Hello all! I figured there would be lots of holiday stories going up in the next few days and thought I'd add my own! This will be a three part story, the final chapter being posted on Christmas, of course. Takes place in my Road to Dawn universe, probably about six months after the CoM events. Hope you enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not mine...

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The skies above Hollow Bastion were covered with clouds, making the winter day seem even colder. At least, that is what Melody thought. She let out a sigh, watching the breath of air condense into wisps of clouds and get carried away on a lazy wind. It had snowed only two days ago, leaving the recovering castle town covered in white fluffy piles of snow.

The still-new Restoration Committee had done a good job of clearing the roads, so the people that had returned didn't seem to have any trouble moving about. Merlin of course, still found ways of nitpicking their progress, but it didn't seem to have dampened anyone's spirit. Not with Christmas only three days away.

The houses that had been cleared and repaired so far looked warm and comforting, reminding Melody of how it was before the town's destruction. The people had decorated their doors with ribbons and pictures drawn by kids. At night candles filled most of the windows, giving off soft, warm glows. A few of the citizens had gotten creative and somehow wove together pieces of cloth to create colorful wreaths that decorated the sides of their homes. However, The Restoration Committee had yet to successfully grow anything here, much to Aerith's dismay, who was working tirelessly to get her gardens to grow.

Merlin had been kind enough though to conjure a single, massive pine tree that was set up in the new market over the old fountains. Every single citizen had donated at least one decoration for the tree, and Cid had managed to create some lights to string along its branches. As soon as the daylight faded, the tree lit up, drawing many people to the square every night.

Melody smiled. It was such a great time of year! She could even stand the cold for the short time around the holiday. They had been back to the town several times over the past month, and Melody got more excited each time. This visit, had surprisingly been a social one. She had insisted she needed to come, and of course, Riku and Mickey had both tagged along. Well…more like Mickey talked Riku into coming. But he still came nonetheless, so Melody counted it as a small victory.

Riku had been distant for a while, but for all their worry, they both knew why. The darkness was getting harder for him to control. It took immense amounts of energy and willpower at times just to keep it in check, and the thought of Ansem lurking somewhere in that darkness must have been adding worry to the teen. They both had decided he needed a break. Melody had a slight ulterior motive though.

"Did you celebrate Christmas too, Riku? Back home, I mean." Melody asked, smiling to him. The boy tilted his head in her direction, and she couldn't stop the small frown when all she saw was that blindfold instead of his eyes.

"Of course, I did. Mornings were usually spent with family, and then I would go out and meet Kairi and, Sora…" Neither Mickey nor Melody missed the pause after Kairi's name. Namine had been working on Sora's memories for a while now. But recently, she seemed to have been hitting a few snags. These snags were taking more time to fix, and had started affecting even Riku's memory. He had looked crushed when he first had trouble remembering his best friend's name. "We'd meet a few other kids over on the island sometimes, but usually it was just the three of us." He added.

"I bet it never got this cold though, huh?" Mickey asked, pulling his hood down over his face a little more to block a gust of wind. Riku seemed to force a laugh and shook his head.

"No. It was always warm. And the Christmas trees were never live ones- we made fake ones since pine trees were so rare." He said, turning toward the large tree dominating the main square. "The real ones are nice though."

"Really? How can you tell with your eyes covered?" Melody asked, crossing her arms and looking back towards the tree. Mickey looked up at Riku then, also realizing he was making comments on visual things.

Riku scratched his head as he figured out how to explain it. "It's hard to explain. I can see the shapes, but it's the way the world moves around it that gives the shapes depth. When someone uses magic, it's like bursts of colors dancing around and painting an even sharper image for me. With people, they become clearer the more they feel. Their emotions show me their movements and expressions clearer than my eyes alone could."

"Wow… That's amazing, Riku." Melody said, surprised. He didn't seem to have trouble moving around anymore, but she never would have guessed he could still "see". Judging by Mickey's surprise, she guessed he didn't know either. Melody remembered where she had been going with her line of questioning and forced herself away from this newly discovered information.

"Say, if you celebrated Christmas, does that mean you also got presents?" Melody asked as casually as she could. Riku turned away from her with a sigh, continuing on towards the bailey. Even with his eyes covered, Melody was getting better at reading him, and she could swear he rolled his eyes under that stupid blindfold. She gave him a mischievous smile and jogged back to his side, Mickey close behind. "Ohh, I bet you were always on Santa's naughty list, right? You must have gotten a lot of coal!"

"Riku's a good person at heart though. You gotta give him some more credit, Melody." Mickey commented in a mock serious voice.

"I guess. But that would mean Santa was wrong when checking his list…" She replied.

"I got plenty of presents. And no," He added, turning specifically in Melody's direction. "It was never coal."

Melody bit her lip, anticipation building as she finally had the chance to ask the vital question that had been in the forefront of her mind for several days now. "Really? What kind of presents?"

Riku looked away from her as they walked down the snow-slicked stairs into the town. "Usual stuff. Clothes, a few books, some gear for the sword club." he said with little interest. "I never really got as excited as my mom and grandmother got over it. And definitely not as excited as Sora."

Mickey winced and risked a glance to Melody. She was still smiling, but it seemed a little more forced. He watched her shoulders sag an inch or so and her gaze become distant. He knew she was struggling to find a gift for their silver-haired friend.

From what both he and Riku had seen, Melody loved Christmas time. And even more than that, she loved presents- whether it was giving or receiving. That was her main reason behind the trip here today. She had a massive pile of presents, not only for The Restoration Committee, but dozens of toys and winter clothes for the struggling families that had returned to Hollow Bastion. She'd left them all with Leon, saying he could distribute them as he saw fit- he seemed to know just about everyone that had returned, so he would know who could afford presents, who couldn't, and who needed warmer accessories.

She had even gotten something for himself, Namine and DiZ, as he had seen at least one present for each of them under the small Christmas Tree now standing in the corner of the library back in Twilight Town. She had presents for her colleagues working under the Celestial Witch as well, which she had delivered last week. And despite all this, Mickey had yet to see something specifically for Riku. And based on her line of questioning, it would seem she had yet to find something for the boy.

She had asked him only two days ago if he was getting anything for Riku, and unfortunately, he hadn't been able to help. While going through some of his old things at his Master's castle, Mickey had found a book of spells and potions geared specifically towards finding balance and controlling inner darkness. He figured Riku would appreciate any extra help with how much trouble he was starting to have and had decided to pass the book on to him.

Melody looked back up at the sky, stuffing her cold fingers into the pockets of her vest after pulling her scarf closer to her neck and chin. 'There's got to be something…' she thought. 'Something…'

"Aha! There you are Melody. I've been looking all over for you, young lady." Merlin's voice broke through her thoughts. Before the old wizard had even finished his sentence, Riku had pulled his hood up and turned his head away from them. Melody watched sadly as he hid his face but stopped so the wizard could catch up to them. It appeared Riku still didn't want to draw any attention.

"Hey Merlin. What's going on?" She asked, already feeling Riku's stare creeping over her skin. How could a guy with a blindfold and a hood blocking his vision still send such skin crawling glares? As Merlin began with one of his odd stories, she had a feeling they were going to be there a while.

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"I said I was sorry!" Melody said as the trio now walked down the hill from Station Heights back in Twilight Town. "If it bothered you so much, why didn't you speak up?" She added, glaring at Riku who just sighed and shook his head.

"It wouldn't have mattered. You still would have insisted we stay and help them." He replied. Blushing, Melody whimpered and turned her attention to the shops lining the street into the Market.

"Even so…"

Mickey chuckled, giving Riku a knowing look. "I think you would have stayed too, Riku." He whispered. A soft pink crept over Riku's cheeks and he quickly tried to shush the small king. A smile worked its way over Melody's lips, watching Riku try to quietly refute Mickey's accusations. He really was a good person- he just didn't seem to want anyone to know.

"You are just so cute Riku!" Melody said, clapping her hands together as though she'd just decided. Riku stiffened and turned towards her, frown firmly in place and face still pink.

"I've told you before not to call me that!" The silver-haired boy replied loudly, leaning over her.

"Wow, Riku. Did you have another growth-spurt?" Melody asked nervously as she noticed he seemed to be almost towering over her. A light bulb went off in her head when she realized what she was asking. "Do your clothes feel too small?" She added excitedly.

Riku let out a long breath before putting a hand to her forehead and pushing her away. "Even if I did grow, my clothes are fine. You were the one who told Minnie to make sure my new clothes were a size or two bigger than I needed at the time." He said and ducked through the hole in the wall leading into the forests on the edge of town.

The small king looked up to see Melody's eyes teary as she realized he was right. "Why! Why did I do that?" She was mumbling under her breath, both hands on her head. Mickey gave the poor girl a small smile.

"It's alright, Melody. I know you'll think of something great!" Mickey whispered encouragingly. "Keep trying!" He walked through the opening into the woods after Riku, leaving Melody to mourn her dilemma.

"Where's Melody?" Riku asked when he only heard Mickey jogging to catch up to him.

Mickey chuckled a bit nervously and glanced over his shoulder. "She, uh, she just needs some time to herself. She'll be along soon." He replied, then after a moment spoke up again. "Hey, Riku. Is there something that you want for yourself?"

Riku's head moved marginally in Mickey's direction. "Something I want?" He repeated in confusion.

Nodding, Mickey looked towards the worn mansion with a thoughtful expression. "We watched Melody hand out presents and help the people in Hollow Bastion all day, and I started wondering if there were things you or Melody wanted but never asked for."

Riku hummed in response and seemed to think it over. "I'm not sure. No one's ever asked me that before." He said, sounding surprised. "I guess what I want most is for Sora to be ok, and to be able to conquer this darkness inside me."

Mickey looked up at Riku, who still seemed to be thinking it over as they walked through the gates into the courtyard. He understood a little bit of Melody's dilemma now.

Melody wanted to get something meaningful for Riku. And yet, Riku was surprisingly simplistic. The things he wanted, or even needed weren't things that could be boxed up and presented as a gift. He wanted to conquer his demons, and he wanted to be with his friends, and he wanted to continue seeing new things and places.

The small king couldn't help his next thought. 'Melody really has her work cut out for her.'

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I've tried thinking of what someone like Riku would want as a present, and let me tell you, it is hard! Anyway, hope you all liked it, and stay tuned for part two!

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Happy Holidays and Thank you all!