Alright, now I know a lot of you would rather have me working on Geisha Dreams or Freak On A Leash.

But EVERYONE and their grandmother gets a Christmas story! I want one too!

So, I've devised this awesome plot. It's a spin-off the Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Only it involves Kingdom Hearts characters! And has some cute slash! And the people aren't very old!

Now, I know that some characters may seem a little (or very) out of character. Roxas, for instance, will be our Ebenezer Scrooge, and we all know that loveable Roxas would NEVER behave this way! Honestly, this is more about the plot than the characters and their regular behavior. So just close you eyes and pretend for a moment that these are the characters yet not acting the same way. And we will all make it through this fic in one piece…hopefully…

Also. I dedicate this fic to my friend on Gaia because he loves AkuRoku. And he keeps telling me to update Freak On A Leash so he can picture Ash and Gary as Roxas and Axel. Guess what, Wolfie? In this one, you don't have to pretend its AkuRoku, because it IS AkuRoku! Huzzah!

Uh…well, that's enough of an introduction. On with it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor do I own the literary masterpiece A Christmas Carol.

It was a cold day in Traverse Town, not different from any other in the wintertime. Snow crunched beneath the student's feet as they rushed off from school. They were not quite happy that they didn't get Christmas break until the eve of the holiday. Most were quite livid, but many were happy that they got more time after New Years off of school. However, there was one, as always, who wasn't feeling very cheerful.

"Roxas!"

"Oh fuck…"

The young blonde sped up, his feet crunching at an incredible rate through the frozen ground. But as he tried to escape, the man with vivid red hair only followed him, taking even longer strides and easily catching up to him. Roxas felt his legs moving even faster until he was almost running. His efforts were to no avail. The red head easily caught up with him, putting a hand on his shoulder and stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh…hi Axel," Roxas said, rather annoyed.

That hand on the shoulder quickly turned into a bear hug as the red head named Axel turned him around and squished him in his embrace. "Oh Roxy" he cooed rather lovingly. "I haven't seen you all day!"

"It's been that long?" Roxas muttered sarcastically, his words drained out by how Axel was squeezing him. He pushed against the taller man's chest, trying to force himself away. "I'll have to make sure its longer next time…"

"No!" Axel said, pulling him back, causing Roxas to make a rather loud "oof" sound as he was once again being suffocated by the red head. "You still haven't told me if you'll be coming to my Christmas get together yet?"

"And how can you exactly afford a Christmas get together?"

"Eh, take some extra shifts, pull a few strings here and there…"

"Sorry," Roxas said. Somehow, while Axel was explaining his grand Christmas plans, he had gotten out of his arms and found the car that was waiting for him. "I have plans."

"But Roxas!" Axel said. Roxas, however, had already shut the door, the sleek black car now sealed up tight. He made sure he locked the doors this time too. With lightning speed, they pulled out of the parking space and off of school grounds.

"Did you have a good day, Young Master?"

"Bah," was all he said. His concentration was focused outside the window as they drove by the various shops. Store after store had a final Christmas deal going on. Buy one get one half off. 30% off all red tagged items. See Santa—only $4.99 when you purchase something from Toys 4 U.

"Look at all of that," he commented, not realizing he was talking out loud. "Commercialism. All this world cares about is the value of a dollar. It's even turned something like Christmas into a holiday to enslave the masses."

"Beg pardon?"

Roxas turned, giving the driver an icy glare. "Nothing. Just keep going."

At home wasn't any better. The giant mansion he lived in echoed when he closed the door behind him. No one else was here except for a few people on staff. "Well isn't that surprising?" he commented again sarcastically.

He trudged up the steps, his book bag scratching against the carpet as he dragged it up the stairs. His feet were loud and heavy, his hands gliding over the banister.

Until, he heard a noise. It was the sound of shuffling, sounding like it was coming from his room. "Odd…" he thought aloud. "They don't clean until Tuesday…" His footsteps became hurried. He'd rather not people touch his personal belongings. Lifting his bag over his shoulder so he could go even faster, his feet pounded up the stairs, and then he turned to run into the long hallway. His room wasn't too far from the stairs, and he opened it rather quickly, the wooden frame slamming into the wall. The people in his room were startled, eeping in surprise that the boy had given them such a fright.

"What the hell are you doing in here?"

"Oh, Young Master!" the head maid called out, rushing over to him. She cupped his hands. "My, my, your hands are cold!"

"I said, what the hell are you doing in here?"

"Oh, well, you see, the shelter downtown is asking for toys and old belongings for their annual Christmas drive. And, well, we were sorting through the things you never use anymore—pajamas, stuffed animals, oh!" she said, turning around and digging into the pile of things they had gathered.

"Who gave you permission to go through my things?" Roxas began, sounding rather angry. His teeth clenched inside his mouth as he felt his fury and rage building.

"We found this adorable little teddy bear…"

His eyes went wide. How dare they try to give away his old teddy bear?! He quickly snatched it away from the head maid, clutching it between his fingers. It's soft, worn fur tickled his skin, but the sensation and joy it used to bring him was gone, and replaced with anger and hatred.

"Get out of my room!" he shouted. The head maid, who had been taken aback by the sudden movement, stuttered. "B….But Young Master…you have so many things that you don't use anymore…"

"I said get out!"

"You could give someone less fortunate a merrier Christmas…"

"Christmas?!" he shouted. "I don't need those grubby little kids taking a hold of my old things for the sake of fueling their commercialism! Why don't their parents try harder to give them a happier Christmas? It's their fault that their snot nosed brats aren't turning out like the rest of the world, into adults who only need more material possessions!"

"Young Master!"

"Get out of my room! Now!" He was pushing the head maid and all of the staff that had been helping her out of the door. All got to their feet immediately and rushed out the door, trampling over one another like a herd of cows, afraid of the teenager's wrath. The head maid was one of the lasts to leave. She turned around as she headed out the door, standing right outside his room. "But…Young Master…where is your Christmas spirit?"

"Bah humbug!"

And he slammed the door right in her face.

------------

He was heading to bed. It had been a long day, and he was literally exhausted. He had had some of his evening tea, which was making him more and more drowsy by the minute, his eyes fluttering open and closed as he stumbled to his bed. He made a mental list in his mind and began to check off each task.

"Homework done, check. Teeth brushed, check. Alarm clock set for school…wait, there is no school tomorrow?"

He was about to climb into the covers were a mysterious voice echoed throughout the room. The light next to his bed went out, and set of loud footsteps were mixing in with the echoing cries. The sound of chains clattered, making a horrifying ensemble that made Roxas jump. "W….who's there?!"

"Roxas….." the voice whispered.

"Wh….where are….where are you?!" he stuttered. "Show yourself!"

And then, a flashing blue light surrounded him, as he covered his eyes from the bright light. It boomed throughout the room with an earthquake feeling, making the appliances shake and creak. When Roxas uncovered his eyes, he gasped.

There stood a tall figure with an outfit resembling that of a suit, only his chest was exposed. He could not tell anything about the color of his outfit—it was all an eerie blue and white. His long hair floated behind him, boots with flat heels creating the same echoing footsteps he had heard earlier. The man was covered in chains, their rattling creating a ghostly clatter that sent a chill up his spine.

"Who are you?"

The ghost didn't answer his question, he just drew closer and closer to him.

"S….s…stay back!"

No reply and no compliance to the boy's demands.

"I'm warning you!"

"Roxas!"

He eeped in surprise at the call of his name. "How do you know my name?"

"I know much about you," his booming voice echoed. "How you treat others. How you let the bad experiences you've had harden your heart. It's almost as if you didn't have one. Your lack of compassion towards the world has sickened me…"

"Who….what are you?"

"Consider me a warning."

"A warning? For what?"

The figure scowled at him. "I was once in your position. A hollow being with no feelings toward others."

"What are you getting at?"

"Silence!" he voice boomed again, and Roxas was thrown backward a bit from the pressure. "Do you not see what the world has turned you into? Do you not think about the consequences of your actions?"

"I…I…"

"The Powers that be are willing to give you a second chance. So that you do not have to bear the burden of the chains," he lifted up those across his body, along his arms, showing them to Roxas, "that you have created in this life in the afterlife."

"The afterlife? So…so you're a ghost?"

This question was also left unanswered. "You will be visited by three ghosts. They shall show you the error of your ways, and attempt to make you see a different side of humanity. They will show you love, compassion, hope, and," he paused for a moment, before beginning again. He hung his head low. "The price you have to pay if you do not change."

A loud chime sounded and Roxas jumped again. The spirit looked rather alarmed at this clanging sound of the clock. "My time grows short!" he exclaimed. "When the clock strikes midnight, the first ghost will appear to you. I must go now."

"Spirit, wait!"

But it was too late. Blue light filled the room once more, and he closed his eyes again to shield himself from its blinding effect. When he opened them again, the mysterious spirit had vanished without a trace.

TBC

Yay! Roxas is on his way to becoming a better person! Huzzah!

Anyway, I actually have drawn out a story map for this. Along with deadlines that I plan to meet. I want this to be finished by Christmas. Hmmm…it will be less than ten chapters for sure, how many before ten I am not quite certain. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I hope you have patience—it might take awhile for the AkuRoku to show up. And at that, it won't be any steamy AkuRoku. I'm definitely planning some more touching moments though. This chapter was a bit dry. The next chapter will be more interesting, so please don't give up on it quite yet! Anyway, read and review, over and out! -Nibzo