Hopefully this isn't too harsh on poor Santa Claus...so I was going to update on Christmas Day (Omg, Christmas Town, anyone?!) but alas, school work piled up. And le basic ala drama...But shout outs to Manwathiel because after reading her new AkuNami fic, I was inspired to finish up this chapter. And Schmelly Inc. because she's been giving me such wonderful support and her fics give me inspiration to write as well. And punkiemonkie, for awesome support and advice; you've been such a help to me. X3

Pairing: AkuNami

Rating: T for Santa bashing

Warning: Santa…bashing…on Axel's part, of course.

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Chapter Four :: Calefacto

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White flecks sprinkled down on her face as she gazed longingly into the sapphire colored sky. Pieces of ice kissed her cheeks and ski jump nose and she grinned in spite of herself. The sight of flurries of pure white bits of ice in the air made something swell up on the inside of her empty chest; it was similar to happiness and satisfaction. She was satisfied by this new scene. She had never seen snow before. She had heard of it, she had seen pictures of it, but never experienced the miraculous feeling of standing in two feet deep snow and having icy fingerprints being showered upon her head and shoulders. It was quite refreshing, and she felt free.

She stood with her back facing an enormous cedar tree, surrounded by mounds of freezing snow. A door with the face of a pumpkin was on the smooth surface of it, which was their way back to Halloween Town, if ever they wished to return there. It was highly doubtable, but still rather possible for the duo to go back. Beyond her, a path was carved in the snow as it led downhill towards a small city, shining brightly with colorful lights, mostly consisting of reds and greens. She could even spot a gigantic tree in the center square decorated with blinding lights. Her eyes flickered with bittersweet remorse as she spotted children in the distance, dancing on a frozen pond, and she could hear their lovely, musical laughs.

Naminè arched an eyebrow as her immediate attention drew down to her outfit. Surprisingly, she actually admired it a great deal. Her stockings were red and green striped, and at the ends of her feet, they curved, a sort of fashion for elves in the Christmas department. Her dress was like her original white dress, and it covered more of her thighs than the last lingerie-resembling outfit. On her head, she adorned a red hat with white fuzzy trimming, also known as a typical Santa Claus hat. Overall, she did like her outfit. What was going on in her thinking process, however, was the question of where her guardian was.

True, he had disappeared, but she, of course, had every objective on finding him. She was reminded of her time in the graveyard of their arrival to the world. She concealed herself from Axel for she was embarrassed by her outfit changed. That, for sure, was absolutely ridiculous. If his outfit didn't change in Halloween Town, it shouldn't have changed in Christmas Town… Could it? No, definitely not. He was a member of the Organization, and they were somewhat special. No, it must have been another reason, unless he was lost. Why would he be lost and not her, though? It didn't make sense.

"Axel?" her clear, yet timid, voice rang out in the air like a bell. She winced when she realized how her call echoed throughout the valley. There was no answer.

"Axel! Where are you?" the white witch's plea tremored slightly as her chin trembled uncontrollably. The girl swallowed thickly and her azure eyes darted back and forth from each mound of snow to the cedar tree behind her. Surely he could have been hiding behind it?

"Axel, please answer me!" her gaze stayed on the tree and her orbs widened, hoping for her guardian to appear for her. But he didn't. A soft, muted pang of some unspeakable emotion thudded against her chest, yet she was unaware of what it was. Some fake feeling of abandonment, she supposed. But it hurt, and she was not used to this new development. This new…emotion. It was odd, and uncomfortable, and it only grew as she panicked and spun around, searching desperately for him. Colors blended together as she whirled on the spot; white with green, red, and navy bled into each other. She stopped suddenly, holding her head and squinting her eyes shut as her mind buzzed erratically with dizziness.

"Axel, answer me right now!" Naminè screeched into the stillness, causing a few cardinals to fly out of the branches of the cedar and flutter off into the night sky.

"I'm sure as hell not coming out!" a muffled shout was heard from behind the huge tree. Her head snapped towards the direction of the entrance to Halloween Town and her head cocked to the side interestingly.

"Why not?" her reply was sent back to the inferno, who had hid himself for some unknown reason. A small smirk quirked on the girl's rose-colored lips as a thought of an outfit change entered her mind.

"Because I said so…" The girl blinked once as she silently crept towards the tree, her feet creating deep footprints in the cold snow. Her body shivered, for she felt the freezing air affect her temperature. But she didn't want to leave this place just yet; she wanted to explore and enjoy their newfound surroundings. It was the first time she ever experienced the freshness of the snow and the joy of Christmas. She couldn't remember what Christmas was like…for she couldn't remember how it was to be Kairi. And it definitely didn't snow on Destiny Islands.

She never felt so cold before. Only emotionally, for her soul would be enveloped by a freezing numbness, secluding her from the cherished feeling of happiness. So all of this, being in Christmas Town, was a new adventure; one that she wanted to enjoy. Also, she so longed to see Santa! What girl didn't want to see Santa? Especially with the opportunity of meeting him face to face…Naminè quickly shook her head and tilted her head to the side as she neared the cedar tree, her plans developing into a surprise attack on the pyro.

Suddenly, she sprung forward, aiming for the shadows of the other side of the tree, expecting to land in front of a clueless Nobody. Instead, she was answered by the utter silence and empty space that the winter winds brought. Her blonde tendrils wisped about her cheeks and fluttered and danced in the breeze as she blinked in confusion.

"Up here, sweetheart," his voice now came from above. Her face tilted as she gazed into the darkness of the branches, her eyes blinking rapidly against the snowflakes and the violent gust of wind. It caused momentary blindness and she shielded her sapphire eyes with a small white hand, but still, no sign of the red head. Well, her plan didn't exactly work out how she desired it to…

"Axel, please come down…" her pleas almost went unheard and muffled in the breeze, but it was carried high above her to where the inferno escapee was hiding. His hands clutched his arms uncomfortably as he snuggled deeper into his…coat. He grimaced as he glared at his outfit and he sneered with disgust. He didn't want to be embarrassed, yet he didn't want the girl to go to the next world disappointed. And he didn't want to be left alone, exactly…

Axel was perched on a thin limp, and the tiny branches were sticking into his exposed skin and his coat. He had pounced up into the tree when he had made his anguished discovery of his outfit change, and he cradled himself next to the trunk of the tree to protect himself from the damn blasts of freaking cold air. He despised the cold with an utmost passion…if it was up to him, the only seasons would be summer, summer, summer, and…oh, yes, summer.

His jade eyes rested on her as her hair whipped around her face and concealed her sight. He couldn't help but let a small smile play across his thin lips as he admired her in the dress and hat. It was…cute, he supposed was the word. Though, he did curse himself for staring at her figure in that outfit. He shook out of his somewhat perverted thoughts, making his mind be rid of any impure ponderings and replacing them with the mental image of fuzzy kittens- better that than the latter. And no, no one knew of that little tidbit; not even Roxas. Unless Vexen had found the solution to mind reading and sold it to the punk…

"Please, Axel!"

He started, slightly shocked by the hint of desperate pleading in her voice as she begged for him to come down. Sighing, Axel rolled his green eyes and made his decision without even second thinking it.

His body broke loose of the bounds of the tiny fingers of twigs tugging at the fabric of his coat as he leapt from the concealment of the branches. He braced for the landing, and his feet softly touched the ground and the snow gave in to his light weight. In a crouched position still, he cautiously glanced up to see the girl before him staring at him with wide, curious eyes and her lips gently formed in an 'o' shape. Straightening his stature, Axel stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, as he usually did. The girl barely flinched from the noise, but regained her mystical appearance. He scowled as he placed his long hands on his well-shaped hips.

"You know, you can tell me that I look like a gay pedophile; I already know," he huffed childishly with a sarcastic edge to his voice. Carelessly, the teenager barely shook her head as she continued to gaze.

"No, I think you look…" she stuttered slightly before spitting out the word, "good."

A short eyebrow was arched dramatically with a sour expression as the man glared at Naminè. He supposed that was all it took before the small girl collapsed on the snow covered ground and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to relieve her sides from pain of the hysterics she was going through. A flat look was sent her way, and of course, she caught it and burst into another fit of tittering, giggles and 'hee-hee-ing'. Her figure was curled into a ball, her knees brought up to her bosom and her face blushed into a bright red as her hysterical laughter danced throughout the air and echoed in the empty valley.

His lanky limbs crossed over his broad chest and an index finger tapped against an upper arm. So his outfit wasn't the most attractive…or it just didn't fit him. Damn Christmas Town…he hated this place already, and they weren't even in the freaking town part of it yet. But how could he enter that fairy-filled city with him clad in a bright scarlet floor length coat with white fur as the trimming and a matching hat? His gloves were the only items that were black, besides the belt strapped around his waist. Overall…he had to admit to himself that he seemed fairly similar to a woman. The Santa Claus hat placed on his head made his locks of spiky hair lay flat, making it seem longer than usual. He wanted to kill himself right there and he let out an exasperated sigh.

"That's it, I'm going back-" but a limp hand grasped the edge of his red cloak and prevented him from stepping backwards. Axel looked down at his feet back at Naminè, who was attempting to withhold her giggling and was pushing herself off from the ground.

"No-no, don't-g-g-go!" she pleaded as she reached up with both hands and grabbed his arm. Her face was still flushed, and tears were glistening down her cheeks as they froze in the bitter air, yet her facial features formed into a more solemn expression and her eyes beamed up at him. Thick eyelashes blinked rapidly as she clung anxiously onto him, and her figure pressed against him as his back met the bark of the cedar tree. She swallowed thickly and choked back the amused sobs as her azure orbs beseeched for his presence.

"Please stay with me…" her voice was barely audible. "I want to see Santa; I've never seen him before, and I don't even know what Christmas is like. I imagine it must be wonderful, since children seem so excited around this time of year…Also, I don't want to go through here alone. Please stay?" Her doe like eyes were glimmering in the dim light from the city, and her cheeks were coated with her tears. A smile teased the edges of her mouth as she made her request. Her marble skin was seemingly a bit pale, and her body was quivering, but that was likely, since it was wintertime there.

He made a 'hmm' noise in his throat as he rubbed his chin with his free hand, trying to avoid the girl's innocent appearance as he thought for a fleeting moment.

"All right, I'll stay- but only if you don't speak another word about this fag jacket," he declared bluntly as emerald clashed with sapphire. She nodded and grinned brightly, her hold on him releasing as she backed away swiftly and turned away.

He followed her as she walked around the base of the cedar tree and away from the shadows, strolling casually towards the beginning of the path towards the quaint town. Her slim figure practically floated along the wind with the bits and pieces of ice and her hair was pushed behind her ear by a tiny white hand. Her muscles tremored in the cold, but she continued down the path and down the hill, with the taller Nobody trailing behind her a few feet away. His shame of his apparel quickly grew and welled up in his chest, and he cowered from embarrassment as he tried hiding himself behind the blonde haired girl. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration from their visit.

"Why do you want to see Santa Claus anyway?" Axel randomly asked in the open, causing Naminè to throw a look over her bare shoulder. He went on; "From all the stories I've heard, he sounds like a child molester-stalker freak…" his words faded along with the wind as the girl whirled around, her shoulders hunched up and a scowl definite on her petite face. Her jaw was clenched and her fists were tight.

"He is not a child molester! He just loves children-"

"Yeah, therefore, proving to be pedophile material. And what's up with that song?" Axel huffed, reaching up to adjust his hat, since it became itchy and uncomfortable for his head. Naminè sent him the suggestion that she was confused with his statement as her scowl deepened. He let out an exhale of breath and rolled his eyes as he shook his head pathetically.

"'He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake?'" he demonstrated and grumbled under his breath, hoping a nearby elf wouldn't hear his atrocious singing. The girl brought her hand to her mouth as she stifled a small snicker.

"That just means he knows what you're doing all the time," she explained plainly before turning around again. But she halted when Axel spoke again.

"Does he have a crystal ball or something?" Mordant hints were laced with his suave voice and Naminè slumped.

"I don't know. How about you ask him when we see him?" She left off at that as she seated herself on the ice covered ground. Before Axel had the chance to open his mouth to inquire about her actions, she pushed herself forward and her body went sliding down the hill. True, it was rather steep, but he preferred to not have a frozen ice-coated back and hair full of flecks of snow. But he gave in, since he examined his surroundings and noticed how far away the town was. So he sat down irritably and took in a deep breath before launching himself from the palms of his hands that were placed on the ground. Unfortunately, it didn't go smoothly as planned…

He tripped and tumbled down the hill emitting 'oofs' and 'dammits' during his short, yet painful trip. A few times he was granted the wonderful experience of having mouthfuls of powdery, dusty snow mingled with dirt and ice. He was jostled about, and he smacked into a couple of sharp and angular rocks until he had the relief of a rough landing that signaled the ending of his excruciating adventure. He clawed the moist ground as he lifted his face from the wet, icy puddle he landed in. Beside him, Naminè was standing and calmly brushing herself off and playing with a few strands of her hair. She smiled down at Axel with a glint of concern in her pools of blue.

"I think you did that wrong…" her voice trailed off when she received a piercing glare from the red headed man as he rose up onto his feet. She bashfully bowed her head and rubbed herself with shivering arms, yet that went unnoticed by the preoccupied Nobody. Her cheeks were more flushed than usual, and her nose was exceedingly rosy. The rest of her skin, however, like her arms and shoulders were pure white as the snow itself. She shuddered in the cold, yet she didn't mention this dilemma. She couldn't help it; her outfit just exposed too much of her flawless skin, and she really didn't mind…she just prayed to goodness that she wasn't developing hyperthermia. Her mind was beginning to cloud up and her eyesight was rather fuzzy and burning as the bright lights of the city beamed against it. So that was at the top of her list of things to worry about.

She was distracted, however, as she glanced away for a moment, spotting some nearby children building a snowman. They were chattering amongst themselves and laughing in good humor, and a lonely emotion grew in the pit of her stomach. A longing for the same thing consumed her ponderings and she looked back at her comrade, who was picking his teeth with his thumb, and her eyebrow arched in amazement of the silliness this man could bring.

"Can we build a snowman-n-n-n?" she cheerfully quipped with a stutter at the end of her statement, for her teeth unwillingly chattered. Startled, Axel removed his hand from its current position and he glowered at her.

"You're already asking to see Santa. Don't push it, kid-"

"C'mon-n-n, it'll be fun-n-n!" her hands found his arm and she tugged at him, pulling him along with her as she came upon a close clearing with plenty of mounds of unused snow. They were still on the outskirts of the town, so they weren't disturbing any citizens or elves of any kind.

Naminè surged forward with enthusiasm as she plopped onto a mound and scooped a huge pile of snow towards her, forming the foundation of the snow man. Some particles of ice slipped down her dress and caused her to tremble even more. But she ignored her state as she packed snow down with her bare hands. Soon, the first layer of a snowman was created. A perfect, smooth round ball of ice was standing by itself with two Nobodies gazing blankly down at it. Naminè bit her lip as she cast a glimpse at Axel, who was carelessly staring into the black sky. She grinded her teeth.

"Could you help me, Axel?" she asked with sweetness etched in her voice, hoping to persuade him into the fun, yet tedious of job. He barely even acknowledged her remark as he continued his star-gazing.

"Ah, no," he curtly responded before sticking his tongue out and catching a few snowflakes, making his appearance child like. The girl tilted her head to the side in dissatisfaction.

"Why not?" her hollow question entered his ears and he slyly smirked at her. Adroitly, he walked closer and knelt down near her and outstretched his arm, having his hand hovering above the faultless sphere of snow. Without warning, he pressed his gloved hand onto the surface of it, and a sizzling noise was created as smoke billowed from the place where he placed his hand. He removed it, and nervously the girl peered through the remaining smoke and noted a complete handprint delved deep into the snow. She gulped and scarcely bobbed her head without a single word as her guardian stood back up and returned to capturing poor, defenseless snowflakes and sending them to their doom.

Naminè quietly tended to herself into finishing the snowman whilst the man enjoyed himself into throwing burning balls of coal into random places. Of course, he had to have found the coal somewhere, and that somewhere was a pile of logs that were positioned near a few decorated trees. A few burning pieces of coal found their place lodged into other children's snowmen, and cries were carried out throughout the small park. But then Axel would hide himself in a bush or pretend to be helping Naminè build her snowman. She punished him by smacking his shoulder, or pulling a strand of red hair and he would pace away, hunting for more log piles.

She finally stepped back, nearly stumbling as dizziness began settling into her mind. But she pushed the thought away; she longed to see Santa and to enjoy this time with her guardian…As she halted and examined her snow statue, a frown found her crisp face.

The snow man's face was made of coal…coal eyes, a coal smiles, and a coal nose. There were three pieces of coal lined down the middle of it, and other than that, nothing else. All in all, it was a rather bland and boring piece of work she had just accomplished, and she had to admit, it was a failure. She puckered her lips with disdain. Suddenly, she felt her arm being gripped by a warm, burning hand, pulling her towards the direction of the lively town area. She cautiously looked up to see Axel leading her in a hurried state, evidently longing to be done with this world as soon as possible.

"W-w-what's wrong?" her voice was nearly carried off in the wind that bit her viciously with the cold. Unfortunately, Axel's hold on her released and he continued to plow through the snow as they entered the main street.

"You finished your snow man, we now see Santa, and we're outta here; got it memorized?" He kept on walking, searching the town buildings for a sign that read 'Here's Santa'. But when he didn't hear her comply with his remark, or even try to refuse if she dared, he turned around.

There she was, yards behind him, crumpled in a pile on the street.

"Aw, damn it…"

Close by, a handful of elves halted in their frenzied holiday errands, alarmed by the suddenness of the girl's mishap. She had plummeted into the soft crystallized snow, allowing consciousness to slip from the threads of her mind and take control of her will power. Her body shivered violently in the bitter cold, yet she didn't ghost a breath or a heartbeat, for she lacked one. Of course, this calamity raised panic in the red head's void of a heartless chest, and the idea of a crowd gathering around her and wanting her to spend three weeks in a hospital entered his line of thoughts. He stomped through the snow towards her white, fragile form in a mess of limbs and tremoring marbled skin, and he knelt beside her as he cast cautious glimpses around.

"It's all right! Her sugar-level's just a tad bit low today," he announced the already-forming mob of short little people with pointed inclined ears. He ignored them then, kneeling before Naminè's seemingly broken body and placed one of his gloved hands on her hip and the other underneath her arm where her shoulder connected to her collarbone, shoving embarrassment aside for now. With a fraction of his strength, he lifted the girl from the soggy pile of ice and carefully draped her over his right shoulder, raising himself to his feet and then advancing towards the nearest inn without a moment to spare, or even a second glance at the gossiping elves.

Damn this place to hell, where hopefully it'll sizzle for all eternity…and damn Santa Claus! If it wasn't for his legendary myth of his existence, they never would have gone there in the pit of despair disguised with pretty little bows and sweet treats. He grumbled to himself as he adjusted the light Nobody more comfortably and secured her position with a grip on her waist. Her…waist…

Damn it.

That was when realization occurred to him that he was in actual physical contact with the witch, his arm encircled around her slender waist, her face leaning against his back and his other hand clasped around one of her calves to guarantee her safety so that he wouldn't oh-so accidently let her fall unexpectedly from his hold on her. What a man he was proving himself to be…nervous about this measly contact. Why, it was absolutely preposterous! It was absurd; what would Roxas say about his masculinity now…Evidently, there was no Roxas to tease him of silly outlandish follies such as this because he had to be the smart, sacrificing man he wanted to prove himself to be and join with Sora…It was for the best, but hell, the twenty-two year old Nobody missed him…

He grunted, banishing all memories of his best friend for that moment and lifting his countenance upwards when he reached the inn, reading the sign that lovingly declared the name of the boarding house; "Santa's Little Helper- We'll offer a helping hand to those in need!" And that's what Medicare pronounced the first five years of their warrantee…

But no matter. Even if it was a brothel, he would brace himself to enter its domain for the sake of the girl's life in his arms.

He mentally scowled, plastering a feigned simper on his pursed lips whilst he turned the door's handle and ducked, barely missing the beam that was, of course, only high enough for Santa Claus to go through. All of the elves were tiny things, and it was probably ridiculous to allow their appearance to unnerve Axel in a disturbed, unexplained way. But their faces…and thus came the situation to say the well-known remark 'your face!' to a random passerby in this town…they were possibly the ugliest creatures his poor eyes beheld besides those strange dusks, of course.

Pitiful souls- to know that your entire race was destined to be the most hideous form of humans was a rather depressing fate.

There was a miniature sleigh bell fixed above the door so that when he struggled with his entrance, a jingling was heard to announce his coming. Warmth that should have wrapped around him didn't, for his body was already heated to his preferred liking. Inside was a small lobby area; a red and green patterned rug blanketed the hardwood floor and two red couches on either side matched so accordingly with the rest of the room. Paintings of the elves' large hero were covering the walls and posters of upcoming snowman contests littered the bulletin board behind the front desk, which stood out so boldly in a gaudy red and white striped design. It was an eyesore, but Axel managed to survive the torture.

A girl (or a woman, who knew?) was seated behind the counter, beaming amiably at no one in particular. Her cheeks were bright pink as well as her jutted nose and her green huge eyes rose up to examine the latest victim of the sugary sweetness she would display for him. He couldn't help but sneer when she made a small noise that sounded somewhat like a two year old discovering a room filled with presents on Christmas day. In other words, she had no clue how to treat complete strangers who were carrying limp bodies over their shoulder with the appearance of a pedophile. They were probably accustomed to it, what with Santa Claus prancing about the place…

"Good evening! Would you like a room for two, two separate rooms for one, a single room, a king's suite, or a Japanese styled room made for a couple on their honeymoon? It's our newest addition, and I would recommend it!" Her child-like voice bubbled affably, however it made him quite uncomfortable. Apparently she took no note of the state of the unconscious girl as she opened her book of guest records and readied herself to fill out the form with persistence in an expectant manner with her feather pen poised. Axel cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Erm, either of the two-person rooms would do fine…" he murmured quietly, guarding his actions or words that would set off an alarm of 'naughty people'. Knowing Santa, he probably had those things everywhere…unless he was omnipresent. Shaking off those thoughts, he focused his blurry gaze on the girl who cheerfully shook her head.

"I'm sorry! We have no rooms for two people available!" she forged a 100-watt smile that made him clench his jaw.

"Then why did you mention them in the first place?" he growled dangerously under his breath. His impatience was growing steadily worse, and fear of an explosion of rage sparked inside. But the elf did not take the opportunity to scrutinize his behavior and instead, once again, she grinned.

"It's my job, sir!" He blinked.

"Well…any singles?" His free hand laid on the surface of the desk, tapping the wood with his spidery fingers in an irritated state. Yet again, she shook her head, her brunette hair not budging an inch with her motion, signaling to him that she most likely over killed on the hairspray.

"We have no singles, either! May I suggest a three-person room?"

"Wouldn't that cost, like…more?" The elf girl smiled optimistically, hinting at the fact her pay for the job varied on the amount spent on rooms throughout the day.

"In my opinion, you may want an extra bed…" she hid a titter that teased her lips as they twitched, her emerald orbs dancing with humor and an untold fact that she concealed from him. Suspiciously, Axel glared at her, immediately deciding that he hated the race of elves if this girl was anything like the rest of them. Rolling his eyes and nearly succumbing to the tedious temptation to burn her hair and watch her head explode (from all that hairspray, of course), he tentatively handed over the expensive fee for the residence of the room, accepted the diminutive skeleton key for room 1408 and hurried up the winding metal staircase upwards to the highest level.

When he stepped into the room, he halted abruptly with comprehension and enragement.

"What the frick?"

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(A/N): -insert huge gasp- Cliff hanger! Aha, just kidding...Oh my gosh, so I had issues with this chapter. The last bit took me months to finish, and I was debating on whether making this chapter humongous or splitting it...due to my obsessive-compulsion, I had to split it to 5,ooo words. It's a shame, because my favorite part was just about to happen...but that's for the next chapter! Hopefully I can finish that up within two month's time. And I think the meaning of the title is 'Heat' or something...I forget, lmao.

Review, please- They will be appreciated, and I would love to read your thoughts on this. I don't ask them for the review count; I ask because I'd like to know your personal views on my weird, cracky fics. X3