Disclaimer: Same as before; KH doesn't belong to me, nor does anything else you might recognize, they belong to their owners. Please don't sue me.
Xemnas wakes to the bells tolling two and both eyes pop open, expecting to see another ghost in his room. He sees none. As he peers around the dark room he finds that the only light is coming from underneath the door.
"Oh okay then, maybe they are gone." Xemnas violently sits up in bed, "Why is there a light on in my house? I didn't leave that on." He swings his feet over the side of the bed and stands up before making his way to the door embroidered by a faint light. As he nears the wooden frame he hears noises coming from the other side.
Xemnas goes to slowly open the door, intending to see what is going on, but before he can open it fully, he hears footsteps loudly pounding towards him. The door is then swatted open, out of Xemnas' hand, and he is immediately glomped by a flash of green and blond.
In his shocked state he looks up into the eyes of his assaulter, who appears to be a young man with a hair style befitting of a rock star, in his opinion. It was some kind of mohawk and mullet hybrid.
"Hiya! I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present. Get up and know me better man!"
The spirit springs up and grabs the still shocked man's arms, pulling him up. "Come on, in."
Regaining some composure Xemnas speaks, "Are you inviting me into a room in my own home?"
"Yep, so hurry up, we have much to do, and little time to do it in!"
The spirit sprints to his throne that sits on a mountain of trinkets and golden objects. Around the room there is a large feast assembled full with pies, cakes, roasted turkey, pig, goose, and pheasant. Mince pies, plum-puddings, chestnuts, apples, pears, grapes by the horde, many bowls of punch along with all other holiday food items, not one inch of the large common room is not occupied with some sort of food or Christmas object. None of this was in the room before, nor was the room in a light that resembled day, only slightly more golden and pure.
From under his flowing green cloak the spirit pulls out what looks like a list. "Let's see." he starts, "Come in, and know me better man." Have I already said that?"
Xemnas looks up to the man, "Um, yes."
"Oh, okay, um..." He goes back to his list, not looking away from it, "This is the night before the dawn, before the day of Christmas, I am the Ghost of Christmas Present. Did I mention that?"
"Yes you did."
"Did I? I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, come in and know me better man!"
"You're a little absent minded, aren't you spirit?"
"No, I'm a large absent minded spirit! Hahaha."
"Yes, indeed you are."
"My mind is full of the here and now, and only that. And today is Christmas!" "Xemnas looks around the room and back at his 'host' wondering just what is going on now, "You know spirit; I've never met anyone like you."
"Really? Well I guess that isn't too surprising, you never once sought us out."
"Us? There are more than you?"
"Of course! Tell me, what year is it?"
"2010, why?"
"In that case there have been," The spirit twiddles his fingers as he stares at them lost in thought, "Then there have already been 2009 of my brothers that have come to this world."
"2009, Imagine the shopping bill." Xemnas jokes.
"Haha, true. My brothers have spoke of you do you know that?"
"Have they really?"
"Oh yes, in fact I didn't think that you would be as horrible as they said you would be. But it seems that they were understating the truth. Have you ever really known the true meaning of Christmas? Please keep your mouth shut, I know for a fact you don't so don't bother in arguing it with me." The spirit closed the distance between he and Xemnas, who was now at the foot of the mountain that the spirit sat upon.
Draping an arm around Xemnas, the spirit continues, "You see, every year we, that being my brothers and I, come to visit this world for one day out of the year."
"Why?"
"If you don't interrupt me I'll tell you." The spirit casts a sideways glance at the orange eyes to his right.
"Fine."
"Well, where was I again?"
"It was something along the lines of you and your brothers visiting this world for some reason or another."
"Ah yes, we visit here to bring happiness and joy to the people of this world and to remove, as many as we can, the causes of their misery, which is why I'm here for you."
"I'll have you know that I am a good and generous man, and that I-" Xemnas gets cut off by the spirit's laughing, near on the verge of tears.
"Y-you, generous? Good? Is that what you tell yourself at night so you can sleep? Please, that's too funny."
Indignantly Xemnas replies, "I was being serious."
"Sure you were Xemy." The spirit grabs a playful hold of Xemnas' cheeks.
"Don't call me that."
"Fine, but tell me…Xemnas, haven't you ever once seen how great it is at Christmas?"
"In all honesty spirit no, I haven't. It's always been just one more day to me."
"Well after today it won't be."
"And how do you plan to make that happen?"
The spirit looks at the man with a growing smile, "Well…" A sitar appears from thin air into the spirit's hands, "I was thinking that one way I could, was to do a musical number. Maybe sing 'It Feels like Christmas' or something? Have us in town square and a bunch of everyday, normal people join in song and dance, singing and dancing like professionals. What do you think?"
"You're a bit of a loon aren't you?"
"What, I look like the national bird of Canada?" The spirit raises his arms out to his sides, his long cloak making him look, somewhat able for flight, looks back down at his clothes and around his person, even going so far as to try to look behind him, only to get dizzy in the process.
"No what I meant was that…forget it." Xemnas decides it's best not to complicate things with this spirit.
"Well we could always do that," The spirit mumbles to himself, Xemnas looking on as the spirit walks a few paces away. He can see the spirit saying something, but can't make it out, "I could have him sing 'I Like Life' with me, that was a good bit of that version, but." He looks back to Xemnas, "I doubt he's in the singing mood," the spirit shakes his head, "Tis a shame musical numbers really are fun."
"What's fun?"
In his head, the spirit thinks, crap he heard me, "Nothing, well, not nothing, many things are fun, like musical numbers! Oops."
"Musical numbers?"
"Just forget I said that, hey I have an idea!"
Xemnas looks at the ceiling, pleading to the creator, "Please let this be a good idea, and helpful, I really don't want to wear those chains for eternity."
The spirit spots Xemnas looking up to the ceiling, inches forward to get right next to his ear, and looks up, trying to see what the other is seeing, "What do you see on the ceiling?"
"Jesus Christ!" Xemnas exclaims.
"Really? I don't see him." The spirit squints to try to see him too, "I really don't see him, you sure he's there?"
"He's not, I…you…startled me." Xemnas says between gasps for air, hands on his thighs breathing in and out. Looking up, after regaining his breath, "So what was your idea spirit?"
"Right, well…what was it…got it! We're going to the home of your loyal clerk Sora Cratchit."
Xemnas, remembering the last time a spirit took him somewhere, and starts to get a sick feeling deep in his gut, "We aren't going to have to fly to get there are we?"
"Fly? Why? Look over there, that's his window." Sure enough, they were no longer in Xemnas' home, but out in the snow, around midday.
"How do you spirits do that?" Xemnas turned to find that the spirit, who was standing right next to him, is now making a snow angel. With a hanging of his head, "Never mind, I'll go see what he's doing."
"Why are we in this poor area of town?"
"It's Christmas here too."
Xemnas almost leapt in fright to hear the spirit right behind him, "Stop doing that!"
"What?"
"Forget, it."
"Well, I present you," The spirit began. "With the lavish home of Sora Cratchit Esquire; who owes both, the opulence of his home and his bountiful feast to the kind generous nature, and high ethical morals of his employer…that would be you."
"I want to look in the window."
"Go ahead it will cost you nothing, which I'm sure, is good news to you."
"Spirit, will they be able to see me?"
"No they won't, which I'm sure is good news for them."
Xemnas waded through the slightly more than ankle high snow, to the front of the, well to call it a hovel would be too mean and insulting to hovels around the world. Xemnas leaned in close to the window and used his hand to brush off the frost on the portal. On the other side of the window, the Cratchits were sitting down to Christmas dinner. Xemnas noticed that his clerk had a large family; there was his wife and what appeared to be twin daughters finishing the rest of the cooking, and an elder son, though not that much so as to be in past high school age, who was also helping in the preparations.
"I wonder where Sora is." Xemnas muttered as he continued to watch the meager meal being made.
Down the road, on their way back from church a father and his son approach their home. The father opens the door for his youngest, paying no mind to those that were watching him just a couple short feet away.
"Why does he have so many children?" Xemnas gawks at the large family, it was larger than he was ever used to, and the small home certainly didn't help to make things seem smaller.
The spirit makes his sitar reappear, and begins to strum and sing, "There are Jews in the world, there are Buddhists, there are Hindus and Mormons and then…there are those that follow Mohammad, but he's not one of them." Now the spirit is into full song and dance, skipping around as he plays, "He's a Roman Catholic, and has been since the day he was born, and they one thing they say about Catholics is: they'll take you as soon as you're warm. You don't have to be a six-footer, you don't have to have a great brain, you don't have to have any clothes on, you're a Catholic from the moment dad came. Because…every sp-"
"Spirit, that's enough I get it."
"Oh, okay, are you sure? There are still a couple verses left."
"Yes I'm sure."
"Daddy!" The children inside exclaimed as they dropped what they were doing to greet their father. His wife also gave him a, "Welcome home."
"So how is the goose coming along Kairi?"
"It's just about done, honey." His sweetly smiling wife replies.
"The goose, the goose," The young boy starts to cough violently at the exertion, bringing a handkerchief to his mouth, to catch some of the blood.
"Now now, Tiny Roxy, here," His mother offers him his seat, "Sit down, dinner will be ready shortly,"
"Yes mother," the angelic face with messy blonde hair, looks up with a smile.
Kairi calls her husband to the adjoining room, as the children finish with the last of the setting of plates and their few items of food. "So how was he at church?"
"As good as gold or better, he said how it's good that people can see him at this time of year, to remind them of what Christmas is about."
She sighs at her sweet child silently wishing for things to be better.
"A remarkable child, Spirit, what is wrong with this Tiny Roxy?"
"Much I'm afraid."
Xemnas sees that the family is now sitting down to eat, "Such a meager feast."
"Yes, but very much appreciated."
"I do pay Sora such a small amount."
"I'd like to make a toast," Sora holds up his glass, followed by the rest of his family. "To Mr. Xemnas, my employer and the founder of the feast."
"The founder of the feast indeed," His wife huffs, "If I had that man here, why I'd, I'd give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and hopefully he'd choke in it!"
"But my dear, it's his money that paid for the goose."
"No it's your money that paid for the goose, my dear."
"And he paid me the money."
"Because you earned it, and in all the years you worked for him, when was the last time he gave you a raise?"
"He assures me that times are hard."
"For you they are, not for the likes of him."
"Dear the children, and it's Christmas."
"It'd have to be Christmas to drink to that cheap ol' miser. Children we'll drink to your father, for all the love and joy he brings us. And to Tiny Roxy for the health we wish him. For the sake of your father, I'll even drink to Xemnas, long life to him and to us all."
"Merry Christmas to us all! God bless us." Sora concludes.
"God Bless us, everyone." Roxy adds.
Xemnas turns to the spirit, "Tell me, will Roxy live?"
"That is the future, I only know of the here and now. However, I do see an empty chair in the corner, and a crutch without an owner. If things remain the way they are, I have no doubt that the child will die. And if he is going to die then he better do it and decrease the surplus population."
Xemnas shunned at having his own words thrown back at him.
"Please spirit, isn't this enough?"
"Enough? We've barely started, if I remember right, you've never been one for parties, nor accepted any invitations to your nephew's have you?"
"Well, no, but how do you know that?"
With his hands on his hips the spirit locks eyes with Xemnas, "Spirit. Remember?"
"How could I forget?" Xemnas notices that they are now in a room, just after midday day, judging by the light. "Will you please warn me before you transport us somewhere? It's like I'm at one place one sentence, then at another the next!"
"Eh, it does seem that way doesn't it? Oh look he's talking."
"Who?"
"Your nephew."
Zack lifts his glass and lightly raps on it with a spoon, which he then places down, after getting everyone's attention, "Now is the time that I make a toast to my uncle…Xemnas!"
"Zack every year I'm over here why do you always insistent on praising and saluting that mean old skinflint?" an older blonde calls out.
Xemnas begins walking over to give the speaker of that sentence his what for, before the spirit calls to him, "Remember Xem they cannot see or hear us, so just enjoy the show."
"Enjoy, how, when people are bashing my name?"
"Relax at least your nephew likes you, only heaven knows why."
"And who was that man?"
"Just a friend."
"Cid, I know he is the most despicable old miser that ever did walk this earth; worse than you could possibly imagine." The assembled guests and the spirit burst out with laughter. He continues, "For I know in my heart, that if I can wish a Merry Christmas to him, one of the most, vile, horrible, basically evil human beings imaginable, then I know I am truly a man of good will."
An echo of 'Hear hears' were heard from his guest.
"Besides, I like him, I really do."
"See," The spirit nudges Xemnas, "I told you so."
Zack goes back to speaking, "I can't help but think that somewhere deep inside that decaying carcass of his, there is a different man just trying to get out."
"Yeah and it's giving him indigestion!" Cid barks.
"Alright I think we've had plenty talk of uncle," Zack's wife says, "I refuse to have our Christmas party haunted by Xemnas anymore." Those assembled once again go into a laughing fit. "Come now, I think it's time for a game."
"Are games played at Christmas spirit?"
"Oh, I love games!" The spirit runs to where there is an empty chair in the main room, all the other chairs and sofas are placed in a circle, some guests deciding to stand, rather than sit.
"So what game shall we play?" One guest asks.
Zack's wife speaks, "Well, I know of this new game, that every time someone gets out it's so infuriating, it's quite fun, it's called The Cheshire Cat. You all know right? It's the one where we go around the circle saying The Cheshire Cat is a…and that's followed by an adjective with the letter of the alphabet we're on. So we'll start with 'A' then move on to 'B' and so forth."
"You mentioned someone getting out how does that happen?" Xemnas asks.
"You mentioned someone getting out how does that happen?" Cid asks.
"Hey that was my question!"
"Xemnas…"
"Oh yeah, forgot."
"Well, if someone is to say an adjective we already used, or they can't think of one fast enough, then they're out." She sits down and starts clapping out the rhythm that the game will follow, "Join in everyone, I'll start. The Cheshire Cat is an adorable cat."
"The Cheshire cat is an aloof cat." And so the game continues.
"The Cheshire Cat is a lonely cat."
"The Cheshire Cat is languid cat."
"The Cheshire Cat is a lordly cat."
"The Cheshire Cat is a lazy cat."
"The Cheshire Cat is a… oh."
"You're out Vincent!" Tifa, Zack's wife exclaims.
"He's out! Haha, he's out, go on now to 'M'!" Xemnas hollers from his place now close to where the spirit sits.
"Okay Yuffie, now 'M'"
"The Cheshire Cat is a marvelous cat."
"The Cheshire Cat is a miserable cat."
"Miserable good," Xemnas remarks.
"The Cheshire Cat is a merciful cat"
"Yes merciful, good." Xemnas now very into the game continues with them.
It's now Zack's turn, "The Cheshire cat is a…a…"
"Merry! Say merry you twit!"
"Ah…dang it!"
"I told you to say merry, why are you so stupid? He's always been stupid! Hahaha."
"Okay then 'N'!" Tifa calls out.
"The Cheshire Cat is a noble cat."
"Good."
"The Cheshire Cat is a nefarious cat."
"I like that one, good."
"The Cheshire Cat is a nebulous cat."
"Yes, that'll work. Very nice!"
"The Cheshire Cat is a… a n…, oh forget."
"Haha, you're out Cid! Tifa yells."
"Come on, actually I was about to say nasty, come on."
"Nope, nope you're out now!" Xemnas points his finger at him.
The game continues to its completion. Xemnas having fun the whole time, even going so far as to stand beside Zack and his wife as their guests leave, thanking them for their time, and acting like he was there.
He turns to the spirit after the guests are gone, "Oh that was so much fun Spirit. I had no idea what I was missing out on."
"There has been something else you've been missing out on."
"Really? What's is it? Is it as fun as the party?"
"It could've been even more enjoyable."
Xemnas develops a crease on his brow trying to think of what the spirit means, "I don't know what you are saying Spirit."
The spirit places an arm around the other's shoulders, "Walk with me, I have one last thing to show you while we still have the time." Together they walked through the house in Alexandria. Upon leaving through one of the walls, they are now on the national mall were the protesters to Xemnas' bill are set up. They walked past the tent and people, holding signs or making new ones, talking about today's decision, and why hasn't it come yet. The sun was still in the sky, the end of the legislation wasn't over it.
"Spirit why are these people still here? Shouldn't the decision have gone through, if today is Christmas?"
"I suppose not, then again it's still the afternoon, and I know that you had a long speech prepared along with a heap of other things to present to your fellow members of the Senate."
"I guess so. Spirit, why have we stopped in front of this tent?"
"Go inside and you shall see why."
Xemnas gave to spirit an odd look, but thought it best to do what he was told. It was a large tent. On one side it was just a bare area, however the rest of the tent seemed to be some sort of a command station with television sets, charts, and boards, which all seemed to be done very professionally. It looked like it would take a small army to operate all that he saw before him, but there wasn't a soul around. Then his eyes did land on one person. On the far wall, the man appears to be asleep in his chair, lying on the table in front of him.
Xemnas walked closer to see that the person wasn't sleeping, but was sobbing. He recognized the long blue hair at once, and then he heard him speak.
"Xemy, why? What happened to you? This isn't the man I knew from years past." Xemnas could now see the locket he'd given Saix on their first Christmas, which held a picture of each man on either side of it, lying open in the blue haired man's hand. Saïx stroked the face of his beloved, letting the tears fall without a hindrance.
Xemnas could no longer make out the words, it was just a bunch of crying and muttering and it tore his heart open to see what he did to this man. Then to realize what he would be doing to so many others.
"Isn't love what's important?" He asked himself. "Why should anyone deny that? Look at how things have changed since marriage came into being, a man could marry many women at the same time, sometimes those married had no say in the matter, people once couldn't marry because their skin was different. So why can't they marry if their genitalia is the same?"
He looked back down on the man he passed up, all for a career in politics; which turned him cold and bitter, turned him away from his humanity, and made him heartless. He wants nothing more than to try to comfort Saïx, his Saïx, well was his. He wants to hold him, like he used to, and make the tears vanish, but each time he brings his hands down to try to calm him, they just past through the body.
"Why has it come to this," both spoke.
Xemnas looked to Saïx, now clenching an Israeli Desert Eagle Mark XIX. With a rage in his eyes that Xemnas hasn't seen since all those years ago Saïx marched out of the tent, where he heard shots fired. Xemnas ran out of the tent to see what going on, his heart pounding in his chest.
The first thing he noticed was that it was now dark, and any signs of life were gone, including the tents. He spins around and runs around the mall only to quickly change direction and run off again. After a few minutes the spirit blocks his path.
"Calm down Xemnas."
"What how can I? What happened? Where is he?"
"I'm sorry Xem but, my time on here draws to a close."
"But we have so much more to talk about; I've already learned so much from you."
"There is never enough time to do or say all the things that we would wish. The thing is, to try to do as much, in the time we are given. Now I leave you with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come."
"You mean the future?"
"Well if you want to put it that simply, sure." The spirit says with a broad smile. "You need to go forth and know him better man! Hahaha." The spirit starts to fade from existence, his last words to Xemnas are, "Remember time is short and suddenly you're not there anymore."
Xemnas thought he would be back in his bed; instead he is still on the mall in the middle of the night. "I know he's done a lot for me, but he could've least brought me back home, like the last spirit did."
He walks along the side of the grass, right near the road, and after a few minutes, which seemed to him to be longer, due to the cold and that he was only in his night clothes, a taxi pulls up beside him.
A rather nice voice calls to him from the driver's seat, "Hey, do ya wanta ride?"
Xemnas looks at the cab, "Black? What is this London? Whatever, sure."
The cab pulls to a halt so Xemnas can get in. Once in the driver asks, propping a long skeletal arm on the barrier between front and back seats, "I'm the Ghost of Christmas Yet to come." Xemnas can hear the ringing from his driver's watch.
AN: The Ghost of Christmas Present was Demyx.
Thanks to my editors, Lovetoread1983 and Sammy-Dee. Go read their work, You'll thank me later!
"The Cheshire Cat" game is based completely off the game, "The Minister's Cat" It was a Victorian parlor game. I changed it, to make it feel more Disney-ish, keeping with the whole Kingdom Hearts style.
Thanks for all the alerts, favs., and reviews. They make my day; please continue to do so, if you wish. And any feedback is welcome. "Feedback is a writer's lifeblood" – I saw that somewhere.
