Her? With him? Nu uh. No way. Never. Not in a million years.

'Her' being Elsa.

'Him' being Axel.

'Nu uh, no way, never, not in a million years' being having a frigging crush on him.

Come on, the very idea was absolutely ridiculous. Absurd! For starters, she'd just gotten out of a long term relationship. And alright sure, she was starting to suspect more and more that she'd never had any real feelings towards Hans, and fine, Hans had turned out to be some sort of crazy possessed evil supervillain bent on consuming the world in darkness, but still! It was way too soon for her to be having any sort of… of… inklings in… that department! Secondly, even if the appropriate amount of time had passed and she was ready or, heck, even willing to start, er… fraternizing again, it certainly wouldn't be with a Nobody of all people! Going down that road with a being who could never return or even so much as feel such affections just sounded like a complete and utter recipe for disaster. Doomed from the start. Doomed before it had even begun. She had absolute zero reason to think of him in… in that way!

…okay, maybe not zero. He was helping her get a handle on her powers… Had helped rescue her family, not to mention he'd saved her own life on more than one occasion… And for someone with no emotions, he did tend to be very sweet towards her, always trying to cheer her up and make her laugh. And she did suppose, if she was being completely honest with herself, he wasn't exactly all that bad to look at… one might even say he was-

Nope.

Nu uh.

Full stop.

Not going there.

Especially not right now when there were way more important things to be thinking about!

The two of them had just arrived back where they'd agreed to meet the others at sundown which, without more info to go on from Sora's S.O.S. text, was their best bet for where'd they'd find their friends. The square was even more packed than it had been earlier and it seemed to be due to a speech that was being given on a stage in one far corner. Looked to be some sort of ceremony for the lantern show - a proper send-off before it began. Panting to catch their breaths after running to get here as fast as they could, Elsa and Axel whipped their heads about as they searched for any signs of the others.

"There! I see them!" Axel pointed and following the direction of his finger, she also spotted them emerging from a nearby alley. "C'mon," he reached for her hand to tug her along after him towards the rest of their group.

Elsa jolted at his touch, jerking her hand free of his. He glanced back over his shoulder at her, quirking an eyebrow. Face feeling warm, she averted her gaze and said nothing as she ran past him to rejoin the others.

What? Don't read anything into it, it didn't actually mean anything. She just, erm… felt he'd lately been getting a bit too overly familiar with her for someone she still didn't fully trust yet! Yeah, that was it. That's all it was.

She did not have a crush on him. She did not.

Their friends noticed them as well and hurried to approach them. When they were close enough, Elsa asked, "You all okay? What happened?"

"Yeah, where's the fire?" Axel chimed in, biting back a tiny grin. "Get it? Cuz ya know… I'm the team's token pyro, so…" The only reaction he got was Elsa drooping her eyelids at him. "Crickets, really? Bah, you guys wouldn't know funny if it came up and bit you on the schnozzola, and this coming from the guy who literally doesn't have a sense of humor."

Ignoring him, Sora's eyes were wide and frantic as he blurted out, "I found her! Can you believe it? I finally found her! Or maybe… she found me? Either way, I knew it! It knew it, I knew she had to have made it out safely and she was out here somewhere and all I had to do was find her and, and I did! I have! She was right there and I was so close, and I tried to stop her but-"

"Woah, slow down, take a breath! What are you talking about? Who did you find?" Elsa cut him off with a tiny, confused shake of her head.

"Kairi!" The name all but burst out of him and Elsa gasped. "She was here! It was her! Or… I mean, at least I think it was her, but she was… I dunno, different. She'd changed her hair, and her eyes did something kinda funky, and the Kairi I know never would've tried to kidnap someone or-"

"Hold up, she tried to kidnap someone?" Axel said at the same time Elsa asked, "Who?"

"Me," Rapunzel grimaced, raising her hand. "But it wasn't just her. Some giant ruffian grabbed me, they seemed to be working together."

Sora nodded, "Uh-huh, that Stabbington guy!"

Elsa's head rocked back. "Stabbington? You mean one of Hans's older brothers?" She exchanged a glance with Axel before adding, "We saw them here in town yesterday, but they just ran away and there's been nothing from them since. How would they know Kairi and why would they try to kidnap you?"

Just as baffled herself, Rapunzel merely shook her head as-

Wait…

Elsa furrowed her brow.

...who was this guy in the trench coat?

…and why was he handcuffed to Flynn?

Well, whoever he was, he interjected, "So are we just gonna gloss over the fact that they used a freaky magical gateway of nightmares to escape? You all act as if that's no big deal. Just what crap are you buncha kids caught up in?"

Axel chuckled, "Oh-ho, you have no idea, random stranger who seems to have joined our fair party."

"Maybe we shouldn't be talking about all this here. Too out in the open," Sora suggested, glancing around the still very crowded festival. "C'mon, let's head back to the hotel room so we can sort this all out and plan our next move."

A cheer suddenly went off from the corner of the square that was particularly thick with people. Rapunzel breathed in sharply as she remembered that's where the speech was being given. "The lantern show! It must be about to begin!" she squealed excitedly, turning to rush back to the stage.

Before she could get very far however, Flynn had grabbed her elbow, spun her back around to face him and gripped her shoulders as he stared at her hard. "Hold it, Blondie! You were almost abducted and dragged off into a swirling portal of shadowy death just now and you still want to stick around for the lantern show?"

"Yes!" Rapunzel wriggled free of his grasp and darted off, squeezing her way into the crowd and weaving through the people so she could snag a front row seat.

This was the whole reason she'd come here. This was her dream. She'd been waiting for this her whole dang life and she'd be damned if she'd let a little thing like attempted kidnapping ruin it for her!

Pushing past the last couple of people in her path, she once again found herself at the foot of the stage. Just in time too, for she could see that man - Mr. Tyrann, was it? - being handed something for him to light the lantern with. Rapunzel gripped the edge of the stage, bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet in eager anticipation as she watched.

What a pleasant man too! Mr. Tyrann seemed like just the kind of person she'd picture putting such a wonderful festival together! There was just something about him… he seemed so kind and warm, and yet something more too that she couldn't quite put her finger on… Almost as if there was something familiar about him, but not quite. No, it wasn't that she felt like she knew him, so much as she felt like she… should've known him, maybe? Almost as if-

"Blondie!"

Eyelids drooping, she released a tiny huff through her nose before turning, "I know we need to leave, Eugene, but please just… five more minutes won't hurt! I just want to see-" her words stopped in a gasp as her hands flew up to her mouth and her eyes grew round.

In his hands was a white lantern decorated with a tiny gold sun.

Shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he held it, he cleared his throat, "I'd actually bought two, but sorta tossed 'em without thinking when you got nabbed. The other one got smashed beyond all recognition, but I was able to salvage this one, so…" He swiped off a speck of dirt that still clung to it before offering it to her with a tiny, awkward smile. "...ya like it?"

"I absolutely love it," she whispered in revered awe as she took it from him.

"Oh good," he breathed a soft chuckle, ruffling his fingers through his hair. For the first time, Rapunzel realized Maxie was here too - kinda sorta had to be, seeing as how the two of them were still handcuffed together. He was standing behind Eugene, grumpy and scowling and seemingly doing his best to blend into the background and pretend he was anywhere else but here. Doing what he could to (begrudgingly, mind you) give these two some privacy. Eugene then blinked and winced as a thought struck him. "Shoot, we need a way to light that little fellah before we can send it off with the rest. Anyone round here got a match?" he asked the folks standing around them, to which a couple merely shook their heads.

"That's okay," she grinned, hugging the lantern to her chest with a happy little hum. "I think I want to keep this one anyhow. Like as a souvenir, ya know?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled at that. "You got it, Blondie."

They both fell quiet as they simply smiled at each other. A smile that was having Rapunzel feeling a few flutters in her stomach. Butterflies. That's what they were. And wow, felt like they were getting wild in there too! What were they even doing, freaking somersaults? Talented lil guys!

Wait… oh gosh, was she and Eugene having a moment?

Pretty sure they were. And not even their first moment of the day either! No, she'd been fairly certain they'd had another one back when they were dancing. Two moments in one day! Could you believe it?! Cuz she sure as heck couldn't!

He suddenly looked away, clearing his throat again. "Oh, uh… looks like they're finally about to launch the first lantern. Better watch so you don't miss it," he nodded towards the stage. Grinning wider and snuggling her own paper lantern, she turned her attention back to where he'd indicated.

Mr. Tyrann's lantern now had a gentle pleasant glow about it from the small candle he'd just ignited within. He held it up, presenting it to his audience and everyone whooped and hollered around them. Rapunzel however didn't join them this time as a small frown suddenly tugged at the corners of her mouth and she began to gnaw on her lower lip. Noticing this out of the corner of his eye, Eugene quirked an eyebrow at her. "...you okay?"

Her voice hushed now, she said, "I'm terrified."

Now both eyebrows shot up his forehead and he gave a tiny shake of his head. "Why?"

"...I've been watching the world pass me by from my balcony for eighteen years… dreaming about what it would feel like once I was finally here when those lights rose into the sky." She glanced back towards him now, her eyes big and anxious. "What if it's not everything that I dreamed it would be?"

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It will be."

Her gaze fell, lips pursing to one side as her fingers idly traced the sun design. Then she looked back up at him once more. "...and what if it is? What then?"

"Well, that's the good part I guess," he shrugged, one side of his lips turning up. "You get to find a new dream."

Maxie made a discreet noise that suspiciously sounded like a tiny gag, which the two of them dutifully ignored.

With that, Mr. Tyrann released his lantern. Rapunzel sucked in her breath and held it, watching it slowly drift skyward as dusk fell. Then from somewhere else in the festival, a second lantern began to float up to join it. Then another. And another. In the space of a heartbeat, hundreds of them had appeared. No, thousands of them, lighting up the night sky as if the stars themselves had come down from the heavens to dance. And it was breathtaking. All Rapunzel could do was stare in wonder, her mouth slightly agape.

Eugene had been right.

It was everything she'd dreamt it would be.

She was where she was meant to be.

Tearing her eyes away from the gorgeous sight, she glanced towards him to see he wasn't watching the show. No, instead he was watching her and again with that little smile of his that set those butterflies off into a frenzy once again.

Oh yeah. They were definitely having a moment.

He took a small step closer to her, reaching a hand out to gently tuck a stray bang behind her ear. Then he slowly began to lean in and-

"D'awww, you two are just so sweet, you're giving me a goddamn cavity over here!"

With a start, they jumped apart and turned their heads towards the new voice to discover none other than Larxene. She was on the stage just a few mere inches in front of them, laying on her belly and propped up by her elbows with her chin cradled in her palms and her feet kicking in the air behind her. She smirked as she glanced between them. "Oopsie, my bad. Didn't mean to interrupt. Please, don't stop on my account."

They both just stared at her, Flynn shifting slightly to put himself between her and Rapunzel.

"Aw, are the widdle wub-birds feeling bashful all of sudden?" Larxene cooed and snickered as a confused murmur started rippling through the audience over who this weirdo on stage was. Mr. Tyrann and his assistant only seemed to be able to watch from further back on the stage behind her, apparently too baffled themselves to do anything.

"Larxene!" Sora suddenly came barreling through the crowd, followed closely by Elsa and Axel. As they all came to a stop beside their friends, Sora pointed an angry finger at her, "What're you up to now? Better not be about to start any trouble!"

"Ugh, straight to business, huh? No fun," her lower lip thrust out in a pout as she stood up now. Hands dusting off her skirt and long black coat momentarily, she then crossed her arm and jut a hip out to one side. "Final warning, shrimp. Lite-Brite and Snowcone come with me quietly back to HQ or else."

Narrowing his eyes, Sora snarled, "Or else what?"

She tapped a finger to her chin as a wicked half-grin pulled at her lips. "Oh, I dunno… maybe we should ask all these lovely innocent bystanders, hm?"

With that, she threw her hands up high over her head and began cackling maniacally as gigantic bolts of lightning began raining down from the sky onto the crowd. Terrified gasps and shrieks pierced the air as panic broke out and all the fairgoers began running every which way.

Gritting his teeth, Sora summoned his Keyblade to his hand and charged towards the stage, closing the distance between him and Larxene as he shouted, "Stop it!"

"Stop?" She shook her head, biting back a laugh. "Pffft, why would we stop when I'm simply the opening act? Everyone please put your hands together and give it up for the real stars of tonight's show! Enjoy," she singsonged the last word with a tiny bow, disappearing into a Corridor of Darkness just as Sora had leapt at her, Keyblade swinging. Landing on stage, his swipe only caught the last few remaining shadow tendrils as the portal dissipated into nothingness.

"Why do I get the feeling this is one show we're all not gonna be big fans of," Axel muttered, warily glancing about for any signs of new threats as scared people still rushed about the large public square around them.

"...are the lanterns supposed to be doing that?" Elsa asked slowly, looking up with a tiny frown.

"Huh?" Rapunzel glanced towards her, eyebrows reaching for her hairline before she followed her gaze. "Doing what?"

She pointed, "Coming back down."

And so they were. Every single one of them were gradually sinking back down towards the ground. Yeah, it was supposed to happen eventually, but not immediately, not like this. And sure, maybe one or two losing some steam early wouldn't have been unheard of, but all of them at once? It was almost as if they were moving in unison. It was actually kind of eerie.

Especially since they all seemed to be floating down directly towards where their group was standing.

The first of them closed in, drifting almost lazily down to hover in front of Maximus's face. He seemed unimpressed, narrowing his eyes at it as if daring it to try anything. What could it really do anyhow? Go on, do your worst, you lousy bit of flimsy paper and cheap candle!

Suddenly, two black slits materialized side by side on the thing. They opened, growing into jagged holes filled with nothing but an empty, pitch black void.

No. Not holes.

Eyes.

A third slit sliced a large, crooked crescent beneath the first two - a mouth.

One that spread open wide into a blood curdling screech as clawed arms popped out either side of the lantern.

"Son of a-!" Maximus snarled in surprise as he stumbled backwards, unholstering his gun to shoot at the damn thing. It zipped about, dodging the bullets with a chilling, unearthly little laugh before darting off towards the other lanterns.

That is to say, the other lanterns that were now also sprouting the same horrifying faces and sharp, spindly hands.

As the very one she cuddled close in her arms did the same, Rapunzel yelped and released it. She watched the thing zipped circles around her a few times before flying off and a pout formed on her face. "My souvenir…"

And that's when all hell broke loose.

Some of the white lanterns went in different directions and spread out, targeting the fleeing fairgoers still in the area. But most were gathering, bunching up together into a swirling clump in the air high over everyone's heads. Small at first, but swiftly getting bigger and bigger as more were added. In the space of seconds, the collected mass had grown larger than most of the buildings around them. Until now, the ever increasing swarm had been nebulous, without form, but suddenly it began to stretch and expand, taking on a more distinct shape.

And just what exactly was the shape all these lanterns were coming together to form?

That of a behemoth flying serpentine monstrosity from straight out of nightmares.

It parted its massive jaws and with a voice that was the combined sound of hundreds of those little lantern beasts, it bellowed out a thunderous, bone chilling roar.

"Yup. Called it. This show gets two major thumbs way down from me," Axel razzed his tongue, pointing said thumbs down.

Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS!! The lightning hag strikes again, dropping a sweet new Nobody mini-boss on our group of intrepid adventurers xD The lanterns being a bunch of monsters that swarm together to form one larger monster has been the mini-boss idea I've had for this story for yeeeeeeeears, before I even started writing the story, before kh3 was released or even announced. I just thought it would make so much sense for the Tangled world! And I was so worried when KH3 came out that the Tangled world boss would be some sort of lantern monster swarm beast and I was gonna be like "nuuuuuuu I had the idea first!" lol, but thankfully, kh3 came up with a different boss idea (ngl, pretty sure my idea was cooler and makes more sense than the thing they came up with, but eh! *shrug* lol)

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Thanks for reading, I'm super duper grateful to all of you! And an extra BIG thank you to the beautiful, generous peeps who've faved and followed so far, as well as those who reviewed last chapter! Hearing from you guys always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!