Kingdom Heart: Halloween

'I love Halloween!' Sora cried as the Gummi ship cruised through the galaxy. 'The candies! The costumes! The tricks!'

'And we're going to see Jack Skellington again.' Kairi replied.

'This Halloween Town you guys been talking about', a girl with long blonde hair said. 'Is it really that scary?'

Kairi held the blonde girl's hand. 'Don't worry Namine. They may look scary but they just enjoy giving people a scare.'

Namine nodded although she was trembling. A boy who looked like Sora but with blonde hair put his hands on her shoulders. 'If any of those monster scare you, I'm going to give them a good whooping!'

Namine smiled at the boy. 'Thanks Roxas.'

'All right gang', Sora said. 'We're here!"

The Gummi Ship landed gently in the middle of a graveyard filled with ancient tombs and tombstones. Leafless trees surrounded the graveyard, stretching those thin branches. The moon that almost resemble a skeleton's face beamed its' powerful rays down on everything in its' reach.

The four children got off of the Gummi ship and when they stepped on the haunted grounds, they were in their Halloween costumes. Sora was dressed as a vampire, Kairi's a black witch, Roxas is a ghost and Namine a white witch.

'I wonder if Jack is in the Town Center.' Sora asked.

Before anybody could reply to Sora statement, they suddenly heard a chilling laughter.

'What was that?' Namine asked, frightened.

'It's coming from over there!' Roxas pointed to a forest of demented trees.

'Then what are we waiting for?' Sora asked and sprinted towards the laughter. Kairi joined him. Roxas grabbed Namine's hand and chased after Sora and Kairi. They ran through the dark forest, their ears guiding them to the laughter. They battled through fallen leaves, thorns from withered bushes and claws from trees. Finally, they reached an open area where a figure stood before them.

The figure was dressed in black except for the red cape he wore. He rode on a black horse with red, burning eyes. In his hand was a pumpkin. But the most extraordinary feature about him was that there was no head! He was totally headless. The horseman raised his arm and flung a flaming pumpkin at the group.

'Incoming!' Sora cried and ducked. The girls also ducked alongside with him. Roxas was too slow and was hit with the pumpkin. The headless rider laughed and rode away, disappearing into the darkness. Roxas was covered in pumpkin juice. When the others got back to their feet, they took a good look at Roxas and reacted differently.

'Are you okay, Roxas?' Namine asked, pulling out a handkerchief.

'I'm all right.' Roxas mumbled through pumpkin juice.

Kairi was hiding a smile. 'At least nothing worst happened to you.'

Sora burst out laughing. 'HAHAHA! That was a good one!' Sora wiped a tear from his eye. 'Your head make a good jack-o-lantern, Roxas!'

'Shut up!' Roxas wiped away the remaining pumpkin juice with the back of his hand and glared at Roxas. 'Just let me get my hands on you!'

Roxas chased Sora around the area with a piece of pumpkin. Sora was half-running and half-laughing. Kairi just shook her head at the immaturity of boys.

'Who was that man?' Namine asked.

'I don't know.' Kairi answered. 'Sora, do you know who was that horseman?'

Sora, who was trying to stop Roxas from putting more pumpkin juice on his face, 'Never met him. But maybe Jack will know. Just get Roxas off me!'

Kairi and Namine laughed and pulled Roxas off Sora. Roxas, still muttering about Sora's joke, calmed down. Together, the four children head for the town center. When they reached there, they saw a tall, lanky skeleton talking to a short person with two faces.

Namine trembled at the sight of them. Roxas, noticing her reaction, wrapped his assuring arm around her arm. 'It's going to be okay.'

Namine smiled at him while Sora walked up to the strange pair. 'Hey Jack!'

Jack Skellington turned away from the mayor and gave Sora a toothless smile. 'Sora, Kairi! Welcome back to another spooky Halloween! Hello?' Jack caught sight with Roxas and Namine. 'Who are your friends?'

'Jack, this is Roxas and Namine.' Kairi introduced them.

Jack walked closer to them and Namine hid behind Roxas. 'What's wrong?' Jack asked teasingly. 'Afraid of the Pumpkin King?' And made a face.

Namine shrieked and covered her eyes with Roxas' costume. Kairi slapped Jack's arm. 'Don't scare her! This is her first Halloween!'

'My bad!' Jack replied, rubbing his arm. 'At least I'm also as scary as the Headless Horseman.'

'The Headless Horseman?' Sora and the others chorused together.

'You know the fellow riding a black horse, laughing hysterically, throwing pumpkins and have no head?' Jack said airily. 'That's the chap I was talking about. I see your friend over there has fallen victim to the Horseman plank.'

'Lucky guess', Roxas grumbled as he wiped away more pumpkin juice.

'He is also ruining Halloween for everyone!' the Mayor added. 'We must do something to stop this menace.'

'You're right mayor!' Jack declared. 'I suggest we investigate about this headless chap! Come along my trusty companions!'

Jack strode forward towards the forest. The children look at each other.

'Are we suppose to follow him?' Namine asked.

'With him around', Sora replied. 'He always dragging us around.'

The four children hurried behind Jack.

*

'This was the place where we last saw him', Kairi said when they reached the area. The pale moon lighted area for them, making it easier to look around their surrounding.

'Now all we got to do is the trace his tracks', Sora said.

Laughter echoed through the forest, chilling all of them.

'I don't think we need to do that.' Kairi said.

The Headless Horseman galloped through the trees and stopped in the open. Jack, Sora, Kairi and Roxas readied themselves; key-blades in their hands and magic glowing from Jack's skeletal hands. Namine stood behind them.

Laughing hollowly, the Headless Horseman charged at the group and threw a flaming pumpkin. Jack threw a fireball and there was a explosion when the fireball and the pumpkin made impact. Sora and Kairi went for the horseman from the rear. Sora swung his key-blade down but missed the Headless Horseman. Kairi tried stabbing the horseman by the stab but almost stab Sora.

With another laugh, the Headless Horseman threw two pumpkins at Roxas. Roxas, wielding Oath-Keeper and Oblivion, sliced the pumpkins in half.

'Ha! Is that the best you…'

Roxas was interrupted when a third pumpkin hit him in the face. With a final laugh, the Headless Horseman galloped away into the dark forest before anybody could attack back. The horseman man cried in a hollow voice.

'Fools! Nobody can outmatch the Headless Horseman! From now on, I will be the scourge of Halloween!'

The Headless Horseman disappeared into the darkness again, leaving Jack and the children staring to where he gone.

*

'He is too strong!' Kairi exclaimed. 'We couldn't land a single hit on him.'

'All we need', Jack said. 'Is a strategy! Something that will catch him off guard!'

'I doubt that will work', Sora argued. 'He is too fast for us. Before we can do something, he can just gallop away.'

Jack, Sora, Kairi, Roxas and Namine were back in the Town Center: thinking on how to capture the Headless Horseman. The mayor was pacing in front of them, worried. Roxas was again wiping off pumpkin juice from his head, grumbled.

'Why not leave him alone? He is only going to haunt Halloween. If nobody gets in his way, then I don't see why he need to bother anybody.'

Jack shook his head. 'We can't be sure he will only haunt on Halloween. Halloween or not, we have to stop him from terrorizing the other ghosts and monsters.'

'But how?' The Mayor asked panicky.

'Excuse me, Jack?'

Everybody turned to the person who spoke. That person was a woman with long, red hair and big, white eyes. There were stitches all over her body.

Jack strode closer to the woman and held her hand. 'Sally, it's so good to see you. What are you doing here?'

Sally held up a book. 'I have been reading about spooky legends and there was a page about the Headless Horseman. Legends says that the Headless Horseman will only disappear if he crossed through a bridge.'

'A bridge?' everybody said simultaneously.

Sally nodded. 'A bridge prevent the Headless Horseman from going through is domain. Nobody know why but if we can make the Headless Horseman crossed a bridge, he will no longer bother us.'

'Now I remember!' The Mayor piped. 'We built a bridge near at the Southern side of the forest.'

'So all we got to do is to lure the horseman to the other side of the bridge', Kairi concluded.

'What a brilliant idea!' Jack exclaimed.

'But how are we going to make him do that?' Sora asked. 'I don't think he be stupid enough to cross his bridge.'

'Maybe I can help.'

Everybody was surprise that it was Namine announced that. In her hands were paintbrushes and buckets of paints. Namine smiled confidently.

'Just get me a big canvas and a wooden frame. We're painting a farewell picture for the Headless Horseman.'

*

'I hope Namine's plan works', Sora muttered as he walked along side with Jack and Roxas. Jack was riding a skeletal horse.

Roxas just nodded. Jack looked enthusiastic. 'Come on chaps! I think the lassie's plan will be a hit!'

Soon, they heard the laughter of the Headless Horseman and within seconds, he was standing right in front of them.

'Back for more?' he teased and raised the flaming pumpkin.

'Wait!' Sora cried, waving his arms. 'We don't want to fight you! We just ask you for a challenge!'

The Headless Horseman lowered his arm. 'A challenge, boy?'

'Yeah!' Roxas joined in. 'Jack Skellington challenged you to a race!'

The Headless Horseman just sat on his horse, saying nothing until, 'I don't know…'

'Jack claimed that his skeletal horse can beat your horse in speed', Sora said. 'He can even beat you with his eyes blindfolded.'

Although he has no facial expressions, the boys knew the Headless Horseman was angry. 'What nonsense are you spouting?' he snapped. 'I'm a better rider than Mr. Bag-of-bones over there! I accept your challenge! Now, where do we start?'

Jack stroked his bony chin and pondered. 'How about yonder tree over there?' He gestured to a withered oak. 'Until, let say, to that lamp post?'

The Headless Horseman took one look at the oak tree before turning his gaze to the lamppost and nodded. 'Agreed.'

He beckoned his horse to the oak tree and soon Jack joined him at the starting point. Roxas ripped off a small piece of fabric from his ghost costume and tied it to a twig. Then he raised it over his head.

'On your mark!' Sora cried. 'Get set! GO!'

Roxas brought the self-made flag down and the two riders galloped away. Jack was in the lead and was halfway to the lamppost. Furious, the Headless Horseman dug his shins deeper into the sides of his horse, making the creature galloped at top speed. Soon, the Headless Horseman was now in the lead and Jack was far behind the horseman. The Headless Horseman gave a laugh of triumph as he was nearing the lamppost.

Then to his surprise, he found himself going through a screen and covered with paint. He stopped his horse and looked back. He saw a big hole of a screen being supported by a giant wooden frame: no doubt the painting of the lamppost and the background. To his horror, the giant screen was covering the entrance of the bridge and now he was on the other side.

'You tricked me!' the Headless Horseman screamed and rode back to exact vengeance but it was too late for him. He and his horse were slowly fading away. Even before he could reach the other side of the bridge, the Headless Horseman faded back into the darkness with a terrible scream and a curse to Jack Skellington. When every presence of the Headless Horseman disappeared, all that was left was an empty carved pumpkin.

*

'Three cheers to Namine!' Jack Skellington cried, raising his glass of pumpkin juice.

'To Namine!' Sora and Kairi cried, clinking their glasses together. Namine and Sally also joined in the toast. Roxas just sat there, holding his glass of pumpkin juice.

'I wasn't the only one', Namine said modestly. 'Kairi helped me to paint the rest of the background while I try to make it look realistic to fool the Headless Horseman.'

'And you did a great job!' Kairi complimented her. 'If I do say so myself.'

Roxas wrapped his arm around Namine. 'I knew you could do it.'

Namine blushed. 'Thanks, Roxas.'

'With the Headless Horseman gone', Sally said. 'We no longer have to fear him ruining Halloween.'

'And I retained my title as the Pumpkin King!' Jack announced.

Sora drank his pumpkin juice in one gulp. 'This pumpkin juice is great, Jack!'

Jack bowed mockingly. 'Courtesy to monsieur Headless Horseman.' Everybody laughed.

'Roxas', Kairi said when she noticed Roxas' still full glass. 'Aren't you drinking yours?'

'After getting hit by pumpkins twice', Roxas said. 'I don't think I can stand drinking it.'

'Hey Roxas!'

Roxas turned around and was hit by a pumpkin in the face. When he wiped the juice from his eyes, he saw Lock, Shock and Barrel in front of him: rolling on the floor and laughing.

'That does it!' Roxas growled and jumped off his seat. 'Just let me get my hands on you three punks!'

Everybody laughed at Roxas chasing after the three mischievous troublemakers around the room: Roxas throwing threats and Shock, Lock and Barrel running and laughing at the same time.