xX~100 Eternal Moments~Xx

Set 5 – Unbreakable Chains

83 – Green

They really should've had curtains. It was far too easy to stare through their frosty colored-glass windows, watch the three of them laugh and celebrate together as they decorated some weird evergreen tree. Why did they have a tree inside, anyway? Stupid. Stringing lights and shiny glass balls and other knickknacks on it… what was the point? Something told him he knew, a long time ago… but he had long since buried the memories of his past life. It was the only way to function as a "normal" being of darkness.

"Pathetic," he muttered to himself, clenching his fists and turning away from the window. "Forget it. Why do I need to know why they're stupid?"

Because… if they were stupid, laughing and being happy together… well, maybe he wanted to be stupid, too.

"Shut up." He shook his head. There was no reason to envy them. They may be happy now, but one day… one day he'd forge the X-Blade, and then the tables would turn.

Still, the trickling sounds of laughter pulled him back to the window. Ventus was balanced on Terra's shoulders now, reaching up to place a shining star on top of the green tree while aqua watched with a worried expression.

"Idiots."

Sure enough, Ventus toppled off of Terra's shoulders, landing with an oof. Vanitas laughed smugly at him, but it trailed off into silence when the three behind the window started laughing too. He thought he was the only one who laughed at others' pain; were those three capable of being sadistic too?

Terra and Ventus were about to try again, when Aqua made eye contact with Vanitas through the tinted window. Uh-oh.

She darted towards the door, but Vanitas was quicker, scaling a nearby tree as easily as if it were a ladder, carefully enough to keep the snow balanced on its branches from plopping to the ground. When Aqua emerged from a door, he was hidden above her line of sight.

"That's funny…" Aqua's brow scrunched. "I could've sworn I saw someone…"

"It's Christmas Eve, Aqua," Terra said, strolling outside too. "Eraqus didn't invite any visitors. Who would be here?"

"I don't know…" She still didn't look convinced. "I was going to invite him inside, if there were someone here. No one should be out in the cold on Christmas Eve."

"No one?" Vanitas muttered to himself. Really, if they knew who he was, would they invite him into their home? If they would, they were idiots.

But they weren't idiots enough not to hear his mutter. Aqua's eyes locked on his hiding spot.

"Hello?"

Maybe she didn't really know he was there, maybe he could just—

Nope. Terra shook the tree's trunk. Being as annoying muscular as he was, he had plenty of strength to shake Vanitas out, and he tumbled out with an undignified squeak.

"Ugh… idiot, I was just fine in that tree…" He mumbled semi-coherently.

Terra's brow furrowed. "Hey, aren't you Master Xehanort's apprentice?"

Vanitas scowled, but it didn't do much good through his dark mask. "Yeah. So what?"

"Sooo… aren't you guys doing anything for Christmas?"

Normally he would be above asking an idiot like Terra anything, but his curiosity won over. "What's a Christmas?"

Aqua frowned sympathetically. "Terra, go get him a mug of hot chocolate. I'll take care of him for now."

As Terra cautiously retreated inside, Aqua helped him to his feet. Or tried to, anyway; he didn't need her help. He stood on his own.

"It's Vanitas, right?" Aqua asked.

"…Yeah," he mumbled. "Why do you care?"

She looked taken aback. "Because… because you're a human being, and you're alone. Where's Master Xehanort?"

Vanitas shrugged. "Don't know, don't care." As long as his master didn't directly call him, he was more than happy to be rid of the old man.

"W-well…" This didn't seem to be going the way she expected it too. "We'll help you get home in the morning. In the meantime, why don't you come inside? It's cold out here."

Huh. He guessed it was kind of cold, with his boots calf-deep in snow, but he didn't think about it much. It wasn't like he normally had an "inside" to escape to.

"…Fine," he agreed, stubbornness taking a backseat to the sudden desire for the warm air he felt wafting out from the door Terra had left open.

"Good." Aqua smiled, putting a comforting arm around his shoulders that he flinched away from at first… but it didn't feel too bad, to he didn't shove it away. It was funny, really, a girl so light willingly embracing his darkness. "So, you asked about Christmas…"

Yep, clearly the three keyblade apprentices were idiots. They treated him like a guest, included him in their celebration, even when he grumpily resisted their kindness.

"Idiots…" he muttered when they were out of earshot, taking cookies out of the oven. But he smiled.

They were idiots, but… somehow their idiotic happiness was contagious.