-'Once Upon A December'-
-A 'Kingdom Hearts' songfic-
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Summary: Talk of 'best gifts ever received' has Tora remembering the best gift she ever received: her first kiss.
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It had been Yuna's idea to start the talk of gifts, with the three treasure hunters eagerly pitching into conversation with the 'gifts' they received. Aerith merely sighed and sipped at her tea, saying nothing about the nature of the 'gifts' but instead talking about a present – a flower wagon – from a friend a long time ago that still brought tears to her eyes every time she thought about it. Tifa countered with a gift from her father: the best set of combat gloves that she still wore in memory of the man that taught her all he knew and then some. Cid harrumphed at that, claiming that his gift of machinery parts last year topped the gloves and Aerith's gift.
"Oh come on Cid, everyone's gift is the best because it means the most to them," Yuffie scolded lightly, "Besides, everyone knows that Cloud gives the best gifts." The blond looked up from his tea at the ninja, surprise etched into his face, "Well, it's true! How else did you know to get me materia?"
"Is that what those strange orbs are called?" Leon asked.
"Yuffie, the reason I got you materia is because you would've found it sooner or later." came the grumble from Cloud, sighing when his brain finally caught up with the conversation at hand.
"It makes you wonder what else would make the best gift?" sighed Aerith dramatically, "Sentimentality makes me swoon..."
"Aerith, you're going sappy." Tifa chuckled, heartily clapping Cid on the back, "Oh, lighten up; it's not that bad."
"I think that the best gift anyone can get is a kiss." piped up Tora from Leon's other side. Everyone looked at her.
"Tora's right, kisses are something special." said Yuffie, "What made you say that?"
"You guys talking about the best gifts you received made me think of my own," the magician shrugged, "It was my first kiss." The room suddenly stilled, and the girls immediately gave Tora their attention. This was something they had to know about.
It was in the female code, anyway.
Cloud pushed Tifa off his arm. "Who was it?"
"Well...I really don't know. It took place at a masquerade party so I didn't see his face, but I remember that he was a really good kisser." The blush staining the magician's mismatched cheeks made Yuffie giggle. Tora grabbed sections of her hair and flung them over her face to hide her embarrassment, but Aerith was too quick, pushing the strands away and revealing gold eyes for the Restoration Committee to see.
"You started it, you finish it." she said simply. Cid huffed, but folded his arms and stayed put; the whack to his arm notwithstanding.
"Alright..." Tora sighed, "It was the night of my seventeenth birthday..." Unnoticed, Leon's eyes widened slightly.
=^w^=
Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
=^w^=
The night air was cool and whipped at the bare legs of the ladies as they entered the large castle, dressed to the nines and wearing elaborate masks that were held up by pins in their hair. Feathers, glitter and sequins fluttered to the ground and on the stairs...and that was just from the masks of the gentlemen. Many couples twirled away on the large floor, a large orchestra at the head of the hall providing a slow, dramatic melody that changed quickly into something upbeat and cheerful. As the music changed, so did the dance styles.
Standing against one of the walls holding a glass of sparking juice was Tora, her floor-length green dress making her look like some kind of beautiful woman instead of the seventeen-year-old she'd recently become. Covering her distinguishing features was a mask of a glittering emerald green, the colour standing out against her skin. She'd regretted coming ever since she accepted the invitation from Merlin and let the Fairy Godmother transform her clothing for a while.
Wait until midnight, her left (heel-capped) foot...
"Excuse me, miss," Looking up from her toes, the magician's eyes fell on a young man in front of her, "I was wondering if you could use some company."
"If you're insisting." Patting the wall beside her, the man stood against it and looked out at the dance floor.
"Quite a turnout," he said, "I don't think Their Majesties were expecting this many to show up."
"Queen Minnie wasn't but King Mickey assured her that everything was going to be fine," Tora replied, "So what made you come tonight?"
"A friend of mine, upon receiving her invitation, basically threatened me with domestic duties if I didn't come. What about yourself?"
"Partly a friend's request, and partly for celebrating my birthday."
"Happy birthday to you then, miss. How old are you today?"
"I'm seventeen."
"You hardly look it. You seem more mature for your age."
"When you've experienced as much as I have, you learn to grow up quickly." The magician shut her mouth quickly, feeling as if she'd said too much about herself. The only thing she practically hadn't done was told the (handsome) stranger her name, but the only thing that stopped her was the mask that obscured her vision. Looking away from the stranger, she bit her glossed lip as they fell into a strange silence that...didn't feel awkward.
"I understand how that feels; I was forced to grow up at your age, too." he said instead.
Tora looked back at him. "Really?" He nodded, and Tora immediately felt better about telling her secrets, "You hardly look it."
"Way to put the moves on him, Tora." Yuffie whistled, earning her a smack from Tifa.
"He sounds like a gentleman." Cid said.
"He was, the whole night. Polite, respectful and courteous." Tora replied, "He made me feel...comfortable about myself and what had happened to me; I felt as if I could tell him all that had happened to me up until that point."
"Will we hear about that?" asked Rikku.
"Maybe another time."
"Miss, this may seem forward, but uh..." The stranger fidgeted with the hem of his jacket before looking at her through a sky blue mask, "would you like to dance?" Tora looked at his outstretched hand for a few seconds before her mind was made up.
"Of course." she replied.
=^w^=
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
=^w^=
Leading her out to the floor, the stranger found a spacious area near the orchestra that was far enough away from prying eyes, but still technically mingled with society. Having no experience with dancing of the formal kind, Tora allowed him to place her hand on his shoulder while his other rested on her hip – the scarred one, she noted strangely. Their hands fit together nicely, as if they were two lost pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that had finally found their match. The next song began, and they began to glide gracefully across the floor, the magician merely following the stranger's lead so as not to step onto his toes.
"I'll be honest with you here: I've never really danced like this before." she said.
"That explains why you're so tense. You need to relax and let the music move your feet." he replied, spinning her around on the spot, "Trust me, when you spend time with girls you learn to do these sorts of things."
"I take it they ran the show when you were growing up?"
"We did have a guardian, but he was more interesting in building mechanical things and giving us the best possible chance of growing up."
"Sounds fantastic. I love hearing about close relationships like that; it makes me feel like there's hope for the light of the world." The stranger chuckled, a rich chuckle that reverberated through Tora's entire being, and he spun her around again, pulling her into his arms so that they were sandwiched, her back to his chest. Through his jacket, the magician could tell that he was warm, and it wasn't because of the light he radiated. It was something else entirely.
"You're a good dancer," she commented, "and you're warm."
"I can feel how cold your arms are through my clothes. It's really draughty in here, don't you think?" As the stranger spoke, a gust of wind blew through the entire hall, many ladies gasping and shivering, their partners cuddling them closer in an effort to stave off the chill. Tora shivered but made no effort to move closer; she was fine where she was, thank you.
"That was rather coincidental. You speak of draughts, one blows up all the ladies' skirts." she said. Behind them the orchestra began playing louder, gearing up for the finale of the song. The stranger recognised the sign and returned the magician to her original position in front of him, leading her in a few more circles before the orchestra hit one final note and he dipped her low.
Tora exhaled. "Wow...I hope no-one can see up my skirt."
"No-one can," Righting her, the stranger kept a hold of her hand, "Would you like to join me on the balcony for some good old-fashioned talking?" The magician giggled.
"You, sir, certainly have a way with words." she replied.
=^w^=
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
=^w^=
Having refilled everyone's cups, Aerith handed them all back and resumed her place beside Yuffie, the ninja literally hanging onto every word Tora was saying. The magician herself had requested the break from her story, needing to get a few thoughts together before she continued, as well as control the raging blush that decorated her mismatched cheeks.
"So what happened next?" asked Paine.
"Well, we went up to the balcony...we talked; mostly about general stuff – the weather, our friends, our forced adolescence...and that was when I got my chill." Tora replied.
"Your chill?" Aerith tilted her head to the side.
"It's something that magically-inclined people such as Merlin and myself get; it tells us when there's something dangerous nearby. Mine are cold chills and I find myself reaching for the nearest body," Gold eyes looked across the circle, "Why is it always you, Cloud?" Everyone's attention suddenly swivelled to the blond, who coughed and tried to avoid the scrutiny. Mumbling something under his breath, he glanced up sharply when Tifa hit him again.
"I get them too. Mine come as headaches and shivers down my back." he said louder.
"Hm, I think Merlin needs to know about that; maybe it has to do with that stuff inside your body," The magician shrugged, "Now where was I?"
"You were on the balcony with this stranger and you got a chill." said Leon.
"Right. Thanks, Leon."
"Are you alright, miss?" The stranger looked down at the magician, who had curled up into a ball on the ground shivering. Tora rubbed at her arms and glanced down over the balcony's edge, almost regretting it because she could feel her vision swimming slightly. There was nothing visible, but she knew that something was coming.
"Miss?" Tora stood up and looked at the stranger, his hidden eyes casting worry at her.
"I'm fine; it's just a feeling I have..." She rubbed at her arms again, "I wish the side effects would go away." At once, she felt a force pulling her toward the stranger and into his arms, the force she discovered to be his arms. The warmth of his body flooded her like a burst dam and she welcomed it gratefully, gently gripping the lapels of his jacket in order to station herself in that position.
"Is this alright?" he murmured.
"Yes, thank you." she replied.
"You two must've hit it off so well," Tifa commented, "Why else would this stranger get so close to you?"
"Cloud, put your sword away; he did nothing untoward," First Tsurugi disappeared, "Really, anyone would think you were my brother with the way you protect me."
"I'm surprised Leon hasn't whipped out his Gunblade yet." Yuffie looked over at the brunet, who was deliberately avoiding her gaze by drinking his tea with his eyes closed. It made him look a little sage-like, truth be told.
"I see no need to," he replied, opening his eyes, "Tora hasn't been scarred by the ordeal or else she would not see the need to share the story with us, which has many of you rapt with attention and wanting to know how it ends." The ninja pouted; she was sure he'd just insulted her somewhere.
"He means it in a good way," Tora jabbed her elbow into the brunet's side, "don't you, Leon?" Begrudgingly, he nodded. Grinning, the magician racked her brain for more information on the night of her seventeenth birthday, ignoring the loud fight that had suddenly broken out between Leon and Yuffie.
"Okay, I have the rest of my story to tell!" she called. The room went silent.
=^w^=
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Things it yearns to remember
=^w^=
If anyone was to walk out onto that balcony at that point in time, they would've seen two people in what could only be described as a 'lover's embrace'. Tora had her head resting on the stranger's collarbone just underneath his chin, while his head rested on top of hers.
"I'm sorry for being so cold," she whispered, "Normally I can control when it happens, but I have a really bad feeling something dangerous is coming."
"It's alright, miss. These things happen." he replied, tilting her head up, "May I give you a birthday present?"
"Certainly, but what did you have in mind?"
"Well...when I saw you standing against that wall earlier I knew you were someone I had to meet. As we talked that escalated to someone I wanted to get to know without the mask over your face. You're an intelligent, clever, beautiful woman and someone like you deserves something that she'll remember for the rest of her life." Tora flushed at the stranger's declaration. No-one had ever said that to her before...it made her want to cry.
"W-well, I..." Her brain had obviously crashed, "Thank you..." He smiled gently, and it made the magician's body heat up like a Fire attack.
"You're welcome. Now, about my present..." Mysterious forces slowly pulled their faces together, the stranger's eyes noting the glitter that had fallen off the mask onto Tora's face and Tora's eyes noting the small smear of black on his cheek, and as their eyes slipped closed and fireworks lit up the garden underneath them, their lips met.
"Oh wow..." Aerith fanned herself, "Romantic!" Tora nodded and lowered her head, hiding yet another raging blush.
"So how was it?" Yuffie asked, "The kiss, I mean."
"...sweet," replied the magician, "really sweet. It reminded me of the types of kisses you'd only see in movies; you know, the end-of-film ones where the main characters finally kiss and the screen fades to black."
"Pretty!" Rikku cried, bouncing about in the air, "That must have been some birthday present."
"Yeah, it was. It was a shame I couldn't stay to find out who it was that gave me such a memorable gift."
"What happened?" asked Cloud.
"King Mickey found me and asked me to go with him. He'd had a chill as well and wanted me away from the danger so that I could head to another world." A slight cloud of sadness descended over those gathered, the image slightly sorrowful; it was a shame she couldn't have found out who it was.
"Anything else to add to the story?" Tifa asked, finishing her tea. Tora shook her head.
"Nope, that's it. And with that, I'm off to bed. Thanks for the night Aerith; it was a blast." Grinning, the magician stood up and left the house, the fairies following on firing questions at her.
When the door shut with a click Yuffie leaned over and whacked Leon on the back of the head. "What the hell, Yuffie?" he exclaimed.
"Why were you so quiet?" she screeched back, "You were as curious as the rest of us as to who Tora's mystery kisser was!"
"Curiosity killed the cat." he responded, making the ninja huff and fold her arms, the argument clearly won by the Gunblade wielder. Hiding a triumphant smirk, he listened as the conversation fell into everyone else's first kisses, some memorable and some regrettable. His mind was working overtime, wondering how he could help fill in the blank spots of Tora's memory with the knowledge he had about that night; he knew a little more than he was letting on...
=^w^=
And a song someone sings...
=^w^=
Cleaning out an upper room of the castle wasn't Tora's idea of fun, but it was what she and Leon were assigned by Merlin so it's what they were going to do. Thick dust covered every surface in the room, many of the objects covered by greying material and strange black patches. Remnants of darkness hung in the air thanks to Maleficent's presence, but that was nothing that either of them couldn't handle.
"ACHOO!"
"Bless you." Wiping at her nose, Tora ripped one of the greying sheets from a wooden table and examined its make. It looked to be a very sturdy thing, four thick legs and an intricate swirl pattern around the edge and where the legs met the base of the top. It was a dark mahogany colour, areas of the top worn with use and time. But overall it looked to be a good table.
"You think Merlin would like this for his books?" Leon gave her a look, "Stupid question."
"It is a sturdy table, I'll give you that." Kicking at one of the legs, the brunet ran a gloved hand over the surface, "Surely someone would be able to fix it up to its former glory."
"And because you're the leader of the Restoration Committee you can get it done cheap!" Again, the magician received a look, "What?" Leon decided to leave her question as rhetorical and moved on, uncovering a small music player underneath a layer of thick dust and one of those odd black patches they kept finding everywhere. As he swiped his hand over the top of the player a soft melody oozed out of the dusty speakers, filling the room with a sweet classical sound.
"I know this song..." Tora breathed from the other side of the room.
"You do?" asked Leon.
"How could I forget this song; it was the song that stranger and I danced to that night." The Gunblade wielder crossed the room and stood near the magician, holding out his hand.
"I'm no stranger, but will I do?" he asked. Gold eyes glittered, and Tora laughed.
"You'll always do, Leon." Taking his hand, she allowed him to take her to the centre of the room where they positioned themselves and danced to the music.
"I haven't danced like this since I was seventeen." the magician said after a while, "I'm surprised I remember."
"It's like riding a bicycle: you can never forget." the brunet replied, twirling her around. Giggling, the magician spun away from the Gunblade wielder when the song ended and got back to work, wiping dust from a mirror hanging on the wall. Leon watched her for a while then moved over to the player, picking up the folded piece of paper it sat on.
"Hey," The stranger looked at her when their lips parted, "do you think we'll ever see each other again?" He nodded and lifted her hand, placing it on his chest where his heart was.
"Look through the storm in your heart and I'll always be there." he replied just as the door burst open.
"Look through the storm in your heart and I'll always be there..."
"Did you say something, Leon?"
"I was talking to myself, Tora."
"Alright then..."
Someday she would find out who would be waiting for her beyond the storm.
=^w^=
Once upon a December...
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DISCLAIMER: The disclaimer applies to the characters and settings of the 'Kingdom Hearts' series – SqaureEnix and Disney – the song 'Once Upon A December' – 'Anastacia' – and Tora – me.