El Travieso Guerrero! (The Naughty Warrior!) - for Angelofhumor16

[ZeldaFan64]

Alas, it was Friday 2nd of November and already everybody were preparing for the grand event, Dìa de Muertos. Trails of leaves were spread on the cobblestone path, kiosks selling all types of food and decorations were set up, the mariachi practised their songs and the photo frames on the ofrenda were fully-polished and checked without any damage whatsoever. It was going to be a perfect night after all and with Miguel allowed to sing and play with his guitar, the festival was going to be a BLAST!

Evening fell and all were looking forward to this... but one wasn’t. Not in a bad way, he just never heard of it! It was a young man, clothed in a robe of red, who walked past villagers setting up lights and decorations with skull-shaped patterns across the walls. His name was Rhei, an inhabitant of a faraway land who was just visiting random lands he came across. The teen wore a white shirt and green shorts underneath his red robe, and he bared a brunette mane with spiked-up frills on the front.

As he looked up to see fireworks rocketing to the sky to explode in a million lights, the teen ran forward to get a better view of the festival.

[Angelofhumor16]

Meanwhile, Imelda Rivera was at this festival. Along with her husband Héctor,.their daughter Coco, her son in law Julio, her twin brothers Felipe and Óscar, her granddaughter Rosita, and Victoria. What were they doing? Why visiting their living familia of course! And enjoying listening to their great great grandson. The skeleton of a woman smiled as she danced with her husband, however something caught her eye just as Miguel had gotten to the chorus of the song..

"Héctor do you see that child over there?"

"Ah..Which one mi amor there are a lot of kids."

"That one dreesed in a red robe."

Héctor looked closer and then nodded,"Si, I do Imelda..What about it?"

"I think we should watch him. He's wandering around and he looks suspicious..Almost foreign."

[ZeldaFan64]

Indeed he was foreign; a young white boy from another land and if his accent was heard, then maybe from a part of America. Rhei saw a young boy looking around Rhei’s age was playing with a guitar, making him wish he brought his own guitar. The teen made his own way across the area, COMPLETELY unaware of the onlookers.

The overall look to festival was like Christmas and Halloween sandwiched together! The act of festive colours and skeletal faces just reminded him of those two holidays; boy, Jack Skellington would be over the moon if he was here! As the teen wandered across the cobblestones, he absent-mindlessly trudged through these leaves scattered across the path... that all lead to the home of the Rivera’s! Rhei wasn’t at all effected as he knew nothing about this holiday.

He went to go to this gravesite and once he saw all people placing gifts such as bread and wine on their ancestor’s graves, Rhei tilted his head and just watched. Just the very thought of them remembering their relatives even after death just brought a smile to his face. How affectionate and very thoughtful... so he wanted to see more to this. Rhei looked around the graveyard even at this defaced shrine which made him cringe at who would do such a thing,... so he carried on to see a stand holding some skull masks.

Seeing some children wearing masks, he shrugged and tried one himself, this one baring small horns and a baring a pumpkin-like smile. He gave a chuckle and walked off but stopped when children rampaged towards... and THROUGH him!! The teen looked over to the shoulder with a horrified gasp, undoubtedly knowing that they ran directly through him! Suddenly, what he feared just came true; skeletons wearing human clothing appeared before his very eyes!

[Angelofhumor16]

Héctor and Imelda both has stopped dancing. No longer listening to the young Rivera play his song "Proud Corazon." Instead, they kept a close eye on this newcomer. Héctor looking curious and Imelda looking unimpressed. Especially at how carelessly Rhei was trudging through thr marigold pedals. She almost softened up when the kid seemed genuinely curious about what was going on around him, and she almost hoped someone would notice the kid, and show some hospitality by explainining the holiday and it's meaning.

However, that soft and fond look turned into an angry one when she saw him steal a mask off a grave,"Well, we better go address him.." She said, and walked that way. Pulling Héctor along with her.

"Little boy!" She said, grabbing his shoulder and turning him to face him,"What buisness do you have here? And do you have any idea what you just did?"

Héctor answered for Imelda,"What mi amor is trYing to say chamaco is that...This is Dia les Muertos. The day of the dead. It's a time to give to the dead and you just stole from the dead. You took that mask off someone's grave."

[ZeldaFan64]

This could NOT be happening! Did he stumble into Halloween Town? This didn’t look anything like it... he couldn’t have been, not by a long shot! The teen looked with widened eyes before he lifted his mask to his forehead and rubbed his iris’... only to see that his whole body was glowing! Not only that but what was more confusing was the fact that no-one else NOTICED them! “Uhh, hey! Guuuyyys! Look! Over there! SKELETONS!” But no matter how loud he yelled, nobody was listening... Why?

This couldn’t have been scarier than he thought it would be, but he thought too soon when he felt a bony hand grab his shoulder, where for a millisecond, he twinged in fear and before him were two skeletons and one looked really angry!

“GAH!!” He hopped back with a face of shock, where the thought that he disturbed their grave instantly came into mind. He vaguely understood what the male meant aside from those gibberish words; ‘mi armor’ and ‘Muertos’? What did he mean by that?

But he shouldn’t let his guard down. They’d probably be out for revenge! So in his hands formed a weapon of light, the Keyblade, a magical weapon of an actual key attached to the hilt. “St-stay back, spirits...!” He said, backing away until he hit the stand. “I don’t mean no harm, I don’t wanna hurt you! I didn’t steal anything! I just picked up a mask from this stand here, look!” He turned to show them... only to see that these row of masks were on a enlarged gravestone for a present and Rhei has stolen from this very grave!

[Angelofhumor16]

Héctor was being much more friendly and gentle about the whole situation. Unlike his wife Imelda who was absolutely furious with the.child for stealing from the dead and had ended up just like their great great grandson Miguel Rivera.

Both skeletons watched with confused looks as he took out the keyblade, both just blinking at it, and Héctor looked to his wife.

"Ay..I think he's loco.." He whispered, meaning that he thought Rhei was crazy. However, when the kid bumped into the grave, and realized what happened he nodded,"Mmhm..See? This is what I was talking about kid."

Imelda crossed her arms,"You should of been paying better attention! This holiday is meant to give to tell dead. TO honor and remember them..you STOLE from them, and now, you're cursed!'

[ZeldaFan64]

Rhei should have analysed the very look of the object that held the masks rather than just take one and wear it... He has stolen from the very grave and now he felt horrible. He had to make it up to those whose grave was given to them,... but how?

That’s when Rhei, holding the Keyblade and the mask on his head, gritted his teeth and scratched the back of his head. “Ohhhh Heartless crap... I really did it this time...” he said before he looked back at the two, where their looks especially the female’s made it feel that he had a train dragging his heartstrings.

A large flood of guilt hurt him bad and he had to make things right...

“Okay, I’ll give it back! Look...” and so he tried to by placing the mask, now glowing, on the grave but it didn’t get any of the people’s attention! When one little girl started crying, Rhei pointed. “Look look, little girl! It’s back where it belongs...” but it’s as if... he couldn’t reverse his defacing!

“What’s going on here?!”

[Angelofhumor16]

Imelda noticed the kids guilt, and she was happy to see that he felt guilty. At least now she knew he wasn't a trouble maker and hadby meant anything that he had done. Still, that didn't excuse the fact he'd stolen in the first place, and had probably should of looked at his surroundings better.

"I'm afraid that won't work kid." Héctor replied, noticing Rheis confused look.

"My husband is right. Our great great grandson did something similar a few years ago. The only way to undo this curse is to get a families blessing."

"But seeing as how your new to this it'll be tricky..Unless you have some family in the Land of the Dead?" Héctor asked.

[ZeldaFan64]

Rhei blinked with a gaping mouth; getting back to human form wasn’t going to easy. He couldn’t downright reverse the events but there must be a better way. “A family’s blessing? One like that... can turn me back to normal...”

He gave a sad sigh. “Yes... I’ve had families lose their hearts to the darkness, or well died if that’s the word you’re looking for. My parent’s grandparents I think... wait... hey, you cooked up a great idea in your smart skulls. They must be in the, uh, Land of the Dead... so I think it’s best I should hurry then!” Rhei decided to move, going past a few graves... before stopping.

Then he turned with a nervous grin. “Uhhh, which way is it...?”

[Angelofhumor16]

If Imelda and Hector had hearts they would be breaking right now. They didn't really understand all of what Rhei meant. What with losing their hearts to the darkness, but both knew about being Forgotten and losing loved ones when still alive.

Imelda looked unimpressed when Rhei ran off from them,"Child you are being muy travieso right now!" She scolded, and walked to up him. Her anger now boiling over,"You aren't going alone your coming with us so we can keep you out of trouble! I can't believe it, this is the only night a year we can see our familia and do to your carelessness we have to skip tonight to help you!"