Work Text:
Sora honestly didn’t know what he was expecting, but a full-scale winter wonderland was not it. Yeah, Jack said they were going to meet Santa ( the Santa, Light above…), but he still somewhat expected it to be, like… a creepy Santa, or something. As he stared in awe at the snow he made a silent vow to never question Jack again. Or at least, never question him about something happening in his world. He knew his stuff.
Donald and Goofy had to herd him towards the workshop like he was a lost sheep, but could they really blame him? He’s never seen this much snow before, in his life. (That was a lie, he saw more snow in the Land of Dragons, but that didn’t count because that wasn’t magical Christmas snow.) In all his time living on the Islands, he’s only seen snow once. It was when his mom and dad brought him on a business trip to the northernmost island. It had a mountain that was just tall enough for it to snow on its peak and Sora remembered begging his parents to take him up there. They couldn’t. They said maybe someday and left it at that.
There was something kind of funny about the whole thing - that Sora sooner visited other worlds than saw snow on Destiny Islands.
“Sora?” Goofy called his attention with the patience of a saint and Sora only just realized how much he was spacing out.
“Heh, sorry,” he smiled, not really feeling all that sorry. “It’s just so exciting!”
“Meeting Santa?” Donald quipped, teasing him for his reaction earlier. It would’ve been effective if Sora actually felt any shame.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, that doesn’t need to be said.” Sora waved Donald off, much to the duck’s annoyance. He gestured to the town square around him. “Snow!” He beamed.
Goofy laughed, “Ah, I see! You never got to see any snow on your island, did’ya?”
Sora shook his head, unable to contain his excitement anymore. “I only ever read about it,” he bounced on his feet and stared longingly between the snow and the workshop they were supposed to report to. “Guys, do you think I - “
“Go ahead,” Goofy cut off Donald’s refusal with a large hand over his beak. “I’ll tell Jack and Santa that you had to get the jitters out so you could focus.”
Sora launched himself at Goofy, who only just managed to keep them both from falling over. Goofy hugged him back and told him they’ll get him in ten minutes. Sora responded by throwing himself to the ground to create a snow angel, like in the books and movies. He heard Donald and Goofy’s footsteps crunch as they plodded to the workshop. Sora supposed he could’ve put more effort on reigning himself in, but whatever. Ten minutes by himself in the snow wouldn’t do him much harm.
Except for the fact that the snow was unexpectedly cold and he severely regretted making a snow angel when he had no sleeves. He sat up and rubbed some warmth back in his arms; he tried to recall whatever else there was to do, but all his ideas involved more than one person. He frowned and kind of wished that he went to the workshop like he was supposed to.
Going back now would be admitting defeat, though, and Sora didn’t want Donald to look at him all… smug. And knowing.
So, he got up, brushed the snow off his clothes, admired his angel, and picked a random point to wander off. He trudged through the snow as much as he could while still keeping the town square in eyesight. It was a really small town, he thought. He guessed that elves didn’t need that much space.
As he contemplated the logistics of keeping an entire squadron of elves in about six buildings, he felt something shift in the air. The goosebumps rising on his arms and on the back of his neck had nothing to do with the cold. As soon as his keyblade was in his hand, he was surrounded by Nobodies. Dusks and… some he hasn’t seen, yet. Writhing figures holding crystal balls. Their edges were jagged and sharp and they ground together painfully as they twisted and moved. Sora grimaced. New Nobodies meant first meetings.
Still, he couldn’t just leave them here. He stood his ground even though every fiber in his body wanted him to run.
When the first Dusk launched itself at him, Sora nimbly reversed behind it and slashed the keyblade down its back. He expected the usual dense, rubbery feeling he usually got while fighting them, but his blade swung through the Dusk as if it was a piece of fabric. It was down in one hit.
Before Sora could question his apparent increase in strength, the other three Dusks swarmed and he didn’t have time to think anymore. He attempted to dance around the flailing limbs himself behind the Nobodies, but Sora quickly learned another thing about snow: It was really annoying to fight in. This snow had at least a foot over the snow in the Land of Dragons and it wasn’t nearly as densely packed. He tried to reverse around a Dusk that got too close, but his feet got caught and he sunk into the snow face-first. He flipped on his back and wildly threw a fireball in the Dusks face before it could hit him while he was down.
The heat from the fire only served to make the snow even more slushy and unworkable. Water soaked into his shoes and Sora only barely managed to get up in time before another Dusk started swinging. He ran as fast as the snow would let him to the edge of the nearby woods and hid behind a tree, just to catch his breath and form a plan. He glanced around the tree and was surprised by the fact that none of the Nobodies followed him. The Dusks twirled through the air aimlessly and unknown ones watched the direction where he went impassively. It sent a chill down his spine, but he didn’t have the time to questions things now. He didn’t know how long they were going to stand there before they followed.
He frowned at the snow beneath his feet and wished it was something more solid he could fight on.
Then, an idea struck him. Sora felt a grin spread across his face as he leaned against the tree and took another few deep breaths. He counted down and burst out from behind the tree, already running towards the Nobodies before they could register he moved.
“BLIZZARA!” He yelled, just to yell, as he dragged his keyblade against the ground. Frost spread rapidly over the field of snow and Sora was finally able to move freely again. He silently thanked the Good Faeries for giving the soles of his shoes so much traction. He aimed the keyblade at the Nobodies before the spell was finished and the Dusks were encased in ice. He swung his blade in a wide arc, shattering both Dusks on impact.
Time seemed to slow down for a second and the ice crystals hung in the air. It was strangely beautiful how they caught the light.
Then, he had to throw himself in a dodge roll to avoid getting brained by a crystal ball. The ball shattered as it hit the ice and the pieces then launched themselves at Sora. He grit his teeth dove out of the way and thought that that wasn’t very fair at all. When the next crystal ball was thrown he dodged again and reflected the shards right back at the Nobody who threw it. He cut through it as it sat stunned and it felt like breaking a window. The Nobody shattered like its crystal ball and shards of it flew through the air, before dissolving.
Sora heard something whistling through the air behind him and he cast another reflect barrier. A single shard made it through before his defenses were up and Sora hissed as he was cut on the cheek.
He wiped the blood off his face and whirled around to catch the Nobody while it was stunned.
It faded away before Sora even realized he swung his key. His face was twisted in a snarl and he flinched at the feeling. He relaxed his face and stared at his keyblade, suddenly feeling very disoriented.
He stood in the middle of the field of ice and caught his breath. His muscles were still tense and he still held his keyblade; he knew he couldn’t relax just yet, not while he was still expecting company.
When he felt the telltale shift in the air, like the eerie quiet before a tsunami, he spun, fully intending to cut down the Nobody before it could have the chance to mess with him.
Only, he stopped. Just an inch away from the hooded figure’s neck he… stopped, almost involuntarily. Before he could swing again, the figure dropped their hood.
She dropped her hood.
Her eyes were terrifyingly clear and Sora saw his own stunned face in the reflection.
“Hello, Sora,” the girl said, voice like a bell, or the clink of a glass. She smiled, though her smile wavered when Sora immediately jumped back to put some distance between them. She continued, seemingly unbothered, “My name is Xion.”
“What do you want?” Sora snapped. He bounced on his feet and waited for the opportunity to strike, or run. Whichever came first.
“I don’t want to fight,” The girl - Xion - assured, displaying her gloved palms to show she had nothing.
Nothing yet, Sora’s brain reminded him. “Oh, yeah? Thanks for the welcoming committee, then. Felt real special.” The sarcasm flowed easily off his tongue and Sora briefly wondered where that came from. It felt right, though. It felt comfortable.
Xion grimaced slightly and it looked so wrong to see those muscle twist without meeting her eyes. “Sorry about that,” Her smile returned, this time in a mocking show of embarrassment. “If I didn’t send any, I would’ve gotten in trouble. I tried to keep it easy, though.”
“Yeah, easy,” His tone was sour, but he lowered his keyblade, just slightly. It had been an easy fight, relatively speaking. “What do you want?” He asked again, less hostile but still firm.
“I just wanted to… Oh, I don’t know.” She paused, staring at him with an expression Sora couldn’t even begin to describe. “I think I just wanted to meet you.”
“Well, you met me,” Sora replied, suddenly feeling uneasy. He double-checked any potential escape routes and calculated if he’d be able to run fast enough. Maybe if he froze her first…
“Yes,” She agreed, sadly. “I suppose I did.” She clasped her hands and pressed her fingers together. “Do you still hate me?”
“Of course not!” The words flew out of his mouth before he could process the question. He paused, bewildered, before continuing, “I don’t even know you.” He felt uncomfortable at the girl’s bright smile and brighter eyes. He didn’t like how she looked at him like he was someone else. Like… like he was a friend or something.
“Thank the Light,” She whispered to herself. “I knew you were still there.”
That was the last straw. All of Sora’s agitation and confusion and irritation combined into one last burst. He charged at her without warning and swung, but before the keyblade could connect, she sunk into the ice.
His blade met nothing but air and he overbalanced, landing on his shoulder. He bit his tongue to keep himself from hissing as his shoulder and head throbbed. He twisted around, fully expecting to see her looming over him.
She wasn’t.
He sat up and look at the empty field. Part of him hoped that it was over, but it was still too quiet.
A quiet laugh echo below him and Sora looked down.
Xion’s reflection was kneeling underneath the ice, watching him with a horrible serenity. She idly traced a finger over his outline and smiled to herself as if she heard a joke. “I’ll leave you alone, now. Thank you, for your time.” She said, voice still as unnervingly clear as it was before. It rang in his ears and bounced in his skull. She stood up and Sora felt a twinge of vertigo as he watched her walk away. She paused and looked back. “Oh, almost forgot… ”
Sora felt the cut on his cheek stitch itself back together and the throbbing in his head and shoulder faded away.
Xion smiled at the disbelief on his face. “Merry Christmas, Sora.” He hated that she knew his name. “And... “ She hesitated, before smiling again. “Merry Christmas, Roxas.”
Her reflection continued walking until the patch of ice ended and then, she was gone.
The world suddenly felt less quiet and Sora could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He stood up shakily on arms and legs that suddenly felt like gelatine. Slowly, silently, he walked back towards the workshop.
He rubbed his hands and arms and wondered,
Who’s Roxas?