I thought I'd write a Christmas oneshot to celebrate this magical time of year. Just a few things: This story is sort of based on my Brotherhood of the Dark story, but anything that you see here, won't neccesarily happen in it. There are also a few minor spoilers for it, and future chapters in here.
I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Especially the friends I've made over the past year or so on this site. They know who they are, but I'll say their names anyway just to embarress them! Confederateof Z, Raxsah, Shire Folk, Shinku Ryuuga, Spirit Okami, and Wwecat, thank you all, and Merry Christmas!
Once again, I own absolutely nothing, or I'd be a multi-millionare, and we'd already have a Kingdom Hearts 3.
Kingdom Hearts
---Christmas at the Garden---
A layer of fluffy white snow covered Radiant Garden. The small dwellings in the village were blanketed in the white substance from top to bottom. Icicles hung from the ceilings, and the warm glows from fireplaces could be seen through the windows.
Only a few hundred people had moved to Radiant Garden ever since Maleficent had been banished from the world nearly one and a half years previous. Nearly half the population was making the most of the weather. Children of all ages were engaged in sledding, snowball fights, and other typical winter activities that most children could typically take advantage of.
Others were slogging up and down the cobblestone streets, visiting neighbors or getting their shopping done at the last minute, bundles under their arms or over their shoulders.
All in all, Sora decided, it looked like a picture straight off of a Christmas card.
He walked alone through the streets, weaving casually around the various people. His hood was up, and he had put on a thick, long-sleeved shirt on under his usual black jacket. He also wore long, black jeans rather than the more practical traveling pants he had worn throughout his travels.
It was Christmas Eve on Radiant Garden (and most other worlds), and King Mickey had permitted them to take a break from the Brotherhood. Ironically, it seemed that even the Brotherhood of the Dark was taking a few days of for Christmas.
And, just like every other year that Sora could remember, he was getting his Christmas shopping done at the absolute last second.
He had slipped away from the castle about fifteen minutes ago, and was currently looking for a certain store that Aerith had recommended him to. It had been tough getting away from his friends without anyone noticing, but he had managed it.
"Yo, Sora."
Or so he had thought.
He turned around, and saw the messy-haired Nehrut grinning at him. His hood was also up like it had been when he had first met him, but it kept blowing off in the chilly wind. The telepath walked up to him.
"Last minute shopping?"
"Uh-huh."
"Me too. Looking for something special for Kairi, I take it?"
Sora's face lit up simply at the mention of his girlfriend of nearly six months. Yes, he needed to get something special for her. Something that told her how special she was to him, and how lucky he was to have her.
"You're face says it all, man." Nehrut said, grinning.
"And what about you and Bariss?" Sora asked, returning the grin.
A hint of red came to Nehrut's face that had nothing to do with the cold. "What do you mean?"
"Get a grip, man." Sora said, shaking his shoulder. "Everyone sees what's going on between you two... except you two!"
This was greeted by silence from the telepath. He had a contemplative expression on his face.
But finally, "Maybe you're right."
"Get something special for her, and see." Sora suggested. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."
He left Nehrut, and continued down the street, then turned the corner toward the store Aerith had referred him to. It was a small store, with all manner of jewelry on display in the windows. Sora looked up at the sign over the front door. It read 'Fruit of the Garden' in bright letters.
The Keybearer smiled. This was the perfect place.
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Riku sat at the bailey, one leg dangling over the edge, and the other propped up next to him. He looked idly down at a group of little kids playing a game of tag in the snow far below him. It seemed to be tough going for them, since it was so thick.
But it certainly wasn't stopping them from having a good time, he noticed with a smile.
He turned his gaze up to the cloudy sky. They'd probably get still more of the white stuff tonight, giving them a new layer of it for Christmas tomorrow.
A pair of small hands closed over his eyes, and a voice whispered in his ear, "Guess who?"
There was only one person who could ever get away with the 'guess who' game with him, but he decided to joke anyway.
"Tifa, please not now! Yuffie might see you flirting with me again."
The hands came away from his eyes, and one slapped him jokingly on the back of the head.
"Oh, Yuffie!" He exclaimed with mock shock in his voice, getting to his feet, and backing away from her down one side of the bailey as if afraid. "I-I didn't know it was you!"
Yuffie merely put her hands on her hips and shook her head. "I'll show you, Tifa."
She lunged at him playfully, and planted her lips on his in a fierce kiss. Her sudden weight was unexpected, and he fell backwards, into the wall. He slid down it with her lips still locked with his.
She parted from him with a smirk at his slightly dazed expression. "Does Tifa kiss like that?"
"Definitely not." He said, grinning. She giggled, and leaned in again for a gentler kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer.
"Oh brother..."
They both removed themselves from each other, and looked toward Axel, who was leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed. "There are more practical ways to keep the cold away, you know."
"You're just jealous." Yuffie said, linking her arm with Riku's.
"Yes, that must be it." Axel rolled his eyes. "Anyway, dinner's at eight. See ya later." He walked off in the direction, rubbing his hands together. Riku noticed that there was a thin layer of steam rising from them.
"He really is jealous, you know." Riku said. "I heard him and Nehrut talking about them being 'poor and lonely' once."
The ninja let out a little snort of laughter. "Nehrut's one to talk. He's got Bariss, if he'd just fess up that he likes her, already."
But then, unexpectedly, the grabbed both of his shoulders, and pinned him against the wall. "Enough about our stupid friends' love lives... What'd you get me for Christmas?"
Riku grinned, he had expected this. "I'm not telling you, yet."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me."
"No."
She pulled one of her kunai from her belt in a fraction of a second, and held it to the tip of his nose. "Tell me, or I'll cut off a very important part of your anatomy."
Riku's face paled visibly. "You wouldn't do that..."
"Try me." She replied with a mischievous grin.
A huge orange mass appeared in between them, pushing Yuffie away, and lifting her off the ground. It took her a moment to realize that it was Riku's Guardian, and it was holding her (gently) above the ground.
Riku ran off back toward the castle, laughing.
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Nehrut walked along the streets after parting company with Sora. He paid little attention to anything around him, causing him to bump into several passers-by. But he still didn't pay them any mind.
What do I get her?
Sora's words had really struck home with him. He finally understood now that he did, in fact, have feelings for the blonde girl that had –ironically- tried to kill him upon their first meeting.
But, the question remained: How did she feel about him?
He'd worry about that later, he decided. Now, he'd focus on getting her gift. One step at a time, his father had always told him.
Do I get her something practical?
Yeah, real romantic, genius. 'Merry Christmas, here's a dagger! By the way, I love you!'
So, there went option one.
Jewelry, then?
Since when has she cared about jewelry at all?
Am I having a mental argument with myself?
As he was having the aforementioned argument with himself, he crashed into a light post, and fell flat on his back.
As it turned out, this was a blessing in disguise, because now, he had an idea. He leapt to his feet, and took flight back toward the castle (surprising a few of the people who had seen him take off.
He shot over the bailey, and happened to notice Riku running as fast as possible away from Yuffie, who appeared to be throwing snowballs at him as she chased him. Getting a quick spark of inspiration, he shot down toward the ground, aiming for the space directly in front of Riku.
It startled the Keybearer so much that fell flat on his face. And Yuffie covered the distance between them in seconds.
"He's all yours, whatever he's done!" Nehrut called back to them, continuing toward the castle.
In a few minutes, he was at the castle postern that lead to the castle sublevels. A group of Tron 2.0s were milling about the area, but this area had been entirely restored already, so their job here was merely custodial. He passed by them, and took off at a run through the door leading to the castle's corridors.
He rushed through them (losing track of where he was thrice, and tripping over the exact same Tron 2.0 twice) and found the room he was looking for after a few moments.
It had formerly been the study of Ansem the Wise, but now served as the newly elected President Squall Leonhart's office.
The overall layout of the room was almost the exact same. Ansem's old desk still sat at the end of the round room, and the bookshelves lining the room were the same, though they were filled with a number of newer volumes than Ansem had possessed. However, the diagrams of the heart, body, and soul had been removed, as had the containers that had contained his 'research hearts', Ansem's throne, and Xehanort's portrait.
Behind the desk was a portrait of Ansem himself. Also on the wall was a map depicting the village, and a framed document that had declared Radiant Garden a democracy. On the desk were photographs of the entire Radiant Garden Restoration Committee (plus Sora, Donald, and Goofy), and one of Rinoa.
Leon was sitting behind the desk in a high-backed wooden chair, looking over a document in his hands. He looked up when Nehrut entered.
"Don't you ever take a day off, 'Mr. President?'" He asked casually.
"I'll take the day off tomorrow."
"Rinoa forcing you to, huh?" He asked with a grin, walking toward the empty wall on the other end of the room. It opened up as he approached it, revealing hallway with metal walls.
"Watch your mouth, or I'll have you arrested." Leon replied half-jokingly.
"Diplomatic Immunity." He chuckled.
Nehrut walked into the computer room, and found Cid sitting in front of the large primary computer as per usual.
"Think you could take a quick break, Cid? I need to borrow the computer for a minute."
Cid looked over at him as if he thought he was crazy. "This is the Radiant Garden mainframe! I'm in the middle 'a important business here, ya little runt!"
He looked over Cid's shoulder at the computer screen. "You're playing Solitaire."
Grumbling, Cid got up, cracked his back a few times, and walked out of the room. "Just be careful with 'er, kid. I don' wanna have to deal with another MCP incident."
"Relax. That'll never happen with Tron hanging around."
"Somebody call?" Came a voice from the computer console as Cid left the room. Tron appeared on the screen over a background of binary code.
"Hey, Tron. I need to ask you a favor."
"I'm here to please, User Nehrut." He said with a smile. "How can I help?"
"I need you to run a search, and get me all the data you can on a woman named 'Kanshi', particularly photos."
"Now there's a name I know." Tron said almost immediately. The screen was suddenly filled by a large picture of a smiling woman with long blonde hair, wearing green and gold robes. Hanging from her belt was a very familiar sai.
Nehrut smiled. She was the spitting image of her.
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"A little higher, Kairi!" Jiminy Cricket called from the tabletop, cupping his hands around his mouth in attempt to increase the volume of his voice.
The great hall of the Radiant Garden castle was decorated from floor to ceiling with Christmas decorations. At the very end was a Christmas tree that stood nearly fifty feet high. It was covered top to bottom with ornaments, lights, tinsel, and all the trimmings. And of course, it was topped with a golden, five-pronged star.
Kairi was hovering in the air with her Light. She was adjusting a strand of lights high up on the tree which had fallen loose.
"Is this good?"
"Perfect!" He shouted, giving her a thumbs up.
Kairi flew back down, and landed in front of the long oak table in the room. She looked up at the tree with a nostalgic glimmer in her eye, smiling.
"It looks great!" King Mickey had finally made an appearance, walking in through the huge doors toward the base of the tree. He had a large bag in his hand.
"What's in the bag, Your Majesty?"
Mickey laughed. "You'll find out tomorrow." He replied, setting the bag under the tree alongside a few other packages that would also be opened in the morning.
"Royal presents! I can't wait!" She grinned, and settled down onto one of the wooden chairs lining the table.
"You sure love the holidays, don't you Kairi?" Jiminy observed, sitting down on the table, and removing his top hat.
"Well, who doesn't?"
"She's got a point there, Jiminy." Mickey said, sitting across from Kairi. "Did you see Bariss earlier? She was more excited than I've ever seen her."
"Yeah. She loves being back home."
"You know, I just saw Nehrut running through the castle's lower corridors." Mickey said. "Wonder what he's got in mind...?"
"Why would you wonder that, Your Majesty?" Jiminy asked curiously.
"Because it's Christmas Eve, and he told me he was going shopping."
"Something special in mind, probably." Kairi said, grinning. He wasn't the only one. She had seen Sora trying to sneak quietly into town. As usual, he was getting his shopping done late.
She reached into her inside pocket, and squeezed the small object sitting there.
She really hoped he liked her gift.
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Namine sat down on her silver platform, hands resting on her knees.
She was the only one who knew what Kairi had gotten Sora. But, if Kairi had been able to have it her way, she wouldn't. It was a secret that should have stayed hers until the time was right, but who was Namine going to tell?
A pair of arms wrapped around her waist, surprising her. She started.
"A little jumpy today, Namine?"
She giggled, and placed her hands over the ones resting over her stomach. "Don't you ever knock, Roxas?"
"Knock on what, exactly?" Roxas mumbled distractedly, nuzzling his face into her neck. Namine grinned, and tried to hold back her giggling. She was ticklish there, and he knew it.
"Knock on anything, just let me know you're coming."
So, he removed one hand from her waist, and lightly tapped on the back of her head. She laughed.
"Merry Christmas." Roxas whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek.
"It's not Christmas for another few hours."
"Well, I can't exactly go out and buy you something..." He said, sounding slightly embarrassed for some reason she couldn't understand. "So, my gift to you is: me. I'll do whatever you want for the rest of today and tomorrow."
"You realize how many ways I could misinterpret that, don't you?" She asked, blushing.
"Yes, I do. But whatever you want me to do, I'll do it. This Christmas, I'm all yours."
Namine felt a tiny little tear of happiness and gratitude leak from her eye. She twisted around, and finally looked Roxas in his blue eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and positioned herself on his lap.
She pulled him as close to her as she possibly could, pressing her cheek to his. "That's all that I want."
Then Namine closed the tiny, almost nonexistent gap between them, and kissed him softly.
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Sora entered 'Fruit of the Garden', shutting the door quickly behind him to keep the cold out. It was surprisingly warm inside, and he risked pulling his hood down, exposing his spiky hair for all to see.
"May I help you, Master Sora?" A young, dark-haired woman of about his age immediately walked up to him. He couldn't help but notice that she had completely ignored two other people who had been trying to get her attention. Looking irritated, an older woman walked up to the couple she had ignored, and apologized.
"Um, yes please." He answered the girl. "I'm looking for something special for my girlfriend." He placed just enough emphasis on the word 'girlfriend' to get his point across if she needed it.
But the girl's expression didn't change at all. So either she didn't care, or he had had her pegged wrong as a fangirl.
Since arriving back on Radiant Garden, Sora, Riku, and a few others had discovered that they had quite a few fans that they had never known of. Word had spread fast across the town that the heroes had returned, and crazed fangirls had been prominent among them.
One of them (who had looked slightly like the girl standing in front of him now) had literally thrown herself at him, and demanded that he kiss her.
Unfortunately for said girl, Kairi had been next to him at the time, and things had turned ugly very quickly. The fangirl had lost a few handfuls of hair, and the rest backed off immediately.
He couldn't help but smile at the memory.
"Well, let me show you what we've got available here." The girl said, leading Sora over to a display case at the far end of the room.
His eyes fell immediately upon it: A necklace.
It was a bright silver chain, with a pendant at the end. The individual links were all shaped like tiny hearts, interlocked together. The pendant itself was the silver outline of a large heart. Inside this outline was a second heart outline, made of bright purple amethyst. And finally, inside this outline was a heart made of a pinkish gem.
The light in the room twinkled off of it, making it shine beautifully.
The girl noticed Sora staring at it. "I suppose you've found something you like?"
Sora pointed at the necklace. "How much is this?"
"It's five-thousand munny."
"Deal." He said immediately.
The girl pulled out a small skeleton key, and unlocked the glass display case. Very carefully, she took the necklace in her two hands, and walked over to the check-out counter, gesturing for him to follow her.
"Would you like a case for this, Master Sora?" She asked him, holding the necklace out for him to look at again.
"Sure. But um... Just 'Sora' please."
She giggled to herself (what a surprise!) and reached under the counter. She came back up holding a flat case with a soft, violet lining.
"The case is another fifty munny." She said.
"Well, she's more than worth it." He replied. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, and pulled out several yellow and blue munny orbs of various sizes. He kept shelling out the munny, until five-thousand and fifty munny was sitting on the counter. And he still had plenty left in his pocket.
The girl gaped at it for a moment, before finally scooping it all into her arms, and dropping it below the counter into a large cash box at her feet. If Sora could read minds, he would have heard this:
Handsome, famous, brave, and rich!? Darn it! Why couldn't I have gotten to him first?
She placed his newly purchased necklace carefully into the case. And handed it to him with shaking hands. "Merry Christmas, Sora."
"Merry Christmas." He said back, smiling a little, and putting his hood back on. He tucked the case containing the necklace into his jacket pocket, and ventured back out into the snow.
As soon as he got out of the store, he ran as fast as he could down the street. He still had more shopping to get done, but at least the most difficult part had been finished. He placed a hand over the case.
I hope she likes it. Or Roxas will never let me hear the end of it.
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Christmas Eve night came, but nobody felt like sleeping. The huge tree had several wrapped gifts under it, and the entire Restoration Committee, plus the party of off-worlders were assembled in the main hall.
A large bowl of eggnog sat at the center of one of the tables, though after merely thirty minutes, it was almost empty.
Donald was half-conscious on the floor.
"Uh... Was there even any alchohol in this stuff?" Sora asked Leon, looking into his half-empty glass.
"I don't think so..."
"He's definitely a light-weight." Riku said, prodding Donald's side with his foot.
"I hope I'm not missing anything important." Came a voice from the main door to the hall. Everybody abruptly stopped what they were doing, and turned to the sound of the voice.
Everybody beamed at the sight of the short, bearded man in the red suit who was standing there. Santa Claus had a large, bulging green sack on his side, and was currently brushing handfuls of snow off of him onto the carpeted floor.
He walked into the room, and stopped by Donald's inert form. "Should I switch him to my other list?"
"We honestly don't know what happened, Mr. Claus." Kairi said.
Santa chuckled. He opened up the sack he had carried with him, and set it carefully on a chair at the table. "I have a few special things for each of you in here..." He said, snapping his fingers.
Several colorfully wrapped gifts suddenly appeared under the tree, and the sack was suddenly half-empty. This seemed for some reason to snap Donald out of his comatose state, and he rushed over to the tree, with his eyes bulging. "Oh boy, oh boy!"
"It doesn't take much for you, does it?" Axel said, smiling anyway, and walking over to the tree with most of the group.
When Sora and Kairi took one step toward them, Santa held up a hand. "Ah, wait a moment, you two. I wanted to give you your gifts personally... You three, as well."
He indicated Riku, Yuffie, and Nehrut. Looking a little surprised, those five walked over to the old toy-maker. He reached into his sack, and emerged holding a mostly flat, sturdy black box about two feet long, and topped with a rose.
"For you, young lady." He held the box out for Bariss to take. "Something that may keep your wits sharp in the heat of battle."
Bariss took it, and carefully opened it. Her eyes took in the object inside with awe. She placed the case on the table, and carefully took out a long green headband with the shape of a heart on the front.
"A special headband imbibed with great magic, to heighten the senses, and sharpen the mind." He explained. "Use it well."
"Thank you." She said, running her fingers across the smooth, silky material that almost felt like a liquid. She took it, and wrapped it carefully around her forehead, letting the ends dangle around her shoulder blades.
"And for you, my favorite telepath..." Santa said with a chuckle. "A blast from your past."
"Huh...?"
Santa pulled out something unexpected. It was a long, thick scabbard with blue and green markings on it. A black hilt was jutting from the end.
Nehrut took hold of the hilt with widening eyes, and pulled, revealing a double-bladed saber. The two parallel blades were both glowing green in the same manner that his own sword –Presul- did. As soon as he held it with both hands, the glow intensified.
"My parents..." He said, in a voice just above a whisper. He looked from the sword to Santa. "How did you-?"
"Unimportant, my young friend. Simply remember that their hearts live on in you." He placed a hand on his shoulder, handed him the scabbard, and smiled. "Merry Christmas."
Nehrut smiled faintly, and put the sword back in the scabbard, which he slung over his shoulder. Bariss put a hand on his arm, and smiled.
"Riku..." Santa said, smirking a little. "Still think I'm not real?"
Sora and Kairi smirked at the older Keybearer, who was suddenly feeling a little awkward. "Is it too late for me to bite my tongue?"
Santa laughed his usual 'ho ho ho' and reached into his sack for the third time. The package he pulled out was much smaller than the last two, about the size of a watch case.
Riku took it, and took the lid off. And inside was a keychain. It had a similar shape to his current one: the Heartless emblem without the 'X' in the middle. But the heart was red-orange, and a vertical cross was there. It was dark violet.
"Try it." Santa encouraged.
So, Riku summoned Way to Dawn in his free hand. He quickly removed the keychain hanging off of it, and stuffed it into his pocket. He clipped the new keychain onto it's hilt in it's place, and it let off a bright flash of red-orange light.
When it faded, a new Keyblade was in his hand. The circular guard that wound around the handle looked like a pair of orange angel wings. The pommel was in the shape of a four-pointed, bright red star. The long, red-orange shaft narrowed in the middle, and then widened again at the very end. The wide angel wing that made up it's 'teeth' became gold at the very end.
"Breaking Dawn." Riku said, the name coming to his lips as if he had always known it. He examined the way the soft candlelight from the table shone off of it's sunrise-colored body.
"Use it well, Wielder of Dawn." Santa said with a wink. "And I have something else for you..."
He reached into his coat pocket, and tossed a small cloth-covered package to him. He caught it in his other hand, and unwrapped it.
Sora and Kairi burst out laughing when it was revealed to be a small lump of coal. Riku scowled at the little thing resting in his palm.
"That's just a little reminder for you to never doubt what your heart is telling you." Santa said, laughing himself. "Now, Princess Kairi?"
"Please, just 'Kairi', Mr. Claus."
"As long as you simply call me 'Santa.'"
"Deal."
"Good girl." He reached into his sack and pulled out another small box, which was soon revealed to contain another keychain.
It was a small, silvery, star-shaped keychain with a blue center. She summoned Destiny's Light, and replaced the paupu keychain with her new one.
Her floral Keyblade took on a drastically different appearance. The guard was a perfect heart shape, and silver. A small line of blue ran through the middle of the heart. It's pommel was a light blue crown shape that resembled Sora's crown pendant. The silver shaft was slightly curved, and had three thicker blue lines running along it. They all met at the end of the blade, and curved away from it to form the three teeth of the blade.
"Pure of Heart." Kairi whispered, looking it up and down in wonder.
"Merry Christmas, Kairi." Santa said, right before she rushed up to him and hugged him tight.
When she let him go, she kissed him quickly on the cheek, and skipped away in a surprisingly childish manner. Sora laughed, and she turned around, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.
"And now..." Santa reached into his sack for the final time. He pulled out yet another small box. He opened it and held it out to Sora by the chain. "I'm particularly proud of this one."
The keychain looked simple enough. It looked like Sora's crown pendant, but it was gold around the edges. It seemed to be glowing.
Sora called Oblivion to his hand, and replaced the keychains. He immediately decided that the resulting Keyblade was the best he had ever held.
The octagonal guard was bright silver. It was streaked by a silver, blue, and gold flame pattern on its outer sides. On the pommel was a bright blue teardrop-shaped gem set in gold. The long shaft was gold on one side, with the silver, blue, and gold flame pattern running along the other. The teeth of the blade (similarly to his original Kingdom Key) resembled the silhouette of his crown pendant, but thinner. The inside of the teeth had three blue arrow-head shapes in them.
Its name came to Sora, and he smiled. "Chosen One."
"Fitting, don't you think?" Santa said with a grin. He picked up his empty sack, and slung it over his shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Sora."
"Staying for a bit of eggnog, Mr. Claus?" Mickey offered, sitting back at the table.
"No thank you, my friend. It's my busy night, after all." He replied, walking back to the door. "I've got Destiny Islands next. I'll send Tidus and the others your regards if I get the chance, shall I?" And he disappeared.
"Okay, it's 12:01!" Axel shouted to the room at large. He was holding a gift in his hand. "We're one minute into Christmas, so I don't care if you have a problem with it: I'm opening this thing."
"Mine too!" Donald exclaimed, already tearing away at the wrapping of another present.
So, without any further preamble, the rest of them began exchanging gifts. Nehrut walked up to Bariss (still adjusting to the added weight of the double-sword on his back) and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to face him, and he nodded toward the hallway.
Looking curious, she nodded in return, and followed him out of the room. They took two left turns, and Nehrut stopped in front of a painting of the castle in winter. He reached under the small table sitting in front of it, and came back up holding a rectangular package wrapped (rather unprofessionally) in green paper.
He held it out to Bariss, with slightly shaking hands. "I thought I should give you my present in private. Merry Christmas."
Wondering why he thought she should receive it in private, she took it from him, and carefully unwrapped it.
She saw a brown, leather-bound book with a heart shape on it's front cover. Written underneath it in slanted, gold, cursive letters was one word: 'Memories.'
She opened it, and was met with a picture of a couple in their late twenties, with a little girl standing between them. She gasped, and looked at Nehrut.
"How did you get these?" She asked in a quiet voice.
"I asked Tron to find as many pictures of them as he could." He replied. "There are more."
So, she continued turning pages, and was met by the sight of her parents on every page. Ansem the Wise, and other friends of the family were in several of the pictures with them. There were more than two-dozen pages with photos, and she finally arrived at the last page. It was blank, but inside was a note to her.
"I know you'll find what you're looking for soon. And I'll always be there to help you."
"Love, Nehrut."
Bariss smiled, and a small tear fell from her eye onto the page. She closed the book softly, and put it onto the table. She looked back to Nehrut's face, and smiled for a minute.
"'Love, Nehrut?'" She repeated.
"Well..."
He didn't need to say anything else. She closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Their eyes met for a few moments, before she closed the gap between them by kissing him.
He responded instantly, and kissed her back softly. He placed his hands gently on her hips. She let out a little gasp into his mouth, and tangled her fingers in his hair.
The kiss grew into a more heated, passionate one very quickly. She pressed him back into the wall, and then re-tangled her fingers in his hair. He put one hand on the small of her back, and one on the back of her head, pressing his lips fiercely against hers.
When they finally parted after several minutes (panting), they smiled, eyes sparkling. Bariss hugged him close to her, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"You are the sweetest guy ever... I guess that's why I love you too."
Nehrut ran a hand idly through her hair, and smiled.
Totally unaware of the two out in the hall, Riku had a surprise of his own.
He lead Yuffie by the hand in the opposite direction down the hall, ignoring her constant questions regarding where they were going.
They walked for several minutes, taking seemingly random turns down hallways. Eventually, Yuffie gave up asking him where they were going, and jumped onto his back. "Tell me where we're going!"
Riku stopped walking, and tried to adjust her on his back to where he could balance better. He grinned. "We're almost there, just relax!"
"Alright..." She sighed in mock irritation. "But you're carrying me there."
The Keybearer chuckled, and carried her piggy-back for another few minutes. Then, he finally stopped in front of a large, oak doorway, with a large cross on both doors.
As Riku set Yuffie down, she looked at it curiously. "This is the castle chapel..."
"I know that."
"But, this place hasn't even been used since before Ansem was born. When his parents were-"
She cut herself off, realizing just what was going on. She looked at Riku with widening eyes.
He was on one knee, and holding a ring. It was a simple golden band with an aquamarine jewel set in it. He looked a little nervous now.
"Yuffie Kisaragi, will you marry me?" He asked.
For once, Yuffie was at a loss for words. He had both hands clapped over her mouth, and stared at him in what could only be described as pure shock.
So, she had to think for a few moments. They were just over legal age. They only had so much munny to live on, and no jobs as of yet. They were in the middle of a crisis, and the worlds still needed them.
But then she realized that that last reason was probably what had provoked his sudden proposal. They could lose each other at any time... So why not make the most of the time that they had?
They could work out the finer points later. This was the perfect moment...
"Yes." She said, eyes brimming with tears. "Yes, I will marry you!"
Unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself at him, pressing her lips to his and knocking him to the ground. After she had kissed him nearly senseless, he was just able to slip the ring onto her finger.
Yuffie admired it for a few moments, smiling.
"So she said 'yes' after all?" Kairi had opened the doors to the chapel, and was standing in the doorway. Behind her, near the end of the room were Sora, Aerith, Leon, and the transparent figures of Roxas and Namine. King Mickey stood in front of the alter, holding the Bible.
Not knowing or caring how they were all already here, Yuffie stood up, helping Riku to his feet. Kairi handed Yuffie a bouquet (roses, appropriately) and winked. She walked up he aisle, and stood next to Aerith.
Riku took her hand, and they slowly walked down the aisle. She discovered that Goofy, of all people, was playing the organ.
They stopped in front of the king, and Sora winked encouragingly. Leon stood behind him, and smiled. In less than a minute, the rest of their party was gathered in the chapel to witness the event that had come up so suddenly.
"Dearly beloved." King Mickey began. "We are gathered here today in the sight of God, on this holy day, to wed this man and this woman, in holy matrimony."
He smiled at them. "You've both struggled long and hard to find happiness. More than anybody should ever have to in fact, especially at such a young age... So we must hope and pray that your happiness will survive and grow throughout your marriage."
"Do you Riku, take Yuffie to be your lawfully wedded wife? For better or worse, in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Riku squeezed Yuffie's hand affectionately, and she smiled.
"And do you, Yuffie, take Riku to be your lawfully wedded husband? For better or worse, in sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." She answered without hesitation, looking deep into Riku's eyes.
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you; Husband and wife." He looked at Riku, beaming. "You may kiss the bride."
Riku cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her softly. She gladly returned it, reaching her free hand up to pull him closer. Another happy tear leaked from her eye.
The room burst into applause for the newly wedded couple. They pulled apart, and smiled at each other.
They walked down the aisle, and out of the room. But not before Yuffie threw her bouquet of flowers over her shoulder, and directly into Kairi's outstretched arms. She looked slyly at Sora, who blushed.
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A few hours later (when it was fairly light out) Kairi and Sora sat on the railing of one of the castle's balconies, their legs hanging over the edge.
Kairi leaned her head against his shoulder as they watched the new snow fall from the grey sky, blanketing the town of Radiant Garden even more.
"So, is now good?" Kairi asked him.
"Yeah."
They got off the railing, and stood on the balcony itself. Sora reached into his pocket, and pulled out the gift he had bought the previous day. It was now wrapped in bright red paper, and tied with a golden ribbon.
"Merry Christmas, Princess." He said, giving it to her with a smile.
She unwrapped it carefully, revealing the case. She opened it, and gasped when she saw what was inside. She smiled, and held the necklace up, and stared at it for a long time, as if she were hoping to memorize it's every detail. This was just the reaction that Sora had been hoping for, and he grinned.
"It's beautiful..." She said. But then her smile vanished. "Sora, I didn't want you to spend so much on me!"
He quirked an eyebrow, and took his hand in hers. "Kairi, you're my girlfriend, and the love of my life. So I want to give you the best."
"But Sora..."
"Please Kairi, could we not talk about the price? I'd pay it again a thousand times over to make this a Christmas that you'll remember."
She shook her head, but she was smiling. "Every day with you is a special one, Sora." She leaned toward him, and kissed him softly for several seconds. She placed the necklace in his hand, and turned around, moving her hair to one side.
He reached around, and placed the necklace around her neck, sealing the clasp on the chain. She ran her fingers across the heart pendant for a moment, before Sora wraped his arms around her waist from behind. He placed a gentle kiss to her temple. "You like it, don't you?"
He sounded so worried that Kairi had to laugh. "I love it Sora." She reached one hand into her inside pocket, and pulled out a small, wrapped box. "Now, it's your turn."
Sora released his hold on her, and took the box. He unwrapped it, and opened up the small red lid.
He pulled out a small, heart-shaped locket on a thin gold chain. Engraved on the front was another heart shape, and inside of that heart was a simple phrase.
"Love Never Ends." He read, smiling.
"Now open it." She said, smiling as well.
He found the small seal, and opened the locket. Inside was a picture that Jiminy must have taken at some point. It showed Sora and Kairi kissing, their hands interlaced, and their bodies close together. In the opposite side was another engraving, that made Sora laugh a little.
"Prince of my Heart."
Kairi wrapped her arms around his neck. "Merry Christmas, Prince." And she kissed him. They never realized it, but their Nobodies were doing the exact same thing.
It was a Christmas that nobody at Radiant Garden would forget for the rest of their lives.
I'm a total sap, I know.
But anyways, I hope that you enjoyed it, and if you did, drop a review! Just take about thirty seconds out of your day to press that pretty green button there, and write something intelligent (apart from "something intelligent").
Merry Christmas!