Happy Holidays

Chapter Four: Mandolyn

Disclaimer: Disney and SquareSoft own them, or whatever their name is, okay? Except for Zephyr, who is owned by Vulpes Lapis and one more thing, if you have no IDEA who or what Zephyr is, you can go to hell. Peace!

(A/N: Anyways, this chapter is mostly focused on Sora, but not ALL on Sora. So enjoy!)

Turning around, he felt a rush of wind. Facing a bright light, he felt the wind blowing around him, rustling his cloths and hair. He squinted his eyes as a figure drew nearer. A great gust of wind hit him as he saw a beautiful woman, no angel, no woman, no angel; he couldn't make up his mind. Her golden dress billowed around her heaveningly. Her brown hair whirled behind her even though the wind blew the other direction. As if floating, she stopped right in front of him, smiling she gently dipped her head down, and softly kissed his lips. Looking up, she gently ran her hand down the side of his face. Just as suddenly as she appeared, she was being blown backwards by an unknown force. Just as she was just about to disappear in the golden clouds, someone, maybe she, whispered something.

"Mandolyn. . ."

Sora awoke with a start, looking around dazedly. He slowly put his hand to his mouth. The details from the wonderful dream were slipping through his mind like water through a sift. As all the details disappeared through a hazy cloud of smoke, he fell back on the bed, now depressed. Closing his eyes, he tried hard to remember the dream, but nothing came. Wondering if he even had the dream, started to become relevant. Succumbing to sleepiness once again, the darkness whirled around him.

"Shhh! Be quiet!" She said giggling helplessly. Hiding his smile, Leon looked back to his hand of cards, apparently thinking quite hard. "Hurry up!" Yuffie said impatiently. "Hold on, these things take time." He looked back to his cards, then back at the scattered cards on the floor, and then back to his own cards. Rolling her eyes, she looked down to her own cards.

"Okay," Leon said looking up, "Do you have a 7?"

Grinning, Yuffie shook her head, "Nope, go fish."

"Damnit!" Leon cursed. Giggling, Yuffie whispered yelled to him, "Shhhhhh! Keep your voice down before Cloud comes in hear and kills you!" She looked down to her own cards, then thinking deeply, looked back at Leon, "Do you have a, uh, um, jack?" Not hearing an answer, she looked back up to him as the candle flickered out, leaving them in pitch darkness, gasping, she felt movement and arms wrapping around her from the side. Dropping her cards, she turned and met his lips, wrapping her own arms around his neck; they fell back kissing passionately. On top of him, Yuffie brought her head up to breath and set her head on his chest, getting comfortable. Stroking her hair, his other hand stayed on her waist, keeping her from rolling off. She suddenly looked up at him, grinning.

"What?" He asked softly. "I won," she said bringing her head down toward his. You could just make out, "The hell you did," before they're lips met again.

The next morning, Aerith knocked softly on Leon's and Yuffie's door, hearing nothing, she opened the door a little bit, and stuck her head inside, Leon and Yuffie were cuddled up together in a blanket on the floor next to the scattered playing cards. She smiled as she carefully closed the door behind her. Still grinning, she continued down to the café.

"Goddammit Zephyr!" Cid bellowed.

"Sorry sir." She said looking tired and worn out. She always did what he asked, before he even asked her to do it. To Cid, it was fucking annoying. Anyways, he had turned around about to ask her to store the new items in the back room, when she crashed into him, knocking him down, along with the supplies, and herself. He helped her collect the strewn items, and put them back in the box. She stood up, holding the box, and then made her way to the back room. Shaking his head, Cid called out to her, "I'm going to lunch, be back soon!"

She appeared looking confused, "But sir, it's only 9:00?"

"Point is?" She said nothing. "Okay then, be back around the time I get back."

She watched him leave and sighed, "He's gone, you can come out now."

A sleepy eyed Yuffie opened her eyes; blinking a few times she turned her head to see a still sleeping Leon beside her. She smiled, cuddling up closer to him. She closed her eyes again, pulling the blankets closer around her, feeling his arms tightening around her, she looked up at him to see his eyes open as well, both smiled as he pulled her up to him into a soft kiss. Breaking apart, she opened her mouth to say something when there was a big crashing noise, which sounded like somebody either pushing a pile of crates over, or falling down while on one.

Both sets of eyes widening, they quickly got up and ran to the window. Yuffie, who was still covered in the blanket, pulled the blanket tighter about her as Leon opened the window and a blast of cold winter air hit them. Standing behind him, she tugged his shirt, "Do you see anyone in the alley?" Still looking out the window, he shook his head, "Not that I can see." Shrugging, he turned around and swept her up in his arms, giggling, she pulled herself up to kiss him. They pulled apart, then Leon bent his head down to nuzzle her neck, helplessly, she started giggling again. Whoa, she thought, I've been giggling way too much lately, weird. . .

Pushing open the hotel doors, Sora shivered as the nippy air hit him. Pulling his coat tighter about him, he continued walking toward the café. His mind kept roaming to the girl, no woman, which he had seen yesterday. He was very obsessed with finding out who she was. He was almost desperate, almost as if he'd seen her before. He felt something wet and cold hit his nose, and he stopped walking and looked up at the sky. Snow. It was snowing. Well, he thought as he looked back to in front of him, it's about time, it's December 20th for pete's sake. He kicked some rocks on the ground as he started walking once more. Hearing footsteps, he looked up to see Zephyr walking, well, limping, and rubbing her left arm. She looked up at him, "Don't ask."

"Wasn't gonna," he replied as he continued walking.

Yuffie walked out of Cid's shop, in time to see Sora, drawing nearer. He looks blue doesn't he? She told herself. Wonder what happened to him. As he reached her, she walked out to him.

"Hey Sora! What's up?" She said brightly.

"The sky," he said in a monotones voice.

Her eyes widened at his tone of voice as he walked around her. She turned to watch him continue on his way. His shoulders hunched, and his head down, she thought for a moment.

Suddenly, a big grin formed on her lips.

"That's it!" She cried out. "What's it?" A deep voice asked from behind her. Knowing who it was, she replied, "Nothing, nothing."

Holding hands, Yuffie and Leon ran into the café, just to get away from the blizzard, which had been blowing since about noon. Letting go of his hand, she unzipped her coat, and hung it on the hook, Leon followed suit, then followed her to a booth after ordering two mugs of hot chocolate. Sitting next to Leon, Yuffie looked around the café as he put an arm around her. It was pretty much empty, which was a big surprise figuring on the weather, except for Aerith and Cloud, who were making out in a booth near the back. Rolling her eyes, she leaned into Leon, as the door opened, and a frozen looking person walked in. She appeared to be about as tall as Sora, waist length brown hair, sporting a long wool coat. She walked to the counter, ordered a coffee, and then sat down in the booth next to Leon's and Yuffie's. Yuffie looked up at Leon to see if he was looking at the pretty woman, but he had his eyes closed. The woman took off her coat, and opened a magazine. Just then the door opened yet again, this time the frozen person was Sora, who was pink in the face, and still depressed looking. He looked around to see Aerith and Cloud, then sniggered, then saw Leon and Yuffie and made a weak smile, then his eyes traveled to the woman in the next booth over. He blushed horribly, and turned around, and grabbed his coat, and left before he even got it on all the way. Yuffie sighed, well that was weird.

The next day, Cloud walked into Cid's shop, humming meeting his ears. He looked around to see Yuffie, humming the tune to, Jingle Bells? Now totally and utterly confused, he walked up to her.

"Um, Yuffie?" She looked over at him.

"What?"

"Wasn't it Halloween, like, two days ago?"

"Yea, the author just skipped a month or two, its kinda December 21."

His eyes widened, "It-it is?"

She rolled her eyes, then started singing, "Joy to the world, our teacher's dead, we barbequed her head! And to get rid of the booooody, we flushed it down the poooooty, and around and around it goes! And around and around it goes! And around and around and around, it, GOES!"

Muttering to himself, Cloud walked out of the shop. Smiling, Yuffie continued decorating the small tree on the counter. It had blue, white, and purple lights, and cute little ornaments of deer, snowflakes, and icicles. She smiled to herself, and started humming Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer.

Meanwhile. . .

Sora was sitting on a bench in the square of the Third District. His eyes roamed to the fountain, which sat in the middle of the square, surrounded by bushes and some sidewalk, it's a statue of a maiden standing up with her arms reaching for the sky, with two dolphins, one on either side of her. It's quite beautiful. Usually it has water running, coming out of her hands, and the dolphin's mouths, but in the winter it's turned off. Looking at the maiden's face and her other features, it reminded him of that woman he had seen. Long flowing hair, beautiful eyes, a face showing angelic features. He shook his head, I'm probably all wrong, he thought to himself.

"She seems so different, but also familiar." He rolled his eyes.

"Great, just great, I'm talking to my self." He sighed deeply. He just wished that he wouldn't have run out of the café like he did.

"I just wish I-"He stopped, just then the woman he had seen in the street and at the café, started walking toward him. He gulped as she stopped in front of him. She carefully took off her sunglasses, to show her brown orbs. She smiled, putting her hand out, Sora, opened mouth, blinked a few times, then closing his mouth, slowly shook her hand.

"Hi, my name is Mandolyn. . ."

FLASHBACK

Ten year old Sora skipped along the beach, laughing at something he remembered Riku telling him earlier that day. Suddenly he heard a revving noise above him; he stopped and looked up as a gummi ship cut through the sky. Trying to smooth his flying hair out his face, he turned around, so the wind was blowing his hair away from his face. Just then, something, no someone, fell, or jumped, from the ship, falling fast toward the ocean. Eyes widening, Sora watched as the person got ever closer to the water, as the gummi ship flew off, disappearing into the clouds. Turning around, Sora yelled for Riku, then started running out to the water, he flinched as the person, hit the water, and not resurfacing. Gasping, Sora ran faster, and then dived into the water, now underwater, he reached the girl, her long hair was spread around her pale face. She was unconscious. Sora reached her, and put an arm around her waist, and pulled her up, swimming, he reached to top with her, gasping for air, he started pulling her toward shore. Struggling, he managed to get her to the shore. Breathing heavily, Sora turned her over on to her back, she was pale, and her lips had a tint of blue. He stared down at her, she looked so fragile, but he had no clue who she was or where she is from. About to lose hope, her eyes opened, and she started coughing up water. As she sat up, Sora gently patted her back. As the coughing subsided, she looked around, then at Sora. She moved away from him a little, and then looked around again.

"Where am I?" She asked him, eyes still wide with fright.

"This is Destiny Islands." He said slowly. By the look on her face, she had never heard of it before.

"I-I'm fr-from, I ca-can't remember," she stuttered.

"What's your name? My name is Sora."

Her eyes traveled back to him, "Ma-Mandolyn-my name is Mandolyn."

FLASHBACK ENDS

"Are you okay?" Sora snapped back to reality.

"Yo-your th-the little girl!" She looked confused and taken aback, but she thought for a moment, then peered closer to him.

She gasped, almost dropping her sunglasses. "You're Sora!" Her eyes were wide as she said that.

Sora slid into the booth of the small café in one of the outer districts. It was small and cozy with red sashes over the lamps to give off a reddish light; he turned his gaze to Mandolyn who is sitting to the right of him.

"So," he started awkwardly, "How have you, uh, been?"

She met his eyes, "I've been good, I live about three blocks from here in an apartment." Averting his gaze, she gazed around the room. A waitress walked up to their table, and set menus in front of them. Both opened their menus and went through them.

Holding her hot chocolate mug between her hands, Yuffie looked up at Leon as he took a sip and set his on the table.

"Earlier today, when I came out of Cid's shop, what did you mean by "that's it"?" When he finished, Yuffie took another sip of her hot chocolate. Getting comfortable against him, she looked around the café.

"Well, have you noticed that Sora's been acting, well, uh, strange?" Leon nodded.

"Well, he's been acting down in the poops. And I noticed how when he came in here this morning, he saw that lady, and he just booked it."

"So?" Leon said.

"Don't you think it means anything?" Leon thought for a moment.

"You don't think-?"

"Exactly, he's met her before, and has the hots for her." Leon looked skeptical.

"Oh come on! Didn't you see the look on his face? And he blushed so bad I thought he was going to explode!" Eyes widening, Leon grinned, something you don't see very often.

Wondering what was so funny that he actually grinned, she asked him, "What?"

Not answering her, he looked down to her, and raised his eyebrows, and almost as if he was telepathically telling her something, her eyes widened, and she smacked him one.

"Well, after I left Destiny Islands with my new, foster parents, I found out later that my parents had been killed in a fire, and the arsonists had kidnapped me." As she paused, she took a sip of her coffee, looking over the rim of her mug at Sora. Swallowing the hot liquid, she continued, "Then, when I turned 15, I moved out of my foster parent's house, oh, by the way, we lived in the 7th district, about 100 miles from here. It's a really small town, anyways; I worked for a while as an assistant manager at a department store in the 6th district, about 10 miles from my parent's house. Then, I was tired of my tiny apartment, and my job, my boss was a real prick. So when I turned 16 I moved out here, got a bigger apartment, and work steady as a veterinarian. I own two horses, and two cats." As she finished, she took a deep breath and sipped her coffee.

While she was talking, Sora sat listening attentively. She has lead such a normal life compared to me, Sora thought to himself.

Interrupting his thoughts, she started talking again, "I heard somewhere that you were the Keyblade master." Silence.

"Thank you." Looking up from his "interesting" napkin, Sora looked at her confused.

"For what?"

Almost on the brink of tears, brown eyes met blue, "I would wake up every morning, terrified, because I knew heartless would be coming. I had nightmares of being taken by those creatures, almost every night I would cry myself to sleep, hoping and praying that I would wake up alive." She looked down, Sora watched as one tear ran down her face. She quickly whipped it away, and then blew her nose.

Sighing, she looked back up to him, her eyes were full of pain, "Then one day, about 3 months before they disappeared, they took-, th-they ki-killed them!" Now crying she covered her face with her hands, softly crying into them.

"Who?" Sora asked gently. She looked up with sparkling eyes, tears running down her cheeks.

"My foster parents." As she blew her nose, Sora understood why this was so upsetting for her, she had never told anyone, or never had anyone to tell. She finished her coffee, and then stood up, putting on her jacket.

"I need to be getting home." Sora stood up and pulled on his jacket as well. As she turned to leave, he stopped her, before she knew it; arms were embracing her in a friendly hug. She put her arms around his neck, resting her head against his.

"If you ever need anything, or someone to talk to, I'm here." Sora whispered in her ear. They broke apart, and she said, "Thank you." Smiling weakly, she turned, and made her way to the door; she stepped out into the snow, and disappeared into the billowing whiteness. Sighing, Sora made his way out of the small café. As he passed the fountain on his way to the hotel, he stopped and looked up at it. As he stared at the maidens face, he remembered Mandolyn's story, it was so sad, it sounded like something from Yuffie or Leon's past. Stepping into the 1st district, Sora shivered as the wind picked up, he looked up in time to see two people, one of them really big looking, the other taller and thinner, run into a nearby alley. As Sora stopped in front of the alley, he looked inside, and gasped. It was Riku, and, and. . .

"Zephyr?"