When Darkness Turns to Light

A Heartless Halloween

Recappy From the Last Chappy: "I guess all we can do until we find that block is explore more worlds," said Sora. "There's more people to save out there, and more Keyholes to seal."

Hikari crawled back into bed, careful not to disturb Red XIII, and slid under the covers. "There's also sleep. Junior Heroes need their beauty rest," she teased. When she was settled, she closed her eyes. "Good night, Sora."

"Night."

Chapter Forty-two: A Heartless Halloween

A figure with grotesque brown wings shaped like hands landed in the Guillotine Plaza of a world covered in continuous night. Humanoid in countenance, and male, the creature had painted purple lips covering vampire-ish fangs and had long nails consistent with claws. A black mark similar to a plus sign was plastered on the nose of its brown face, and its eyes were yellow with black sclera.

The figure collapsed on all fours and gasped for air; the darkness seeped from his skin, and many of his features transformed. His skin faded to an alabaster pigment; his nails shrank back to the quick; the wings painfully sheathed into his back, evidenced by his bitten-back grunts; his hair withdrew into his scalp until his bangs were still long, but his hair fluffed up in the back similar to cockatoo feathers. Lastly, his sclera turned white and his iris turned black.

Firelight from the lit Jack-o-lanterns reflected off his sweaty skin while he continued to catch his breath and clutched his chest; traversing the dark corridors had strained his heart. Beads of perspiration dripped onto the stone ground from his face.

Eventually, his breaths quieted and steadied, and he was able to stand. The emblem on the back of his black, wide-collared shirt resembled a red-and-white fan.

Sasuke Uchiha walked the Guillotine Square, unimpressed by the almost tacky amount of Halloween décor. Having not cared for holidays much since the days of his early youth, the night the flame of the Uchiha clan was almost entirely snuffed out, they elicited no emotional attachment from him. He could not feel even nostalgia; he hardly remembered celebrating Halloween.

Despite its festive appearance, the square was barren but for Heartless, and they too were anything except lively. Confused by their inanimate status, he stopped in front of the company of Search Ghosts and scanned them. This place is weird.

An abrupt chorus of "Trick or treat!" drew his attention in front of him, and an icy blue pumpkin struck his face. The pumpkin exploded, but instead of fire, it consumed him in icy mist; he felt almost like he had been struck by a snowball.

He waved the "ice and snow" from his face and followed the high-pitched chortling of three mischievous brats with his gaze. The round brat was dressed as a skeleton, the girl as a witch, and the third as Lucifer. They ran as fast as their small legs could carry them.

Although he was fatigued from his inter-world travel sans vessel, he pulled out a kunai with wire attached to it and threw it. The knife traveled faster than the children and embedded itself in the ground several feet in front of them.

Sasuke formed hand seals around the wire and raised it to his mouth. Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu! He exhaled a large quantity of flame that ignited the wire at a rapid pace until it hit the kunai at the end. He heard the kids' screams as the fire engulfed them, then disappeared.

Sasuke approached the trio and cast a shadow over them. They coughed, groaned, and bickered, blaming each other for their state; they were in pain and covered in soot. The ninja's close proximity did not quiet their squabbles.

"It's all your fault," Shock accused of Lock. "If you'd run faster, we wouldn't've been caught!"

"Me? But it was Barrel's idea to make the pumpkin!"