hours until Christmas. Jack's long strides were difficult to keep up with, but eventually they reached the center of the activity. A large sled that gave the illusion of being decrepit sat on a raised podium, a huge bag swelling with gifts resting on one end.
Now, Terra didn't have a lot of memories of Santa Claus—he had outgrown it pretty fast—but even he knew that the sleigh wasn't quite so…gray and black and dead looking. Skeletal reindeer nickered and shook their pale heads as Jack walked towards them. A clown on a unicycle passed him a bundle of leather, and Jack got to work creating harnesses and brindles.
Ugh…clowns.
Terra shrugged, kneeling down and letting his claws pick apart the material, mimicking the skeleton as he worked. "Jack…"
"Everything's going flawlessly so far!" He exclaimed before he could get a word in edgewise, as usual. "I'm thrilled, really. I'm just outright delighted."
"Quit that!" A growl ripped through Terra's throat, sounding like rumbling thunder.
Jack's jaw dropped open. "What?"
"You talk over everyone. Did you know that?"
A pause. "No."
"So, can I talk now, or are you going to interrupt again?"
Jack shrugged, looking almost ashamed. "No, no. Go ahead."
"Right. Why are you taking over Christmas?"
"Oh, when you phrase it like that, it sounds so vile. I'm borrowing it! I'm not stealing!"
Terra raised his furry eyebrows. "Really. And, are you going to tell me that you asked Santa for permission? Even spoke to the guy? Aqua was right. If someone marched in here and said they were going to take over Halloween, what would you do?"
Jack seemed thoughtful, dropping the brass rings and the leather from his bony fingers. "Well…I don't know. But I don't mean it like that. I'm not going to keep Christmas forever. Just a year, or two."
Flicking his tail sharply, Terra shook his head and hooked the harness onto one of the clacking reindeer.
"You and Sally say the same thing…" Jack continued, musing aloud.
"Maybe we're right?"
"Hmm," was all the former Pumpkin King replied. They worked in silence following that, and it was only after they had finished, sometime later, that Terra began to wonder where Ven was. It made him uncomfortable, since they had been creating the sleigh equipment for over an hour.
"Hey, Aqua!" Terra shouted, spotting the girl talking to Sally in an obscure corner. Her head snapped up and she looked at him in something like alarm. He gave her a quick wave and she headed for him swiftly, bounding through the crowds.
"What's wrong?" She demanded as soon as she approached. Terra realized his face was set into a worried scowl, and that was probably the cause of her concern.
"Where's Ven?"
Aqua paled under her already dull blue-green skin. "He's not back yet?"
"No. We need to go look for him." Terra took a step in the direction that Ventus had gone, and suddenly Jack was there, talking to him before his ears even registered what the skeleton was saying.
"Terra, Aqua, Sally, I need you three for one more thing. That's all."
"A friend of ours is in trouble," Aqua started courteously, but she might as well have been trying to get some sense out of a rock.
"I know, I know," Jack said, apparently not really listening. Sally pursed her lips, and Terra guessed this was normal. "But just one thing. Just one."
"How long?" Terra snapped, his claws digging into his furry palms.
"Oh, less than an hour, if we hurry."
"Okay, but quickly." Aqua's gaze turned even more anxious than it was. "What do you need?"
Jack sighed and crossed his bony arms. "It's quite annoying, really. You see, there's this pot the witches use to see things that are far away. The townsfolk want to see me on Christmas when I deliver the presents."
"The witches use a pot? Don't you mean the stuff inside is what they use?" Terra skeptically remarked.
"Yes, yes, you get the point though. If we head over to the Curly Hill, I'm certain we can get the materials needed in no time at all. But it's very important." Jack was instantly serious, his skeletal face set in a stern frown.
"Wait," Aqua began slowly. "If we help with this, can we borrow the pot for a moment?"
"Oh, sure. No problem. We'll just have to get some extra materials and that'll be that."
Terra caught on quickly. They could use the potion to find Ven. Otherwise; they could be bumbling right into a trap, if their friend had somehow gotten captured, that is.
That'd be just like the kid; insisting that he can handle something and ends up unconscious somewhere.
Sally gestured for everyone to follow her. "I know the herbs around here; we'll find your friend soon." They swiftly crossed the town's square and plunged down the spindly dirt road to a large pumpkin patch. A black hill that thinned near the top and curled in on itself was the centerpiece.
Jack unrolled a scroll, running his long fingers across the sheet. "Ah, here we go. First, we need—"
Terra snatched the parchment, impatient, scanning the list of seven items. He sent Aqua after two things, Sally after three, and memorized the appearance of the last two before unceremoniously tossing the scroll back to the former Pumpkin King.
Sniffing around, claws tearing deep furrows into the earth, the wolf-boy skulked through the dead foliage, tearing apart thorny vines as he sought to locate the missing plants. The huge moon offered a great deal of illumination, even if Terra's eyes seemed accustomed to the dark.
Twenty minutes later, the herbs were located. Ignoring the scrapes that littered the pads on his hands, Terra demanded crossly, "Now, Jack, can we go see these witches? Our friend could be in danger!"
Jack nodded and began walking quickly back towards Halloweentown. "It's almost Christmas Eve morning, aren't you excited?"
"A little," Aqua acknowledged politely. She swished her tail, coiling it over her back.
Three reptilian skinned witches riding skinny brooms and wearing ridiculous black hats circled them as they re-entered the town. After depositing the various items in the pot, the group watched and waited, unable to speed the process as the concoction came to a boil.
"Yes, we have more than enough," one witch rasped, nodding her head. "Who do you seek?"
Terra grimaced, hating how their high pitched voices squealed on every "e". "Our friend, Ven. Ventus."
A scrawny witch passed her hand over the kettle. The murky, bubbling, steaming surface cleared unexpectedly to reveal…
"Oh no!" Sally gasped.
Jack hissed crossly, his bony face scrunching up in his agitation. Aqua gripped Terra's arm, hard, her nails digging into his fur, eyes fixated on the sight in the pot.
Ven was struggling, his arms tied behind him, strapped to a purple wooden post. The vision was draped in shadow, making it hard to see anything beyond that. A large, fat, sack-person was traipsing around the blonde, laughing in his face.
Aqua clenched her teeth harder. Terra outright snarled, gripping the metal rim and snapping, "Who is that?"
"It's Oogie Boogie," Jack sighed. "And it looks like he got your friend."
"Peculiar, isn't it?" Sally said thoughtfully. "He never leaves his room. How would he capture Ven?"
"Obvious," squeaked a witch. "Those three troublemakers lured him there. Look!"
On the very edge of the foggy image, there was a splash of red.
"That's where they took Sandy Claws." Sally's face became the closest to a glare than Terra had ever seen.
"Where's Oogie Boogie?" Aqua crossed her arms and took a deep breath, addressing both the former Pumpkin King and Sally.
"He lives in his old manor, near the valley…." Jack sighed. "Why is he always intent on ruining my fun?"
"Fun?" Terra exploded. "How can you think of that with—"
Aqua put her hand on his shoulder, and his anger evaporated. Whether it was from her touch or magic, he did not know.
"Take us there. Please."
Looking at the amphibious girl and her barely restrained wolf companion, Jack made his choice quickly. "Yes, of course I will. I should have known better than to trust Lock, Shock, and Barrel."
"I'm coming too," Sally stepped forward. "We have to rescue Sandy Claws, and Ven."
Jack looked reluctant, but nodded. "This way!" After yelling to some two-faced mayor that he would be back, the skeleton and his compatriots raced down the path, the world flying behind them.
Hang on, Ven. We're coming.
~***~
The place had to be ready to fall apart at any moment. Terra felt that they should have looked at the pot some more, searched for a trap, but now that he knew exactly where Ven was and at least who he was with, they had more info than if they had just followed his tracks. Right?
Jack shook his head. "I banished Oogie quite some time ago. There's a difference between scary fun and scary 'fun'."
"Lock, Shock, and Barrel are nowhere to be found," Sally murmured thoughtfully. "Where have they gone?"
The birdcage rattled to a halt, and Terra sprinted forward. The only thing in the world that could possibly stop him at that moment called his name, and he turned to face her impatiently.
"Wait, Terra. We're jumping into the lion's den here." Aqua shifted her weight from foot to foot. "We need to find another way in."
"Agreed," Jack grinned. "There's a back way, I think. Follow me, everyone!" The former Pumpkin King slunk down a narrow side path, with the others trailing after, Sally bringing up the rear. They successfully located, after a few minutes of feverish searching, a small window. Rusty metal bars kept out any intruders, but a blow from Terra's Keyblade ripped them apart. Prying out the last of the rails, the wolf-boy leaped in without waiting for anyone else.
He landed almost silently, crouching low to the ground and placing each paw down carefully to make as little noise as possible. His gaze lifted up from the heavily shadowed corner he had dropped into, and he had to suppress a gasp after that.
A lava pit was in front of him. It glowed orange and snapped yellow tendrils of blistering heat. Terror flooded every cell in Terra's body as he saw Ven and Santa strapped to a flat platform that was tilted towards the fiery expanse. The pair didn't notice him, too busy struggling and yelling threats.
"C'mon Ven," Terra muttered. "They're bonds, sure, but you have magic."
The blonde must have heard him, because his head snapped up unexpectedly. He locked eyes with his friend and relief made his body relax. He mouthed silently, "Terra!"
Aqua crept to his side, Jack behind her. "This is horrible."
Terra prepared to jump, but the skeleton said, "Wait." He was about to protest, but Oogie suddenly exclaimed in a loud voice;
"And what do we have here?" He laughed suggestively, and the eldest apprentice realized that Sally's leg was moving independently, tucked up a small tunnel, so that was the only thing that the sack man saw. The rest of her was kneeling down and untying Ven silently. How she had gotten there, he did not know. Maybe there was more than one way in.
Terra had to admit, he was impressed. The girl was right behind the Boogie Man after all, only a few feet away. Oogie was guffawing and tickling her foot, but she paid it no mind. Ven's bonds fell away, and quick as you please, he whirled around and started undoing the black wires that were fastened to Santa's hands.
"That black wire is magical," Aqua muttered, her eyes not leaving the blonde's.
Deciding not to comment, and simply trusting his friend's uncanny sensitivity to magic, Terra waited, his muscles tense.
Oogie pulled on Sally's leg, and out it came. Without a body. "What?!" He bellowed. Turning, he lumbered towards the slanted metal platform. Luckily, he couldn't see the escaped prisoners from his current viewpoint. Ven and Santa positioned themselves beside the Keybearers in the very crowded shadows.
"Trying to make a fool out of me?" roared the Boogie Man. He pulled the thick sheet back and unexpectedly recoiled. Jack Skellington was reclining on it instead of his two would-be captives, eye sockets narrowed.
"Hello, Oogie." He said coldly.
"Ah, Jack. You see, this is all a misunderstanding."
"I understand perfectly what you were doing. Is that any way to treat a guest? How dare you treat my friends so shamefully?"
Terra had never seen Jack like this before. There was no trace of a smile on his skeletal face, his hat hidden inside a pocket.
"No, no." Oogie laughed and stomped a panel. "This is the way to treat a guest!"
A card fell from the ceiling, sharp as a guillotine, and the Pumpkin King rolled easily out of the way.
"Now," growled Terra. He bounded from the metal platform to the battle arena between Oogie and Jack, Keyblade in hand. Aqua and Ven followed, with Santa and Sally wisely hanging back.
Gunshots rang out from around them, and the sound was alien to the Keybearers, though they knew some worlds had such horribly effective devices. Aqua threw up a reflective, crystalline barrier and launched fireballs at Oogie. Ven became a whirlwind, his feet barely touching the ground. Jack tossed flaming pumpkin heads and icy snowflakes, which was surprising, since Terra hadn't once considered the skeleton a fighter.
Terra himself felt an unfamiliar rage build up inside of him. The idea of Ven almost dying made his heart ache furiously. With a wordless cry, he extended one clawed hand and shot something dark and spiraling out from his fingertips. The sack monster had been avoiding most of the attacks by doing a combination of fleeing and pressing various hidden buttons that did an assortment of nasty things, but this was as unexpected for him as it was for Terra.
Oogie took the strange attack's force, but only half of it. It clipped his shoulder and spun him around. Stumbling and yelping, he tried to regain his balance. Aqua attacked then, sending him tripping towards Terra.
The elder Keybearer was too stunned to do anything. He stared stupidly at his hand. What was that?
Regaining his senses—and just barely evading taking yet another nasty blow from Jack—Oogie hit Terra's hand with more power than he would have thought possible. His Keyblade flew from his hand and coiled through the air.
Aqua and Jack both gasped as Oogie cackled again. Terra wished at that moment that he had paid attention during magic lessons.
Before he could react, before Oogie could say more than, "Bye, bye, Keybearer!" and prepare to push another switch, there was a twin flash of light.
And Terra realized there had never been a clatter. His Keyblade had never hit the ground.
"Now you're double dead."
Oogie split into three sections, with two long gashes along his sturdy cloth frame. A veritable horde of bugs poured out from his body, a very good deal of them cascading into the still open lava pit. A disembodied voice screamed in an ever higher pitch, "My bugs! My bugs!"
And standing there, smiling, was Ventus.
Wielding his own Keyblade in one hand, and Terra's in the other.
"I said I'd get that guy. That was a perfect opportunity right there." He twirled Earth Shaker before he tossed the brown-haired disciple his weapon, and Terra caught it without thinking.
"Wow," Aqua said simply.
"That about sums it up," Terra agreed.
Jack was sweeping the rest of the insects into the fiery depths, with Sally helping. Santa stomped on the last blue centipede, grinding it under his heel. The skeleton looked ashamed, approaching Saint Nick unhappily.
"I'm sorry, Sandy Claws. You got into this mess because of me. And as everyone keeps telling me, I guess I should have asked your permission before I took over Christmas." He offered back the scarlet hat. During the battle, Jack's red suit had torn, revealing a black tuxedo underneath.
Santa snatched his cap from Jack's fingers, jamming it onto his head. "Yes, you should have asked! Jack Skellington, you have got to be the most eccentric person I've ever met. This whole town is crazy! If I wanted to find someone with any sense here, I'd listen to them!" He pointed a finger at both Ven and Sally, standing side by side.
Jack flinched. "Can you still save Christmas? Is there time?"
His expression relaxed just a bit, perhaps sensing the skeleton's chagrin. "Of course there's time! I'm Santa Claus!" He emphasized his name, trying to get across that he was not "Sandy Claws". He rubbed his nose and lifted off, straight up the pipe he and Ven had hurtled down. He left sparkling snowflakes in his wake.
"Oh, Sally. Why didn't I listen to you?" The skeleton sighed and looked up, smiling softly as she took his hands in hers.
"Don't worry, Jack…"
She started to say more, but Terra never heard, because Ven suddenly whooped, "It worked! I had two Keyblades at once! I mean did you see me? I was like, ka-SLASH! One toasted sack-boy!"
Aqua laughed and hugged the youngest apprentice tightly. Terra rubbed his blonde hair affectionately.
"You can handle kids, huh?" teased the girl.
Ven huffed. "Well. They got me from behind. Annoying little pests."
"Too bad, Jack has all of that Christmas stuff…" Terra snickered at their expressions, though his heart still felt heavy. "What? A Goth Christmas would be great."
"Let's go home. We saved the world's order, like the Master asked." Aqua suggested.
After escaping the manor and saying good bye to Jack and Sally, the trio assembled to return to the Land of Departure.
"Psst," Ven whispered to Terra. The distracted Keybearer knelt slightly to hear the blonde's words. "I asked Santa if he would let Jack try Christmas. If I'm on the Good List, he'll have to let it come true, right?"
Terra smiled. "Sure. He'll be looking for any reason to condemn you, though."
Kind of redundant, doing all of this if Ven is just going to wish for Jack to have Christmas some year...
~***~
Master Eraqus was staring hard at Terra as the triumphant apprentices met him in the castle gardens.
After hearing their tale, he smiled and dipped his head. "I'm impressed, certainly. I'm glad everything went well. Do not think I was unaware of Ventus's plight."
"Cutting it close, Master." Aqua fretted.
He nodded at her. "I will no longer be so foolish as to wait and observe. But you came through, like I always knew you would. Terra, Aqua, your Master Qualification Exam is due very soon…"Eraqus still gazed only at Terra as he spoke, making him uneasy.
"I can't wait. I'm glad to not be a fish anymore, though." The girl frowned at herself. "Do you know how annoying scales can be?"
Ven sighed melodramatically. "Oh, but I'm not an angel anymore."
"You always are." Aqua pinched his cheek playfully and skipped back a step as he struck out lightly at her in response. She looked up and her smile diminished slightly as she met Terra's eyes.
Why is she looking at me like that? Why is Eraqus watching me like that? At least Ven isn't. But still.
Are they…afraid?
~***~
Sorry for the late update. I had trouble finding a way to execute this chapter. So, don't make a big deal out of it. I already know, it deviates from the original plot, etc, etc. Out of all the one-shots I do, this one will probably be nearest to the actual start of Birth By Sleep.
Musical Inspiration for this chapter was none other than the Halloweentown songs in Kingdom Hearts II, both the battle one and the relaxed one.
The American BBS website is out, though as of now it only says the American release is confirmed. For summer, I believe. And when it is released in English, this collection ends. Until then…
Be sure to drop a review, they make my day, as always.