Author's Note: Here's what Riku and Sora were up to yesterday! (Sorry about not updating. I was super busy. So here's another double update.) Oh, and, just in case you're wondering, Riku is twentyish and Sora is nineteenish. And I do realize that the connections to Rudolph aren't apparent, but if you squint really hard you might be able to see them, especially in the later chapters…I think…I hope…Yes…Onwards!

Reindeer Games

Chapter Three: December 22nd

When three hours of Friday afternoon were spent wandering a crowded mall in vain, Sora chalked it up as yet another piece of evidence that his Christmas angel was slacking off. He was sure he had visited every store at least twice, and that Riku had examined every possibility. Yet he had not decided on what Sora would give him for Christmas.

"This is weird, Ku," the brunette groaned, slumping in his seat as his companion enjoyed a food court lunch. "Usually you know exactly what you want me to get you."

Riku set his sandwich on its red plastic tray and turned his attention to Sora.

"Well," he began, "I do have something in mind."

"Oh?" Sora asked, adjusting his posture and allowing himself to smile a little.

"It's just…hard to find."

"I'm not getting you a Wii," the brunette stated firmly, folding his arms across his chest and pouting.

Riku laughed. "It's nothing like that, Sora," he assured, rising from his seat and carrying his remaining lunch to a nearby trashcan.

"Do we get to leave now?" Sora whined as he stood and followed his friend through the crowd.

"Yes, Miss Antsy-Pants," Riku drawled mockingly, "We can leave now. We did promise to meet up with Kairi at four, after all."

Sora heaved a sigh of relief, and they were off.

As he bobbed and weaved between impatient mothers and frantic siblings, Sora somehow managed to catch glimpses of paper flakes and blankets of fake snow. A tiny twinge of some mix of wonder and jealousy sprang to life in his chest, and once he'd exited the mall, coming face to face with the barely chilled air of an island winter, it flared.

Something was always missing from Destiny Island Christmases.

"Hey, Riku?" Sora called, lifting his gaze towards the sky. "What do you think snow is like?"

It was silent then, Sora's miracle peeking out at him from the parking lot, which was empty aside from rows of gleaming cars and the two best friends.

Riku turned back and took a few steps towards Sora, coming to stand beside the brunette and join him in surveying the sky.

"I think," he muttered, his voice filled with a measure of wonder equal to the shining in Sora's eyes, "I think it's soft, and light. Cold, obviously. I think it's…"

"Magical?" Sora finished.

The other boy was silent, but somehow, Sora knew he agreed.

It was some hours later that Sora had finally found himself capable of ignoring the memory of that serene moment in the parking lot, long after he and Riku had met up with Kairi, just as Riku was leaving to join his family for dinner.

And Sora chalked this up as yet another mark against his miracle, because when the distraction came, it was in the form of that which had plagued him for several days now.

"So, about Selphie's party," Kairi murmured nervously.

"Yeah?" Sora muttered, just as nervous.

"I, um, I heard about Selphie's bets."

"Yeah?" was all Sora could pathetically manage.

"I just thought you should know," the girl whispered, tucking a lock of auburn hair behind her ear, "that I wouldn't say yes to either of you."

Now, Sora could not pathetically manage anything but a bewildered look.

"We've all been best friends for so long, Sora. It would be awkward. Besides, I know neither of you feel that way about me, and I don't feel that way about either of you."

"Yeah…" was all Sora could pathetically manage.

"So, you can stop worrying about the party."

And for once, at the end of the day, Sora could count proofs and decide that maybe his miracle might be hiding behind some corner, somewhere.