Almost finished with my classes this year, and man is it going to be a load off my mind. Anywho, not a whole lot going on in this chapter, but it's a set up to the main action.

Nehrut: "DarthKingdom does not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, or anything else… But you know this, right? I mean, he's said it ninety-something times. Who still thinks he holds any of the rights to this stuff? Seriously?"

!

Chapter 95: The Hunchback and the Gypsy

It started to rain just moments after the off-worlders and Esmeralda vanished from the square. The crowd was beginning to thin out, realizing that the festival was as good as done now.

Frollo, outraged at the outright defiance of the gypsy girl and the off-world strangers. He remembered the insult that the red-haired one had spat at him. As if she had any right.

He climbed onto his horse, which had been standing near his tent all throughout the festival. It was a very large, black-haired, heavily-muscled specimen. He climbed into its saddle, and directed it toward Captain Phoebus, who had gotten onto his own white-haired mount.

"Find them Captain. I want the gypsy alive."

"Yes sir." Phoebus replied. He turned to the remaining men who were conscious. "Seal off the area, men! Find the gypsy girl and her friends, but do not harm the gypsy."

Frollo rode his horse toward the raised platform, where Quasimodo still stood, stunned at what had happened because of him. Frollo stopped in front of him, and fixed him with a cold glare, almost like a disappointed father.

Quasimodo cringed under that look, trying to look away. "I'm sorry, Master." He said softly. "I will never disobey you again."

!

Several minutes later, the square in front of Notre Dame was occupied mainly by soldiers. The cathedral loomed over it, a symbol that was both ominous, and completely welcome, particularly to the handful of people creeping toward it in disguise.

Sora was right behind Esmeralda. She was cleverly disguised as an old man, with a blanket obscuring all of her features. She was walking slumped over, carrying her pet goat Djali on her shoulders.

He and Kairi were in similar old blankets. He was walking with a hunch like the gypsy girl in front of them, and Kairi (standing up straight, wearing shoes that made her look taller, and the simple dress and headdress of a Catholic nun) was giving her best appearance of trying to help him walk along. Donald was walking under the blanket with him, keeping just slightly ahead of Sora. Axel walked several feet behind them, his vivid red hair hidden under an old black hat, and the rest of him hidden under a tattered black coat.

Several feet to their right, Nehrut and Goofy were wearing a pair of 'borrowed' guard uniforms. For all appearances, they were leading a dirty, lost blonde girl in old clothes and a headdress over to the steps of Notre Dame.

Coming from the opposite direction of Sora and Kairi was Riku. He was in a thick brown coat with a hood. He was carrying a bundle that might have been an infant to his chest. If anybody had taken it from him, they would have found a mouse, curled up in as tight of a ball as he could manage. Next to them was Yuffie, wearing a large dress that made her appear much heavier than she actually was. Her oversized bonnet obscured most of her face.

This motley collection of individuals met at a side entrance of Notre Dame. One by one, they crept inside.

The grand entrance hall of the cathedral was a captivating sight. The shining floor tiles altered between white and black like a humongous checker-board. Rows of columns ran along the length of the room on both sides. Lit candelabras stood by each column. An altar sat at the very end. The low, emotional singing and chanting of the monks and priests could be heard from farther off.

The second Riku closed the large doors behind them, the disguises came off, to be hastily discarded behind one of the many columns.

"We should be safe in here." Esmeralda told them, her voice casting echoes through the hall. "Even Frollo wouldn't dare try anything in this cathedral."

"Glad to hear it." Sora said. "So, do we just lie low in here?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Great." Axel muttered, sighing in exasperation. "Well, at least we're someplace cool-looking this time."

"Right..." Esmeralda agreed. "Anyway, thanks again for saving me, guys."

"Rescues are our specialty!" Donald proclaimed proudly.

"Anyway." Mickey cut in. "Are you absolutely sure that you haven't seen any Heartless or other suspicious characters around here lately, Esmeralda?"

"The only sort of evil creature I've seen lately is Frollo."

"What's that dude's problem, anyway?" Yuffie asked. "He seemed to have some kind of a grudge against the gypsies."

"He does." Esmeralda scowled. "He says that we, 'live outside the natural order' and that we have to be stopped."

"You'd think that people with authority would be a little more tolerant." Nehrut muttered darkly. "I suppose stupidity and ignorance will take a long time to go out of style."

"You never know." Kairi said. She walked a little farther into the hall, looking across the beautifully crafted columns. "Things can change."

On that note, the rest of them followed her a short way down the hall, their footsteps echoing throughout it. But they had only gotten about halfway down, when they felt someone behind them.

Esmeralda, Sora, Mickey, Riku, and Nehrut twisted around, four blades extended toward the person that they had felt behind them. With a quick burst from his mind, Nehrut knocked this person to the ground.

The man that Sora unmistakably remembered as Captain Phoebus lay on the ground, looking very surprised. In one quick movement, Esmerelda had swiped the sword from his belt, and had it in her hand. Slowly, she advanced toward him, holding the blade to his face, as he crawled backwards. He didn't seem particularly afraid, though.

"Easy, easy, I just shaved this morning." He said, accidentally backing into a pillar.

"Oh really? You missed a spot."

"Alright now, calm down. Just give me a chance to apologize."

"For what?"

One of his large feet shot out, tripping the gypsy woman. He caught his 'borrowed' sword in one hand, getting to his feet. "That, for example."

"You sneaky son of a-"

"Ah, ah, ah! Watch it. We're in a church." He replied, grinning slightly. But it wasn't a particularly cruel grin. It was almost friendly.

Still, Sora and the gang took it upon themselves to step between Phoebus and Esmeralda, weapons ready. They certainly hadn't expected Esmeralda to leap around them, holding one of the candelabras in both hands.

Using it like a pole weapon, she struck at the captain's legs, then toward his head. He blocked both strikes with his own weapon, giving ground slightly.

"Um, should we do something?" Riku asked to nobody in particular.

"You know, something tells me we should let them sort this one out alone." Kairi answered.

Esmeralda kept pressing Phoebus backward with strikes of the candelabra, though she had clearly never used any sort of weapon like it. Phoebus made no attempt to strike back at her, instead just defending from her rather clumsy attacks.

"Candlelight, music, I can't think of a better place for hand-to-hand combat!" He commented, grinning. "You know, you fight almost as well as a soldier."

"Funny, you fight like a girl."

Phoebus backed away. "Now, that's hitting a little below the belt, don't you think?"

"No." She replied. "This is!"

She struck 'below the belt' and Phoebus was very quick to block it, looking nervous. It was soon revealed though, that this was a clever feint. Using the other end of the candelabra, the gypsy struck him in the forehead, knocking him backwards.

It was a miracle that he was still standing, but he was still able to say, "Touché!" before Djali rushed forward, head-butting him in his armored stomach.

"Okay, you win." He admitted, and Esmeralda smirked. Sora and the others took that as their cue to approach them again. "And I'm willing to bet that I'd lose to any of you, as well."

"Any time. Any place." Axel said. "Got it memorized?"

"Right, right." He responded. "Um, permit me. My name is Phoebus. And who are all of you?"

Before Sora could do his usual introduction of the group, Esmeralda asked, "Is this an interrogation?"

"It's called an 'introduction.'"

"Wait, so you aren't arresting us?" Kairi asked.

Phoebus smiled at her. "Well, as long as you're in here, I can't."

"You're definitely not like those other soldiers." Sora observed. "You're not a... thug."

"Thank you."

"So if you're not here to arrest us, what do you want?" Esmeralda asked.

"I'd just settle for names."

Now, Sora spoke. "I'm Sora. This is Kairi, Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Axel, Yuffie, Nehrut, and Bariss."

Gentlemanly, Phoebus nodded his head in greeting to each one of them as they were named. But when Esmeralda gave her name, he seemed to take a particular liking to it. "Much better than 'Phoebus' anyway."

After their awkward introduction, things stayed silent for a few seconds. But, it was immediately shattered, when the door they had come from slammed open, and a voice interrupted them.

Frollo stood in the doorway with a trio of armed soldiers. "Good work Captain!" He said, walking quickly toward them. "Now, arrest them!"

Djali immediately retreated from view behind Esmeralda's dress. The Keybearers summoned their weapons, and prepared for a fight. Phoebus, on the other hand, spun toward them. In a voice just above a whisper, he urgently said, "Claim Sanctuary."

When they only stood their ground, he urged, "Say it!"

"I'm waiting, Captain." Frollo said impatiently, almost to them now.

Phoebus gritted his teeth, and turned to Frollo. Then, he said something Sora hadn't entirely expected. "I'm sorry sir, but they've claimed Sanctuary, each and every one of them. There's nothing I can do."

"Then drag them outside one by one, and-"

"Frollo! You will not touch them!" interrupted a new voice.

Turning his head a fraction of an inch, but still not dropping from his combat stance, Sora could see the speaker walking up from behind them. He was an aging man, in the traditional garments of a deacon, in white, red, and light blue. A golden cross pendant hung around his neck. He had white hair, and a kind face that was currently trying to hide anger.

The Archdeacon of Notre Dame place one hand on Esmeralda's shoulder, and another on Kairi's. "Don't worry, my young friends. Minister Frollo learned many years ago to respect the sanctity of the church."

He said this almost as if to serve as a reminder of some past event to Frollo, who had never looked more angry. With a gesture to the soldiers, he began to walk away. Almost reluctantly, Phoebus followed him.

But when the judge arrived at the door, he stopped. He turned around, eyes blazing.

"You may think you have outwitted me, but I am a patient man. And gypsies don't do well inside stone walls." He smirked. "You may have chosen a magnificent prison, but it's a prison nonetheless. Set one foot outside, and you're all mine."

The door slammed shut.

!

"You all created quite a 'stir' at the festival." The Archdeacon said with a little chuckle sometime later. "It would be unwise to arouse Frollo's anger further."

"You saw what they did out there." Esmeralda defended their actions, as they all walked down one of the many hallways of Notre Dame. "Letting the crowd torture that poor boy!"

"And I approve of your actions." He conceded. "But now, it would perhaps be best if you were to stay in here. Perhaps you'll find a bit of... help."

The Archdeacon left them in the chapel. Handfuls of people were on their knees already, praying. The sunlight shone through the magnificent stained-glass windows, casting the room into colorful light.

Why not?

Sora knelt down. Kairi followed his example, kneeling next to him, and folding her hands.

"God help the outcasts." He heard Esmeralda whisper, her gaze fixed on a large cross. "Please, help my people, the poor, and the downtrodden. Help those rejected from birth, and those cast away..."

There was a noise behind them. Sora and the others looked up, and behind them.

Trying unsuccessfully to hide behind a pillar was the unmistakable figure of Quasimodo. He had accidentally knocked over one of the candelabras, causing a loud crash that had echoed down the hall.

Esmeralda leapt to her feet. She started walking toward the hunchback she had rescued.

But like a child caught peeking at something he shouldn't have, Quasimodo immediately ran away, toward an open door nearly hidden at the end of the hall.

"Wait!" Esmeralda called after him, running to catch him. Sora, Kairi, and the others ran after them, following close behind.

They soon discovered that Quasimodo was in better physical shape than he looked. They were barely able to keep up with him as he ran up a narrow, winding stone staircase lined with torches.

"Wait!" Sora called. "We just want to talk with you!"

But Quasimodo didn't seem to be in the mood to talk, and instead continued running like a frightened deer. They broke out of the tunnel-like stairway, and out onto the roof between Notre Dame's twin bell towers. Quasimodo was running toward the one to the west.

He entered the tower through an arched doorway, and finally seemed to give up any hope of outrunning them. He stumbled to a stop a few feet inside. They now stood in a huge room made of many, thick, well-built landings. Hanging suspended high above them all were the famous church bells.

"We were afraid we'd lost you." Esmeralda said to Quasimodo, stopping behind him.

"Yeah, we just wanted to meet you." Sora said, stopping as well.

"Yes, well I uh-" Quasimodo finally faced them. Now Sora could see that the hunchback had green eyes. His voice seemed odd coming from somebody that looked as he did. Sora had imagined something low and gruff, but this wasn't the case.

"I have chores to do," He stuttered, nervous, "I-i-it was nice meeting you... again." He turned away, groaning to himself, and hurriedly tried to walk away.

But Esmeralda would not be deterred, and neither would Sora. They followed him up a ladder leading to the next landing up.

"Wait, Quasi!" Sora said, thinking that using a nickname might make him feel less apprehensive.

"Listen," Esmeralda said, "I'm really sorry about this afternoon, I had no idea who you were." They ascended to another landing. "I would never in my life would have pulled you onto the... stage."

She lost track of her sentence when she saw where Quasimodo had stopped. At the far side of the landing (which appeared to serve as a kind of bedroom) sitting in front of a wide, open window, was a heavy wooden table. On the table were several wooden buildings that looked like those in and around the square below. The largest of these was the one of Notre Dame itself. Among them were six-inch tall, hand-carved effigies of various people. One of Quasimodo himself stood on the cathedral.

"What is this place?" Kairi was the next one up the ladder.

"This is where I live." Quasimodo answered. Sora was surprised that he was still trying to hide from them behind a nearby beam.

"Did you make all these things yourself?" Esmeralda asked, approaching the small version of Paris sitting on the table. She was looking it over as if it were some priceless treasure she had found.

"Most of them." Quasimodo answered, his tone finally changing from defensive and nervous, to slightly proud.

"It's incredible!" Sora admired, observing the Notre Dame replica from all sides.

"It's beautiful." Esmeralda agreed. "If I could do this, you wouldn't find me dancing on the streets for munny."

"But you're a wonderful dancer." Quasimodo pointed out.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Quasi on this one." Axel said, patting the hunchback companionably on the hump on his back, startling the man slightly.

Esmeralda laughed. "Well, it puts bread on the table."

"Hey, what's this?" Nehrut wondered aloud, reaching for something on the table that was covered by a cloth.

"No!" Quasimodo exclaimed, finally emerging from behind the beam, and stumbling over to the table. "No! Please, I'm not finished, I still have to paint them."

But, Nehrut had accidentally removed it already. There were two more of the intricately carved figures underneath, but as Quisimodo had pointed out, they were still unpainted. "Sorry."

The gypsy girl recognized them, apparently. She smiled, and picked one of them up gently. "It's the blacksmith! And the baker!"

"You're surprising person, Quasi." Sora said, looking carefully over another of the wooden figures.

"Not to mention lucky." Esmeralda added. "I mean, all this room to yourself!"

"Well, it's not just me." Quasimodo said, smiling at last. "There's the gargoyles..."

"And the bells!" Mickey pointed out.

"And the bells, yeah." The hunchback looked a little anxious now. "Would you all like to see them?"

"Of course!" Esmeralda said. "Wouldn't we Djali?"

The little goat had followed them all the way up to the roof from the halls below. He nodded in a surprisingly human gesture.

"I'm game!" Sora spoke for the rest of the group. "Show us the bells, Quasi!"

Looking very excited now, Quasimodo led them up another flight, to where they were nearly level with the massive bronze bells. "Follow me, I'll introduce you!"

"I never knew there were so many of them up here." Esmeralda said, awestruck.

"How many are there?" Riku asked.

"I can never remember." Quasimodo answered. "And I've lived here all my life." He was holding onto one of the rafters by one of the bells one-handed, with no apparent difficulty. For a moment, he looked like a shaved gorilla.(1)

"This is Little Sophia." He said, pointing to the bell with his free hand. Then, he swung effortlessly over to the next three bells in line. He introduced them as, "Gene-Marie, Anne-Marie, and Louise-Marie. Triplets, you know."

"And who's this?" Esmeralda asked, standing half-way underneath a very large bell.

"Big Marie." Quasimodo answered, landing lightly by her.

She crept underneath, and shouted, "Hello!" The sound of her voice echoed through it, reverberating several times, causing a pleasant, deep, ringing.

"I'm surprised you haven't gone deaf from all the ringing up here." Yuffie said, not realizing that it might be a tactless comment.(2)

But Quasimodo didn't seem to take it as such. "I express myself through these bells. They're like a part of me. Maybe that's why. Would you like to see some more?"

"Love to." Esmeralda answered for all of them.

"Great" The hunchback said, already walking quickly away. He stopped at a ladder, and gestured for them to follow him up. "I've saved the best for last."

The ladder led up to the roof of the west tower. The view from the top of the cathedral was breathtaking. The sky was painted orange, pink, and violet by the sun setting below the horizon. The city of Paris below them looked beautiful, particularly with the sun's last rays shining off of the river running through it.

The pure majesty of the setting awed them all. Sora leaned against the stone railing, gazing out into it. Kairi and Riku joined him, leaning against the railing to either side of him. For a moment, they were back on their islands.

Kairi linked her hand with his, and he pulled her close to him. Quasimodo leapt nimbly onto the railing next to them, balancing easily on it like Sora had seen Tarzan do on tree branches. Esmeralda stood on the other side.

"I could stay up here forever." She said.

"You could, you know." The hunchback answered.

"No, I couldn't." She replied, turning away.

"Oh, you could! You have Sanctuary."

"But not freedom." She said, slightly bitter. "Gypsies don't do well inside stone walls."

She seemed angry to even quote Frollo.

"But, you're not like other gypsies!" Quasimodo protested. "They're... evil."

Things were silent for a moment.

"Uncomfortable..." Roxas said.

"Who told you that?" Esmeralda asked. She didn't sound angry, or offended, merely curious.

"My master, Frollo."

"Frollo?" Riku repeated. "We are talking about the same cruel, old dude who let the crowd throw food at you, right?"

"Cruel!" Quasimodo repeated, stunned. "Oh no! He saved my life when I was a baby. He took me in when no one else would." He jumped off of the railing, walked over toward the center of the roof, and sat down. "I'm a monster."

"Frollo told you that?" Kairi assumed, grimacing.

"Well, look at me."

Esmeralda clearly wasn't buying it. She smiled skeptically. "Give me your hand."

Not understanding, but not willing to disobey her, Quasimodo held out his hand for her to take in both of hers. She looked over his open palm with a practiced eye.

"Hmm. A long lifeline. This one here means you're shy... Well that's funny."

"What?"

"I don't see any..."

"Any what?"

"Monster lines." She replied with a little grin. "Not a single one."

The hunchback stared at his palm in surprise. Sora inwardly laughed. Quasimodo must have been twenty years old, but he was acting like a little boy with a crush.

"Now you look at me." Esmeralda asked the hunchback, holding out her own palm for him to take. "Do you think I'm evil?"

"No!" Quasimodo exclaimed quickly. He took her hand gently in both of his, holding it as though it were made of glass. "You're kind, and good, and..."

"And a gypsy."

"So maybe Frollo's wrong about the both of you." Nehrut commented, catching onto the point Esmeralda had been trying to make.

"Exactly."

Night had fallen upon Paris. The sky was dotted with bright stars, and the lights in most of the buildings had fallen dark. But a new light had sparked in Quasimodo's eyes. "You helped me. Now I'll help you."

"Escape?"

"Yes."

"But there's no way out, there are guards at every door."

He grinned. "We won't use a door." He hopped back up onto the stone railing.

The gypsy girl's eyes bulged. "Climb down?"

"Sure." He replied, as if it were a very simple solution. "You carry him," He gestured to Djali. "And I'll carry you."

"Uh, before you risk your lives," Sora pointed out quickly, stepping toward the hunchback, "You should know that the rest of us can fly down."

"Oh." He looked slightly disappointed. "Could you get them out of here, then?"

"We could help you out, too." Riku offered.

"No, my place is here." He said. "But I'd appreciate it if you brought me down for a moment."

So, Sora summoned the Keyboard beneath his feet. He beckoned to Djali, who leapt into his arms right away. Nehrut lifted Esmeralda into the air telepathically. And Riku summoned the Guardian to lift Quasimodo up by his elbows.

Very, very slowly, the six of them (or seven, if the Guardian counted as a true being) floated down to the ground, always staying close to the side of the building. After nearly a minute, they gently touched down on solid ground, in the shadow of one of the many statues around the sides of Notre Dame.

"Thanks, guys." Esmeralda said.

"I'll never forget you, Esmeralda." Quasimodo said, holding her hand, and shaking it gently.

"Come with me!" She urged him. "To the Court of Miracles."

"Oh no." He countered. "I'm never going back out there again. This is where I belong."

But, she wouldn't be deterred. "Alright then, I'll come visit you."

"Here? But the guards, and Frollo!"

"I'll come after sunset."

"Well, at sunset I ring the evening mass, and after that I clean the cloisters, then I ring the..."

She cut him short with an affectionate peck on the cheek.

"Whatever works for you." he replied, blushing beet red.

"Someone's got a crush..." Nehrut sang under his breath.

"If you ever need sanctuary," Esmeralda said, taking out what appeared to be a necklace that she had had hidden under her blouse, "Use this to find me."

The necklace was made of a thin, wooden cord curled into an oval shape. Thin cords were wound in specific patterns inside of the oval. A white cross was in the center of a circular blue strip of cloth, and there was an 'X' across from it.

"How will this help?"

"Just remember, 'When you wear this woven band, you hold the city in your hand.'"

Though he didn't understand what she meant, he put the necklace on, tucking the band part under his shirt.

"Thank you all again. Stay safe."

And then she was gone.

Quasimodo smiled as she left, merely standing there for a moment, before he realized that he still wasn't alone. "So what will you do?"

"Well, we still have a job to do here, though we don't know when we'll need to act yet." Riku said.

"And, we do need a place to stay, and to keep away from Frollo and his thugs." Nehrut added.

"And you could use some company." Sora finished.

The hunchback of Notre Dame smiled wider.

!

So, there's all that. We've got some more cool stuff next chapter, I promise!

1) Pretentious fun fact! The actual Notre Dame only has eleven bells the whole church.

2) Second pretentious fun fact! In the book, he is. And also blind in one eye.

Please review!