So, many of you have noticed that 'Xonem' comes from 'Nemo.' But he is not 'Finding Nemo' Nemo. That name is just Latin for 'Nobody.'

Xonem: "I am not now, nor have I ever been a clown fish. Let me stress that."

Thank you for your kind attention, now back to the story.

Xonem: "DarthKingdom does not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, or anything else he decides to use."

!

Chapter 99: Heartbreak and Panic

Half of Paris was burning. Frollo had pursued Esmeralda with renewed fury after the incident outside of town. The sky looked bloody as the sun began to set, and the dark smoke from burning buildings hung over the city for miles around.

Phoebus's betrayal, and the brief skirmish with the off-worlders had fueled Frollo's passion for the hunt, despite the fact that he had lost nearly half of his men to them.

He simply made up (and greatly exceeded) the difference with the Heartless.

Now, Frollo sat astride his horse, surrounded by a small escort of Neoshadows. One of his men (the replacement of Captain Phoebus's already deceased replacement) walked up to him, and saluted.

"Sir, I've just received word that not all of the prisoners we apprehended today made it back to the Palace of Justice."

"And why is that?"

"Some of the surviving men reported that they were attacked by strange warriors. Some of their descriptions match those of the ones that helped the gypsy girl escape in the first place."

Frollo closed his eyes, and let out an aggravated hiss of air. "And what of the girl herself?"

"We've looked everywhere, and still no sign of her, sir."

Frollo put his hand to his temple, and massaged it as if trying to ward off a migraine headache. "I had the entire cathedral surrounded…" He muttered more to himself than to the soldiers nearby him. "Guards at every door… There was no way she could have escaped."

But then as if fate was giving him a hint, the bells of Notre Dame -only a mile or so away- began to ring. A brief expression of anger and dawning comprehension flashed across Frollo's face, and he turned his head to the tower.

"Unless…"

!

Riku, Yuffie, Nehrut, Bariss, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy had all gathered back at Quasimodo's bell tower. They had spent several hours undermining Frollo's efforts to arrest any gypsies he found. They had released several prisoners before they made it to their prison, but not all.

And they were tired. Heartless had dogged them every step of the way.

They had exhausted their supplies of Ethers during the day, and the rest were either on the Unity, or with Sora's party.

Nehrut, Riku, and Yuffie were looking out through the wide window onto the city below. It couldn't have looked more different from the beautiful view they had had the previous evening. The flames could be seen for miles.

Quasimodo joined them, just having rang the bells for some religious service or another.

"Any sign of her?" He asked.

"Afraid not, Quasi." Riku said. "The psychic listening post over here says that he can't sense her."

"There are so many people in this city," Nehrut replied, irritably rubbing his temple. "That it's hard to pick out individual minds out of the whole. And I've only known Esmeralda for a while, so it's particularly hard to place her. I still haven't. I've been following Frollo's progress, though."

"And?"

"If he'd found her, I would have felt his happiness. But instead, I just feel anger, obsession and… lust."

"Creepy." Yuffie said, grimacing at the mental image he had just put into her head. "But anyway, if I know Esmeralda, she's three steps ahead of Frollo, and well out of harm's way."

"Do you really think so?" Quasimodo asked hopefully.

"Of course!" Riku agreed. "Once things cool off, she'll be back."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because she likes you." Yuffie replied simply. "Really Quasi, you need to give yourself a little credit. Who wouldn't love a guy like you?"

Quasimodo smiled a little.

Nehrut's head shot up. "Well, what do you know…"

"What? What is it?" The hunchback asked quickly.

"Sora, Kairi, and Axel are back. And they've got some friends with them."

Minutes later, the tower door that led to the cathedral halls below opened softly. Sora's voice drifted up to them. "Guys! We're back, and we've got some friends with us!"

"You're good." Yuffie commented.

"Quasimodo?" came another voice.

"Esmeralda!" Quasimodo greeted, running to the door like a small, excited child would run to greet his favorite grandparent.

The gypsy girl was the first person that Quasimodo saw, and he rushed immediately to embrace her. "You're alright! I knew it!"

She gladly returned the hug, and then pulled away. "You've done so much for me, my friend. But I'm afraid I have to ask for your help one more time."

"Anything."

It was then that he saw the half-conscious Phoebus in the doorway, being supported on either side by Sora and Axel. Kairi and Djali stood nearby.

"This is Phoebus." Sora said. "A fugitive, and the ex-captain of the guard. And he's really wounded."

"Why didn't you just use a cure spell?" Goofy asked from somewhere behind Quasimodo.

"The wound just missed the heart. If any of us made a mistake with the spell, it could kill him."

"He can't go on for much longer, and we knew he'd be safe here." Esmeralda said. "Please."

There was something strange on the hunchback's face as she said this. It was something of mixed sadness, betrayal, and disbelief. But he did what he could to hide it. "This way." He said, beckoning.

He led them over to a section of the landing that was covered by pale red sheets, cut off from the rest of the tower. A mat and pillow filled with straw sat there on the ground, and three lit candles were by the head of the mat.

Sora and Axel laid Phoebus on the makeshift bed as gently as they could, and soon, Esmeralda and Donald were standing over him.

But Phoebus only had eyes for the former. "Esmeralda… Why is that every time I'm around you, I end up bleeding?"

This was a true enough statement. He had lost a great deal of blood from the arrow wound, and the flow had only just started to lessen. After Donald and Esmeralda did everything they could to see that he would live to see the next day, Donald backed away.

"That family owes you their lives. You're either the bravest soldier I've ever met, or the craziest."

"Ex-soldier. Remember?"

"You're lucky. That arrow almost pierced your heart."

"I'm not so certain it didn't." He replied, taking one of her hands in his.

As far as pickup lines went, this wasn't exactly the best one in Sora's opinion, but apparently, it worked. Slowly, Esmeralda lowered her face to meet Phoebus's. Their lips met in a slow, gentle kiss.

A smile began to form on Sora's lips, before Riku nudged him in the side. The older Keybearer inclined his head toward Quasimodo. The hunchback looked as if their kiss was causing him physical pain. His hand was over his heart as if it were breaking in more than one way.

"That poor guy…" Roxas said. "Intervention time, Sora."

You're right.

Sora put one hand on Quasimodo's shoulder, and he practically slumped against him. The Keybearer's knees buckled slightly under his bulk, but he supported his weight as best as he could.

"Listen, Quasi-" he began, whispering so that Esmeralda wouldn't hear him. Phoebus had just fallen into a sleep-like state.

But he was interrupted by Djali's frantic 'baa-ing' and Goofy's urgent warning. "Frollo's here!"

Everyone in the room suddenly looked panic-stricken, and rushed to the window. On the street below them, Frollo was stepping out of his carriage. Two guards and a pair of Heartless were on either side of the carriage.

"You have to leave!" Quasimodo warned. "Follow me!"

He rushed toward the back door in the tower, and Esmeralda and Djali were right behind him. He threw the door open. "Go down the south tower steps, and get to safety."

"Be careful, my friends." She said before leaving. "Promise you won't let anything happen to him."

"I promise." Quasimodo answered, the look of mixed jealousy, betrayal, and heartbreak flashing across his face again for the briefest of moments.

And then Esmeralda was gone again, lost to the night.

"Let's stash the stiff." Axel said quickly, running back towards Phoebus.

"You all should leave to!" Quasimodo interrupted. "If Frollo finds you here…"

"We won't confront Frollo here if it gets you in any more trouble, Quasi." Kairi reassured. "But we're also not leaving you alone with him if he tries anything."

As Riku rushed to lock the tower door (even though Frollo likely had the key, it would still buy them some time) Axel, Sora, and Quasimodo pulled Phoebus over to the nearest hiding place, which happened to be the table on which the hunchback's smaller version of Paris was set up. Even without the golden armor, Phoebus was still very heavy.

They practically threw him underneath. Quasimodo pushed him under as far as possible with his foot (perhaps using a little more force than necessary, Sora noted) and put the section of table cloth back in place.

"And now, we hide." Yuffie said, grabbing Riku around the waist, and making both of them vanish in a cloud of black smoke.

"Really wish she had waited for the rest of us…" Sora muttered. He summoned the Keyboard, and allowed King Mickey onto his shoulders. He floated outside the window, coming to a stop just below it. Kairi joined them, carrying Donald on her shoulders. Nehrut carried Goofy and Axel out a moment later.

However, Bariss chose to hide inside. She leapt nimbly up to one of the giant bells, and hung from the ringing part on the inside. Unless one was directly under the bell, she couldn't have been seen.

Quasimodo was as good as alone. He quickly made a show of straightening the wooden figures on the table under which Phoebus was hidden.

The door of the tower could be heard opening, and Frollo entered the room moments later, carrying a wicker basket with fruit inside.

"Oh, Master!" Quasimodo greeted him, pulling up a pair of chairs at the table. "I didn't think you'd be coming!"

"I'm never too busy to share a meal with you, my boy." Frollo replied. To his credit, his smile and voice seemed genuine. He took one of the chairs, and placed his hat on the table next to the wooden villiage. "I brought a little treat." He placed the basket on the table in front of Quasimodo.

Quickly, the hunchback rushed over to a nearby shelf on which sat a few plates, bowls, and glasses. He was nervous, and it showed, but Frollo didn't seem to notice even when he accidentally broke one of the plates.

He quickly brought a pair of plates to the table (wooden ones, this time) and set them in front of Frollo, and his own unoccupied chair.

Feigning a look of concern, Frollo took out a punch of grapes from the basket, and set them on his plate. "Is there something troubling you, Quasimodo?"

"No." The hunchback replied, way too quickly.

"Oh, but there is." Frollo said, tossing a grape into his mouth from his own bunch. "I know there is…"

A single grape fell to the floor, and rolled under the table. It was a mistake on Quasimodo's part to follow its progress to the floor nervously.

"I think…" Frollo said, "You're hiding something."

"Oh, no Master! There's nothing-"

"You're not eating, boy."

"Oh, yes!" He hurriedly piled the grapes into his mouth, eating half of them in seconds. "Oh, yes, they're very good!"

Phoebus groaned under the table. Quasimodo's eyes bulged in horror, but he was quickly able to cover up Phoebus's slip, by repeating the noise, as if savoring the taste of the grapes.

He kicked Phoebus under the table, sending him back into unconsciousness.

Still seeming oblivious to Quasimodo's plight, Frollo merely arched an eyebrow, and gazed around the room suspiciously, rising to his feet. "What's different in here?"

"Nothing, sir." Once again, the hunchback's response was a little too quick, and Sora found himself holding his breath.

Frollo's eyes finally fell upon the one tiny detail that had changed since his last visit (apart from Phoebus, of course). It was resting on the table.

"Isn't this one new?" He asked curiously, picking up a wooden figure of Esmeralda. It had been crafted the previous night, and looked to have been created with much greater care than the rest.

"It's awfully good." Frollo observed, still sounding genuine. "Looks very much like the gypsy girl."

And then it happened. Frollo's voice was soft, at first, but it grew. "I know… you helped her ESCAPE!"

He punctuated his last word by slamming his fist onto the table, shaking the entire setup. Quasimodo started, and fell backwards out of his chair.

"And now, all of Paris is burning because of you!"

Despite the abuse, the hunchback's only meek reply was, "She was kind to me, Master. They all were-"

"You IDIOT!" Frollo swept his arm aggressively across the table, knocking all of the miniature Paris off the table. "That wasn't kindness, it was cunning!"

He rushed around the table, and roughly grabbed Quasimodo by the scuff of his shirt. "She's a gypsy! Gypsies aren't capable of real love! Think boy! Think of your mother!"

Sora was a microsecond away from leaping into the window and showing Frollo a real fight, when the judge's voice softened greatly.

He released his grip on his adopted son's shirt, and straightened it, then put an apologetic hand on his head. "But what chance could a poor, misshapen child like you have against her heathen treachery?"

He stood up, and plucked Esmeralda's figure from the table where he had thrown it. "Well, never you mind, Quasimodo." He said, as he held it over a candle that had been burning nearby. "She'll be out of our lives soon enough."

As soon as the wooden figure caught fire, he tossed it to the floor, and watched it burn. "I will free you from her evil spell. She will torment you no longer."

"What do you mean?" The hunchback asked, as Frollo put his hat back on, and began to walk away. Sora and the others were listening very closely.

"I know where her hideout is. And tomorrow at dawn, I attack with a thousand men."

He left him then, and moments later, they heard the tower door slam shut.

Sora and the others reentered the room immediately. "Are you alright, Quasi?" Sora asked. But he got no response.

There was a groan from underneath the table, and Phoebus emerged, rubbing his head, where Quasimodo had kicked him.

"We've got to find the Court of Miracles. Before daybreak."

"Yeah." Riku agreed. "God help them if Frollo gets there before we do."

"We're with you, Captain." Sora said.

"Ex-Captain."

"Whatever. Let's get out of here, and use the psychic RADAR system over here to see if we can find them."

"Great, more headache-inducing work." Nehrut said, but he was the first walking to the door.

Everyone but Sora and Phoebus was already out of the room, when they realized that Quasimodo wasn't following them.

"Aren't you coming?" Phoebus asked him.

"I can't." Quasimodo said, turning away.

"I thought you were Esmeralda's friend!"

"Frollo's my master, I can't disobey him again."

"She stood up for you!" Phoebus exclaimed. "You've got a funny way of showing gratitude."

Quasimodo remained silent, and Phoebus glared. "Well the rest of us aren't going to just sit here so Frollo can massacre innocent people."

"Go on." Sora muttered quietly. Phoebus looked down at him. "I'll meet you at the street, I can handle this."

Phoebus looked reluctant, but nodded, and left the room.

Sora walked up to Quasimodo, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Care to talk?"

"What am I supposed to do?" His voice was almost accusatory. "Go out there and rescue the girl from the jaws of death, and the whole town will treat me like I'm some kind of a hero?"

"She's already got her 'knight in shining armor', and it's not me." He sighed, and now his voice sounded defeated, and resigned. "Frollo was right. Frollo was right about everything… And I'm tired of trying to be something that I'm not."

"'Frollo was right?'" Sora quoted. "'Something that you're not?' So what aren't you? A human being who has just as much right to live a full, happy life as anyone who lives outside these stone walls?"

Silence hung between them for a moment.

"Well, Quasi, Frollo was not right. In fact, he's one of the most ignorant people I've ever met. Just because you had the misfortune of being born looking different, it doesn't make you a monster. And it definitely doesn't mean that you can't yet be a hero."

Sora walked over to a nearby bench, where there sat a dark blue hooded cape. He held it out to Quasimodo. The hunchback looked at it for a moment, before taking it.

"I must be out of my mind." He said, as he put it on, and walked to the door.

"Nice job, somebody." Roxas said.

!

When the two latecomers arrived just outside the side door of the cathedral (which was hidden in darkness, so they were unseen) it was to find Nehrut in the middle of what appeared to be a massive headache, and half leaning on Bariss and Goofy for support.

"This city is way, way too crowded to pick out anyone in particular. Especially now, with all the panic and fear in the air. It's clouding my senses and blocking my concentration."

"Well, good thing we've got another way, then." Sora said.

"Say again?"

"Quasi, you still got that necklace?"

"Oh, yes…" Quasimodo reached under his shirt, and took out the woven necklace he had received from the gypsy the previous night. "She said this would help us find her."

"Good, good, good!" Phoebus's excitement was almost palpable. He held out his hand for it, and took it carefully. "Ah, great… What is it?"

"I'm not sure."

"It could be a key." Kairi suggested.

"Or a sign, to show allegiance to the Court?" Bariss added.

"Maybe it's some kind of a code…" Phoebus said.

After debating back and forth for a few minutes, it was Quasimodo that came up with the correct answer. "'When you wear this woven band, you hold the city in your hand.'"

"What?" Riku asked.

"It's the city." Quasimodo said, taking the necklace from Phoebus. "Here's the cathedral," He pointed at the cross in the middle, "And the river," The blue band surrounding it, "And this little thing…"

"The Court of Miracles." Sora agreed. "Not bad, Quasi."

"Lead the way." Phoebus said.

The twelve of them snuck through the city, unseen and unheard to the soldier patrols.

!

Sora seems to be good at pep talks. It worked on the Beast, right? That kind of empathy is one of the reasons I –and likely Kairi- like the guy so much.

Anywho, please leave a review!