Here it is, my barely-on-time Christmas present to KHInsider! An entire year in the making, it's a KHristmas Story!
Actually, I did start this story last year, but I couldn't finish it in time for last Christmas, so I saved it and finished it up this past week or so. In fact, I typed up one part of the story (a part I ended up deleting because it used Larxene, who's dead) on last Christmas night, while watching a movie with my family.
Just as a side note, this story isn't actually supposed to follow A Christmas Story, I just had to use the ever-so-clever name.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or The Night Before Christmas
Roxas slowly climbed out of bed and padded across his small, gray bedroom towards his mirror, straightening his long black coat. He surveyed himself in the mirror, quickly combed his spiky blond hair with his hand, and proceeded out the doorway into the hall, his feet dragging on the metal floor. As he sleepily made his way down the long corridor towards the Gray Room, he glanced in each of the identical rooms along the hallway. Above each room was a large, gray roman numeral, starting with the room to the left of Roxas' – numbered XIV – and counting down towards I.
As Roxas passed the door labeled VIII, he stopped and peered through the half-opened door at the dull contents of the room. There was a single bed inside, and a small window on the wall beyond the bed. But Roxas wasn't concerned with what was in the room; he was more concerned with who was in the room. Or rather, who wasn't in the room. Axel, it seemed, had already set off for his mission.
That was life in the Organization XIII: wake up, receive a mission, complete the mission, and return to the castle. Simple? Yes, thought Roxas, but it was the small things each day that separated out the monotonous 199 days he had been with the group.
Roxas entered the Gray Room at a brisk walk, but found that other than the sleeping form of Xigbar on one of the stiff armchairs, he was the only one there. Even Saïx, who always remained in the room to give orders and collect news, was gone. A single sheet of paper was taped to the ceiling-high glass that made up the far wall of the room. Roxas walked over to the sheet and quickly read it to himself
Attention all members,
For the next two days we will postpone all operations for a holiday vacation. Spend it however you wish. Activities will commence the 26th of December.
“A holiday?” Roxas mumbled in confusion. He had never heard the word before. What did it mean, he wondered. There was only one place to find out.
Roxas sprinted out of the room and down the hallway towards the castle library. Without breaking his stride he pushed open the twin glass doors of the library and ran down the first steel shelf of books, looking for a dictionary.
A cool voice spoke from around the corner of the shelf before he had a chance to find a book, “What fickle flitting of fate brings you here today, Number XIII? I would have figured that you would be off with Axel and Xion over the holiday.” Luxord strode lazily around the shelf and leaned against the tall wall opposite it. In his hand was a deck of cards, which he always seemed to keep on his person. Roxas wondered about that sometimes; cards weren't exactly the most practical thing to keep handy, especially seeing that most Organization missions were stealth operations.
“I...I don't know what a holiday is...” Roxas mumbled in response.
“You don't... ha!” Luxord turned away and chuckled briefly, then turned back to Roxas, wiping the emotion from his face instantly. “A holiday is a vacation that humans take on certain lucky days every year. December 25th happens to be a popular holiday known as Christmas.”
“Christmas? What's that?” Roxas asked in wonder.
“It is a holiday, nothing more. Simply a day off. There are just a few customs that people typically observe on that and the previous day.”
“Customs?”
Luxord sighed, “Yes, customs. Normally, people decorate their houses with lights and trees, and go out and buy special gifts for their family, or people close to them. Then, on Christmas day, they exchange those gifts, and hope without cause that the gift they got the person is 'just what the person wanted.' It is yet another useless waste of time to occupy the time and thoughts of the dimwitted and ill-informed average citizen of the worlds.”
“So, they decorate and buy gifts?” Roxas said, still processing Luxord's explanation.
“Are you quite sure that you are awake? Do I really need to explain this to you again?” Luxord was about to walk away when he turned back around and asked, “You are not actually going to go through with this, are you? For most people, buying the perfect gift is like rolling a dice. But for you, since the recipient would have no heart, they could not appreciate any gift. You are rolling a dice with all ones. Not a wise move for a gambler.”
“Yeah,” Roxas said, deep in thought, “I guess so.” He couldn't help but think of Xion. The past weeks he had really gotten to know Number XIV, and he couldn't fight off the urge to get her something to show his thanks. The two of them had been through a lot together.
Roxas turned and slowly wandered out of the library, leaving Luxord to his cards. He needed to know what people usually bought for their friends for this Christmas thing. The first person who popped into his head to ask was Axel, but he knew that Axel would just laugh at him. No, he needed someone else to ask, someone who was laid back, but wouldn't make fun of him. Roxas grinned. He knew just the person.
Demyx was sitting alone in his room, carefully strumming away on the long strings of his blue sitar. The mullet-headed boy lazily glanced up as Roxas entered the room, but returned to his music as if he hadn't seen the blond boy.
“Hey... Demyx?” Roxas started.
“Demyx stopped playing abruptly and answered without looking up, “Yeah, whaddya need?”
“I... I just heard that tomorrow is Christmas, and I... well, um, I need to know, well, you see... I need to know what people get each other for Christmas.”
“Christmas gifts, seriously? Oh, man, that brings back memories. I got my first sitar for Christmas, you know. Boy what a beauty that was. I loved that thing. I can still see it in my head. Then I composed my first song the next day. I can still remember the lyrics. 'If you love me, then don't leave me! Baby!”
“Demyx!” Roxas interrupted loudly. “That's nice and all, but I just need to know what to get for Xion.”
“Ooooh!” Demyx teased. “Got something for Number XIV?”
“I never said that,” Roxas said irritatedly. “I just want to get her a Christmas present. So what do I get her?”
“I don't know!” Demyx answered with a laugh. “Do I look like I know what a heartless teenage girl wants for Christmas? Just... uh, look around some stores and buy whatever catches your eye.”
Roxas glared at Demyx and jogged out of the room. Where was he supposed to go shopping? He was in the middle of a desolate castle in the World that Never Was. Last he checked, there was no Department Store that Never Was.
As Roxas stood outside Demyx's room, an idea hit him, and he sprinted down the hall and to the Gray Room. Inside the large room, Xigbar was still relaxing in a small, gray armchair. He had black and silver hair slicked back into a long ponytail, and his face was covered in scars. An eyepatch covered his right eye.
“Xigbar!” Roxas yelled, running up to his chair, “Can you make a corridor of darkness for me?”
The tall, thin man slowly opened his normal eye and turned to face Roxas. He sat up lazily and yawned. “What do you need a corridor for?”
“I need to go shopping for Christmas!” Roxas explained.
“Wait, what? ...Where do you intend to go?”
“To Twilight Town. There are a bunch of shops downtown there.”
To Roxas' surprise, Xigbar raised his right arm and summoned a swirling black cloud of darkness. “Normally, I'd call you crazy for buying presents... but I think I'd rather just smile and nod. Give my best wishes to Santa.”
“Wait, who?”
“... Big red coat, white hair... black boots... pudgy chap...zzz,” and then Xigbar was asleep again.
Roxas ran through the tall portal in confusion, still trying to work out what Xigbar meant about seeing this Santa person. For a second he was lost in the disorienting grasp of darkness, but then he emerged into the dim light of an alley in Twilight Town. Without pausing a second, he dashed out of the alley and onto the main street. Surveying the myriad stores, Roxas slowly strode down the road. As he turned a corner he ran smack into another boy, who was sprinting with a bag and three ice cream bars. Both boys flew back and landed solidly on the snowy ground.
“Oh, sorry,” Roxas apologized, rubbing his head.
“No problem,” the boy answered happily. He had short, wavy blond hair and camouflage pants, which matched his black t-shirt and his green jacket. “Hey, I remember you!” the boy said excitedly as he climbed to his feet. “You're that kid who was really good at Grandstanding.”
With a smile, Roxas remembered his last vacation in Twilight Town. That was when he had first met... Hayner, that was his name.
“Hey, Hayner.”
“So, you Christmas shopping?” Hayner asked, picking up the bag he had dropped and offering Roxas a hand.
Roxas grabbed the boy's hand and was quickly pulled to his feet. “Yeah,” Roxas answered anxiously, “I'm trying to find something for a girl I like. Do you have any idea what a teenage girl would want?”
Hayner laughed, “If only. I think that's what every guy struggles with. I'm just getting something simple for my friends.”
“Oh, well thanks anyway. I guess... I'll see you around...”
“Yeah, see you!” Hayner said, running off down the street with his bag and ice cream.
Roxas continued wandering through the town's crowd until he spotted another figure in a tall, black Organization coat. The figure turned around, and Roxas immediately recognized it as Xaldin. Actually, it was pretty hard not to recognize Xaldin, no matter where you saw him, Roxas thought. The elder Nobody was tall and very muscular with long, black dread locks, which were mostly pulled back into a ponytail.
Xaldin noticed Roxas and pushed his way through the crowd to the small boy. “What are you doing here, Number XIII?”
“I'm... Christmas shopping...” Roxas answered quietly, wishing he didn't have to tell the cynical warrior about his excursion.
“Fool,” Xaldin said critically, “Why, when you are gifted with being free from emotions, would you try to bring back that which you lost and chain your body down with a heart's useless burdens? Especially for such a meaningless event.”
Roxas quickly tried to process what Xaldin had said, and attempted to formulate an equally eloquent answer. Unfortunately, nothing intelligent-sounding came to mind. “I've never had a Christmas before,” he explained lamely, sighing after he realized how stupid it sounded.
Xaldin snorted and turned to walk away, not bothering to talk any longer.
“Wait, Xaldin, who is Santa?” Roxas asked at the last second, remembering what Xigbar had said before.
Xaldin turned around with a stunned and slightly sickened look on his face. “I dearly hope you are joking.” The warrior shook his head and walked away without bothering to answer the question.
Roxas watched him disappear around the corner, and returned to checking out all of the shops on the street, albeit with slightly less enthusiasm. As he scanned the shelves of each store he found seemingly everything that any girl, or indeed and person, could ever want. There were clothes, jewelery, perfume. And above each shelf was what Roxas decided was an eerily deceptive image of some attractive girl enjoying the item. Then there were games, and toys, and Roxas found an entire store devoted to nothing but candy and sweets. And all the stores were decorated with lights, just like Luxord had said. There was even one store just selling lights and trees. But Roxas couldn't help but feel that none of it was what Xion would want. There had to be something more, something better that he could get her. This was his one chance to show his appreciation for her friendship, and like Luxord had said, he had to find the perfect gift.
Tired and defeated, Roxas returned to the middle of the bustling city street. He was done; he had officially ruined Christmas. It didn't seem possible, but he had actually destroyed any hope of getting a good gift for Xion. For a moment he played with the idea of returning home and pretending like he hadn't been serious about Christmas shopping. But before a plan could form in his head, another Organization member emerged from the crowd. An ice cream stick sitting lazily on his lip, and his hands tucked away in his black coat pockets, Axel was slowly moseying his way down the street.
Roxas immediately tried to duck away from the red-head's gaze, hoping to avoid the older man's questioning and teasing, but Axel's voice quickly rang out over the chatter of the mass of people between them.
“Hey, Roxas! Roxas! What are you doing here?”
Not sure what exactly he was planning to do, Roxas spun and sprinted off the street and into the alleyway he had first come from. He knew that Axel was his friend, and he knew that there was no reason to avoid the man, but he didn't want Axel to make fun of him for getting Xion a present.
Roxas was halfway down the alley when a wall of flames exploded in front of him, blocking his path. Behind the young Nobody a plume of black smoke erupted from the ground, and Axel stepped from it. The tall, thin Nobody's spiky red hair was even crazier than usual, Roxas noted. It was obvious that Axel didn't even bother to try combing it on vacation.
Axel looked slightly offended, and his brow was furrowed in confusion. “Where are you going, Roxas? What are you doing? Why did you run away from me?”
“I-it's just... well, I don't want you to make fun of me.”
“Make fun of you?” Axel cried in disbelief. “Why would I do that?”
Roxas gulped. “Well I... I just heard that tomorrow's Christmas, and I... I... okay, all right.” His voice shook as he tried to gather up his thoughts up. He took a deep breath, finally ready to spit it out. “I'mtryingtofindaChristmaspresentforXion.”
Axel's eyes widened. “Sorry, didn't catch that, champ. Again, but slower.”
“I'm trying to find a Christmas present for Xion,” Roxas shouted.
“THAT's it? Ha! Hahaha!” Axel buckled over laughing.
“I told you not to laugh!” Roxas grumbled, his cheeks reddening.
“I- haha, sorry, ha... sorry.” Axel straightened up and let out a deep breath.
“What's so funny about that?” Roxas asked.
Axel grinned. “It's not so much that I think you buying Christmas presents is funny, I just think it's funny that you felt like you had to hide it. We're friends, we don't need to hide stuff from each other.”
Roxas blushed again. “Sorry...”
“No, it's okay. So, now, how much progress have you made shopping so far? I see your arms are... well, empty at the moment.”
“I haven't found anything good yet.”
“Then I sure hope you aren't planning on buying for all the members of the Organization, or at the rate you're going you'll finish by next Christmas. Who are you planning on buying for?”
Roxas shrugged. “Just Xion... and you,” he added at the last second, not wanting Axel to feel left out. “I've looked everywhere, but I can't find any good gifts. Nothing feels right. Luxord said you have to get the right gift-”
“Wait, Luxord told you that?” Axel interrupted. “Pft, ignore him, he doesn't know anything about Christmas.”
“And you do?” Roxas asked, somewhat skeptical that Axel would ever care about mushy gift-giving.
“Of course. You're missing the whole point of Christmas, Roxas.”
“No I'm not!” Roxas said angrily. He wasn't dumb, he had listened to everything that Luxord had said. “Christmas is about finding good gifts for your friends.”
Then Axel laughed an odd laugh that Roxas had never heard before. It sounded slightly amused, but also sad. Roxas felt his stomach drop as he looked into Axel's eyes, which reflected the same emotion of amusement and sadness. He hoped he'd never have to see that look again.
“Roxas, Christmas isn't about gifts. It's about appreciating your friends and family by spending time with them. The gifts are just for fun... a little something extra-”
“Icing on the cake,” Roxas added helpfully.
“Yeah, exactly. When you get someone a gift, it doesn't have to be perfect. Just make it something from the heart... or, in our case... well, just find something that you and Xion can enjoy together, as friends. Got it memorized?”
“What about you?” Roxas asked.
“Me? I don't need any Christmas gifts, just being with you guys is enough for me.”
“Hm... icing on the cake...” He couldn't help but remember what Hayner had said about getting something simple for his friends. Roxas suddenly smiled, an idea popping into his head. “I'm getting you one anyway, Axel. Oh boy, I've got some work to do.”
Roxas turned and ran from the alley back into town, towards a store he had spotted earlier. Behind him, he could hear Axel shouting something, but he didn't care. Christmas wasn't ruined after all.
Actually, I did start this story last year, but I couldn't finish it in time for last Christmas, so I saved it and finished it up this past week or so. In fact, I typed up one part of the story (a part I ended up deleting because it used Larxene, who's dead) on last Christmas night, while watching a movie with my family.
Just as a side note, this story isn't actually supposed to follow A Christmas Story, I just had to use the ever-so-clever name.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or The Night Before Christmas
A KHristmas Story
Roxas slowly climbed out of bed and padded across his small, gray bedroom towards his mirror, straightening his long black coat. He surveyed himself in the mirror, quickly combed his spiky blond hair with his hand, and proceeded out the doorway into the hall, his feet dragging on the metal floor. As he sleepily made his way down the long corridor towards the Gray Room, he glanced in each of the identical rooms along the hallway. Above each room was a large, gray roman numeral, starting with the room to the left of Roxas' – numbered XIV – and counting down towards I.
As Roxas passed the door labeled VIII, he stopped and peered through the half-opened door at the dull contents of the room. There was a single bed inside, and a small window on the wall beyond the bed. But Roxas wasn't concerned with what was in the room; he was more concerned with who was in the room. Or rather, who wasn't in the room. Axel, it seemed, had already set off for his mission.
That was life in the Organization XIII: wake up, receive a mission, complete the mission, and return to the castle. Simple? Yes, thought Roxas, but it was the small things each day that separated out the monotonous 199 days he had been with the group.
Roxas entered the Gray Room at a brisk walk, but found that other than the sleeping form of Xigbar on one of the stiff armchairs, he was the only one there. Even Saïx, who always remained in the room to give orders and collect news, was gone. A single sheet of paper was taped to the ceiling-high glass that made up the far wall of the room. Roxas walked over to the sheet and quickly read it to himself
Attention all members,
For the next two days we will postpone all operations for a holiday vacation. Spend it however you wish. Activities will commence the 26th of December.
“A holiday?” Roxas mumbled in confusion. He had never heard the word before. What did it mean, he wondered. There was only one place to find out.
Roxas sprinted out of the room and down the hallway towards the castle library. Without breaking his stride he pushed open the twin glass doors of the library and ran down the first steel shelf of books, looking for a dictionary.
A cool voice spoke from around the corner of the shelf before he had a chance to find a book, “What fickle flitting of fate brings you here today, Number XIII? I would have figured that you would be off with Axel and Xion over the holiday.” Luxord strode lazily around the shelf and leaned against the tall wall opposite it. In his hand was a deck of cards, which he always seemed to keep on his person. Roxas wondered about that sometimes; cards weren't exactly the most practical thing to keep handy, especially seeing that most Organization missions were stealth operations.
“I...I don't know what a holiday is...” Roxas mumbled in response.
“You don't... ha!” Luxord turned away and chuckled briefly, then turned back to Roxas, wiping the emotion from his face instantly. “A holiday is a vacation that humans take on certain lucky days every year. December 25th happens to be a popular holiday known as Christmas.”
“Christmas? What's that?” Roxas asked in wonder.
“It is a holiday, nothing more. Simply a day off. There are just a few customs that people typically observe on that and the previous day.”
“Customs?”
Luxord sighed, “Yes, customs. Normally, people decorate their houses with lights and trees, and go out and buy special gifts for their family, or people close to them. Then, on Christmas day, they exchange those gifts, and hope without cause that the gift they got the person is 'just what the person wanted.' It is yet another useless waste of time to occupy the time and thoughts of the dimwitted and ill-informed average citizen of the worlds.”
“So, they decorate and buy gifts?” Roxas said, still processing Luxord's explanation.
“Are you quite sure that you are awake? Do I really need to explain this to you again?” Luxord was about to walk away when he turned back around and asked, “You are not actually going to go through with this, are you? For most people, buying the perfect gift is like rolling a dice. But for you, since the recipient would have no heart, they could not appreciate any gift. You are rolling a dice with all ones. Not a wise move for a gambler.”
“Yeah,” Roxas said, deep in thought, “I guess so.” He couldn't help but think of Xion. The past weeks he had really gotten to know Number XIV, and he couldn't fight off the urge to get her something to show his thanks. The two of them had been through a lot together.
Roxas turned and slowly wandered out of the library, leaving Luxord to his cards. He needed to know what people usually bought for their friends for this Christmas thing. The first person who popped into his head to ask was Axel, but he knew that Axel would just laugh at him. No, he needed someone else to ask, someone who was laid back, but wouldn't make fun of him. Roxas grinned. He knew just the person.
******
Demyx was sitting alone in his room, carefully strumming away on the long strings of his blue sitar. The mullet-headed boy lazily glanced up as Roxas entered the room, but returned to his music as if he hadn't seen the blond boy.
“Hey... Demyx?” Roxas started.
“Demyx stopped playing abruptly and answered without looking up, “Yeah, whaddya need?”
“I... I just heard that tomorrow is Christmas, and I... well, um, I need to know, well, you see... I need to know what people get each other for Christmas.”
“Christmas gifts, seriously? Oh, man, that brings back memories. I got my first sitar for Christmas, you know. Boy what a beauty that was. I loved that thing. I can still see it in my head. Then I composed my first song the next day. I can still remember the lyrics. 'If you love me, then don't leave me! Baby!”
“Demyx!” Roxas interrupted loudly. “That's nice and all, but I just need to know what to get for Xion.”
“Ooooh!” Demyx teased. “Got something for Number XIV?”
“I never said that,” Roxas said irritatedly. “I just want to get her a Christmas present. So what do I get her?”
“I don't know!” Demyx answered with a laugh. “Do I look like I know what a heartless teenage girl wants for Christmas? Just... uh, look around some stores and buy whatever catches your eye.”
Roxas glared at Demyx and jogged out of the room. Where was he supposed to go shopping? He was in the middle of a desolate castle in the World that Never Was. Last he checked, there was no Department Store that Never Was.
As Roxas stood outside Demyx's room, an idea hit him, and he sprinted down the hall and to the Gray Room. Inside the large room, Xigbar was still relaxing in a small, gray armchair. He had black and silver hair slicked back into a long ponytail, and his face was covered in scars. An eyepatch covered his right eye.
“Xigbar!” Roxas yelled, running up to his chair, “Can you make a corridor of darkness for me?”
The tall, thin man slowly opened his normal eye and turned to face Roxas. He sat up lazily and yawned. “What do you need a corridor for?”
“I need to go shopping for Christmas!” Roxas explained.
“Wait, what? ...Where do you intend to go?”
“To Twilight Town. There are a bunch of shops downtown there.”
To Roxas' surprise, Xigbar raised his right arm and summoned a swirling black cloud of darkness. “Normally, I'd call you crazy for buying presents... but I think I'd rather just smile and nod. Give my best wishes to Santa.”
“Wait, who?”
“... Big red coat, white hair... black boots... pudgy chap...zzz,” and then Xigbar was asleep again.
Roxas ran through the tall portal in confusion, still trying to work out what Xigbar meant about seeing this Santa person. For a second he was lost in the disorienting grasp of darkness, but then he emerged into the dim light of an alley in Twilight Town. Without pausing a second, he dashed out of the alley and onto the main street. Surveying the myriad stores, Roxas slowly strode down the road. As he turned a corner he ran smack into another boy, who was sprinting with a bag and three ice cream bars. Both boys flew back and landed solidly on the snowy ground.
“Oh, sorry,” Roxas apologized, rubbing his head.
“No problem,” the boy answered happily. He had short, wavy blond hair and camouflage pants, which matched his black t-shirt and his green jacket. “Hey, I remember you!” the boy said excitedly as he climbed to his feet. “You're that kid who was really good at Grandstanding.”
With a smile, Roxas remembered his last vacation in Twilight Town. That was when he had first met... Hayner, that was his name.
“Hey, Hayner.”
“So, you Christmas shopping?” Hayner asked, picking up the bag he had dropped and offering Roxas a hand.
Roxas grabbed the boy's hand and was quickly pulled to his feet. “Yeah,” Roxas answered anxiously, “I'm trying to find something for a girl I like. Do you have any idea what a teenage girl would want?”
Hayner laughed, “If only. I think that's what every guy struggles with. I'm just getting something simple for my friends.”
“Oh, well thanks anyway. I guess... I'll see you around...”
“Yeah, see you!” Hayner said, running off down the street with his bag and ice cream.
Roxas continued wandering through the town's crowd until he spotted another figure in a tall, black Organization coat. The figure turned around, and Roxas immediately recognized it as Xaldin. Actually, it was pretty hard not to recognize Xaldin, no matter where you saw him, Roxas thought. The elder Nobody was tall and very muscular with long, black dread locks, which were mostly pulled back into a ponytail.
Xaldin noticed Roxas and pushed his way through the crowd to the small boy. “What are you doing here, Number XIII?”
“I'm... Christmas shopping...” Roxas answered quietly, wishing he didn't have to tell the cynical warrior about his excursion.
“Fool,” Xaldin said critically, “Why, when you are gifted with being free from emotions, would you try to bring back that which you lost and chain your body down with a heart's useless burdens? Especially for such a meaningless event.”
Roxas quickly tried to process what Xaldin had said, and attempted to formulate an equally eloquent answer. Unfortunately, nothing intelligent-sounding came to mind. “I've never had a Christmas before,” he explained lamely, sighing after he realized how stupid it sounded.
Xaldin snorted and turned to walk away, not bothering to talk any longer.
“Wait, Xaldin, who is Santa?” Roxas asked at the last second, remembering what Xigbar had said before.
Xaldin turned around with a stunned and slightly sickened look on his face. “I dearly hope you are joking.” The warrior shook his head and walked away without bothering to answer the question.
Roxas watched him disappear around the corner, and returned to checking out all of the shops on the street, albeit with slightly less enthusiasm. As he scanned the shelves of each store he found seemingly everything that any girl, or indeed and person, could ever want. There were clothes, jewelery, perfume. And above each shelf was what Roxas decided was an eerily deceptive image of some attractive girl enjoying the item. Then there were games, and toys, and Roxas found an entire store devoted to nothing but candy and sweets. And all the stores were decorated with lights, just like Luxord had said. There was even one store just selling lights and trees. But Roxas couldn't help but feel that none of it was what Xion would want. There had to be something more, something better that he could get her. This was his one chance to show his appreciation for her friendship, and like Luxord had said, he had to find the perfect gift.
Tired and defeated, Roxas returned to the middle of the bustling city street. He was done; he had officially ruined Christmas. It didn't seem possible, but he had actually destroyed any hope of getting a good gift for Xion. For a moment he played with the idea of returning home and pretending like he hadn't been serious about Christmas shopping. But before a plan could form in his head, another Organization member emerged from the crowd. An ice cream stick sitting lazily on his lip, and his hands tucked away in his black coat pockets, Axel was slowly moseying his way down the street.
Roxas immediately tried to duck away from the red-head's gaze, hoping to avoid the older man's questioning and teasing, but Axel's voice quickly rang out over the chatter of the mass of people between them.
“Hey, Roxas! Roxas! What are you doing here?”
Not sure what exactly he was planning to do, Roxas spun and sprinted off the street and into the alleyway he had first come from. He knew that Axel was his friend, and he knew that there was no reason to avoid the man, but he didn't want Axel to make fun of him for getting Xion a present.
Roxas was halfway down the alley when a wall of flames exploded in front of him, blocking his path. Behind the young Nobody a plume of black smoke erupted from the ground, and Axel stepped from it. The tall, thin Nobody's spiky red hair was even crazier than usual, Roxas noted. It was obvious that Axel didn't even bother to try combing it on vacation.
Axel looked slightly offended, and his brow was furrowed in confusion. “Where are you going, Roxas? What are you doing? Why did you run away from me?”
“I-it's just... well, I don't want you to make fun of me.”
“Make fun of you?” Axel cried in disbelief. “Why would I do that?”
Roxas gulped. “Well I... I just heard that tomorrow's Christmas, and I... I... okay, all right.” His voice shook as he tried to gather up his thoughts up. He took a deep breath, finally ready to spit it out. “I'mtryingtofindaChristmaspresentforXion.”
Axel's eyes widened. “Sorry, didn't catch that, champ. Again, but slower.”
“I'm trying to find a Christmas present for Xion,” Roxas shouted.
“THAT's it? Ha! Hahaha!” Axel buckled over laughing.
“I told you not to laugh!” Roxas grumbled, his cheeks reddening.
“I- haha, sorry, ha... sorry.” Axel straightened up and let out a deep breath.
“What's so funny about that?” Roxas asked.
Axel grinned. “It's not so much that I think you buying Christmas presents is funny, I just think it's funny that you felt like you had to hide it. We're friends, we don't need to hide stuff from each other.”
Roxas blushed again. “Sorry...”
“No, it's okay. So, now, how much progress have you made shopping so far? I see your arms are... well, empty at the moment.”
“I haven't found anything good yet.”
“Then I sure hope you aren't planning on buying for all the members of the Organization, or at the rate you're going you'll finish by next Christmas. Who are you planning on buying for?”
Roxas shrugged. “Just Xion... and you,” he added at the last second, not wanting Axel to feel left out. “I've looked everywhere, but I can't find any good gifts. Nothing feels right. Luxord said you have to get the right gift-”
“Wait, Luxord told you that?” Axel interrupted. “Pft, ignore him, he doesn't know anything about Christmas.”
“And you do?” Roxas asked, somewhat skeptical that Axel would ever care about mushy gift-giving.
“Of course. You're missing the whole point of Christmas, Roxas.”
“No I'm not!” Roxas said angrily. He wasn't dumb, he had listened to everything that Luxord had said. “Christmas is about finding good gifts for your friends.”
Then Axel laughed an odd laugh that Roxas had never heard before. It sounded slightly amused, but also sad. Roxas felt his stomach drop as he looked into Axel's eyes, which reflected the same emotion of amusement and sadness. He hoped he'd never have to see that look again.
“Roxas, Christmas isn't about gifts. It's about appreciating your friends and family by spending time with them. The gifts are just for fun... a little something extra-”
“Icing on the cake,” Roxas added helpfully.
“Yeah, exactly. When you get someone a gift, it doesn't have to be perfect. Just make it something from the heart... or, in our case... well, just find something that you and Xion can enjoy together, as friends. Got it memorized?”
“What about you?” Roxas asked.
“Me? I don't need any Christmas gifts, just being with you guys is enough for me.”
“Hm... icing on the cake...” He couldn't help but remember what Hayner had said about getting something simple for his friends. Roxas suddenly smiled, an idea popping into his head. “I'm getting you one anyway, Axel. Oh boy, I've got some work to do.”
Roxas turned and ran from the alley back into town, towards a store he had spotted earlier. Behind him, he could hear Axel shouting something, but he didn't care. Christmas wasn't ruined after all.
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