Disclaimer: Hurky doesn't own the Disney characters or stores mentioned in the chapter.
"Then this leaves me no choice." said Santa. "Riku, you must take my place and be Santa."
"You gotta be kidding me!" cried Riku in disbelief. "I can't be Santa!"
"Why not?" asked Ryo. "You get to go around the universe and deliver the presents!!"
Riku thought for a minute. "I don't know." he said thoughtfully. "What do I get out of this?"
"I'll put you on the good list this year." replied Santa as the elf applied ice to his ankle. "Ooh, that hurts."
"But how can I deliver millions of presents in just one night?" asked Riku. "I mean, I'm not Superman!"
"Simple!" said Ryo. She walked over to a wall with a picture of all the worlds on it. She picked up a long stick and pointed to them. "Every few worlds is in a different time zone. It's ten o'clock here but six o'clock on Destiny Islands. The times go all the way over to the World That Never Was where it's three in the morning over there, Christmas Eve. You could leave here tomorrow at 5 PM and it will be 10 PM over there and work your way over to Disney Castle where it will be before 5 AM by the time you end your journey."
"Wha?" asked Riku, confused and coming back from laa laa land. "Sorry, I dazed out a little."
Santa turned to Ryo. "Since you know what you are doing, Ryo, why don't you come along with Riku?" he suggested.
Ryo's eyes brightened. "I would LOVE to!!" she said.
Riku rolled his eyes. "Oh god no!" he said.
"Now come on, Riku, where's the Christmas spirit of having your friend be there with you?" asked Santa with a small chuckle.
Jack got an idea. "Hey!! Sandy, how about I deliver the presents if Riku doesn't want to do it?" he asked positively.
Santa suddenly remembered what happened last time when Jack took over for him. "NO!!" he said. "That's okay!! Riku will do it, right?"
He turned to Riku with a look of hope in his eyes. He really didn't want Jack to fill in his position.
"You'll get whatever you want for Christmas." he said persuasively.
"Okay. I'll do it." said Riku.
Back on Destiny Islands, Kairi, Alexa, Hurky, Donald, and Goofy were all walking to Sora's house. They were going to help Donald pick out a Christmas present for Daisy but first, Alexa wanted to stop by Sora's house to deliver some homemade chicken noodle soup. She always did that whenever one of her friends got sick. Recently, she had brought some over to Riku who also fought a bad cold last month.
"This soup always helps people get better." said Alexa as she carried a steaming bowl covered with a lid and used pink potholders to shield her hands from burning. "Took me all afternoon to cook this."
She and the others were walking up the steps to Sora's house. Kairi rang the doorbell and it was opened by a brown haired woman.
"Hi, Mrs. Hart!" said Kairi. "Can we go see Sora? Alexa brought over some of her delicious homemade chicken noodle soup."
"Alright, but please be very quiet." said Mrs. Hart. "Sora is very contagious and he's trying to sleep."
Alexa took her soup to the kitchen and then joined Hurky and Kairi in walking the steps to Sora's room. Donald and Goofy stayed in the kitchen with Sora's mom.
Kairi put a finger to her lips as she tiptoed to Sora's room. She slowly opened the door. Behind that door was a neat and tidy bedroom with blue wallpaper decorated with posters of his favorite bands, hardwood floors with his backpack and yellow shoes and black socks on it (Hurky: I don't know why, but I picture him wearing black socks with those shoes), a computer desk with a computer and chair, and the bed where Sora was sleeping. He wasn't wearing any pajamas. Just his regular black clothes from KH2. His hair was a little messed up from trying to comfort himself on the pillows. He wasn't using his blankets. His breathing was anything but silent. His nose was already stuffed up and he had to breathe through his mouth, in which his breathing was hoarse and shallow.
"Poor Sora..." said Kairi. "He never should have told a story to kids with colds."
"You're the one who forced him to!" said Hurky. "It was your idea to-"
"-Shh, he's waking up!" shushed Alexa.
Sora was stirring in his sleep. He opened his eyes to find Kairi, Hurky, and Alexa at his bedside.
"Hey, what are you doig here?" asked Sora stuffily as he sat up. He couldn't say "doing" right on the account of his stuffy nose.
"We just came to bring you some soup." explained Alexa. "It's in the kitchen."
"Thanks." said Sora. He looked around the room. "Where's Riku ad Ryo?"
"For some reason, they went off to see Santa." said Hurky.
"What?" cried Sora. "Why didn't dey tell be?"
"Sora, you're in no condition to go!" said Kairi. "Your cold's getting worse and Riku and Ryo are in freezing conditions! Your throat was the only thing bothering you earlier and now it's everything that's bothering you!"
Sora sighed. "All I want for Christmas is to dot be sick." he said in a disappointed voice. "Dow I gotta sped Christmas Ebe and Day in bed."
He sniffed. Kairi grabbed a box of tissues and handed them to Sora.
"You're about to cry." she said.
"Do I'b dot!" said Sora, taking a few tissues. "I habe a ruddy dose." He blew his nose and tossed the tissues into the garbage can next to his bed which was already halfway loaded with used up tissues.
"Can we go now?" yelled Donald. "The mall is going to close!!"
"IN THREE HOURS, YOU STUPID DUCK!" yelled Hurky.
"Dodald ad Goofy are here?" asked Sora.
"Yeah, we're going to help Donald pick out a present for Daisy." explained Alexa. "Is there anything you need before we go?"
"Doe but thanks adyway." Sora said in that stuffy voice. With that, he lied back down and closed his eyes. Hurky, Alexa, and Kairi walked out of the room quietly...
It got late over in Christmas Town, so Santa let Riku and Ryo spend the night to rest up. Ryo woke up very early and got Riku up. However, it was a big mistake. Riku was in a jet lag, so he was tired, grumpy, and cold since Santa had Ryo take Riku out to practice the sleigh and he was taking it out on the reindeer.
On Destiny Islands, Donald didn't get a chance to look for his present for Daisy since he spent the entire time trying to get Goofy out of the bar (he's an alcoholic in my fics), Kairi and Alexa out of Old Navy and Forever 21, and Hurky out of Hot Topic and DestSun.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to make Riku practice the sleigh in this weather and when he's that sleepy?" asked Jack.
"Santa said that Riku needed a lot of practice, especially since it's Christmas Eve." said Ryo.
"On Smasher, on Crasher, on Lap Dancer, on Pixen, on Vomit, on Stupid, on Conner, on Blister!!" yelled Riku as he pulled the reins of the sleigh.
One of the reindeer kicked Riku with its hind leg.
"Ow!!" cried Riku. "Why you-"
"RIKU!!" yelled Ryo. "DO NOT YELL AT THE REINDEER!!"
Riku sighed. He wished he was at home right now, asleep in his warm bed at ten o'clock in the morning but no, he had to take on the role of Santa and be up at five thirty in the morning in the cold, snowy weather.
"Riku, in order for the reindeer to cooperate, you need to be nice to them!" explained Ryo.
"Fine." said Riku. He pulled the reins again. "On Dasher, on Prancer, on Dancer, on Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, and Blitzen!!"
The reindeer began to run slowly and then flew up. Riku let out a yell of victory.
"YES!!" he yelled. "I'm flying!!"
Jack and Ryo stood there and smiled at Riku. Maybe there was hope for Christmas this year.