The Nutcracker

To those of you who are reading Namine in Wonderland, I'm not quitting on it. It will just be on hiatus for the holidays in order for me to work on this fanfic. Please don't kill me. This takes place at (yet again) Oblivion Orphanage, but, it is a completely different story from Namine in Wonderland. I just don't want to create any parents for either her (for obvious reasons), or Kairi, who will show up later. I don't own Kingdom Hearts by Square Enix or The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Namine and the other orphans at Oblivion Orphanage were enjoying themselves on that Christmas Eve. A grand party was to be held, and Santa Claus was going to come deliver gifts to every one of the children later in the night. Namine, specifically, was drawing the magnificent scene of the main hall, where the festivities would be held.

The orphanage attendants were working their hardest to make the party as enjoyable for themselves and the children as possible. The chef was cooking a sumptuous goose, while the caretakers were setting decorations on the walls, as well as putting ornaments on the tree. The groundskeeper was even getting in on the merriment, putting up several decorations that showed that it was Christmastime again.

The other children were deeply invested in their winter games, while Namine, herself was drawing the entire scene, taking in the contrast of the white snow against the bright colors of the other orphans attire. Humorously, her choice in attire, as well as her already pale skin, made the artist blend into the environment, making her seem almost as a ghost or vision.

Eventually, the time came for them to be called in for dinner, much to the protest of all the children. The demand was complied with, however. Nobody would want to be sent to bed early when there was a Christmas party that very evening.

"What do you want for Christmas, Marluxia?" Larxene asked.

"I want some flower seeds," the boy responded, "so that when spring comes, I can have my own flowers ready to be planted. What about you, Vexen?"

"I would like some ice sculpting tools," the other boy commented, "What about you, Zexion?" he asked turning to the fourth person at the table.

"I would like a new book," he replied simply, "And you, Larxene?"

"I want a kitten," she answered, "and if it leaves me, I will find it again, and keep it with me forever, whether it wants to or not. And we all know that Namine wants art supplies."

This caused the quiet girl to avert her eyes. While the group was not overtly mean to her, they did not find her passion for art that interesting.

As the clock struck 6, the party began. Streamers were all around, with all manners of decorations of red, green, gold, and silver darting along the entire building, but nowhere near as much as the main hall itself. The tree was shining with the number of ornaments and lights along the entire surface. The games were played, and prizes awarded, and the entire feel of the room was that of holiday cheer.

It soon was time for presents to be handed out. Each child got just what they desired, and were pleased as could be to have done so. Then, the headmaster of the Orphanage, Master Xenmas Drosselmeyer, entered the room, a sack upon his back.

"Well," he said cheerily, "I suppose that it is time to give out my presents to the younglings."

With this, he sat himself down, sack in front of him and said, "Line up to get your gifts, children."

Each child lined up as he handed out the gifts.

"Ah, Larxene," he said cheerily, "for you, I have a jump rope. Zexion, you got a copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Vexen, you've got a set of toy soldiers. Marluxia, I got you a book on origami."

After every one of the other children had been awarded a gift, he turned to her and said, "And that leaves little Namine. Come here, little one."

Namine shyly walked up to the cheerful man as he reached into the bag. Smiling, Xenmas pulled a pecan, still in its shell, out of his coat pocket and said, "For you, I have a little nutcracker. He's a very interesting piece. Because, you see, his special skill is that he can crush a nut between his teeth when you pull the lever in his back. Ah, here he is."

As he pulled out the nutcracker, Namine got to see what it looked like when he led it out to her. It was a nicely designed nutcracker, in a red uniform with blue pants and, rather than having a helmet, he had tanned skin, spiky brown hair that went in all directions, and beautiful blue eyes. In his hand he held a simple golden key that was large enough to be a sword to him. As a matter of fact, it seemed that the nutcracker actually was holding the key in the exact way one would a sword.

Before Xenmas handed the nutcracker to her, he took the pecan and put it in between the nutcracker's slack jaws. Then, reaching behind it, he pushed the lever on its back and made the nutcracker split the pecan in half. After giving that display, he handed the nutcracker to Namine. As he placed it within her grasp, he winked and said, "That's not all that makes him special, but, I leave it to you to figure out how else on your own. His name is Sora, by the way."

Tentatively, Namine grabbed the nutcracker, not wanting to damage her wonderful new friend. She sat aside playing with Sora for a while before she thought to draw her wonderful friend. As she drew him, Marluxia came up to her and asked, "May I try to use this walnut on him?"

"O-Okay, Marluxia," Namine responded quietly, seeing no harm in letting him handle Sora. The older boy took the doll and placed the walnut in the mouth. He then pushed the lever down, when a sickening crack was heard. The jaw had snapped out of place.

"Kingdom Hearts!" Marluxia cried, "I'm so sorry, Namine! I didn't mean to!"

Namine's response was to panic, until Master Xenmas came back and gingerly took the nutcracker from the still-apologizing boy's hands and removed the walnut from the poor nutcracker's mouth. Once he had cleared the jaw of the obstruction, he put his hand under the bottom jaw and popped it back into place and handed Sora back to Namine.

"Be very careful with him," Xenmas said with a slight chuckle as he ruffled her hair, "He can't bite off more than he can chew."

When it finally came time to go to bed, Namine took her beloved nutcracker to bed and closed her eyes, holding Sora in her arms as she began to fall asleep.