Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy XIII

Okay, I'm kind of short on time right now, so thank you to all my readers, reviewers, favouriters and follows in the little hiatus we had, Merry Christmas, and

Enjoy!

Christmas Countdown

Vanille yelped as Hope narrowly dodged the flailing tail of the angry poisonous dog.

"Hope! Here!" She cast a cure spell his way before casting Esuna on Snow.

"Ah, thanks Vanille. Thought that poison was gonna get to my head soon." Snow cast a grin back at her before dealing a right hook so hard to the dog that it faded away.

"Who-hoo! Just one le— ahh!"

The pair fell back as an explosion so large knocked it them off their feet denotated before their very faces. The fire was blindingly bright against the dark night sky, and as the raging flames died down, they saw an apologetic looking Hope standing behind the inferno awkwardly.

"Sorry. Guess that new Firaga spell's more long-range, huh?"

He walked over and gave Vanille a hand up as Snow refused his help. "Just a bit!" She said with a giggle. Brushing herself down, she turned back to the nearby Sazh, Lightning and Fang, who were just finishing their own battle with some more of those annoying dogs.

"Did I just see someone set fire to half of Gran Pulse?" Fang shouted over to them.

"Sorry!" Hope called back, itching the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, well at least it warmed us all up slightly." Lightning commented.

Today was Christmas Eve. Except it didn't look like it at all. No snow anywhere in sight, no evergreen trees, no joyful singing nor even any cold. Just a chill that set over the plains at night and the knowledge that up there, on the Cocoon that floated high above them in the sky, there were children anxiously awaiting the coming of Santa and the one day a year that everything stopped, and became peaceful.

"Thinking' about Christmas?" Snow put a heavy hand on Hope's shoulder. "I'm afraid we're gonna be short on the presents this year."

"Oh, no. It's not that. I was just thinking how different this Christmas is from how I imagined it."

Snow nodded with a strained smile. "I thought I'd be married by now."

"I was planning on taking Dajh to see his mom. But I can't anymore. So let's move on, before we end up Christmas Dinner."

Sazh hearses them along, over towards their goal at the far end of the plains and whatever lay beyond.

"Um... Christmas?" Vanille asked shyly.

"You don't know Christmas?" Lightning asked in slight disbelief.

Fang shrugged. "Beats me. We had a Solstice but that was in June. Nothing to celebrate in December except the end of the year."

"You have been missing out!" Snow almost shouted, a wide grin back on his face.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell us all about it after we've dealt with these beasties." Fang lowered down into a fighting stance, assembling her lance and moving forwards to take the front line with Snow.

"It's a winter festival where we gave thanks for life on Cocoon. Some people even used to give offerings to the fal'cie, long ago."

"Yeah," Snow called back as he dealt a nasty punch to the side of the Behemoth, "but that stopped years ago."

Sazh dashes forwards, casting haste on Lightning as she sprinted forwards and leapt into the air, dealing a plunging stab to its tough hide. "Now, Fang!" She called, and gave the huntress a boost as she, too, flew into the air and dealt a sickening 'crack!' To the spine of the beast.

"Anyway," Snow continues as the Behemoth fell to the ground, unable to stand anymore, "it's more like a big excuse for a party."

"Or, it's the only time of year family gathers back together." Sazh countered, emptying a round of ammo into the Behemoth's neck where lightning had dealt a slice to the hide. "We're not like you Pulse folks, none of our families live in the same place. Ugh! Again!?" He yelled as he was splattered with green-yellow behemoth blood.

"Here." Hope chucked him a cloth dampened with water for Sazh to clean his face with. "Christmas is basically a day when everyone gives thanks, exchanges presents, eats nice food and sometimes sings carols."

"Carols?"

"Oh, Christmas songs."

"That's an awfully adult view of Christmas for a kid." Lightning ruffled a hand through his hair - although, as Hope was growing, it was getting harder and harder to do that.

"Hey! I turned sixteen the other day, remember?"

Lightning snorted and walked off, joining Sazh and Fang in the front guard.

"So, you just all gather and have fun all day? I like it!"

"What kind of food do you have though? That's the real question." Fang asked with a knowing smirk.

"Usually some kind of bird, vegetables, then gingerbread, mulled wine..."

"Oh, don't forget the Candy canes!" Hope added in, and Sazh raised a hand in thanks.

"Can't forget the candy canes, they were always Dajh's favourite. There's a whole lotta food, and a whole lotta baking."

"I love baking!" Vanille cooed in excitement.

"Yeah, we know." Lightning declares with a wry smile. Vanille has tried - unsuccessfully - to make orange bread over their pit fire. It hadn't worked in the slightest.

"I wonder how close we are to Christmas Day now."

"Well, if my calculations are correct, it should be upon us within four minutes."

"Four minutes? That's exciting!" Vanille chirped.

"No kidding. When this is all over you should have Christmas at mine and Sarah's. She bakes the most amazing peppermint slices."

No one had to look to know that Lightning was rolling her eyes.

"Yay! I'd love it!"

"I think you'd like decorating the tree, too."

"Oh yeah," Sazh laughed, "That's got Vanille written all over it!"

"What tree?" The girl looked between the two in confusion.

"We get an evergreen tree - a tree that never loses its leaves," he added, at her dumbfounded look, "and decorate it with all kinds of things. Little lights, decorations, ornaments."

"Yes! Ohh, I'm so excited for Christmas!"

They all laughed at her as she bounced along.

"Ahh!" Hope was knocked over by a glutinous flan, "jeez, they always hurt so much more than they look!" He stood, clutching his arm.

"Oh look, three have come to play! Vanille, here up Hope and then it's time for our magicians."

"Roger that." Sazh stepped up in line with Vanille and Hope, putting away his guns and focusing on summoning enormous spells.

"Thanks," Hope mumbled to Vanille as he felt his arm bones fall into position again.

A fiery whirlwind and icy maelstrom rained down on the three flans, beating hem until they were dizzy enough to be stunned.

"Stand back! I'll use Firaga. Vanille, you use Blizard on them and then Sazh, you follow up with Thundara."

"Got it, kid!"

If he hadn't been focusing on creating the largest fire spell he'd ever conjured before, Hope would've corrected them that he wasn't a kid anymore.

"Stand back!" Vanille yelled back to the others, as they all sucked as Hope yelled 'Firaga!' And a huge explosion of fire enveloped the three flans.

"Now!" Vanille cast her icy spell the moment the fire fled and the flans were almost knocked over with the power.

"Sazh!"

"Got it!" The thunder rained down from the sky, and the heat from the fire spell with the water and the electric fire created their very own thundercloud above their heads, the rain pouring down on them.

"Your turn!" Hope yelled over the rain at the three melee fighters as they ducked for cover under the nearest trees.

"Go is, Hey?" Sazh sniggered. "Oh, look," he pointed at the moon, to the sound of Fang's yells and Snow's punched wobbling off the flan's sticky bodies, "should just be a minute left to go."

"Hey, Snow! One minute till Christmas!" Vanille shouted over the rain.

"One minute? Oh, awesome! Hey, the rain's gone— ohh!" He flailed in the air and then got knocked back down to Earth.

Vanille And Hope ran out of the cover of the tree and started showing the melee fighters with curative magic. Only one clan remained, and it wasn't stunned anymore.

"Why's there always that one problem child?" Lightning grumbled.

"Sounds like you're talking from experience there? Soldier."

Lightning cast Sazh a dirty look, and went back to focusing her Ruin magic on the jellies body. Even though they looked like they should be tasty to eat, they all now knew from experience that this was not this case.

Vanille and Hope once again threw magic at the creature to stun it into a semi-conscious daze, while the melee fighters stepped back.

"Ohh, countdown time everybody!" Sazh yelled from the back. "Let's go from ten!"

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seve-ugh!" Snow got tossed to the ground with a glutinous slap. "Thanks." He sighed to Vanille as she cured his aching rib cage.

"Six!" Hope punctuated the final spell needed.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!" Snow punched the flan so hard that it disappeared, and he flipped back down to the ground.

"Merry Christmas!"

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