A light snow drifted gently outside, dampening the sounds coming from the large auditorium building. Presently, the cast of Kingdom Hearts had gathered together for a winter celebration and a low chatter rumbled across throughout the concert hall while everyone mingled with one another between shows. Riku, Kairi and Sora all sat together in the center isles near the front, and laughed with one another over the last performance, while most of the crew from Radiant Garden lingered near the back right quietly waiting for the next show to start. Over in the middle of the left rows, Jasmine and Bell gossiped merrily, leaving their respective partners to sigh bored looks at one another. Parts of the audience were disturbed as Pinocchio, followed by an angry moogle and a worried Jiminy bounced from person's laps to heads to the floor, and off the back of a seat in a crazed sort of game. Slowly, the group from Atlantica moved to take their seats as best they could. Thirteen seats were left empty near the front.
The absence of these thirteen people was explained when Xemnas waltzed slowly, purposefully, on stage. As he did so, the auditorium quieted to a murmur and to only a few scattered whispers as people wrapped up their conversations. When Xemnas raised his hands, all went silent, and the lights once again dimmed.
"Greetings!" The leader of the Organization began, while a few dusks scurried behind him frantically placing props across the stage. "Let us have another round of applause for the wonderful choir of Atlantica and their colorful rendition of familiar Carols." There was some applause as well as groaning. Obviously satisfied with this response, Xemnas lowered his hands as he began speaking again. "This is most certainly a wonderful time of year, with all the presents and trees and songs and carols. But it is easy to forget why we celebrate December 25 with such reverie, and to that end, we with Organization XIII have decided to perform a little play. Please enjoy our rendition of 'The Nativity'."
He bowed gracefully, and stepped back to reveal the spotlight now on Larxene as she sat on a small stool, looking bored and fumbling her hands. Once attention was clearly on her, Saix stepped into the spotlight as well, a pair of ridiculous paper wings strapped to his back.
"Don't Be Afraid, Larxene!" He announced stiffly, his fists clenched at his sides.
She paused in her fumbling, and looked at him squarely, "Larxene? I'm MARY."
Saix shifted uncomfortably, "… Mary… Don't Be Afraid!" He announced again, his voice sounding more like a roar as he repeated his line.
"Okay, I'm not afraid," She said, "Why has the lord sent an angel to speak with me?"
At that, Saix paused. His brow knitted as he looked at his feet. Suddenly remembering, he looked squarely at the audience and again announced, "You Shall Have A Child! It Will Be the Son of God, And You Will Call him Jesus!"
"But how can that be?" Larxene pleaded with him, "For I am a virgin yet to be married." At that, from somewhere off stage, a fit of maniac laughter could be heard echoing out into the auditorium. Larxene gave a sharp glare to the laughter's origin as she temporarily broke character.
This seemed to unnerve and confuse Saix again, and a light sweat began to glisten on his forehead. Despite the look of nervousness on his face, he announced to the Audience again. "Don't Be Afraid! It is the Son of God! You Will Call Him Jesus!"
Returning back to character, Larxene delicately patted her fingertips to the side of her cheeks, with a worried expression crossing her face. "Oh, what shall I ever tell Joseph? How is he to believe me?"
"Uh…" Saix started, "Don't Be Afraid! Um… I Will Tell Him For You… so… um…."
Without allowing him to finish his line, Larxene left the stage, Leaving Saix alone. The blue haired organization member fidgeted, and looked as though he himself were about to bolt, when Axel was forcibly pushed into the light.
With one hand, Axel was clutching his stomach, the other making an attempt to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye as he tried his best to suppress the laugh and strangled chuckles which clearly danced across his features. Still giggling under his breath, he waltzed to where Siax stood stock still, and threw his arm around the other nobody.
"So, Angel Siax, what brings you to this part of the woods?" the red head cooed coolly, smirk still well in place.
"Er… um…." Saix stuttered, struggling to remember his lines. He repeated the ones he knew best again. "Don't Be Afraid! You Shall Have A Child! It Will Be the Son of God! You Will Call Him Jesus!"
"…. I'm going to have a child?"
"No… um, Larxene is." Sudden realization dawned on Saix's face as he looked eagerly at the Audience. "Have Faith In Your Wife! For She Is Still A Virgin!"
Axel broke down laughing out loud again. He slapped his knee and only his arm, dangled across Saix's shoulders kept him from doubling over right there.
Ignoring the Laughter, Saix continued with his lines. "She Bares the Son of God! Rejoice!"
The two turned away from each other, and walked off stage, stiffly and humored respectively. The spotlight dimmed. When it returned, it was set on Xemnas again, as he said to the audience. "It is not long before the Angel's premonition becomes true, and Mary is heavy with Child. As she nears the end of her nine months, Augusts Cesar decrees that all men must return to their hometown with their families to be counted in census. Joseph, then, must return to his home in Bethlehem with Mary, but the journey is long, and it is late when they arrive. Will they be able to find lodging?"
The Spotlight returned to where Axel pulled a rolling wooden "donkey" on which Larxene sat, a pillow clearly stuff under her robes. Axel still chuckled a little, as he pulled the donkey across stage. A soft "Larxene… virgin, heh heh…" managed to escape his lips every now and then, while the only female organization member glared daggers at him.
Finnally, Axel and Larxene arrived at three doors standing in the open air. Behind the first stood Xigbar, Demyx behind the second, and Marluxia behind the third. Stilling his laughter, and wiping the smile off his face, Axel took a moment to catch his breath, and appeared in character for the first time that night. He seriously knocked on the first door.
Xigbar opened it, expressionless as he looked at the pair through the detached frame, and said nothing.
Coughing into his hand, Axel said, "Please, my 'wife' and I have traveled far. May we please stay at your inn?"
A slight scoff answered him. "This inn is full. We have no room for you and your wife. But there are still other inns in Bethlehem, try one of them." And with that, Xigbar promptly closed his door shut, only inches from Axel's face.
Putting on a dejected look, Axel led the wooden donkey and pillow stuffed Larxene to the second door, where he knocked more sullenly.
Demyx opened the door; he had a slightly worried look on his face as he looked the two over, and nervously looked at Xigbar, who'd lit a cigarette behind his door.
"Please," Axel began, "My Wife and I have traveled far. May we please stay at your inn?"
His brow knitted, serious concern crossed Demyx's face. He looked from the red headed man, to the blonde woman, and seemed to look as though he was personally struggling with some inner difficulty. Finally, a smile crossed his face, and he stepped back, waving his arm in a big gesture, "Sure!" He announced.
"WHAT!" Marluxia screamed from behind his door.
"SURE!" Demyx said, grinning broadly. "C'mon in! We've got PLENTLY of room!"
"What, do you mean You've got plenty of room!" Marluxia screamed and stalked over to Demyx's door. "You're supposed to be FULL!"
"Well." Demyx turned the thought over in his head, "I guess we are full, but we can always make more room. I mean, she's nine months pregnant, she looks like she's about to pop any minute! I can sleep on the floor for a night, it won't kill me. And I'm sure some of the other guests won't mind sleeping a little closer – "
"THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO SLEEP IN MY STABLE!"
Axel and Larxene looked on dumbfounded while the two fought, and Xigbar slowly started to chuckle from behind his door.
"That's kind of an inconsiderate place to put a pregnant woman. Beside, I really don't mind so they can stay here!" defended Demyx.
Quickly reacting before things spiraled too far out of control, Axel pushed past the two arguing men, and walked through the doorframe. He looked around for a moment with his hands on his hips, before announcing, "This place is a DUMP! I think I'd RATHER sleep in the STABLE." He waved with his arm at Marluxia as he said, "C'mon Innkeeper number three, let's get Mary to that barn." And quickly trotted out.
Marluxia, Axel, and donkey carried Larxene, exited the opposite side of the stage, leaving Demyx with a slightly hurt look on his face, as the spotlight faded out.
As several dusks ran around in the dark, rearranging the set, the spotlight appeared once again on Xemnas, who was rubbing his forehead with a pained expression on his face. He looked, regretfully at the audience and sighed.
"Well… " he began. "Mary and Joseph made it to the stables where the Baby Jesus was born!"
The light brightened up on a scene of a stable, with the wooden donkey, and paper Mache horse head in the corners. In the Center were Larxene and Axel, crowded around what appeared to be a large box full of straw. When the light was up, Saix ran onto stage, his wings now a bit lopsided.
"Behold!" he announced, "The Baby Jesus is Born!"
At that, both Axel and Larxene raised their hands dramatically into the air. They stood there posed like that for a time. At first, the audience thought the pause was intentional, but that illusion quickly dissolved as an annoyed expression appeared across Axel's face.
Saix attempted to try it again, "… Behold! The Baby Jesus is Born!"
…
"Rox!" Axel shouted up into the rafters of the stage, "Rox, That's you're queue!"
"I'm not coming down." Roxas's voice was heard from above the stage.
"Roxas…. Don't be a wimp!" Axel growled.
"No, I'm not coming down."
"God!" Exclaimed Larxene, more to herself than anyone else. "He didn't have any lines, so he just had to find the ONE way he could screw this up..."
"Listen, Rox, We did this in rehearsal remember? The thing is safe now. It's not going to drop you again." Axel pleaded with the voice above him.
"I know." He was answered. "But in rehearsal, I wasn't wearing this… THING"
"C'mon Roxy, you look CUTE!" begged Axel.
"NO" Was the swift reply.
Larxene folded her arms across her chest, clearly put out as she shouted. "Jesus! This is your mother! Get down to earth NOW!"
"NO! huh? Xigbar, what are you. HEY!"
Roxas fell about halfway down on stage before the ropes around his waist caught him and jerked him back up in a small painful looking bounce. He then dangled there wearing only what appeared to be a small white sheet folded like a diaper around his abdomen, as the rope was slowly lowered. Bright red spread across his cheeks as he looked out at the audience and made a poor attempt to cover what he could of himself with his arms, which wasn't much. Gradually, he fell to rest in the box of straw, and curled up into one of the corners.
"See?" Axel purred, mussing the blonde's hair, "I told you, you looked cute."
"I'll kill you all…" Roxas growled quietly.
Before that exchange could progress any further, Zexion, Vexen, and Lexaus all walked on stage. Lexaus pointed at the paper star above the stable, while Vexen said, "Hark, the King has been born!"
"Let us go to him." Said Zexion, as the trio walked over to where Axel, Roxas and Larxene were. Each one of the new three carried a box wrapped in sparkling paper.
Back in character, Larxene batted her eyes at the three new comers, "Oh!" She exclaimed, "Who are you?"
"We are the three Wise men." Zexion explained, "We're technically named Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, but Xemnas didn't bother to look that up before writing the script…"
"We bring gifts to the new born king." Lexaus went on, staying by the script, no matter how poorly researched his companion considered it.
"A King?" Gasped Larxene, "But there is only us here in this stable."
"This Babe is none other than the King of Kings, and the Son of God, and so we have brought gifts fit for a king!" Vexen added in meager means of explanation.
"I brought gold." Stated Zexion flatly.
"I brought frankincense." Added Lexeaus.
"And I brought diapers, which are much better for a baby than myrrh." Vexen explained wisely. When he was meted by death glares from both the other two wise men as well as the mother herself, he sighed, "Fine, I brought Myrrh."
Next, Luxord and Xaladin walked onto stage. Luxord was carrying a small drum, and Xaladin was carrying a stuffed animal which greatly resembled a sheep. The pair made it to where the rest of them had gathered.
Setting down his sheep without much care Xaladin said plainly, "From the fields I saw a bright star shining and I have brought my lamb to him."
"…I thought an angel visited the shepherds. You know, in fields where they lay." mumbled Zexion sourly.
"It's what the script said, leave it alone…" Lexaus whispered to him.
"…and we all know what a wonderful script it is…" groaned Zexion.
"I am a poor drummer boy." Luxord said, "I have no gift to give a king. Shall I play for him instead?"
Larxene nodded her head, and Luxord tapped his drum twice. Exactly, twice. With that alone, everyone on stage turned to look expectantly at Roxas. The blonde sighed, still looking less than pleased. Still obviously disgruntled, but also resigned to playing along with the rest of them, he raised his hands unenthusiastically and shimmied them from side to side as he groaned a half hearted, "…yay…"
All the cast bowed their head then. The wise men took to their knees silently worshiping the small boy in the center of all of them. The Shepard and drummer boy, also bowed their head in respect. Even the Innkeepers returned to the stage and gathered around the manger scene.
At last all thirteen members were on stage as Xemnas stood next to the stiff Saix and said, "And so the Lord was born on earth, and from all around people came to see him."
There was a Silence, followed by Xemnas quickly elbowing Saix in the sides.
The blue haired man gasped as he belted out his last lines, "DON"T BE AFRAID! Er.. um.. I mean.. GLORY ONTO GOD IN THE HIGHEST! AND PEACE ON EARTH!
With that, the cast, except for Roxas, repeated, "Peace on Earth!" And bowed their heads, as the curtains drew close.
-the end-