Merry Christmas

A gentle wind blew through the frosted elm and oak trees that grew around the mansion. Icicles glowed in the full moonlight, and the snow shone like angel wings. At least, it did until a certain blue-furred being zipped through it, ruining the serene picture.

"Yahoo!" Sonic shouted, zooming back and forth, stirring up the snow in flurries. Sonic the Hedgehog, Hero of Mobius, Fastest Thing Alive, etc, etc, was enjoying himself immensely. Being yanked out of his own world into this one by a Dragon Empress had its perks, he supposed. "Neeee-wooommm!" he whooped as he blasted through a snowdrift, slipped on a small frozen pond, and ended up upside-down in another snowdrift.

"Good job, Sonic," Royall grinned, hovering over him. Royall was a creature called a Charlie, he hailed from the world of Subeta. He was dark blue, royal blue if you will, with a midnight blue stomach. He was almost catlike, his furry body lithe and able to move silently with a grace that Sonic was slightly jealous of. "Next time, how bout you pay 'ttention to where you're goin'?" He grinned again, showing his sharp canines. Sonic glared at him, annoyed.

"Shut up."

"Ooo, nice comeback."

"I said, Shut. Up."

"Some-bod-y's maaa-aaad!"

"Enough." Both Sonic and Royall winced, ducking their heads shamefully. Sonic rolled over and stood, brushing the snow out of his fur. He eyed the large, rather familiar looking creature. Royall landed on one of the icy branches, and promptly slipped off. Sonic burst into laughter, holding his sides as Royall's backside and feet wiggled in an attempt to free himself. The creature rolled his eyes.

"See what happens when you tease another? Fate loves to mettle." The beast spoke in a low voice, acid green eyes glowing softly. He was crouched in a froglike position, knees resting on the snow. He had short blue and silver fur, long quills, and a bladed tail that was flicking mildly. He flexed his claws, drawing the white powdery substance towards him in small piles. "Believe me. Fate is here, she adores the snow."

"Yokai, don't go all mystical on us please. I'm already getting brain freeze here, I don't need a headache too." Royall complained, glaring at the demon through frozen eyebrows. Turning to Sonic, he asked for the umpteenth time; "Are you sure he's supposed to be you?" Sonic, who was used to this question by now, simply shrugged.

In truth, according to what Storm had told him, Yokai was another version of him from another world. This wasn't new to him, as he had met hundreds upon thousands of different 'Sonics' from different dimensions. He had also met an evil version of himself, who now called himself Scourge, from an evil version of Mobius, Moebius. Yokai came from a wild and dangerous place, filled with dense forests, desert plains, tall glaciers, and erupting volcanoes. 'Come to think of it,' Sonic thought vaguely, 'I don't think Yokai ever told us what the heck his world's called.' Shrugging his shoulders, he dismissed the thought. Eyeing the pond again, he broke into a run, and slid across the pond on his feet.

"Yeeha!" he cheered, grinning like an idiot. He turned, moving his legs in a rather good imitation of the ice skaters that had been on the TV the night before, succeeding in picking up speed. Yokai watched him silently, and lay down in the snow, eyes bright and interested. 'Not bad, Sonic.'...

Up on top of the house, a silver-haired teen watched this scenario with no small amount of amusement. Storm didn't mind them, nor the snow. She did mind the season though, glancing down the road at the neighborhood below. Her eyes traveled over each dwelling, taking in their festive lights. Narrowing her eyes, she turned away from the sight, raising her head to the cold moon above. 'Stay together, and be safe. One day you'll be back, and...' She stopped herself mid-thought, lowering her gaze. And then what? Would they be the way they used to be? 'No...' she shook her head, 'we'll never be the way we used to be. I've changed too much, and who knows whether or not how they are. Empress Jewel and Silverwind..no, Mom and Dad, have a safe Christmas.' Storm looked back at the three creatures, Sonic, Yokai, and Royall, all brought together under unfortunate circumstances, but able to forage friendships without remorse.

Even in this time of battle and fury, she had made sure they could have a break for this holiday. Smiling mildly, she leaped from the roof, her wings blazing from her back in a flash of silver and white, and glided to the backdoor. Upon landing, her wings shattered in a flurry of silver sparkles, and she stepped silently inside. At the requests of Raiu and Rage, Sonic, Royall and K'Jask, for the sake of young Milo, she had cut down a tree and brought it in, but hadn't helped in the decorating. Now, standing in front of the large plant, she allowed a soft smile to grace her facial features. It was rather beautiful, multicoloured lights twinkling gently, reflecting off of the red, green, and white bulbs.

Tilting her head slightly, she got a little closer, noticing the childish, handmade ornaments that hung from the bottom boughs. A gingerbread man, a candy cane, a Santa.... 'Milo's handiwork, no doubt.' she noted, running her finger along the candy cane. Turning around, she jumped at a soft snore. Blinking, she noticed Milo for the first time. The young boy of seven was asleep on the couch, curled around his plush dog, covered with a fluffy green blanket. Raising herself on her toes, she moved quietly around the couch as not to disturb his slumber. In her concentration, she failed to notice the small stand that had been moved next to the couch, and bumped into it with a whispered "ouch!"

Steadying the stand and the glass of milk that was set on it, she noticed the roll of paper that had been knocked to the floor by her clumsiness. Retrieving it, she couldn't help but unroll it to read;

Dear Santa,

Merry Christmas! How are you? How is Missis Claus? How are the Reendeer? How are the Elfs? I've been a good boy, even when my daddy made me leav the house, I was stil a good boy. I was dopted by a lady named Storm, and her frends named Raiu and Rage and K'Jask. I'v been liveng living here for a few moths, and Storm has broght brought some new frends to live here too. She said that they came from difrent words, and theyr called Sonic and Royall (wth 2 Ls!) and Yokai is a big monster thingy that looks like Sonic all streched out but hes ok and I like him. What I want for Christmas is a bed for my doggy and maybe a cool super duper bouncy ball and I would also like a handhld game called a DS, with some games pleas. I would like to ask you very nicely to bring presents for Raiu and Rage and K'Jask and Sonic and Royall and Yokai, but most portantly for Ms. Storm. She always seems so upset, and even though Raiu and Rage say it's not my fault, I don't like it when she is upset. I heard Rage and Raiu taking talking about her mommy and daddy, they said that they are really far away in a plac called the Silensse Relm, and they can't come back. I think that is why Ms. Storm is always so sad, cuz she misses her mommy and daddy. So, Mr. Santa, could you bring Ms. Storms mommy and daddy back to her? That would be a great present. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

Love Milo

P.S. Tell Rudolf I said hi!

Storm finished reading the letter and looked at the still sleeping Milo. Disbelief registered plainly on her face, and for a long time could only stare at him. Giving her head a shake, she re-rolled the paper and placed it back on the table, next to the plate of cookies. She knelt down next to the couch, looking straight into his face. 'You surprise me every day, kiddo.' She smiled, gently brushing his hair out of his face. He stirred slightly, and opened one bleary eye.

"Is Santa here yet?"

"Not yet, kiddo. You go back to sleep." Milo smiled and snuggled deeper into his blanket, squeezing his doggy.

"'Kay," he murmured softly. Storm stood back up and began to walk back towards the door, but stopped when he spoke again. "Storm?"

Turning back to face him, she eyed him mildly; "Yes?"

"Do you believe in Santa Claus?" Storm paused for a moment, unsure how to answer.

"I...I believe in a lot of things, Milo. Santa Claus was something that I really never wanted to stop believing in. I...." she paused, unable to believe she was participating in this conversation. She sighed, and to her surprise, said something that her mother used to say; "I don't want you to stop believing, because to stop means to lose the magic and mystery that Belief simply is. Yes, I believe, and I always will." Satisfied, Milo's eyes drooped shut, and Storm exited the house in peace.

Crunching through the uneven snow, she reflected on what she had said. 'I don't believe in Santa. I stopped believing when I was ten, when he didn't bring Mom and Dad back. But..I couldn't tell Milo that. Dammit!" She shook her head furiously, breaking into a run. Blazing forward, she ran until she was nearly gasping for air, sinking to one knee in the frozen forest. 'I'm going soft, I knew it. Shadow was right, I'm not fit to run the Dragon's World in Mom's stead. Not if I can't...' She grinned suddenly, realizing her mistake. 'No, he's wrong. Going soft would be telling the kid that I damn well don't believe in the red guy...hm.' Raising herself to her feet, she walked calmly out of the woods, moving silently up a gentle incline.

At the top, she paused, watching the sky with genuine interest. Vaguely, she toyed with the idea of bringing Sonic, Yokai, and Royall up here to enjoy the scene, but dismissed it. It was a moment to observe alone, and the landscape below shone with the brilliant moonlight. It seemed as if time was standing still, it could've been a few minutes or a few hours that she stood there, eyes glowing softly. She fancied that she saw a flare of red in the sky, heading for the complex beyond her home. An expression of serenity spread across her face, and she turned away from the sky, flipping her scarf over her shoulder.

A gentle jingle caused her to turn back around, and to her surprise, small white snowflakes were floating gently down. Smiling slightly, she gave the sky a two-fingered salute, whispering softly; "Merry Christmas."

The End