A/N: A little late to the party but I had to upload one last story for 2013, considering we'll never get another year of 13 in our lifetime. :)

Writer: Terra ForceXIII

~*~ A Fair Christmas ~*~

"She wanted to see him smile, to express the same cheerfulness like his younger brother. That was all she wanted for Christmas."

Zack and Aerith Fair had two baby twins, with polar personalities that defined them since birth. The youngest brother by twenty seconds carried his mother's chocolate brown hair and his father's blue eyes, smiling and giggling like the cheerful parents that made him. While the oldest brother was the exact opposite, with dark raven hair like his father and abnormally golden eyes with no plausible exclamation behind them, who always frowned with a pout and did as he pleased in the most mischievous of ways.

Vanitas was considered the sour apple of the family by others, no matter how his parents tried to defend him with their good nature. He was the green apple among the red ones, making his early childhood more difficult than his sweet younger brother.

"What do you want for Christmas, Vany" Sora asked in his innocent tone.

The twin brothers were in the middle of breakfast when the youngest decided to bring up the usual question during this particular month, receiving a rather unpleasant look from his raven haired older sibling.

"Toys, games, and candy, what do you think?" He answered aggressively.

Sora was used to his brother's negative behavior and continued to smile brightly. "Did you put those things on your list for Santa?" He asked.

Vanitas gave him another look and responded confidently. "Why do I want to ask some fatty for my presents?"

"Because Santa only delivers presents for good boys and girls," their mother answered behind them, surprising the boys as they turned to look at the tall brunette woman.

Aerith wore her pink morning attire and kept her hands on her hips, listening to her children's innocent discussion as she decided to enlighten her particular oldest son. She wanted him to behave this Christmas, so she wanted to make sure he got the message correctly.

"Santa Claus is always watching for good little boys and girls," she continued, receiving an intrigued gaze from Vanitas. "He knows when you've been bad or good and he'll decide to add you to his list on Christmas Eve."

Vanitas carried a look of panic, with widened eyes and an expression that feared for his presents. This was the first time he heard about this Saint Nicholas and his aggressive policies, thinking back the past few days to remember what he's done that'll lean him to one side or the other.

He remembered picking on his little brother at home, stealing cookies at night when his parents were asleep, and the countless times he got detention at school these past couple of months. Vanitas was in the danger zone and he only had two weeks to straighten his act before Santa Claus checks his list, so he quickly thought up a plan to make sure the bearded gift-giver notices his good deeds.

"Have you been a good boy, Vany?" Aerith asked in a mischievous tone.

"Uh- uh... Of course!" He spoke half heartedly.

The two boys continued to eat their breakfast while their mother decided to leave them to their thoughts, smiling playfully as she left the kitchen with a giggle.

The twins quickly gathered their many thick attires to beat the cold and headed to school, while Zack guided them from behind as he quietly listened to their innocent discussions. He was recently on military leave and wanted to spend more time with his wife and kids, so he gladly accepted the job to walk his kids to and from school, even when their neighborhood was covered in snow.

Zack quickly caught on when his youngest son tripped and fell, but was stunned to see Vanitas be the one to help him up.

"Come on, get up," the raven haired boy ordered.

After Sora recovered and brushed the snow off his clothes, he waddled back into pace with his older brother. "Thank you, Vany."

Zack smirked from witnessing this rare event, keeping to himself as he continued to take casual steps behind his twin boys.

Eventually they made it to the school front doors and Zack gave them a goodbye hug, watching his children enter the doors before turning back to make the trip back home. Meanwhile, the Fair twins made their way to class and met their friends along the way, including another pair of twins with blonde spiky hair.

"Hi, guys!" Sora greeted happily.

The Strife twins carried spiky blonde hair and opposite colored clothes, with the oldest brother, Ventus, wearing white attire while his younger brother, Roxas, wore black with checkered patterns. The oldest blonde carried bright blue eyes while the youngest carried blood red, being the only indicator besides their clothes.

"Have you made your Christmas list yet?" Ventus asked cheerfully, receiving opposite reactions from the Fair twins.

"Yeah, what of it?" Vanitas answered sternly.

"We made ours and we can't wait for Christmas!" Roxas spoke fondly, jumping on his heels in excitement.

The two minute bell rang and the pairs of twins quickly ran into their class and into their seats, along with the other coloring students in class. Vanitas already knew that a pair of big blue eyes were staring at him from behind, quickly glancing over his shoulder as he spot the annoying raven haired girl staring back at him. Xion then blushed and covered her face in embarrassment, receiving a tired eye roll from the stubborn boy.

"Okay boys and girls," their female teacher announced. "It's December so that means its Christmas time!"

All the kids cheered with exception of Vanitas, who could only think about the safety of his presents. Meanwhile, Sora was being the energetic and cheerful boy he was and smiled brightly as their teacher prepared to explain the activity they were going to do.

"Okay kids," she continued, clapping her hands together as she paced back and forth. "We're going to make some gifts to give to your parents for Christmas."

"Why would I wanna give things to my mommy and daddy?" Vanitas grumbled to himself.

Everyone seemed more optimistic and smiled happily as they prepared to make their gifts with colored paper, glitter, crayons, and safety scissors. Vanitas was dumbfounded and struggled to think of something to make, while Sora moved his equipment and sat beside his quiet brother.

"I'm gonna make mommy and daddy a picture of all of us!" He spoke fondly, receiving a raised eyebrow from his older sibling.

The raven haired boy was about to retort until a thought quickly occupied his attention, thinking back to his troubled status on Santa's list. If he makes something for his parents, then he'll definitely be on the good list and get his presents, right? Vanitas smirked mischievously and plotted his good act, thinking with all his energy to come up with the most spectacular gift for his parents.

"What are you gonna make, Vany?" Sora asked.

"I'm going to make the best Christmas gift ever, and then I'll be on Santa's good list for sure," Vanitas answered with a dark smirk.

His innocent younger brother was more than curious and watched with big blue eyes as Vanitas got to crafting, taking the time to draw only when his older brother halted to think.

The children weren't near completion by time the first bell rang and the class quickly lined in front of the door to head towards the gym, putting their works of progress under their desks as they waited patiently for their teacher to lead them.

"We're playing dodge ball today!" Roxas cheered, getting some of the other students excited.

"Don't get hit in the face again, dummy," Vanitas warned his little brother.

"Okay," Sora answered calmly, holding onto his head in preparation.

Vanitas remembered how his little brother cried when he got a soft ball to the face, and concluded that he should protect him to boost his credibility with Saint Nick. When the teacher was ready and she guided the line of children through the halls, the raven haired boy planned his course of action before the battle of dodge ball.

"Stay close to me," he ordered.

"Okay," Sora responded with a cheerful smile.

After the children were separated into two teams on opposite sides of the gym, their teacher took it upon herself to clarify the rules and safety. She talked about not throwing the balls to hard, to not aim for children's heads, and to only focus on having fun. Vanitas on the other hand didn't pay attention and only kept his eyes on the colored balls in the center of the room, while Sora grabbed at his brother's sleeve to make sure he stays close like he wanted.

When their teacher whistled the signal and the children spread out on the gym in giggles and squeals, Vanitas quickly grabbed a ball and started picking off the enemy students one by one. Sora stayed behind him, marveling at his older brother's skill and coolness.

Vanitas managed to shield his younger sibling from multiple shots and exhausted himself completely, ending their gym period with heavy breaths and sweat drops rolling down his forehead. Meanwhile, Sora hummed his own Christmas tone as he followed his brother and the rest of the students back to class.

The rest of the day went by in minutes and the Fair twins waited after school for their father to take them home, with the oldest brother tired to the bone while his younger sibling remained to be happy and carefree. When their father finally arrived, they began their short walk home through the thick white snow of the neighborhood.

"Did you two have fun today?" Zack asked.

"Yeah, we got to make arts and crafts, and play dodge ball!" Sora answered happily.

Zack quickly picked up the fact that his oldest son didn't give his own opinion, and raised a particular questionable eyebrow. "And what about you, Vany?"

The raven haired boy kept his eyes forward and exerted his stubbornness passive aggressively. "Fine, I just want to go home and sleep," he muttered.

Zack dismissed his troubled son's tone and continued their walk down the neighborhood street, and the three released a heavy sigh of relief as they entered their warm home. Discarding their snow covered jackets and clothes, the twins ran into the living room while their father went straight to the kitchen to see his wife cooking dinner.

"And how were our little boys?" Aerith asked softly.

After giving his wife a quick kiss on the cheek, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. "Well, Sora had a good time as usual, and Vanitas didn't say anything... as usual," he sighed.

Aerith's calm expression shifted into a worried frown and she stopped what she was doing, turning around to face her husband and display her sorrowful look. "I'm going to see if I can talk to him then," she said.

"Good luck," Zack chuckled, receiving a stern look from his wife.

When Aerith entered the living room, she spotted Sora playing with his toys on the carpet, who was busy making noises and being the innocent and joyful boy his mother loved. It took her another second to notice Vanitas on the couch, who was snuggled in a blanket and fast asleep.

"Hi, mommy!" Sora squeaked.

"Hey sweetie, did you have fun today at school?" She spoke happily as she sat at the edge of the couch Vanitas was sleeping on.

"Yeah!"

Aerith took the moment to reach over and brush her oldest son's black locks from his face, hearing a soft growl from the boy as he snuggled closer into a ball with his blanket.

"Was Vany good today too?" She asked.

"Yeah, he protected me in dodge ball," Sora explained with excitement. "I love my big brother!"

The brunette mother giggled and gave her sleeping son a kiss on the forehead, leaving Sora to play with his toys as she returned to making dinner. Meanwhile, Vanitas peeled his eyes open once his mother left, hiding the fact that he was awake and aware when she and his brother talked about his day.

This was day one out of two weeks of putting effort into being good, and Vanitas didn't like it one bit. He felt exhausted and weird, making his stomach twist whenever his annoying little brother thanked him for his deeds. But the satisfying thought of his presents urged him to bear with the trouble, and he'll do anything to make sure he got what he wanted.

A few days later, Vanitas and his family headed to the mall to do some Christmas shopping for their friends and relatives. Meanwhile, Zack may be on leave from the military but he still was receiving some daily training by carrying both of his children in each arm.

Sora was being his usual carefree and sincere self while being carried by his father, while Vanitas had to be reminded to behave for the sake of his Christmas presents. The brunette boy started squealing when he spotted a red coat wearing man surrounded by mall shoppers, immediately recognizing the white beard and plump stature.

"Santa!" Sora announced, reaching out in the hopes to see the magical gift-giver.

Vanitas couldn't believe his eyes and panicked to discover that his parents were leading them towards the bearded man, making him feel self conscious to reveal himself to the one man who knew his current status on the good and bad list.

"Do you guys want to see Santa?" Zack asked, receiving opposite head motions from the twins.

"No, I don't wanna!" Vanitas spat reluctantly.

Aerith caught on to her oldest son's behavior and scooped him from his father's arm, setting him down to have some one on one talk. She bent down and looked into her son's eyes, receiving a stubborn pout from the raven haired boy.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked softly.

Vanitas didn't want to admit that he was nervous to see Saint Nick today, fearing that the bearded man would reveal that he was on the naughty list to everyone at the mall. He was only trying to be good for a few days now, which obviously didn't cover a year of him being spoiled and ungrateful.

His mother gave him a comforting smile and a quick kiss on the forehead, scooping him up into her arms as the family of four headed to Santa's chair. Vanitas avoided eye contact to Santa while they all waited patiently in line, hoping to postpone his inevitable lecture in front of twenty people.

Sora was overly excited when he finally sat on Santa's lap, earning some chuckles from the audience as the cheerful boy explained all that he wanted for Christmas. He waved and giggled as his father carried him off Santa's lap, while the bearded gift-giver simply chuckled in response and gave the child a wave back.

It was too late to turn back when Vanitas was placed on the bearded man's lap, looking up reluctantly as he met the man's gentle blue eyes.

"And what do you want for Christmas, little boy?" Santa asked in a soft deep voice.

Vanitas didn't understand this red suited man's game, expecting him to recognize and give him a lecture about his negative status on his list, but Santa only gave him a comforting smile and an honest question about what he wanted. The raven haired boy shuffled in the man's lap, blushing fiercely as he struggled to talk.

"Don't be scared," Santa spoke softly. "You can talk to me."

"Am I on the naughty list?" Vanitas questioned abruptly.

The bearded gift-giver raised a surprised eyebrow and his jolly demeanor shifted into a concerning mood. "Have you been a good boy this December?" He asked in his booming voice.

Now Vanitas was completely nerve wrecked and his face heated red, descending his head down to avoid showing his trembling face. Meanwhile, Santa gave a look to the boy's parents who responded with a silent apology. After giving an awkward cough and adjusting himself on his chair, Santa gave the troubled boy a pat on the head with his white gloved palm.

"Son, I believe that you are a good boy at heart," he spoke boldly, getting the raven haired child's attention. "And if you be good for Christmas, I promise that you'll get your presents."

Vanitas gave the man a surprised look of hope and wonder, accepting the gift-giver's agreement with an excited nod. Santa scooped the boy up and handed him to his parents, waving the child goodbye as he gave himself a satisfied chuckle.

It was the twenty fourth of December, Christmas Eve was here and Vanitas was practically at the finish line with a gold medal of goodness. There was no way he could be on the naughty list now, and he expressed his smug and confident attitude all morning during breakfast.

He and his little brother decided to spend some time outside in the snow before they all head to their Christmas Eve party with family and friends. Vanitas was in a good mood so he played with his brother kindly, fantasizing his presents as he gave not a care in the world.

But then he forgot about the present he made at school for his mother, halting play time as he ordered his sibling to fetch it for him.

"Sora, go get mommy's present from under my bed," he spoke sternly.

"Okay!" The little brunette boy answered happily.

Sora waddled his way back into the house while Vanitas waited patiently in their snow covered front yard, smiling to himself as he stared up at the grey sky while snowflakes fell. When he heard the door open again, he turned to see his gullible brother run out with his Christmas gift.

Vanitas made a necklace for his mother for the holidays, and he planned on giving it to her tonight before Christmas day so that he won't have to worry about remembering during his gift opening.

But before the twin brothers could reunite, Vanitas was suddenly pushed from behind and fell face first into the cold snow. Sora was then halted with a fresh snowball to his face, falling to bottom as he started to cry from the cold sting on his cheeks. Vanitas watched as his handmade necklace fell to the white snow, exposed and vulnerable to the world.

"Merry Christmas, losers," a familar voice mocked.

Seifer was a student at their school and was a year older, becoming the school bully immediately as he often picked on the innocent children beneath him. He had dirty blonde hair, wore a black beanie, and a warm white jacket to combat the cold. He stood among his other followers, who laughed and mocked along with him as he stood before the Fair twins.

Vanitas was still stung from the violent push to the ground, watching in fear as Seifer went over to his little brother and stood dangerously close to his mother's necklace on the snow covered ground.

"Ah, is the little baby crying?" Seifer teased at the Sora, who was still sniffling and rubbing his eyes. "Not having such a great Christmas, are you twerp?"

The blonde bully did the unthinkable and stomped the necklace into the cold snow, hearing the cracking and snapping as the trinket was left in ruin. Vanitas was left horrified while Sora gasped and began to cry again, while Seifer and his gang laughed maliciously at their cruel deed.

The raven haired boy had worked on that necklace all month during his free time at school, and he was only hours away from giving his gift to his loving mother, but now he was left with nothing to give or show of his good nature.

Vanitas growled and clenched his gloved hands into the snow, building up a snowball with lightning speed as he tossed it at Seifer, where it landed on the blonde boy's chest as he gave a weak 'ouch' from the impact. Before he could give off a mocking retort, the bully found himself tackled to the ground as Vanitas started swinging his tiny fists to pummel him relentlessly.

Seifer never faced someone who fought back before and was left defenseless on the ground, half crying as the other boys in his gang kept their scared distance. Meanwhile, Sora recovered from the ground and crawled over to his wrathful brother with concern in his teary eyes.

"Big brother... stop," he asked, reaching out with a timid hand.

Vanitas ignored his brother's plea and pushed him aside so he could continue pummeling Seifer on the ground, growling and barking as he flung his arms without any need of coordination. Seifer, meanwhile, tried covering his face for protection and squirmed helplessly on the snow.

The wrathful boy didn't even notice the passage of time as Sora had already went inside the house and brought their concerned mother, who was shocked to see her oldest son fighting recklessly.

Aerith quickly went over to his side and tried to force him to face her, placing her hands on his shoulders as she eventually redirected his attention.

"Vanitas!" She shouted, stopping her son's rage in an instant.

The raven haired boy was speechless at first, staring blankly at his mother while still having his clenched fists frozen in the air. But then he realized the sorrowful thought that he did something bad, really bad, enough to ruin all his efforts to be on the nice list.

Vanitas sniffled for a moment before finally crying innocently, rubbing his arms over his face to hide his weakness as he continued to whimper. Aerith scooped her oldest son into her arms, rubbing his back and whispering words of comfort as Sora held onto her jacket near her feet.

After much debate and discussion between Aerith and Seifer's mother, they finally ended their sincere apologies and returned back to their homes. Aerith carried Vanitas to his room and brushed the tears away from his face, tucking him into his bed as she asked him to rest before his father returns from work.

"Is Vany okay?" Sora asked when his mother left their bedroom.

Aerith picked up her youngest son and carried him downstairs. "Yes, your brother just needs some rest," she spoke softly.

"Is daddy gonna yell at Vany?" Sora added.

"No," Aerith giggled, walking into the kitchen as she placed her son at the table. "Now, are you going to help me make cookies?"

The little brunette's face quickly brightened as he jumped in his seat, while his mother kept her worries about Vanitas in her mind. Meanwhile, Vanitas sniffled and bundled up in his sheets, thinking back on all his hard efforts to be good only to ruin it all in a single moment. Now Santa will never put him on the nice list, he could already see the emptiness under the tree tomorrow morning on Christmas Day.

Sora will be smiling, laughing, and enjoying his presents while his older brother held nothing but disappointment.

When Aerith visited him later that evening, she was surprised to see him still asleep, bundled into a small ball while his cheeks were still red from his upset behavior earlier. She gently gave her son a kiss on the forehead and tucked him in further in his bed sheets, wishing him sweet dreams as she left his room.

On the cold morning of Christmas Day, Sora of course was the first one to wake up and shake his older brother from his deep slumber. Vanitas grumbled and tried to ignore his giggling sibling, only to finally get up when Sora jumped on his bed.

But what was the point, it wasn't like Vanitas was going to see anything for him under the tree this year. He trailed behind as his younger brother waddled into their parent's room to wake them up, staying by the door as he heard his brother squeak and giggle on their parent's bed.

After Zack and Aerith got out of bed with soft yawns and groans, they followed their sons downstairs and into the living room. Sora, yet again, squealed and ran to the Christmas tree, digging into the many presents and picking one out.

"Vany, look," he shouted, showing him a box present. "This is for you!"

The raven haired quickly shifted his sore expression into one of astonishment, gasping as he held his present in his small hands. Meanwhile, Zack and Aerith smiled on the couch as they watched their twin boys open their presents.

Vanitas couldn't understand it nor did he care, he shredded the wrappings and opened his presents, smiling brightly as he got everything he wanted this holiday. His good deeds paid off, his wish list was granted, and he was smiling and enjoying Christmas along with his younger brother.

Aerith smiled warmly at Vanitas, watching as her once troubled child was now fully happy.

I hope you all had a great holiday with family and friends! HAPPY 2014! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy, original story and characters belong to their original owners...