Warning: This chapter had not been beta'ed.
One more chapter to go after this. Wow, it's taken such a long time! And Christmas is on Sunday, which is only two days away! (flails) Gah, how will I ever finish this on time?
Well, it is Christmas, so maybe something good will finally happen and I'll manage to finish it. I sincerely doubt it, but that's all right. Merry Christmas everyone.
And I'm glad you liked the last chapter, Fire. That brightened my day.
The Second of the Three Spirits
The bells' chiming did not awaken him from his slumber, but instead caused his mind to grapple for the hazy existence of dreamless sleep it had once upheld. Memories of the night before stuck to his insides, going as far as to create a bitter taste on the inside of his mouth. It glued his eyes together tightly, darkness embedding his skin and laying still over his eyelids, clogging his ears so that the chiming of the bells was nothing more than but a muffled bark of brass.
Quarter past...
Riku shivered slightly above the covers, curling up into fetal position and fingers desperately clutching them as if letting go meant he'd slip off of the bed and into unearthly oblivion.
Half past...
He moaned slightly, a rancid sting echoing within the dry confines of his mouth and cracking the foggy aura surrounding his slowly-waking mind.
Quarter of...
Please let it have all been a dream, Riku thought desperately. Let me sleep... it was all a dream. Nothing but a nightmare...
One.
Nothing happened. And nothing did happen. Riku lay as still as possible, the only movement in his desolate room the steady rise and fall of his chest underneath his clothes. His sea-green eyes were cracked open a sliver, dim light slipping through the crevice and washing over his irises, making him wince.
He blinked, quickly getting used to the dim light, before fully opening his eyes. His gaze darted over to the curtains. They were closed except for a slim inch in the middle through which evening light flowed though. A slice of the clock tower was just visible beneath the cotton folds, it's face reflecting years of time and wisdom from it's age. The hands that slowly ticked by, almost mocking the man with their crawling pace, slowly ticked to two minutes past one.
"Maybe it was a dream..." Riku whispered, his voice not entirely returned to him from his night of sleep. Slowly, he sat up and looked down. There were no sheets ensnaring his legs, no nightwear adorning his pale body. No softly glowing embers beneath spindly grates in the heater, lamp laying in a stationary unlit fashion. There was no noise, not even the chirping of the doves that had nested atop Riku's small house.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
Or, perhaps, it had not been a dream.
Surprisingly, Riku had not jumped when the loud voice cracked through the silence in the room. He had felt the explosion of heat that radiated through the room, seeping into his body, mere moments ago. And he knew it could have only come from one thing...
"Another spirit, I presume?" Riku asked, sighing and raking his fingers through silver tresses before cracking his neck, refusing to look behind him at the newcomer.
"Ahyuck, yup! That's me!"
Riku frowned a bit. Donald's voice had been strange as well, uncommonly accented, just as this stranger's was. But he was not used to the way... it was spoken. What was with the laugh?
Slowly twisting his neck, upper torso contorted a bit to support the change in position, Riku took in the view of the... extremely odd creature.
There was no way as to tell what kind of species this spirit was, Riku realized. It stood at least a head above the man, some fix feet would be an appropriate guess. He (at least, what Riku assumed was a 'he') had thin black fur that matched the dark color of his round nose which perched itself on the tip of a peach-colored muzzle. Long, round eyes, bright with joyful wonder and happiness, looked at Riku interestedly. On his head was something that resembled a bowler hat, although it was much taller and drooped to the side a bit with a gossamer sheen. His hands were covered in white gloves and curled, resting on his hips. He had a silver tailcoat on, gold chain wrapping around his waist and trailing down gangly legs to meet white boots that puffed at the edges of creamy fluff. His jacket was tailored with bronze clippings that held it in place over a button down shirt.
"Who... are you?" Riku asked slowly. He thought 'what are you?' would have been a more appropriate question, but it was hardly polite.
"I'm Goofy! It's nice to meet'cha, Riku!" Goofy laughed, arms folding themselves over his chest. "Gawrsh, you look just like Sora said you would!"
"So you're another one of Sora's friends, eh?" Riku murmured apprehensively, beginning to doubt Sora's taste in companions.
"Yup, that's right! And I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present!"
"Present?" Riku blinked. "If it is the present that you represent, then why can I not simply walk the streets as I am now? I see all of the foolishness Christmas has brought these days; I have no need of seeing it through another's perspective."
"Oh yeah? Well I say you do, Mr. Grumpy Puss!" Smile curling down into a reprimanding frown, Goofy said, "I have to show ya what Christmas is really like! See if we can get those gray-colored glasses off of yer face!"
"Gray-colored glasses...?" Riku murmured, raising a thin silver eyebrow. "Do you not meant 'rose-colored glasses'?"
"Nope, they're gray-colored, all right," Goofy nodded. "With rose ones, all you see is good in the world! Although that's kinda bad, it ain't as awful as gray-colored ones. With yours, you overlook the good and are determined to see the bad! We've been watching you with Sora, Riku, for the past year. And even now, I can still see them stuck on your face!" He reached over and tapped the bridge of Riku's nose in a scolding manner.
Riku, who hadn't noticed the spirit had gotten so close to him, unconsciously reached up to rub at the spot where Goofy had tapped. Gray-colored glasses? Was that really how he saw the world?
Well, he mused, it's better then going off gallivanting like the rest of the fools in this town.
"So are ya ready to go?" Goofy asked, happy smile back in place.
Riku worried if this creature was bipolar.
"Yes... but I have one question for you," Riku told him.
"Oh? And what's that?"
"What kind of... animal are you?"
Goofy laughed. "I'm a dog, of course!" Goofy shook his head wildly and it was then that Riku noticed two large, floppy ears that were previously plastered to the side of the dog's head. Also, a short tail, a foot or so, stuck out from a hole in his pants.
Briefly wondering as to why he had not noticed this earlier, Riku said, "All right then, take me where you wish. How many places will we be visiting tonight, Spirit?"
The dog held up one gloved finger. "Only one!" Goofy informed him, wagging the finger back and forth before curling it pack into place by his other four digits. "And none of that 'Spirit' stuff, either, 'kay? My name's Goofy!" Chuckling, he reached a hand out to Riku. "It's nice to meet'cha!"
Riku eyed the outstretched hand wearily. He had not met someone so friendly for a very long time... Tidus was quite jubilant as well, but this was different. A complete stranger, a warm heart...
Face set into one of determination, Riku reached out and clasped hands with the tall hound.
Goofy shook once.
And everything changed.
Riku felt as if he were being sucked down into the ground. Color blurred and whipped past him, skin straining to leave bone and tissue as it urged itself to go with the flourishing brightness that was quickly diminishing above their heads. Riku would have screamed, more of shock then pain, for he really felt no sense of agony, but the tightness clenched his windpipe, choking of all means for any sound, screams depleting themselves as they tried to find a way out of his gaping mouth.
The suction slowly ceased, releasing the pressure it was building on every inch of Riku's flesh that had begun to crawl with uncomfortable tingles. Tiny pin drops of sweat beaded across his pale skin, causing his clothes to stick to his body like a second skin. Cold air wrapped itself around his thin body, squeezing slightly, making the vapor on his body slowly cool away. It left a trembling coldness on his arms, torso, and legs, but this fact was quickly forgotten when he caught a blond blob move somewhere off to his right.
Head snapping towards said direction, he caught sight of the body which held the messy slop of yellow. A scarf was wrapped tightly around a man's throat, mouth, and nose, steam leaking through the top of the wool and creeping up through the winter air, only to twirl once before dwindling away into nothingness. Gloved hands were stuffed into pockets, keen to escape the frigid air. The parka, which was a moldy-looking brown with tears that were neatly sewn back together and worn down to a few strands scraping along the cloth with frayed ends, was puffy and thick around the man. His brown slacks looked thin and hardly suitable for such weather, the boots underneath the leggings sopping wet and with their soles slapping along the slushy streets as they separated from the rest of the shoe, showing white socks. But despite the raggedy appearance of a poor man, blue eyes bright with candid humor lit up his appearance in merriment, and they seemed to be bright enough, warm enough, to keep any sort of cold away.
"Tidus..." Riku murmured in awe. He stood there for several moments, the only sound being the crisp crunching of snow beneath Tidus' feet and the soft whisper of snowy wind that gusted through the air and blowing through sleeping homes and empty streets, twisting through the dark night's stars.
"Hey... aren't ya gonna follow him?" Goofy asked curiously, confused by Riku's statue-like position.
Goofy's voice brought Riku out of his stupor, making the man shake his head to catch up with reality. When he finally regained some bit of composure, Riku gathered his courage back up into a bundle, making sure it was in check with his rapidly beating heart as to what he would find at Tidus' house, and moved forward.
Tidus was, Riku found, gently humming a Christmas carol under his breath. The melody sent shivers down Riku's spine. It brought back an uneasy set of memories, all drifting through his mind and sending his emotions into an oblivion of sadness. He and Sora... had used to sing carols like this. Or even hum them, walking home from the publishing shop on late December nights. Going door to door, singing the same lyrics over and over again, ones that never grew old and never failed to bring a happy face to those of passerby.
"Hey, what's the matter?" Goofy asked gently, pressing a hand to Riku's shoulder and squeezing reassuringly . "You look like you're about to cr---"
"Nothing is wrong," Riku snapped, abruptly twisting his body as he yanked himself from Goofy's hold and furling his face to the side and ducking it, silver bangs hanging over his face to hide himself from his companion. Goofy said nothing more, instead choosing to walk in silence by the stony-faced adult who was sending withering glares at the snow beneath his feet.
The streetlights were growing fewer and fewer in number, their scarce light dizzying in the blur of darkness that surrounded them all. The soft glow illuminated the snow in the air where it shown, making it seems like they were walking through white fleece when passing under the lamp posts. The dark areas was nothing but walking through black ice, leaving the body aching to retrieve the sweet sanctuary of warm light that the lamps gave off.
The blond, still humming quite cheerfully under his breath, took a turn down a narrow street. It made Riku's pace falter a bit, a deep frown settling over his features. "What is he doing down this street?"
Goofy didn't answer. For he knew very well why, and had no intention of being the bearer of bad news to an already sullen man.
Riku followed his nephew, keeping his pace brisk to mirror Tidus' own footfalls, keeping five feet behind him as if the man honestly thought Tidus could hear him if he crept too close.
Finally, some five minutes later, they reached a battened down door. It seemed to not have been bolted in correctly for there was an inch long gap, starting narrow by the hinges before steeping down steadily towards the end of the tarnished wooden frame.
Tidus marched happily up to it, shaking a hand loose from a pocket to grasp the bronze handle with a gloved hand, fumbling a bit before managing to slip it open. Despite the horrible impression the lonesome front of the house had given, perceived by both newcomers as old and decrepit, when the door was opened, both Goofy and Riku were bathed in the warmest glow of sugar-cookie scented cloud, washing over their skin and adding the tiniest of twinkles in the corners of their eyes. Except for Goofy, to which the twinkle grew brighter, seeing as he always seemed to be bouncing with joy.
Riku stood there, watching as Tidus finally stepped through. Loud peals of laughter suddenly rung out from the tiny home, sounding brighter and louder than anything Riku'd ever heard before. Edging closer to the doorway, he slowly peaked his head through the door and blinked.
Tidus was now on the floor, his scarf laying open and under his neck, haven come unraveled. Stuck to his chest, apparently clinging for dear life, were three tiny children. One had a mess of blond hair crammed on his hair, like his father, with a thin scar running sideways down his face. Another had straight brown hair to her shoulders, the little brunette with her arms wrapped tightly around Tidus' neck as she giggled, smacking a kiss on his cheek. The third looked to be too tiny to walk on her own, but nevertheless, she sat proudly on her father's chest. Her blonde hair was in a mess of braids that flopped every which way on her head and down her back, ending in mahogany beads. All three children looked a bit worse for wear. They're clothes looked better suited for fall. Though long-sleeved and panted, long skirts for the girls, they all had an assortment of tears that were, once again, sewed neatly together. The clothes were obviously cotton and looked very thin.
Riku stood there in silence, watching as Tidus struggled to stand, laden down with the burden of his children's weight and his own turmoil of loud laughter. But he didn't seem to mind, really...
"Tidus, you're home!"
Riku, who was in the middle of stepping over the threshold, moved over out of habit as a brunette came bustling happily bye, pushing the door back closed. Riku saw Goofy step through the door, but he focused his gaze on Selphie's bright face as her green eyes narrowed playfully at her husband and children's playful banter.
"And where have you been, Mister?" she asked, a mocking tone in her voice. Her eyes glinted with silent laughter, lips curled up into a big smile.
"Visiting Riku, of course!" Seeing his wife's partly eager, partly hopeful gaze, Tidus' smile fell a bit, now with a hint of sadness in it. "I'm afraid he won't be joining us..."
Riku's heart tinged a little bit, guilt thrilling up inside of him at the sound of sadness in Tidus' words. His wife, Selphie, only made Riku feel worse.
"I did not really expect him to..." she murmured with a tiny sigh. "But I hoped... that, well, he would get better after a year. And maybe..."
"He will come around," Tidus assured her. Groaning, the blond began to shuffle through his three children in a fight to sit up, and then to stand. "Come on, kids, time to get off..."
"Uncle Riku is not coming?" the brunette asked sadly, bright eyes staring up at her father. Riku was slightly amused to see that her parents' genes had had a battle with this one; one eye was green, the other blue.
"I am afraid not, Yuna," Tidus quipped. He lifted her into his arms before settling her down on one strong shoulder. "But we're gonna go visit him tomorrow!"
"Yay!" she squealed, wrapping her thin arms around Tidus' head in as much of a hug as she could muster, tiny fists clenching into blond tuffs of hair.
"Why should we go and visit him?" the blond boy hissed, eyes glaring up into blue ones.
"Because he is your uncle," Tidus reprimanded, leaning town to lightly flick his son's nose. Riku watched as the small blond stuck his tongue out at Tidus before scuttling off, trotting towards the small table that stood at the end of a one-roomed floor.
"Gawrsh, sure seems like a nice place," Goofy commented, making Riku nearly jump out of his skin in surprise. Once again, he had forgotten that the presence of a spirit was standing right behind him.
"Nice?" Riku snorted. He waved an arm around the dirty house, the motion sweeping over a threadbare carpet, cracked walls with molted paint, a fireplace with cracked bricks; a tiny stove with what looked to be the tiniest of chickens ever borne roasting in the glowing red embers, shudders that were boarded up for the winter to keep out the chill, dirty dishtowels clogging up the numerous gaps that ran throughout the walls and under the windows, gaping through door frames.
"Now don't you be that way!" Goofy said, glaring and leaning forward with his hands curled on his hips again. "Now tell me truthfully, this home... what's the difference between here and your place?"
"Mine is suitable to live in?"
"Anything else?"
Riku frowned in compensation, brows furrowed as he thought. What did this place have that his house did not? The only source of light and heat was in a coal-burning stove, not an oil lamp to be seen. The table and chairs looked as if they could not hold more then five pounds each. Every inch of space looked well-used, tarnished, not clean like it was in Riku's house.
And then it hit him.
"This place... is a home," Riku whispered. "It feels so much different from mine... It feels..."
"Warm?" Goofy asked, looking quite delighted at the fact that Riku had finally caught on. "Safe?"
He beamed at Riku's tiny nod of consent.
"And they were willing to share all of this with you," Goofy reminded him. He too motioned around the room with a grand wave of his hand. But this time, Riku caught the sight with a new light. The tarnished space looked well used with love, cherished and used at every chance the family could have. The small chicken looked like a grand feast, the table and chairs telling stories of hundreds of family dinners, their laughter and chatter lining every circle in the wood, until it became so loud and infection that the house itself cracked from it.
"It is not much too share..." Riku murmured, desperately plucking at anything that could serve as a decent argument.
"But they wanted to anyway," said Goofy sternly. "And you turned them down... and it's Christmas, too!"
Riku ignored him, his face becoming stone once again. Selphie, upon her husband's return, had clogged the one inch gap above the door with a towel, was now saying: "Rikku, go and get Luffy, would you?"
"'Rikku'?" Riku muttered. "What in..."
"Don't ya remember?" Goofy exclaimed. "They named her after you all those years ago!"
"No... I don't remember," Riku replied stiffly. He sniffed, and resumed listening to the family's conversation.
"I'll go and get him," Tidus volunteered. He bounded over to the stairwell and hopped up them two-at-a-time, making Selphie laugh as her three children bugged her as to why he was allowed to do it and they were not.
Moments later, young laughter, mixed in with Tidus' rich voice, floated down from the upstairs. Tidus came trotting down the stairs with a small boy perched on his shoulder, tiny arms wrapped around his head.
Riku had always thought of Luffy as an oddball, from the way he behaved to the way he looked. His raven black hair was sloppy, but not spiked up as Tidus' was or as neat as Selphie's. His dark eyes were the perfect contrast to his parents'. The only similarity Luffy shared with his family was a scar that ran along his left cheek, his brother Seifer having a scar as well.
"Dad, dad, I was a pirate today!" he was laughing, a huge grin smeared on his face.
"Oh, were you?" Tidus said distractedly as he carried his smallest son to the table.
"Yeah! I was the king of the seven seas!" he squealed.
"Interesting."
"Daaad, are you listening to me?"
"Mhmm."
"Yeah, yeah! I was the pirate king from those stories Uncle Sora and Uncle Riku used to tell us! Remember those?"
"Sure do, Luffy."
Luffy's speech grew so fast that it was no longer coherent, but his father paid rapt attention anyway, as if he could understand every word coming from his mouth. Everyone else was gathering at the table now. Seifer was sitting next to Rikku and was attempting to pull on his sister's braids until she firmly kicked him in the shins for it. Yuna sat down quietly, smiling gently and waiting patiently with her hands folded neatly on her lap. Luffy was still rambling to an only half-listening parent as Selphie carried the small chicken to the middle of the table, pausing only to reach down and give her husband a quick peck on the lips. All the other children at the table made noises of utmost disgust, making the two adults laugh loudly.
"All right, it is time to eat!" the brunette said happily, green eyes dancing in the candle light as she took her place at the opposite end of the table. "Let us say our thanks."
Riku was silent through Selphie's prayer, in which she thanked all of the members of the family at least twice. That is definitely Selphie, Riku thought absent-mindedly. That foreign feeling was back, and this time, it was out of fondness. But now Riku did not even try to hide it. He did not want to hide it.
"And lastly, thank you to Uncle Riku," Selphie finished, "for this fine meal, and for the cherished memories he has brought to us. We hope that wherever he is now, whatever he is doing, he finds his happiness during this time of year. Thank you, Lord. Amen."
As "Amen," was chorused around the table, a deep well of sadness frothed within Riku's heart. After all this time, all the grief he had caused them, they still had it in them to care?
"Hey... how about we go back, now, huh?" Goofy suggested hesitantly, leaning forward and gently grasping Riku's trembling shoulder. "You don't look too good..."
Riku said nothing; he had no more words to speak. Understanding his silence, Goofy gently tugged Riku back and that swallowing sensation was back, sucking at every pore and fiber of the man's being. But did he take notice of it? No. He was too busy, steeped within his own thoughts that could not even make sense of themselves.
Why would someone take the time to care about me?
Stability returned to the ground, Riku's legs feeling more like jelly then blood and bone. Goofy helped him over to the bed, that was still a mess from his tossing and turning earlier on. He gently pulled back the sheets and lowered Riku's body to the mattress.
I have only brought to them pain...
"Get some sleep," Goofy advised, trying in vein to bring a smile forthwith that just would not come. "The last spirit will be the toughest one of us all.
Am I really as alone as I thought I was?
"G'night, Riku."
Riku said nothing in return.
Have I really been wrong all these years?
The warmth flickered and died in a heartbeat, the cold filling his barren house once more. Cold, stiff sheets enveloped his body like weights, holding him down and making him feel stiff. His limbs were involuntarily stubborn, refusing to move, the drifty haze of sleep calmly shutting his eyes for him.
Sora... have I been so wrong?
And slowly, his body seeped through his bed, drifting down into the shelter of his mind for many a hours of dreamless slumber.
End
This turned out to be longer than expected. I hope you all liked it' I enjoyed writing it. Tell me if something is horribly wrong, out of place, or I just suck at life in general. Or if you thought it was good, you can tell me that, too. Whatever. I'm so busy because I have a lot to write and no one to beta for me. So I have to check all of this stuff myself. Ugh.
Merry Christmas Eve. Last chapter out tomorrow, on Christmas Day!