AN: I wanted to get this online before Christmas, and I just about managed. Happy Christmas to all my readers! Prompt 46 - Family.

Something cold and wet hit Roxas in the back of the head, and water dripped down his neck. He knew, without turning round, that Axel had been the one responsible. Casually, he stretched out a hand, scraping some snow off the wall beside him.

"Now, now, Roxy. Don't do anything you might regret." Axel had fallen into step beside him.

Roxas grinned, an evil gleam in his eyes. "I'm not going to regret this." The handful of snow was dumped onto Axel's head, flattening the red spikes.

"Start running, Roxy."

Roxas ran, Axel following close behind, flinging snowballs. Through the streets of Twilight Town, dodging round other people, they chased. Gradually, the others started to join the chase - Riku and Sora, Kairi, Demyx. Others watched from the sidelines, well bundled up in winter coats - Naminé, Zexion, Leon and Cloud. It was the first snowfall of the year, a few days before Christmas, and this chase happened every year. Like on Hallowe'en, most people considered them too old for such childish behaviour, but they loved it.

The chase ended, as it always did, in the park. Known as Radiant Garden, it was the perfect place for an all out snowball war. Bellowing taunts across the park at each other, Axel, Roxas and the rest hurled snowballs indiscriminately until they felt too cold to continue. Roxas, huddling behind a tree, out of sight of Axel, decided it was time to go back inside, and started to walk towards the exit. He was pelted with snowballs from all directions, but simply kept walking. Before long, everyone else had followed.

A few minutes later, they were all crowding through the door of Axel and Roxas's house, stamping their feet to get the snow off their boots, pulling off hats, gloves, coats, unwinding scarves. Kairi headed for the kitchen, wasting no time. Her hot chocolate was as much a Christmas tradition as the snowball fight. In the lounge, Demyx had sprawled on a sofa with Zexion, and was singing loudly.

"Oh, the weather outside is frightful,
But the fire is so delightful,
Since we've no place to go,
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow."

It wasn't long before they were all gathered in the room, a mug of hot chocolate clutched in everyone's hand, singing along with Demyx. A fire crackled merrily in the hearth, and the lights on the Christmas tree twinkled brightly. Presents, wrapped the day before, were piled high underneath it. The extravagantly wrapped gifts, covered in ribbons and bows, had obviously been done by Axel, who revelled in it. The simpler packages had been wrapped by Roxas, who simply didn't have the patience to battle with miles of sparkly ribbon.

The group of friends sat there, singing and laughing, long into the night. Anybody watching would have thought they were a very close family, and that (although none of them would ever admit it) was exactly how it felt.

AN: Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!