CHAPTER 3

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Sora and Roxas arrived at the Twin Palms Mall bright and early; unfortunately so did the majority of the population of the Destiny Islands. The crowds were making it hard for Sora to reach any of the stores so Roxas decided to clear some room by 'borrowing' the mall's PA system and announcing a sale in one of the large stores on the other side of the mall. A few hours later they emerged from the mall with a large bag filled to the brim with gifts.

Sora had gotten Kairi a book that the receptionist at the bookstore had recommended and a digital camera she had been talking about nonstop. For Riku he had got a couple of CD's, one from himself and one Roxas picked out for him. He and Riku had never been on the best of terms and he hoped this would be the olive branch that ended the war. Roxas also had Sora buy a new sketchbook and colored pencils for Naminé and for Kairi, a bag for the camera Sora got her. They had parted way so Sora could slip into an electronics store to get his Nobody a MP3 player so he would stop swiping his. Roxas meanwhile went to a skateboard shop to buy Sora a new skateboard. (Roxas snapped his somebody's in two after trying to perform a rather complicated stunt.) However Roxas ended up giving the board to Sora after the reports of a floating bag of munny and invisible skateboarder reached the other end of the mall.

By the time they got back to their neighborhood it was almost dark. Suddenly a feminine voice called out, "Sora! Roxas!" A chill went down their spines. Sora knew if he turned around he would find a certain red-headed girl (and possibly another certain blond nobody) whose Christmas presents lay unwrapped within the sack in his hand. Sora shoved the bag into Roxas' hands. "Hide this quick!" he said. Sora spun around to face Kairi and Naminé. "Where's Roxas going?" asked Naminé suspiciously. "Um...I think he had something to do "Sora muttered nervously. "Pretty important huh?" said Kairi giving him one of those all-knowing looks. "So are you coming out to the island tonight or are we going to drag both you lazy bums down there?" Sora blinked in confusion, Kairi crossed her arms "Sora! It's Christmas Eve! The three of us always spend Christmas Eve together!" "Five now "interjected Naminé. "Oh right!" exclaimed Sora. "It seems like forever since we've been home for Christmas. Hey, I wonder if we'll see Santa tonight. " Kairi now wore the confused look. "Um…Sora has anyone ever told you there is no such thing as Sa—". Her voice was cut off by a shriek originating from Sora's house. "MOM!" Sora yelled drawing Ultima Weapon and sprinting toward the door. Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace and followed. When he reached his house he slammed through the door at full speed. "Mom what's wrong!" he shouted as he rushed into the living room.

The sight took a minute for Sora to take in. Sora's Mom was taking wild swings at the still invisible to her Roxas, who was trying to evade the end of her broom. "Come out you invisible freak! I know you're here somewhere!" she yelled. "Mom, it's alright calm down!" Sora said lowering his keyblade. "Sora what is going on? There was a floating bag and it fell and something talked and what is that thing in your hand?" she said still trying to whack Roxas with the broom. Sora unceremoniously put the keyblade behind his back and dismissed it. "I've just about had enough of all these strange things! You are going to tell me where you have been for the last 3 years, what happened, and what this invisible thing is!" With her last statement her broom finally made contact with Roxas' face. "YEEOUCH!" he yelled clutching his nose. "Sora, call her off!" Having heard this outburst she swung in the direction of the sound. Roxas dove out of the brooms path and reunited with Sora. "You can stop swinging mom, he's gone." "Who's gone?" she asked still clutching the broom like a samurai sword. "Roxas." He answered. "Your invisible friend?" she said in an incredulous tone. Sora dropped his head, "Yeah sort of…"

Sora's mom shook her head in disbelief. "Enough is enough, both of you sit down and tell me everything." Sora protested, "But Mom, I promised Riku that…" "I don't care I am your mother and I have a right to know." Kairi spoke up, "Sora and Riku are best friends, and even if you try and get it out of him he won't betray Riku's trust!" Sora's mom turned her attention on Kairi. "Perhaps your father needs to be here too." She turned and walked towards the phone.

"What are we going to do?" whispered Kairi. Sora shook his head, "I wish I knew." Sora's mom was just about to pick up the phone when she put her hand on her head and sat down on a nearby barstool. "Mom? Are you OK?" Sora asked walking over to her. Naminé's transparent figure appeared next to Kairi. "Roxas, get that bag upstairs!" She whispered. Roxas faded into existence and took the bag up the stairs.

Sora was still leaning over his mother trying to figure out her problem. "Sora she will be alright", said Naminé, "I went in to her memories and changed the last five minutes so she will remember nothing about Roxas or your Keyblade." Sora spun and looked at her. "You did what?" Naminé bowed her head. "2 years ago I was forced by Marluxia of Organization XIII to change you memories so that they would be able to use you as their puppet. You defeated all the members in the castle and saved me. With the help of DiZ, or as you know him Ansem the Wise, I put you to sleep so that I could repair the chain of memories within your heart. When you went to sleep though, a lot of people forgot about you, but after you awakened they began to remember. When Riku decides he is ready to tell everyone, I'll undo the link and she will remember." Sora looked at his Mom. "So she didn't remember me?" he asked quietly. "I don't know", Naminé answered, "Riku, DiZ, King Mickey, the higher ranking members of the Organization, and I remembered you so she might have." Sora took his mom and helped her into a chair. He turned toward Kairi and Naminé and the newly returned Roxas and said, "Let's leave. I think she has had a little too much excitement for today"

That night Sora loaded up his bag and took rode his new skateboard down to the docks that were closest to the play island on which Riku and Kairi were waiting for him. After a fair amount of rowing he reached the island and proceeded into the small wooden shack. Kairi had spent the entire day sprucing up the plain interior with lights, holly, and a small plastic Christmas tree just big enough to fit a few gifts under. Kairi was sitting under the tree sorting out some of the boxes while Riku was lounging in a lawn chair. "Merry Christmas!" bellowed Sora pulling his bag through the door. "Is it laundry day already?" Riku chuckled gesturing towards the bag. "Very funny Riku. No, this bag is filled with actual presents." Sora said as he started to unload several wrapped packages. "You actually got us gifts this year? Not just reused cards or IOU's" asked Kairi skeptically. "Well one of the perks of saving the world is that Heartless tend to drop a lot of munny." Sora said twirling the munny pouch he was given by King Mickey in Twilight Town.


*Click*

Kairi snapped another picture of Riku. Sora had bet that he could drink a carton of eggnog faster than Riku. What Riku had neglected to mention was that the carton that he had given Sora was full and the one he was using was empty. Sora had drunk his so fast that he choked and spewed a stream of goo all over Riku. Kairi took advantage of her new camera and captured the moment for the next time Riku cracked a joke about her. Riku wiped his face of and punched Sora who was still wiping the eggnog off his face. Sora moved to the other side off the room next to Kairi as to prevent any further injury. Kairi pulled up the photo on her camera. "Wow Riku. I don't think I've ever seen you that embarrassed." Kairi said enlarging the image and focusing in on his face. A smirk crossed Riku's face as he realized his friends were sitting right where he had been waiting for them to sit all night. "Not as embarrassed as you are about to be." He said pointing at the wall behind them. Sora and Kairi looked up to find that Riku hand nailed a small piece of mistletoe to the wall above them. Their faces turned redder than The Beast's rose. They slowly met each others eyes and then…

BOOOOOOOM!

A loud crash was heard from outside. The trio drew their keyblades and ran outside. As Sora emerged from the shack he found that the noise came from a pillar of smoke near the Paopu tree. Sora sprinted toward the smoke but something flashed into existence in front of his face: a skull wearing a Santa suit. "BOO!" yelled Jack Skellington causing Sora to jump about three feet in the air and land flat on his back. "Merry Christmas, Sora!" Sora jumped to his feet. "Jack! What are you doing here?" he asked. "Well its Christmas and Sandy Claws asked if I would like to come and visit you!" he said "You mean he's here?" Riku and Kairi ran up behind him. "You know this bag of bones Sora?" asked Riku. "Yeah, this is Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King!"

"Isn't he a little late for Halloween?" asked Riku. "Well I do love to give people a scare," said Jack appearing beside Riku who ended up like Sora had a moment ago, "but I also like to help out Sandy Claws during Christmas. "Sandy who?" asked Kairi. "Do you guys remember telling me there is no such thing as Santa Claus? Well…" Sora turned and pointed into the smoke, where the shape of a sleigh being pulled by eight reindeer could now be seen. And sitting in the sleigh with a rather large bag of toys was Santa Claus. Riku and Kairi's eyes grew wide. "No way" said Riku. From the sleigh came a loud "HO! HO! HO!" as Santa hoped down and proceed toward them. "Well now, you two must be Riku and Kairi." He said in his cheery voice. Riku and Kairi were speechless.

"So did you just come to visit?" Sora asked Santa. "Of course not Sora, it's Christmas and I am Santa Claus. I've come to give you a gift, in fact this gift is for all the Destiny Islands!" Santa reached in his bag and a burst of energy flew out and exploded high up in the sky. Nothing happened for a few seconds, until Sora felt something cold hit his nose. "It's snowing!" he yelled. Riku caught a few flakes in his hand. "It's never snowed on the islands before, it's always to hot." he said watching the flakes melt in his hand. "This is magic snow Riku," said Santa. "It will last till tomorrow at sunset and then it will disappear."

"Thanks Santa! You too Jack!" Sora said while running around in the falling flakes. "It's the very least we could do after you help us rid our world of the Heartless," said Jack shaking Sora's hand. "Well Jack, we had best be leaving. There are many children in this word who need their presents." Santa said closing the bag and readying the reindeer. "Good-Bye Sora, Riku, and you too Kairi!" yelled Jack as he boarded the sleigh. Santa cracked a magical whip and the reindeer pulled the sleigh into the sky.

And they heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight:

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.


King Mickey flicked through images on his screen. It showed Sora, Riku, and Kairi in their homes asleep. The King sighed, knowing that he would have to disrupt the peace the three of them had made on the islands since their return. He pressed a button that would release a bottle with a note out of his Gummi Ship and into the ocean. "Sleep well," he muttered, "because tomorrow everything changes."


Sorry about the wait, I found this chapter hard to write in July and I don't think it is what I wanted in to be. However the story is about to pick up and I hope you will still want follow it till the end.

Chapter 4: Everyone's Waiting