Santa Claus, Sephiroth…?
A Sephiroth fanfiction.
-by Amaranthos-
A Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays to everyone. May the New Year be filled with lots of cheer and joy for each and all.
My wish to you…
Your friend, Amaranthos.
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the bar
Not a creature was stirring, not even a cobra;
The stockings were hung by the chimney from Cloud,
In hopes that the children would soon be wowed;
Marlene and Denzel both nestled in their beds,
With visions of Tifa's chocolate-pie dancing in their heads;
And Yuffie in jail, all cornered, cold and trap,
For stealing precious art called Mozart and Snap.
When all of a sudden there rose a loud clatter,
And only one sprang to see what was the matter,
There in his silver hair and green eyes was the man alias Hott,
Who liked to be called by his queer name – "Invincible Sephiroth".
And there on his roof was a fat man clad in red and white,
Who seemed quite stable from snow's icy fight,
And knowing he hated all from Ernie to Bert,
Sephiroth noted - someone was about to get hurt!
And he suddenly takes into a smooth walk ignoring the artic-like wind that beats down at his shoulders. Snarling that some old fool, dressed up in cheap robes likes dangling on his roof, affords Sephiroth a firm hold on his Masamune. Sephiroth stops and looks up and sees more than a fat man, he sees reindeers and a sleigh with a huge bag of gifts hanging out precariously. Not liking one bit of it, he huffs and jumps into the air, landing on his roof with the fat man near.
And the fat man known as Santa Claus hears a stomping sound, and turning to his side he seems to be incarcerated, by this very scary man with striking hair and eyes, that can trance and hypnotize. And Santa Claus, whose poor heart was weak and trembling, suddenly clutched his chest in pain knowing something was very wrong. And the devil-like man, knowing exactly what was happening, said to the man in red:
"Boo!" most monotonously and dread.
"Ackkk!" he clutches his heart violently, a heart attack emerging. Gasping and staring on at Sephiroth with hope in his eyes, Sephiroth simply smirked at the old man's demise.
And losing his balance on the icy roof, made the fat man go slipping off all a huge pile of 'ouuff.'
Sephiroth doesn't seem to care that the man isn't getting up, in fact he's quite satisfied he didn't' need to use his Masamune. Jumping off the roof, he lands gracefully in the snow covered floor, and now, just with a foot he turns the fat man over and sees him not moving. Realizing that the old couth had to be dead, he was about to dispose of the body when body just…disappeared?
Appearing in his place is a creature with pointy ears and clad in a tight green outfit, known precisely as an elf by the people in the North Pole.
"What the …" were Sephiroth's words.
"And nice to meet to you too, you Santa-Claus-killer!" the elf said spunkily.
"Get off my lawn so we can avoid an unnecessary squabble," Sephiroth suggested.
"I laugh in the face of trouble. You can't do me a thing boy, better get that into your head, try to even slash me with that sword and boy oh boy, guess whose going to be dead?"
It wasn't a question, it was a threat disguised in its form of rhetoric.
Sephiroth snarled. If it was one thing he didn't like, it was people speaking to him as they felt. Not amused, he raised his mighty blade and with a fluent stride the blade came crashing down into…nothing.
Sephiroth gave a confused expression. Blinking back just a bit, he looked to his right and left most stunned.
"I told you…if you raised that sword at me you'd be in big trouble. Of course, people don't listen and I guess the same goes for you, right pal?" the elf was behind him, looking at his nails tenaciously.
Knowing that if he couldn't strike the elf on his first strike, it wouldn't make much sense fighting him, especially if this was something way beyond him.
"What do you want, elf-boy?" Sephiroth shook his mighty coat and walked pass the elf.
"Why do you think I'm here?" the elf asked.
"Beats me," Sephiroth entered his house, "and thinking about it now, don't care" he slams the door on the elf.
The elf sighed. Some people, was his thought.
Walking through the door, he snapped his fingers and the fire came on.
"You know, you should really change that awful nature of yours, really, has anyone ever told you, your personality is that of ice?" the elf asked.
"How did you get into my house?" Sephiroth was now in a quizzical situation.
"Forget how I got in, think about why I'm here," the elf said.
"You're here to annoy my life like those peons call humans?"
"Wow, that attitude will cost yah! I wonder…" says the elf, pondering to himself.
"Wonder?"
"Wondering if you're on the naughty or good list, and since you killed Santa, I'm getting the sickening feeling that you're on the latter!"
"I don't do good," he says, "my style wouldn't work with it."
"So you say. Let's just see for the record if Sephiroth Crescent has been naughty or nice… sugar or vice," he opened his hands and in them was a sheet of paper with Naughty written in red to the very top as the title.
"Ahhh…it seems somebody has been very naughty this year and yes, the death of Santa Claus is the biggest contribution to it," the elf said.
"Look…I don't care about the holidays or even Christmas, so if I don't get a gift it's not going to hurt me."
"Hmm…that might be so the case, but I guess…since I'm the spirit of Santa Claus I'm going to do something to you…something you would never imagine" the elf said.
"Golly…I am so scared." There was lecherous sarcasm in his voice.
"There is naughty and nice, sugar and vice, for the latter it is you shall pay a price, for killing the image of goodness and beauty now you shall take his post and fill his duty, to give gifts to short and to tall for each and for all, from nigh to day, to the sad and the gay." The elf riddled.
"What?" Sephiroth drawled.
"Tonight, you will become the man himself, and ride the skies in red, green and gold and now be called Santa Claus, Sephiroth!"
Sephiroth remained devoid. "Your words will never affect me, creature!"
"So you say," he snapped his fingers and disappeared.
Sephiroth shook his head, and took a seat on the couch when all of sudden he started to scratch his chin.
'I must have a rash or something,' he thought.
But the more it scratched, the more something was happening. Precisely to say hair…was growing out his chin in just mere seconds. Sephiroth pulled at his beard, and couldn't believe that such a thing was happening.
Jolting to his feet he heard a sound.
Ringing.
'Bells…now where did that come from?'
Taking a look in his mirror, Sephiroth nearly passed out on the site. 'This can't be happening. That friggin' little elf…he hex me!'
Not believing what he was taking in, he swallowed.
There in the mirror was a reflection of a tall man, with a red hat on his head, and a beard on his face. And instead of his long coat adorning his body, it was a red outfit of both long sleeved jacket and trousers with a trim of white on the edges. With large black boots on his feet, and silver bells on the buckles, Sephiroth now felt like pulling his hair off at the preposterous sight.
"This can't be happening. I'm in a dream, right?" Knowing his reflection to be as real as could be, he grimaced. 'Damn…I've been punked!'
Not standing for it one bit, he began to pull at the shirt, to get it off. But it refused to come off, it refuse to even burst a thread. 'Damn!'
"Like your outfit Sephiroth?" the elf appeared sitting on his table.
"You little bastard! How dare you, do you not know who I am?" Sephiroth slammed his foot into the floor.
"Let's see…are you…a buffoon, because you surely look like it." He paused to laugh, his cruel laughter blistering Sephiroth's tentative ear.
"Look…I know you don't like me Sephiroth, but I'll give you one chance to redeem yourself and make up for being a bad boy this year," the elf said.
"Rot in hell!" Sephiroth curtly commented.
"You know, the more you make such…immature statements, the longer that outfit is going to stay on you. Who knows, it might even just stay on…forever," he whispered the last word.
"You can't be serious!"
"I'm serious as serious could ever be, my boy. So are you ready to listen and hear me out or are you just going to rattle me on some more and have me do things that's going to leave you miserable…forever?" the elf lowed his face so his eyes could stare right into Sephiroth's.
"Let's hear it then…"
"Tonight, Sephiroth, is Christmas Eve and you have one chance to bring cheer to all those of Gaia …for good or for bad…you have that chance to give people back some holiday cheer and love."
"Hahahah…" it was never a thing for a bad man to laugh, besides, it always ruined their touch, but Sephiroth couldn't help it. What this elf was saying sounded so unrealistic…so funny, so…not him.
"And why would I do that now?" Sephiroth wiped a tear.
"Because if you don't, that outfit will stay on you forever, understood?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
"You keep saying these things Sephiroth and I keep proving otherwise, let me not have to prove you wrong again, boy." He said.
"But I don't do good."
"I know, but this is a chance to start over"
"I wouldn't restart even if you threatened me and forced me to be Santa Claus for a night," Sephiroth barked.
"Then how about we make this trade…tighter," the elf said.
"Excuse me?"
"How about…" the elf found his eyes on the Masamune. Stretching his hand out the Masamune came into his grasp. "You do this job and I give you back this sword," he said.
"Give it back!"
"I don't think so" he snapped his fingers and the sword disappeared.
"Aghh!" Sephiroth whined.
"Just become what you never tonight Sephiroth…it's all I ask…"
And then a light flashed in Sephiroth's head. The elf was telling him to be Santa Claus…but he never said he had to adopt the ways of Saint Nicholas. That part was left to be filled…and filled however Sephiroth felt. Smirking to himself, Sephiroth said: you have yourself a deal elfie-boy.
"You have one night, begone!" and with that Sephiroth was teleported to the sleigh on his roof.
'How..?' Knowing he should stop asking while ahead he blinked back and got ready to do his 'assignment'.
"First name on the Nice list is… hmm, some kid called Meric, is that even a name…?" forgetting that, he took the reigns and slapped them against the reindeers.
They refuse to move.
'Um…'
Not sure how to get them going, he basically tried anything at the moment.
"Gooooooo…"
No response.
"Uppppppp…"
No response.
'Grrrrr…'
"You might wanna try yaah," the voice of the elf said.
'Grrrrrrrr'
"Yahhhhhhhh!"
The reindeers rose into the sky and went to the first house of little Meric. When the reindeers touched down, Sephiroth found that the gift for the child came straight to his hands.
'Well that helps when the clock is against you!'
Getting off the sleigh, he went to the chimney. 'How the heck do I get down?' He thought about jumping into the chimney, but then the cruel thought of him getting stuck seem to perturb him a great deal.
'Um..no, I'm not trying that.'
Jumping off the roof, he wondered if he should just enter the door by knocking.
Then he remembered why he compromised the idea of Santa Claus.
"Because I'm doing it my way, in Sephiroth style!"
With a firm foot, Sephiroth kicked down the door and walked into the house. Entering the drawing room he saw milk and cookies and card for Santa Claus.
"That's all they expect to give me? Here I am giving them a gift worth more than cookies and milk and here they are being all cheap. Really, it's a wonder how this man hasn't put these peons to silence."
Flinging the gift under the tree, Sephiroth smirked.
"Santa?" was the soft dove-like voice of a child.
"Do I look like Sant----". Then he remembered, he was St. Nicholas.
"Is that really you?"
"You better believe it. Ho ho ho and ………bye," he left leaving nothing but confusion on the child's face. Seeing the gift under his tree, he picked it up and opened it. Realizing that his gift was broken the little boy began to cry.
'It's music to my ears!'
"Next house…the Seventh Heaven!" 'hmm sounds familiar…'
Getting back on the sleigh and flying through a snowing sky, the reindeers lead the way to a place Sephiroth was beginning to remember.
Seeing the signs and the streets that passed him by, brought back memories of a place he left behind. 'I remember now!'
And dead ahead in front of him, was the home of the people who hated him and vice-versa. Cloud Strife, he whispered to the air. A cold mist seeping from his lips.
Jumping off the roof, Sephiroth decided to do a little visitation first, something that needed to be settled a long time now. As sharp a whistle and as stealthily as a cat, Sephiroth pounced to an open window on the right. Entering, he saw on her bed was Tifa Lockhart, who looked particularly pale tonight. Must have been the cold, thought Sephiroth.
Seeing a tendril resting on her shut eyes, he slowly approached her and moved away the lock.
"You know Lockhart, that night when I knocked you out on the flight of steps, it was nothing personal. The only reason I ever hurt you, was to remind you who was boss. But you envision me a demon, so I remain a demon in your head and become a demon all the more and real. So forgive me for my actions, as they are called naughty, but I call…satisfactory." He paused to elongate a devilish smirk on his lips.
"Let's see what you wear to bed, Ms. Lockhart," he stood back and pulled the sheet from her. And there clad to her skin was a short night gown covering just barely anything.
He leaned into her ear, "you should dress better Ms. Lockhart, as it tends to give a demon…ideas…" he laughs softly yet sinisterly in her ear.
Next room – Cloud Strife.
Cruising the hall silently, Sephiroth stopped when he heard snores. Knowing it couldn't be the so-called children on his list, he figured it to be none other than "Cloud" himself.
Walking to side of the sleeping Cloud, Sephiroth found many different ways to kill his enemy. Picking up a pen to stick it down in his heart, a barrier came forming over Cloud's chest.
"You got to be joking me. Gosh, give me a break already," Sephiroth then thought of something else.
"Strife wake up!"
"Ehrhhhm, w-wha...not now Denzel" Cloud said.
'Do I even sound like a kid you moron?'
"Wake up!" Sephiroth shook him.
Cloud opened his eyes and inhaled a horror so severe so…
POW!
Sephiroth knocked Cloud out, leaving pretty stars flying around his head. Dusting his hands off, Sephiroth went down stairs and got ready to lay out the gifts when he remembered that he had forgotten to pick up the presents. 'Damn!'
But there, floating in the air, Sephiroth saw the gifts coming to his hand. 'I could get used to things coming to me.'
Dumping the gifts under the tree and shoving the stockings with some coal (coz that was also available to him), he dusted his hands and thought to himself…instead of leaving their house in one piece…why not do something more?
Doing just that, Sephiroth kicked down the tree in a loud crash. Pulling the garlands off the walls and pelting the figurines into the opposing walls, Sephiroth seemed to be satisfied by the ultimate look of things. A mess… in other words.
Hearing the loud crash from down below, the children awoke Tifa almost immediately after they couldn't wake Cloud.
Tifa ran down the stairs, not bothering about her flimsy night gown, right now all she knew was that her house was going upside down due to some creep, and she surely would beat the living-daylights out of the jerk.
Landing down from the last step, she hid the children to the corners where it was safe. Entering the living room, she saw, with his back turned to her, a man with white hair and the apparel of Santa-Claus himself. About him was her drawing room in complete disarray. With broken ornaments and burst ribbons, she took a sight of complete…dismay.
"Who are you?" she asked.
There was a light snicker. "Don't you remember me, Tifa?" his cold voice spoke.
"It can't be," she whispers remembering his sinister voice.
"I killed her, I killed your father and I burned your village leaving you with memories of hate…tell me…do you know who I am?"
"Sephiroth!" she hissed
"Bingo." He turns around.
"Look at you simpletons. Got yourselves all worked up for the holiday cheer and look at this mess I've made…" he paused, "my present to you and all."
"Finally, I have a chance to get back at you for all the tragedy and pain you've caused me. Finally, Sephiroth, you will be crushed."
He smirked.
"I'd love to see you try, Lockhart," he smirked.
She ran into him and with a clenched tight fist, Tifa's hand found their way straight into Sephiroth's face. Sephiroth who saw the blow in slow motion, tried to duck, but to his ghastly horror, he couldn't.
BAMP!
Noting this couldn't be good, Sephiroth recovered from her blow and would have slammed her into the couch when the barrier came forming over her.
'Not again.'
"Has the mighty Sephiroth lost his touch?" she grinned loving the fact blood had been strewn.
Touching the side of his mouth, Sephiroth saw blood. Tifa ran back into him sending her fists and feet into the bulky man. She was a good fighter he noted, not that good though. Grabbing her by the arms he pinned her against him and said in her ear, "Quit it Lockhart…just quit it."
"You wish…" she tried to squirm out his grasp but to no avail did it work. Pinning her against the wall, he said, "odds are against you huh?"
And as soon as he had a chance to gloat that the tables had turned he was cuffed to the side by none other than, "Cloud" Tifa whispers.
"You okay Tif?" he asks, his cheeks turning red.
"I'm fine. Are you okay?" she asked.
"Y-You might wanna c-change" he said.
"Huh?" Looking down she could see her dangerously thin night-gown was not cutting it as fighting apparel.
"I'll be back."
Running off, Cloud recovered from momentary shock and returned to Sephiroth.
"How about we settle this Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth didn't have a choice. It was either he dodged the beatings or declined which wasn't much of a choice in this situation.
Both men took their fight outside the house. Cloud stood to the right with his shoes buried in the snow from a powerful stance while Sephiroth stood squarely awaiting the blows. A second was pended and then another until both men came running into the next. Cloud fired his fist into Sephiroth who dodged gracefully and simply.
"Is that all you have?"
Cloud regained his ground and hurled himself back into the sick tyrant. Sephiroth was quick to dodge as that was practically all he could do… that and run of course. Cloud sent his foot this time aiming at Sephiroth's face, but Sephiroth blocked and reversed the blow, using weight as the enemy. Cloud rolled over into the snow, sparing Sephiroth slits of silver in his eyes.
Words were not needed, as their eyes communicated through bitter vows and confessions.
Sephiroth waited again.
Cloud jumped into the air and came crashing down when he shouted, "now!" into the air. This made Sephiroth completely off balanced and unchecked.
Turning to his side, Sephiroth saw Tifa raging out in all her martial art glory straight at his open back. With a firm kick he was sent flying straight into the tree, 10 feet from the house. With a loud twap, a branch broke and all the snow came falling down on Sephiroth.
Never had he been in such pain.
Sitting up he could see both Tifa and Cloud running in to finish their handywork.
Counting in the seconds…he closed his eyes and whispered: I need my sword you stupid elf.
And repeating it over and over, he opened his eyes and…
"WHAT?" He looks at his ceiling.
Sephiroth jerked from his bed and pinched at his skin. It was a dream?
Looking around him, the calm movement of his curtains and silent ticking of the clock, made him feel safe and assured.
Looking to his side on his night-stand, he saw a glass of eggnog.
Remembering there had been an extra ingredient added to his nog, he picked it up and threw it out the window.
'That's the last time I drink eggnog for the holidays!'
With that Sephiroth went back to bed, more content than before knowing what had happened was just a dream.
Right?
There on his balcony deck looking on is a little elf whose eyes looks on at the viewers.
"The kid thinks it wasn't real, wait until he sees me tomorrow… now that's gonna be fun…"
Merry Christmas to each and all. Sorry if the story is kind of lame, but I can't rhyme for the world, but I promised to try because I wanted to try my luck with it. And yes Sephiroth fans, I know the idea is very slim and OOC, but please, I only ask permission to use my imagination on my muses (Sephiroth). And that's not a crime…is it? This is for everyone. Thank you for reading.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.