[KH] Christmas at the Castle, chapter 4

Christmas at the Castle, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic by Raberba girl

Chapter 4 - ...Nine icy snowflakes...

Roxas woke up early again, probably because there was a crick in his neck from sleeping on the floor.  He yawned, looked around, determined that both of his friends were still asleep, then went off in search of food.

The only one at the dining table this time was Lexaeus.  Roxas eyed the big man as he sat down and began nibbling on his muffin.  The Silent Hero seemed to be preoccupied with an interlocking puzzle, which suddenly came apart with a clink.  Lexaeus took a satisfied sip of orange juice.

"So," Roxas finally ventured, "are you looking forward to Christmas?"

"Not particularly."

"Oh."  Roxas finished his meal in silence.

When he walked into the kitchen to dispose of his muffin wrapper, he found Axel dumping an obscene amount of sugar into a mixing bowl filled with egg yolks, as Xion broke slices of toast into small pieces.  "Roxas!" she greeted happily.  "Axel says he found this recipe in Agrabah, and we wanted to try it out.  Do you want some?"

"Sure."  He was glad he had said yes, because the pieces of toast drizzled with sugar-drowned eggs were delicious.  It put him in high spirits as they made their way to the Grey Area, where Zexion was re-arranging his panels and Saïx was waiting to give them their day's missions.

"Number XIV, you're on heart collection.  Roxas, you will be destroying Shadow Globs.  Axel, I need you to tackle a group of Large Armors."

"What?!  Why do they get cushy jobs today, and you stick me with a whole herd of invincible-except-for-their-hard-to-reach-heads fatsos?!"

"What is the problem, can you not handle it?" Saïx said icily.

"Dude, don't insult me."

Just then, Demyx came staggering through the doorway.  His coat was torn and missing one drawstring, the other drawstring lacking its pendant; the fastening chain was broken and hung to his waist, his hair was a mess, and he had a bruise on his face.  He stared at them all with huge eyes.  Then he screamed.  "Noooooo!  Axel, make it stop!  Make it stop!"

Zexion covered his mouth to hide a delicate snicker.  Everyone else looked at Axel, who threw up his hands in self-defense.  "I have no idea what he's talking about!"

"It buuuuurns," Demyx wailed, sinking to his knees.  "Dance, water, dan-- GAH!"  He was now surrounded by some of his concerned-looking water copies and Dancers, who were reaching out to hug him, pat his head, or offer him cups of Jell-o.

"THEY'RE BITING ME!  THE OSTRICHES ARE BITING ME!"

"Demyx," Axel said cautiously, "those are your own minions.  And they're fangirling on you."

"Noooo!"

Clearly disturbed, Xion tugged on Roxas's sleeve meaningfully.  Nodding, he called for some Samurai to escort the Dancers and water clones away.

"Make it stop burning!" Demyx screeched.

Experimentally, Axel snapped his fingers.  His weapons materialized, both in flames.

"Whew."  Demyx shook himself.  "About time."

They all watched in growing incredulity as he picked his way across the room:  tripping over nothing, stepping carefully over more nothing, cursing as he banged his hip into emptiness, shoving his way between a pair of nothings, and swiping air out of his face.  "Man, what'd Marly do to this place?" he complained.  "It's like a jungle in here."

Everyone looked around the room, which was completely empty except for their bodies and the usual furniture.

Demyx halted in front of Roxas and suddenly grinned.  "Meg!  Hey there, honey!  Whatcha doin' here in the castle?"  He leaned over to kiss the very confused boy's cheek.  "See, I told you I wasn't serious about Helen--"

Axel angrily snatched Roxas out of the way.  "What in the worlds do you think you're doing?"

Demyx gulped and backed away.  "Herc!  Didn't see ya there, heheh....  Um, Meg, I guess I'll just catch you later."  Then he caught sight of Xion and froze.  "Ahhhh!"  He ran across the room straight at Zexion, stumbling violently over nothing several times, so that he nearly fell.  "Xiggy!" he cried, throwing himself behind the young man's couch.  "Help!  Zexion's gonna kill me!"

"Is he?" Zexion said sweetly.  "Why, whatever could you have done to tick him off, Dem?"

"I don't knoooww!  Well, I do know, but, really, he's making way too big a deal out of it...you gotta help me, Xig!"

Xion took a confused step forward.  "Demyx?  I--"

"NOT THE BOOK!  NOT THE BOOOOOK!"

"You think I'm Zexion?" Xion realized in astonishment.

"Demyx, Zexion is the one you're hiding behind," Roxas pointed out, but to no avail.

"XIGGY, WARP-HOLE HIM OR SOMETHING!  QUICK, BEFORE HE FLIPS TO THE CHAPTER OF DOOM!!!"

"Heh, calm down, Dem," Zexion purred, in an eerily perfect imitation of Xigbar's speaking style.  "I'm sure he can be reasoned with...after all, you did break your promise like the naughty boy you are."

"He's going to eat me," Demyx whimpered.  "With his book."

Axel was laughing by now, he could not help it.  Roxas and Xion just looked supremely confused.

"Hm, let's see.  What can we do to make Zexion happy and stop him from shattering your mind?" Zexion wondered with relish.  "Oh, I know!  You can try groveling.  Get on your knees and beg for mercy, and promise that you'll--"

"Enough, Number VI," Saïx ordered.  "Release him."

"Hmph."  Zexion flipped to a page of his lexicon.

A minute later, Demyx blinked.  He stared around the Grey Area.  "What happened to all the trees?"  Then he looked down at himself and yelped in surprise.  "Ah, I need a new coat!  And a bath.  And, like, a gajillion ice cream bars."  That was when he noticed that his arms were around the Cloaked Schemer's neck.  "AAAAHHH!"  He flung himself away and ran to hide behind Saïx.  "Sai, help, Zexy's gonna kill me!"

"Go away, Number IX," Saïx snapped.  "No mission for you today.  Clean yourself up and get to work on the holiday preparations.  Number VI will be in Wonderland all day, so make do without him."

Demyx fled.  He bumped into Lexaeus and Luxord on the way out, who stared after him in puzzlement.

Luxord turned back to the room at large.  "Did we miss something?"

"Nope."  Axel clapped his hands down warningly on the kids' shoulders before they could speak.  "Not a thing."

o.o.o.o.o

Twenty-one days before Christmas, and Agrabah was still sweltering.  Roxas felt dead on his feet as he jogged along in a zombie-like state, snapping out of it only when a Heartless would pop up in front of him.  The last straw was when he tripped right over a Shadow Glob and fell on his face.

Using language that he had picked up from Xigbar and Larxene, Roxas struggled back to his feet and ripped off his coat, flinging it to the ground and then bashing at the Shadow Glob as hard as he could to relieve his feelings.  It burst with a satisfying pop, though the munny orb it expelled nearly hit him in the face.  "Stupid Agrabah...stupid coat...."

He tossed things out of his backpack to make room for the coat, which he crammed in rebelliously.  Then, noticing that one of the discarded items was a Potion he had found in a treasure chest, he drank it, and immediately felt a little better.

No longer feeling like he was trapped in a portable steam room, but with the sun now beating down mercilessly on the bare flesh of his arms, Roxas continued his mission searching for the huge purple globs.  Trying to save his magic casts, he was forced into some strenuous acrobatics to reach a glob that was hiding beneath an awning.  When he finally smashed it, sweat was pouring down his face and body, and he felt like he was going to faint from the heat.  He went back to the pile of discarded items and gulped down another Potion scattered among them.  "Forget it.  I'm blasting the rest."

A couple of Fire spells later, the mission was done.  A few globs were still clinging to the city here and there, but Roxas was not in the mood to pursue a completely full mission gauge.  The holo-missions, since they were digital simulations, had adjustable weather.

"You, there!  Young gentleman with the, er, giant key!"

Roxas hastily dismissed his weapon and turned around.  A small man wearing a large turban and blue robes was surveying him greedily.  "Might I interest you in my wares?  I have quite an assortment of merchandise suitable for a warrior such as yourself...."

Roxas was breaking the undercover rules, but it was too late, the man had already seen him.  He supposed there was no harm in looking over the items that were for sale.

"Ah, yes, that's it, come closer.  I have here some wonderful elixirs," the man said about a few ordinary Potions.  "A single draught will restore your health, bring refreshment to your bones, and leave you feeling energized!"

"No, thanks.  What's in that jar?"

"Hm?  Ah, yes.  This polish will not only give a shine to your weapon, but its magic will repair any nicks or cracks, sharpen dull edges, improve the accuracy of your strikes...!"

"Hm...will it work on any weapon?" Roxas asked slowly.

"Certainly.  This magical weapon polish can be yours, all for the measly price of...!"

Roxas barely listened to the price.  He was still thinking.  "It'll work on lances?"

"Of course, young master."

"How long will a bottle last if you're using six lances?"

"Well, that depends on the frequency of usage, of course."

"He uses them every day."

"I see.  Well, in that case...."

In the end, Roxas walked away with Xaldin's new Christmas present, eager to show Axel and find out how well he had done in picking out a gift on his own, without any help at all.

Twilight Town's frosty winter weather was a welcome shock after the blazing desert of Agrabah.  Roxas emerged in an enclosed empty lot, where he tossed his backpack aside, ripped off his coat again, and sat down with his back against the brick wall, sighing.  The cold air was a sweet relief to his sunburned flesh, but he soon started shivering as his sweat-soaked tank top dried.  Impatiently, he stripped it off and crammed it into his backpack.

With Roxas now shirtless, of course that happened to be the moment when someone decided to wander into the empty lot.  They stared at each other.  Roxas recognized the girl - what was her name?  Olette.

"Oh!" she finally exclaimed.  "I know you.  You're the guy who beat Hayner and Seifer's Grandstander records!  Roxas, right?"

He nodded uncomfortably.

Olette's gaze moved down and then lingered.  For some reason, Roxas could feel his face getting hot, despite the wintry air.  "Lost your shirt?" she asked with a grin.

"I...well...."  Roxas was still mad at his coat, and it would be uncomfortable to wear again anyway without the now-disgusting tank top, so he finally dug out his tin soldier shirt and coat.  They went surprisingly well with his black Organization pants, though Madame Holly would not have approved.

"I'd love to chat," Olette was saying, "but I gotta get going.  I'm on the clock."  She grinned again as she stuck a flier on the wall.  "Care to join me?"

"Um...I have to meet someone," he mumbled.

"Okay.  I'll see you around."

However, they ended up going in the same direction to exit the lot, and Olette's poster-pasting route seemed to coincide with the way Roxas was heading to the clock tower.  As they passed through an alley, the death-screech of an Avalanche caused Olette to gasp in alarm.  "What was that?!"

"Uh...."  Before he could stop her, Olette had hurried out into the square.  Roxas's eyes widened when he saw Xion, her hand still sparkling briefly from the dismissal of her Keyblade, going around to collect the orbs that had been dropped by the defeated Heartless.

"Xion," Roxas called, warning her that they had company.

The girl turned around.  "Roxas!  Good timing.  That was...uh, the last one."  Her eyes moved to Roxas's companion.

"I'm Olette," she introduced herself readily.  "Are you okay?  Did you hear that noise?  It sounded like one of the monsters we've been having problems with lately."

"Um...there aren't any monsters," Xion said truthfully.  Then, not so truthfully, "I just...dropped my wallet and had to pick everything up."

"Did you get it all?" Olette asked as she put up another flier.

"Yes, thank you."

"Hm, my record isn't going to be very good this time around," Olette said ruefully as she stuck yet another poster to the wall.  "I'm gonna have to go another round....  Nah, I'll just deliver some messages after this.  It's a lot quicker."

"What are you doing?" Xion asked curiously.

Olette laughed.  "Trying to get un-broke so I can finish my Christmas shopping.  I spent a bit too much on that skirt last Friday, so now I need more munny."

"You get munny by sticking pieces of paper on walls?" Roxas wondered.

"It's Poster Duty, silly!  We're advertising for the next Struggle tournament.  You should compete," Olette added, sizing up Roxas.  "I think you'd be good at it."

They were now near the slope leading up to Station Heights, passing a shop which seemed to be crowded with girls.

Olette came to a dead halt.  "OMG, it's Edward Cullen!" she suddenly screamed, so loudly that Roxas clapped his hands over his ears.  "Aahh!  Aaahhh!  The new stuff FINALLY came in!"  Dropping the stack of fliers she had been carrying, she dashed at the store.

Roxas and Xion stared after her in astonishment, then at each other.  Without any spoken agreement, they both shrugged and headed over to see what all the fuss was about.

Inside the store, there was a long line at the cash register, and girls were clumped about here and there, talking to each other in excited squeals.

"Oh!" Xion exclaimed.  "I know that guy!"

"Who?"

Xion pointed to a rack of T-shirts with a man's hungry-eyed face and the name 'Edward' printed on them.  Roxas shivered.  The guy's expression was creepy.  "Is that a Dusk?" he asked, noticing the unhealthy-looking, chalk-white pallor.

"I don't know," Xion answered.  "Larxene likes him, though."

"She does?" Roxas said in surprise.

"Yeah, she has a picture of him on her panurgh...uh...I know she likes him."

"Hmm...."  Roxas took a shirt off the rack and looked at it.  Then he shuddered again and crunched up the garment so that he didn't have to see it wanting to eat him.  "You sure Larxene likes this?"

"Yes."

"Okay.  I'm going to buy this for her Christmas present, then."

"Really?" Xion said doubtfully, remembering the Savage Nymph's scary reaction to Xion commenting on her Twilight attire.

"I'll show it to Axel, and if he thinks it's no good, I'll just return it."

"Okay."

Roxas was attracting a lot of attention, especially after he got in line to pay.  Everyone seemed to be staring at him.  The girls just ahead of him in line were whispering together heatedly while stealing glances at him.  Finally, one of them spoke to him directly.  "You're really pretty.  You are a boy, right?"

"Of course I am!"

There was a chorus of delighted squeals, and then it seemed like everyone was trying to ply him with questions at the same time.

"How long have you been a fan?"

"Which book is your favorite?"

"Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?"

He stared at them in utter confusion.  "What?"

"Come on, you can tell us!"

"Who do you want to get Bella?"

Roxas wondered what 'bella' was and if it was a good thing, but was afraid to ask.  "Um...."

"Tell us, hurry!  Team Edward or Team Jacob?"

Roxas could not very well say that he was on the Organization's team, and if 'Edward' was the starving Dusk, he wanted nothing to do with him.  "I guess...Team...Jacob?"  He threw his hands over his ears as they all screamed, some of them looking disgusted, but others looking ecstatic.

"OMG OMG I KNEW IT!"

"Ugh, figures."

"Hmph, boys never have any taste!"

"I LOVE YOU!"

This last girl actually threw her arms around Roxas's neck and squeezed him tightly.  He was about to instinctively summon his Keyblade before he remembered that he would get in trouble for revealing his weapon in public.  "Please go away," he whimpered.

Xion pulled the girl off.  "Can you not touch him?  It makes me uncomfortable," she said.

"Ooohh!"

"Is this your girlfriend?"

"Do you guys ever do reader's theater together?"

"Have you posted any cosplay pictures online?"

Roxas had an idea.  He took out some munny orbs and handed them to Xion, along with the still firmly crumpled shirt.  "Xion, could you please buy this for me?"  He leaned close to whisper in her ear, "I'll wait for you outside."

Xion nodded.  "Okay.  See you."

Roxas struggled out of the crowd and escaped into the restroom at the back of the store.  He took the opportunity to change his pants so that his Christmas Town costume was complete, then draped his coat over his shoulders and opened a dark corridor to a nearby alley.  He waited there until he saw Xion come out.

When she did, he walked over to join her, and she handed over the shopping bag with Larxene's shirt in it.  He noticed that she was also carrying a second shopping bag from the same store, and supposed that she had purchased something for herself.  "Are you ready to go meet Axel?" she asked.

He nodded.  "Definitely."

Up on the clock tower, Axel laughed to see Roxas's costume.  "We're not going to Christmas Town today, buddy."

"I know.  I just...don't want to wear my coat right now."

"You're gonna have to in the corridors."

"I know.  I'll put it on when we travel, then take it off again when we get there."

Axel shrugged.  "Suit yourself.  What's up with the bags?"

He was more than happy to judge the purchases.  "Is this okay for Xaldin?" Roxas asked anxiously.

The older Nobody shrugged.  "Sure, it never hurts to have a can of blade polish."  He blinked, then suddenly grinned.  "And considering that you picked this out all by your bad self, I'd say it's an excellent gift.  Great job, buddy!"

Roxas beamed.

"How 'bout you, Xion?"

"Oh, this isn't for Christmas," Xion said, swinging her shopping bag.  "It's just that the girls in the store kept talking about it, so I got curious.  I think I'm probably going to make everyone's gifts by hand."

"Cool.  What else you got, Roxas?"

"This is Larxene's."  Roxas pulled out the shirt and handed it over.

Axel unfolded it.  "GAH!"  He snatched his hands back as if the shirt had bitten him, and only some quick reflexes on Roxas's part saved it from fluttering down to the pavement below.

"Be careful!  I don't want it to get dirty, or Larxene might get mad."

Axel was staring in shock, as if Roxas had just proposed marriage to him or something.  "You bought an Edward Cullen shirt for Larxene?!"

"Xion said she likes him," Roxas muttered.  "But it's okay, I can just get her something else."

Now Axel was staring at Xion.  "Larxene told you she likes Edward Cullen?"

"Why do you keep saying his name like that?" Roxas wondered.

Xion shrugged.  "Well, not exactly, it's just...well, I saw that face, and...er...."  She looked distressed.  "Larxene will hurt me, so I can't tell."

Slowly, a grin began to spread over Axel's face.  "Larxene likes Edward Cullen?"

"Y...Yes."

"Larxene likes Edward Cullen."  Axel cackled like an evil scientist.  "Oh, you two, this is gold.  Thank you.  Thank you from the bottom of my non-existent heart."

"So...should I get her a different present?" Roxas asked cautiously.

"No!  No way.  Trust me, this is perfect."  Axel laughed heartily again.  "Ah, I knew it'd pay off to make friends with you two....  Anyway, we better get going, it's getting late."

They traveled to Wonderland, where they found a shop which sold odd novelties.  Roxas and Xion spent far more time playing with the weird merchandise than they did actually shopping, but eventually, Roxas found something that might do for Xigbar:  a large red handkerchief that transported anything placed under it behind the ear of the nearest person who was not touching it.

Roxas tested it on Xion first, laying the cloth over a munny orb, then pulling the same orb out from behind her ear.  She laughed.  Then he tried it on Axel, asking him to take off one of his gloves in order to place the handkerchief over it.  Axel cursed and clawed frantically at his ear, behind which the glove had materialized.  "Gah!  Like a freaking spider or something...."

"Are you afraid of spiders, Axel?" Xion asked interestedly.

"No.  Of course I'm not afraid of spiders.  That's dumb.  Nobodies can't be afraid of anything.  We don't have emotions, so even if I was afraid of spiders in my past life - which I wasn't, - I wouldn't be afraid of them now.  I'd never be afraid of spiders.  There's nothing to be afraid of, anyway; they're just big dumb bugs with eight freaking legs...and googly eyes...and eight legs...and some of them are all hairy and gross and they have eight legs and STOP LAUGHING."

Xion pressed both hands over her mouth to stifle her giggling, and Roxas hid a smile as he folded the handkerchief and put it back in its shopping bag.

As they were passing through the garden, a reddish pink flower suddenly swayed into Roxas's path and said in a delicate, whispering voice, "Give me an Elixir."

"It talked!"  Roxas looked at Axel, who shrugged.  He looked back at the flower again.  It bobbed expectantly.  "Um...okay."  He dug around for his Elixir panel and held it up.  The flower ate it, brushing silken petals against Roxas's palm.  Then it expelled a heap of HP balls onto his head.

"...Thanks."  Roxas had an idea.  "Hey, flower?  Do you like it here in the garden?"

"This is where I am rooted."

"Would you like to travel?"

"What is 'travel'?" the flower asked politely.

Roxas smiled.  It felt good to be the explainer for once.  "It's when you go somewhere else, like to see different things and meet new people.  I was just wondering if you'd like to live in a place outside of Wonderland."

He looked at Axel again, who seemed to have caught on and flashed him a thumbs-up.

"Hm...but how shall I leave this place?  I do not have legs."

Roxas put his coat on again, then helped the others carefully dig out the flower, taking care not to damage its roots.  They placed it in Roxas's hood, which they filled with even more soil.  Despite this, the flower apparently did not feel secure enough, and reached out its vines and leaves to twine around Roxas's arms and entangle clumps of his hair in order to anchor itself.  Roxas tried not to mind too much as they continued on their way.

Further shopping was pretty inconvenient with a large talking flower growing in Roxas's hood, so they soon decided to call it a day.

"You better RTC straight to your room," Axel advised.  "Xion and I'll grab a mission report form for you."

"Okay.  See you soon."

When Roxas got to the Grey Area, he was surprised not only to find it empty except for one person, but at the fact that Saïx was sitting in a chair rather than lording it up at the head of the room.

The Luna Diviner looked up at the boy's entrance.  "Hmph.  Finally."  He tucked his clipboard under his arm and stood up.  "Give me your report quickly, then go to the dining room.  Lord Xemnas has ordered us all to take part."

"Huh?"

It was strange, seeing the entire Organization working together.  They were never even all present in the same place except during meetings, yet here was everyone, helping each other decorate the Christmas tree.

Well, as much as could be expected, anyway.  Larxene was playing a chess game with Xaldin in one corner, as Xemnas lounged in a chair and surveyed the proceedings with bored detachment.  Demyx was bouncing merrily around, giving out enthusiastic orders, suggestions, criticism, and encouragement in a failed attempt to hide the fact that he was getting no actual work done himself.

Everyone else, however, was busy decorating the room and the tree.  "Ask Demyx or Zexion what to do," Saïx said.  "Or Axel, if you like."  He moved off to stop Marluxia from fastening some kind of plant over the kitchen doorway.

Roxas went over to Xion, who was trying to untangle a string of lights as Axel worked to fasten the untangled end around the perimeter of a window frame.  "Here, let me help you with that," Roxas offered.

Xion smiled at him.  "Thanks.  How is, um, our Elixir-drinking friend doing?"

"It's asleep.  I put it by the window."

"I'll ask Vexen for a sun lamp," Xion promised.  "Plants need sunlight to grow."

"But what if he's still mad at you for moving out?"

Axel spoke up, keeping his voice low so that he would not be overheard.  "Then I'll steal one from Marluxia, don't worry about it."

"You're gonna steal one?"

"Hey, he'll get it back by the end of the month, right?  Wouldn't want his new pet to die in the meantime."

"I guess you have a point."

Life in the Castle That Never Was was not generally enjoyable, but Roxas ended up having fun that evening.  With everyone else's conversations going in the background, he and his friends got the lights up and running, then set up the candlesticks.  At one point, Demyx put on a Christmas CD to "set the mood."

It was funny to watch Xigbar walking around upside-down in midair, the only one able to reach the top of the tree without a ladder (well, Xaldin could have gusted aloft if he had been so inclined and not minded blowing apart what everyone had finished so far.  Also, Xemnas could have levitated up, but Roxas was pretty sure that their Great Leader had fallen asleep with his eyes open - he stared straight ahead without moving, and did not even blink or react when Xigbar mischievously hung a candy cane from his ear).

Vexen was constantly whining about something or other ("It's too hot in here!  Why is my presence required when I wanted nothing to do with this foolishness?  My experiments are being neglected!  Why isn't anyone listening to me?!"), but Demyx's antics, the chatter, and the CD were enough to drown out most of it.  Lexaeus silently did whatever was asked of him, including moving the huge dining room table further away to make more room around the tree.  Zexion and Saïx sat together, wrapping fake presents to go under the tree for the sake of appearance, both appearing to be surprisingly happy despite not saying much.  Luxord worked on the lower half of the tree with occasional help from Lexaeus, wrapping strings of lights and tinsel around the branches before handing them up to Xigbar to finish, and then hanging candy canes and the ornaments everyone had painted wherever there was bare space.  Marluxia went around placing potted plants throughout the room and hanging garlands of artificial flowers, just because "Christmas would not be Christmas without flowers, and anyone who objects can sit on my scythe."

At last, the boxes of decorations were empty, and the Castle That Never Was's dining room was as festive as anything in Christmas Town.

"Okay!" Demyx cheered.  "Nearly done!  Superior, time for your big finale!"

Silence.

Everyone looked at Xemnas.  The candy cane dangling from his ear was so ridiculous that Xion giggled, then clapped her hand over her mouth.

Xemnas stared straight ahead, unblinking.

Finally, Saïx picked up Zexion's lexicon, raised it high, and dumped it with a resounding crash on the table.

Xemnas jerked.  "Why do you despise the Void???" he boomed.

Everyone kept staring at him.  "We don't," Xigbar finally said.  "We're all for the Void, man.  Can't do without that Void, no sirree."

Xemnas gazed around at them all.  Xion was so desperate to stifle her laughter that she dove to hide behind Roxas, biting down hard on her own sleeve.

"Saïx," Xemnas commanded imperiously, "give me a status report."

"Christmas decorating is 99% complete, sir," Saïx said with a straight face.  "Now we simply await your conclusion."

"Hm?"

Demyx held out the tree topper (shaped like the Nobody insignia) with a smile.  "All yours, Superior!"

"It goes at the very top of the tree," Xigbar added helpfully.

"Ah."  Xemnas took the topper, floated up majestically, and placed it on the tree's crown.  Several people applauded, though their expressions were rather sarcastic.

"All right!" Demyx cheered.  "Roxas, Xion, hit it!"

They both stared at him, alarmed at being called on.  "What?"

Axel poked them in the backs.  "Light, dummies.  Turn on the lights."

"Oh."

Demyx signaled to Zexion, who darkened the room; a second later, the Key of Destiny and his replica summoned their powers, and the Christmas tree's strings of tiny, multi-colored lights filled the room with a bright glow.

There was a general intake of breath.  Cold, heartless, emotionless monsters they might have been, but regardless, several of the Nobodies were overcome with awe for a moment.  "It's beautiful," Xion whispered.  Zexion, Saïx, and even Larxene seemed mesmerized, a fact which did not escape Axel's notice.

Then Xigbar cracked a joke, and Xaldin made some cutting remark, and Vexen started whining again and someone turned the overhead lights back on and Larxene short-circuited the CD player, and everything was back to normal.

Yet, the image stayed in the minds of Roxas and Xion, and the warmth of Christmas magic seemed to settle where their hearts should have been.  She looked over at him and smiled.  "Christmas is...a wonderful thing, isn't it?"

He smiled hugely at her.  "Yep."

Axel laughed.  "You two are such kids."

To be continued....

Author's Notes:  The timeline is off, sorry about that.

I wrote this chapter before Raindrops & Whiskers, so the spiders thing in that fic is a reference to it, though the two fics don't take place in the same universe.  (Axel actually is scared of spiders here, whereas he was only pretending in R&W.)