-A/N-: BOOM! HERE COMES THE BOOM! READY OR NOT, HERE COMES THE BOYS FROM THE SOUTH. Hmm... the mushy romance will probably only begin when Sora and his crew arrive at the Crypt for Christmas.

Disclaimer: All your hearts r belong 2 us (and Xemnas too).


"On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me, a Keyblade with a keychain of Mickeeey. On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me, two fiery chakrams and a Keyblade with a keychain of Mickeeey. On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me, three Paopu fruit -"

"Axel, please SHUT UP."

"Awww, but I wrote it just for you! Don't you want to know how it goes?"

"Maybe later. I don't want that stuck in my head all day!"

"Okay, how 'bout… Jingle bells, Sora smells, Roxas flew awaaaay -"

"Axel…"

"- Lost his pants when he saw me dance, and found out he was gaaaay. Hey!"

Roxas brought a hand to his face. Why me, he wondered, why me?!

"C'mon, Rox, lighten up! 'Tis the season to be jolly!"

"I'll start being jolly as soon as you stop singing Christmas songs!" Roxas snapped.

Axel grinned, but stopped his yodelling for his friends' sake. "Y'know, you're really cute when you're mad." He ruffled the blonde's unruly hair affectionately.

"Oh yeah?" Roxas smacked Axel's hand away lightly. "So, are you implying that I'm only cute when I'm mad?"

"Nah. You're cute every hour of the day. But you're especially cute when you're angry at me. Seeing you all hot and bothered does something for me."

Roxas couldn't help but smirk. Axel was always the sweet-talker. "I'll keep that in mind."

They both rounded a corner and found Naminé with Demyx, both standing right outside Vexen's scientific laboratory. They were just… standing there, stock still, staring into space as though they were distracted by something.

"Uh, hey guys, weren't we going to see Marluxia first?"

"Shh!" Naminé hissed, whilst Demyx put a finger to his lips comically. And Naminé signalled for them to come closer, which they did. "Can you hear that?" she whispered, tapping her ear once and then pointing to the locked door of Vexen's lair. Vexen spent a good number of hours in his laboratory daily, and only God knew what he did in there. He was a science nerd at heart.

Axel and Roxas cocked their heads to the side, wondering what they were supposed to be listening to.

And then they heard it.

Vexen's voice could be heard faintly through the thick wooden door (which had the sign 'Science Laboratory – Flammable Chemicals Within. AXEL, KEEP OUT' painstakingly tacked on with a nail). The Chilly Academic's voice was high and out of tune.

"… It doesn't show signs of stopping, and I brought some corn for popping. The lights are turned way down low… Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Axel's face broke into a silent guffaw. "Trust Mister Ice to be hyped up for Christmas," he laughed, "Bet he's trying to make snow."

Naminé suddenly clapped her hands together in glee. The shimmer in her eyes was back in full force. "Excellent!" she snapped her fingers as though she'd just come up with the most brilliant plan for world domination or something along those lines.

"What?" Roxas was startled (if not a little disturbed). The smile on her face reminded him of how Larxene would look when she wanted to eat one of them for breakfast.

Instead of giving the Keyblader a direct reply, she nudged him in the ribs. "You guys go force Marluxia into submission. I'm going to talk to Vexen in private for awhile." And she gave Roxas a light shove in the direction of Marluxia's garden and waved the rest of them off. "I won't be long," she promised. "Just make sure Marly agrees to the party. Bye now!" She turned back to the door of the lab and knocked.

"Slavedriver," Axel murmured under his breath as he and his other two companions walked away in search of the Graceful Assassin.

"So… Marluxia, huh?" Demyx said slowly. "He's a tough one to crack. Should we just not bother? He freaks me out." Which was true. Demyx was never quite comfortable around the man with the pink 'do. It seemed to go against his 'rocker' persona. "And we don't really need everyone to agree with us. We already have permission from Xem. All we really need is to let them know what's happening on Christmas."

"Yeah, those who aren't in favour can just mope and suffer on the day. We've got enough people helping out," Roxas said with a nod.

"Helping out?" Axel was confused.

"Luxord's preparing the banquet hall and setting up the Christmas tree and dance floor. I don't know where he's going to get that disco ball he wanted. Xigbar volunteered to cook the dinner. Demyx is obviously in charge of music, so he's gonna put up the amps and loudspeakers. And well, Naminé and I are doing decorations."

"Huh. Decorations, eh? Well then, don't forget the mistletoe," Axel reminded Roxas. "Like, stick whole bunches of them on the ceiling or something."

"If I do, I'm staying a good twenty feet away from you throughout the party."

"Ouch. That was subtle," Axel winced.

Demyx laughed, "You just got burned, Ax."

"Nah, he's probably just kidding."

"I'm serious," Roxas said shortly, ploughing on briskly. Good, they were nearing the indoor garden. After this, the Keyblader promised himself a good lunch. He was so hungry he could eat like, that talking dog thing that always followed Sora around.

"Fine, no mistletoe, then," Axel sighed.

They stopped at the glass doors of Marly's beautiful greenhouse (that utilized artificial lights in place of sunlight). Demyx peered in tentatively and spotted XI's pink hair among his blooming roses.

"He's in there. Should we knock?"

Axel answered the Melodious Nocturne's question quite well by simply shoving the glass doors open and barging into the enclosed garden as though he owned the place (like what he shamelessly did to Zexion before).

"Hey, Mar!" the redhead announced his presence loudly with grandeur, "Flowers doin' okay?"

Marluxia rose from where he had been crouched low and pruning a rose bush. He turned to face the boisterous fire-crazy man who was approaching him with expertly-concealed dislike and annoyance. What was this oddball of a traitorous dog doing in his immaculately beautiful garden?!

"My flowers are fine," the pink-haired Number XI replied with surprising calm. And then he spotted Demyx and Roxas at the door and the hold on the pair of shears in his hand tightened. "May I help you?" he asked curtly.

"Certainly!" Axel nodded. "We're just here to tell you that we're gonna have this Christmas dinner thing in a few days time and we're like, totally inviting people from upstairs." He pointed up to the ceiling for effect.

Marluxia narrowed his eyes. "Inviting people? Just who are we talking about?"

"Ah, you know, just Riku and Kairi… andthekidwhokilledyou," he added.

"Oh."

Roxas had to hand it to the Graceful Assassin. He was handling this quite well. Usually, he would have summoned his awesome scythe by now and threatened to behead Axel with one petal-filled swish of the blade.

"Well, how about it? Sound good to you?" Axel pressed on. "Christmas is the best time to have fun and be entertained. You can even help that compulsive gambler set up the Christmas tree and fill it with pink flowers and stuff," he offered slyly.

Marluxia looked thoughtful for a few moments. Finally, he asked, "And how exactly are the living beings going to get down here?"

"Ah, you forget, Marly," Demyx quipped. "We have a genius on our side."

"By genius, we mean that witch," Axel clarified. "She's gonna figure that out herself."

Marluxia frowned. "Okay. So, you're having a party," he said, as though speaking to himself. He looked back to his visitors with a hard gaze, "Well, what if I told you that I don't want a party?"

"Hmm," Axel tapped his chin, as though the question were a particularly hard one. There was a challenge in Pinky's voice. He could so see it (or hear it). "Okay, well, if you're going to be that way…" The redhead looked around and then snapped two fingers together.

And the rose bush that Marluxia had been pruning a minute ago promptly burst into flame.


Xigbar nearly fell off the couch in the lounge room as an ear-splitting scream pierced the air over the monotonous drone of Spongebob Squarepants on the television. He looked around wildly with one eye, heart hammering in his chest.

"What the hell was that?!"

No one was there to answer his question.

To him, it sounded like someone dying a painful death.


"Put it out! AXEL, putitoutputitpoutputitpout! PUT THE DAMN FIRE OUT RIGHT NOW!" Marluxia was yelling as he pulled at his pink locks hysterically. All traces of his calm and cool exterior vanishing as he helplessly witnessed his precious rose bush go up in smoke.

"Well, say it first," Axel chided coolly, silently revelling in Marly's pained expression.

Marluxia looked outraged. He gibbered nonsensically for a few seconds before finally roaring, "ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! YOU CAN HAVE YOUR STUPID PARTY! JUST STOP BURNING DOWN MY PLANTS!"

Axel smiled. "See? Wasn't that hard, was it?" And he turned to Demyx with a nod.

Demyx had to keep himself from laughing and he called forth a torrent of water that rained down on the flaming bush (and on Marly himself), putting out the blaze in the blink of an eye.

The top half of the bush was blackened and charred, the leaves and roses completely incinerated.

"My job here… is done."

And with that, Axel swept out of the garden with the rest of his makeshift posse trailing along in his wake. "Your cooperation is much appreciated, Marly!" the pyromaniac called back with a final wave and a huge smile.

Marluxia, Number XI of Organization XIII, the Graceful Assassin, the most prettiest of the Nobodies stared at his dead bush, his sopping hair dripping water into his eyes. And then, he screamed curses into the air, vowing that he would one day get his revenge against the redhead.


To be continued.

MARLUXIA GOT PWNED.
And we'll probably never find out what else Axel got for his 12 days of Christmas.
All reviewers get cookies.
-Throws cookies into the crowd-