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Chapter 21

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Author: Kintora

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A/N: It's that time of the year again! Yellow snow, deer accidents, black ice, and snow storms. Of course, there's also the Christmas cards, hot chocolate, snowball fights, and eggnog to look forward to. Not to mention – PRESENTS! Speaking of which, this chapter is a Christmas gift to all those who have kindly supported my story and didn't try to rush me. I know I update slowly, but I should hope by now most of you know that the longer you wait, the better the chapter.

I would like to remind people to please REVIEW, or at the very least, please answer the QUESTION at the end. It's my way of getting to know you guys. Those who do have my thanks, and are listed at the end of each chapter!

So without further adieu, here's my tribute to you.

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(Previously)

"Mom, Dad," Yuna began, changing the subject, "You know how I've never been to a school dance before?"

Aore smiled knowingly, "Let me guess. Tidus asked you to go with him?"

The two nodded.

Braska nodded as well, "All right, but on two conditions. You two must be back at this house by midnight, and Kairi must go with you since she is staying here with us for the holidays."

Kairi paled, waving her hands frantically, trying to explain how she didn't have a suitable dress among a million other good reasons why she shouldn't go. Though Leon and Yuffie had taught the dancing lessons in the gym class well, Kairi still found herself rather pitiful with two left feet on the floor.

Unfortunately, Yuna wasn't going to have any of it, and her protests went completely ignored.

"You're going," Yuna deadpanned, though there was a smirk on her face, "And Sora's going to take you. As for the dress problem, we'll both be looking into that together. We'll take a sled to the mall if we have to."

Kairi gave up. When Yuna set her mind on something, she would never rest until it was done.

Hopefully Sora wouldn't want to go. But judging the relieved look on Tidus' face, it didn't look like that was going to happen. There was only a few days left, and if Sora didn't ask by then…

A part of her didn't really want to think what kind of dive their fledgling romance would take.

The good part about all this was that it was almost enough to take her mind off of the court case and her parents' murder.

Almost.

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Tidus was going to leave before he'd really have to ski home, but the Lescas insisted on him staying for dinner. Of course, Yuna was as bashful as ever – perhaps embarrassed by her family's curious advances on him. But Kairi had her own speculations. While Braska had taken to Tidus somewhat, it was actually Aore who he still needed to win over. The one grilling him the most with questions was most certainly Yuna's mother.

But Kairi had to give Tidus credit. The boy was definitely nervous throughout dinner from the way he bobbed his knee under the table, but otherwise he was his sunny, happy-go-lucky self. Even when Aore brought up the past, causing Yuna and Kairi to freeze, Tidus still made a good impression. He was very apologetic, and admitted his wrongs. He also promised that he learned his lessons, and that Yuna really taught him more about life than anyone he'd ever known. And Kairi couldn't help but see Yuna's mind warring on the inside, as if the brunette wanted the questions to stop even though she was glowing in praise.

So dinner ended anti-climatically, but it was the perfect end to a wonderful snowy day. Yuna and Kairi watched Tidus turn once in the sea of fluffy snow to wave goodbye at them, before he trudged his way out of their neighborhood and into the darkness.

When they closed the front door shut, sealing out the frigid air, the two friends retired back to Yuna's room. Snuggled under Yuna's green-blue quilt that night, Kairi couldn't help but worry about her own predicament. She was definitely glad that Yuna was content and excited, but in order let Yuna go to the dance, Kairi had to go too. But Sora never mentioned anything about the dance… So what would happen now? Had he forgotten? Or…

There was too much, yet too little to think about. Instead, Kairi let the sound of Yuna's soft snores lull her into a light, restless sleep.

…

All the snowball fights the day before had both Kairi and Yuna utterly spent. It was almost noon when Kairi woke up, not surprisingly the first, since Yuna wasn't exactly an early bird in the first place. Shrugging out of the covers, Kairi trudged out of the room and into the hall to brush her teeth in the bathroom. She could hear Yuna's parents talking downstairs, but there was another voice.

Eyes widening, Kairi made a mad dash into the bathroom, nearly tripping on the rug. She splashed some ice-cold water over her face, not even bothering to wait for the water to warm up. Ringing her freezing hands dry on her flannels, Kairi looked at herself in the mirror.

After running a hand through her messy garnet hair and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she zipped out of the bathroom again and down the stairs.

"Oh Kairi," Aore smiled at her, as Braska flipped a pancake in the pan behind her, "I was just going to go and wake you up. Someone came to see you." She gestured towards the kitchen table.

Kairi returned the smile as the boy sitting at the table turned towards her and offered up his signature smile.

"Morning," Sora said amiably, pointing at the mop of red on Kairi's head, "You've got Alfalfa's hair."

Kairi's hand darted to her head, trying to pat any unruly strands in place, but the action only made Sora laugh. Huffing, she crossed her arms.

'So what are you doing here?'

"How about I tell you after breakfast?" Sora suggested, "I made some brownies and cookies with my mom yesterday after blitz practice was cancelled, so I brought some over out of the goodness of my heart." He made a little frown, "I wish I'd thought to bring some over yesterday when they were fresh out of the oven. But if you heat them up right, they still have that warm, gooey chocolate center."

That's when Kairi noticed the warm scent of brownies and chocolate chip in the air, among the other breakfast smells wafting around. Her tummy rumbled quietly in anticipation to her emabarrassment.

"Sora?" a sleepy voice asked.

Yuna stumbled in beside her friend, leaning against Kairi's shoulder as she suppressed a yawn, "What are you doing here so early?"

"Early?" Braska asked cheerfully from where he stood in front of the stove making enough pancakes and waffles to feed an army, "Honey, you slept right until noon."

Yuna made some incomprehensible sound as she shuffled over to help her parents set the table. Taking the cue, Sora and Kairi found themselves helping their friend set the table, just as the triplets bounced down the stairs and tumbled into the busy kitchen.

"I smell cookies!" Zidane shouted gleefully.

"Inside voices," Yuna mumbled, patting him on the head.

"Yeah, inside voices," Zell said, just as loudly, "Besides, they're not cookies, they're brownies."

Zack yawned widely, "It's both, you idiots."

"What did I say about name calling?" Aore spoke up, using the tone on him.

"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all," Yuna and the triplets chorused, earning a huffy sigh from their mother and an amused laugh from their father.

Kairi was basking in the glow of being a part of this warm family moment when she looked over at Sora, and noticed the soft look in his blue eyes while he arranged the silverware on the table. Her heart melted all over again, seeing that faraway look in his absent gaze, as if he was remembering something nice and sad at the same time. The lively group continued to banter between themselves without taking notice of Kairi as she walked over to Sora and put a hand on his shoulder.

She felt the warm muscle under her palm tense, but relax again as he was brought back to the moment. Sora only smiled at her, as if to say he was okay. And with her own soft purple gaze, she let him know that she understood him.

As everyone sat down together, Aore treated Sora with the same round of questions she had let loose on Tidus. It was clear that Aore saw Kairi as one of her own and saw it fit to display her protectiveness over her girls. And from the look on Yuna's face, Kairi could tell her best friend was feeling a mix between embarrassment and satisfaction. While Sora handled himself well, Kairi could see that he was just as nervous as Tidus had been the night before, if not more.

But it was thanks to Braska who really got down to business.

"Yuna," her father began, "Does Sora know that Tidus came over here yesterday?"

Yuna blushed upon hearing her father mention the name of the boy on her mind, "Er… Well…"

Sora nodded, "He lives close to me, so he dropped by my house late yesterday night," he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "That guy pigged out on half the sweets I made, but it was actually his idea for me bring some over here today."

"Is that so?" Yuna composed herself, finally chipping in, "Is that also how you found out Kairi was staying here?"

Sora opened his mouth to speak, but Yuna's father broke in again.

"I see…" Braska began understandingly, "I take it you've come here to ask Kairi to the dance then?"

Kairi almost spat her milk out as her wide violet eyes goggled at the older man. She quickly wiped her mouth and attempted to signal a response, but unfortunately, no one was looking at her. Instead, they were all concentrated on Sora. The boy could only give them all a lost look.

"Dance?"

"You mean Tidus didn't tell you what he did yesterday?" Yuna asked, surprise written in her eyes, "He asked me to the Winter Formal…"

Understanding dawned across Sora's face, "That dance. Sorry, I've been a little preoccupied lately and completely forgot about it." He frowned, before looking at Kairi's face. She jolted when she caught his eye, and quickly looked away.

"Oh…" Aore spoke softly, "It's okay. We'll start cleaning up and let you two talk it over. Come on kids."

"Aw, mom…" the triplets groaned in unison. They quickly shuffled off silently to do her bidding as she fixed a no-nonsense look upon them.

Kairi and Sora were both about to lend a hand when Yuna grabbed them and dragged them off to the living room. She fixed her own stern look on them, "Talk. I sense there's something beyond 'preoccupied,' Sora." Her eyes gentled, "Whatever it is, we won't force you to do anything. But it's better to clear the air." With that, she left her friends to their own devices.

Sora dragged a hand through his hair, a clear sign of agitation. Noticing this, Kairi motioned for them to sit down. She also got a feeling that there was more than what met the eye. Perhaps that was why Sora had been putting off asking her? She really doubted that he happened to forget about it since their school had been buzzing about it non-stop.

She had never gone to a dance before… maybe he thought it would be strange to take her to one? What if he thought it was because she didn't want to go? What if it was because he didn't want to go?

What if he put off asking about it… because he didn't want to go with her?

Mentally shaking her thoughts of insecurity from her head, she focused on the tight look that seemed to have replaced the ease he showed earlier around her and Yuna's family. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as well, so she reached over and put her hand over his.

'Is something wrong?' she asked when he finally looked at her, 'If it's about the dance, you don't have to ask me if you don't want to.' For once she was almost relieved that she didn't have a voice, for she wasn't sure she could have left the disappointment out of it. The only thing she had to worry about now was to not let it show on her face, which was simple enough to do. Her worry for him overrode her disappointment.

"It's not that, Kairi," Sora sighed, flipping his hand over and weaving their fingers together, "I'd love to go with you, if you really want to go. I've actually never been to any of the winter dances. I was always… busy around Christmas."

Kairi squeezed his warm hand in hers, letting him know she was listening and telling him to go on.

Sora breathed deeply, "Sorry, I haven't told anyone this. Not even the others. Everyone always wonders why I never show up for winter dances, but they never really thought much about it. It's not like I miss all the other school dances. It's just that this time of year always brings up bad memories for me… and my mom."

A chill ran up her spine suddenly, making her stiffen. Kairi stared at him and probed him gently once his blue eyes met hers again, 'Is it… About your father?'

Sora nodded hesitantly, not sure if he was ready to divulge anything more than that. He closed his eyes, wishing he could drive away the terror he felt in his memories.

There was something very drained in his face that made Kairi fill with empathy for him. It was a pain she knew and understood. It had broken her, just as it had broken him. There were layers of mending and healing that cushioned the pain, but even now, she could see the rawness it left behind in him. It made her wonder if she looked like that too when she thought of her parents – or rather, when she thought of not having them with her.

"He died around Christmas Eve," Sora began slowly, he voice so soft and low that only she could hear him, "I told you my mother never really got over it. Normally, she pretends he's alive. But Christmas is when it hits her hard. When she gets home and realizes that he's not there, that really messes with her. So I have to be home. The one year I wasn't…" He closed his pained eyes, his dark brows crashing together in a grimace.

Kairi felt his hands grow clammy and couldn't help feeling a strong pang of anxiety course through her as well.

"She tried… to follow him," he murmured, the words stilted as if he had never spoken them out loud. She could only imagine how that had haunted him in silence, "I told her where I was going… but when she came home to an empty house, panic must have set in. She probably thought I was gone-gone, like dad." He rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, "I thought she was getting better. I thought she could handle being alone that Christmas, so I let my friends persuade me to go to a winter dance in middle school. I knew I shouldn't have but I wanted to believe she was okay."

Squeezing his hand, Kairi hoped he understood what she was trying to tell him. She felt her own heart hammering in her chest, and her blood was running cold and backwards under her skin. A part of her wanted to stop him, but she felt like she couldn't. The weight of his words was so heavy that it was weighing her down. He had to be the one to finish what he had started.

Sora smiled at her, although it was absent and halfhearted, "I was able to stop her, and help her forget it ever happened. She's stable most of the time, passionate about her work and her job. She's a caring person. And I know the truth will destroy her – she'd never mean to abandon me. But I will never forget the night I almost lost her."

Like a spell had been lifted, Kairi felt like she could move again. Silently, she leaned against his shoulder, lending him her warmth. She felt him turn and rest his face in her hair, and heard him breathe slowly, his warm breath fanning her neck.

When Yuna came to hear their verdict, that was how she saw them, and immediately let them be again.

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Sora left soon afterwards, and promised to visit again since the triplets had taken a liking to him, especially since he had brought enough brownies and cookies to satiate their gluttonous appetites. The day went on as it usually would, but when night fell and everyone was tucked in bed, Yuna was tired of waiting for Kairi to tell her what was going on.

"Kairi," she began, turning onto her side to look at her friend, "I don't want to pry, but what did Sora talk to you about? It looked… well, it didn't look like he was asking you to the dance."

Kairi was still at first, but then she sat up and turned on the lamp light, deciding that Yuna deserved to hear hers and Sora's decisions. Yuna just waited patiently, watching her friend fiddle with her thumbs for a bit, before Kairi's hands moved.

'We're not going, Yuna… We can't.'

"What?" Yuna exclaimed, before lowering her voice, "What do you mean you can't? Says who?"

Kairi shook her head, feeling frustrated. Yuna may be her best friend, but it wasn't her place to tell her what Sora told her. So how could she explain things without going over the invisible boundaries?

'It's not like that!' Kairi thought for a moment, 'He doesn't go to winter dances.'

Yuna nodded slowly, growing confused and worried from the way Kairi was frowning, "And? Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

'His dad died around this time,' Kairi told her, almost wincing as she did. At least that was enough to satisfy Yuna from the way her friend nodded understandingly. A part of her felt bad for only revealing the half-truth to her, but she decided that perhaps in time Yuna would know. Now was just not the right time, nor the right place.

"I see…" Yuna trailed off, but her eyes didn't lose the determined look in them, "But that doesn't mean you have to stay here and miss out. This will be the first time that either of us attends! We could have fun with the others, even if we're short one person."

'There's no one else I want to go with, Yuna,' Kairi shrugged, snuggling back down under her covers.

Yuna frowned, "You don't have to go with a date. Is that what you're worried about?"

'No,' Kairi almost scoffed, 'I'm worried about Sora. As much as I'd love to have fun with everyone, I don't want to go without him.'

"I guess that makes sense," Yuna said, trying not to sound too let down, "Does Sora know you're not going to the dance?"

Kairi shrugged again, 'I didn't tell him. It didn't feel right to bring up the dance again.'

"The what are you going to do that night?" Yuna asked, "Please don't tell me you're going to stay home and turn into a couch potato, with only a Disney movie for company. Mom and Dad are taking the three brats to their school holiday event that same night! And I doubt you'd go with them."

'I don't mind being alone,' Kairi yawned, stretching her arms and legs before curling up, 'It's nice having some time to myself.'

Deciding that there was no way she could persuade her, Yuna sighed and reached over to turn the light off.

Of course, this called for a little intervention.

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A/N: Well, I was going to just end it here, but it's Christmas and most of you have been waiting patiently. So since this chapter is my gift to you – seeing as today is Christmas day – I'll do you guys a favor, and get on with it. So do me a favor, and let me know what you think via that review button. ;)

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Kairi helped Yuna's parents take pictures of Yuna and Tidus before they left for the Winter Formal. As she snapped shot after shot of the shy but happy duo, she couldn't help but think that she and Sora could have been doing the same thing. She and Yuna had rushed to the mall as soon as the snow let up, and found the perfect blue dress for Yuna. There had been an intense argument as to whether or not Kairi was to get herself a dress too, even though she wasn't going at all.

And Kairi had won, so she had escaped Yuna's plan to stuff her in a dress she wouldn't get to wear.

But being the nice friend she was, Kairi let her friend put some makeup on her while she helped Yuna get ready for the dance. And now she was glad she let Yuna torture her so that she didn't look completely out of place in her long T-shirt and jeans when Yuna insisted on taking pictures with her. Even Tidus jumped in and goofed off with her and Yuna.

Soon after Tidus and Yuna left, Yuna's parents also left with the triplets, but not before making sure Kairi had Yuna's cell phone so she could at least text in case an emergency came up. Aore really wanted to force Kairi to go with them to the triplets' school event, not wanting to leave her all alone, but Kairi insisted that she was fine watching the house.

As Kairi watched their mini-van drive from the small porch, she looked up at the cold, dark sky and noticed tiny snow flurries drifting down. Some caught on her lashes, melting immediately, but the frigid air cutting through her sweatshirt reminded her to hurry back into the house. Locking up the door and double-checking all the locks in the house, Kairi made her way to the kitchen to fix herself a mug of hot chocolate.

She was curled up on the sofa watching a rerun of Beauty and the Beast when she heard a dull crunching sound outside. At first, she ignored it, thinking it was her imagination. But then it happened again.

Thud. Thud. Crunch.

Unnerved, Kairi turned off the TV and put down the remote. There was no way she could watch a movie and pretend she hadn't heard those sounds. Gripping Yuna's cell in her hand, she listened to the footsteps outside and decided it was coming from outside the front door. Silently as a ghost, Kairi crept down the front hall and looked out the peephole.

She was most startled to see who it was.

Unlocking the door, Kairi swung it open before the visitor could press the doorbell. A blast of cold wind froze her to her bones and forced a violent shudder out of her.

'What are you doing?' Kairi gaped, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside, 'I thought you had to stay home!'

Sora pulled her into a hug, pushing the door closed so that the cold air was sealed out of the warm house again. He squeezed her tightly, not enough to hurt but enough to make her return the hug just as hard. Her garnet hair glowed with health and felt smooth and cool under his cheek. If he could, he wished they could have stayed like that forever.

But Kairi was the first to break it up as she pulled away and led them into the lit kitchen, drawing up some cocoa for him and retrieving hers for a refill. As they sat down at the table, she looked at him expectantly, her cheeks and lips looking pinker than usual.

Sora smiled sheepishly, "I wanted to see off Tidus and Yuna with you, but I had to make sure my mom was okay first. It took a little while longer than I thought getting here, what with the snow beginning to come down now. Turns out that I was late."

Kairi nodded, 'Then you shouldn't stay too long. Your mom needs you.'

"Yeah," Sora agreed, his smile turning a bit goofy, "But I need you."

Shaking her head, Kairi grinned back, 'That is so corny.' She sipped her cocoa.

Sora only shrugged, "It's true. I really wanted to take you to the dance this year."

Kairi sobered up, setting her cup down, 'I know, but it can't be helped. I would have loved to go with you,' She paused for a second before looking at him curiously, 'I think your story has holes. How did you know I would still be here home alone? If you knew you might be late, why didn't you just stay home with your mom?' Her purple eyes were more luminous than ever as they inquired him with their stare.

"I'm caught," Sora laughed, "Yuna told me that you weren't going to the dance at all at the last minute today. I had assumed you would still go without me, but she said you were being stubborn."

Kairi puffed up, about to refute the last statement when Sora continued.

"Well, wait. Just listen for a moment. I didn't like the idea of you staying here alone while everyone else was out having fun. So Yuna gave me her parents' number, and I called them to ask if you could come over to my place for a bit," he frowned into his hot chocolate, trying suppress the heat on his face, "You don't have to go with me or anything. I just wanted to check in on you. But if you do decide to go with me, Yuna's dad said to have you back before midnight."

All thoughts of telling him that she would be okay on her own disappeared. Deep down, she hadn't really wanted to be alone. She felt her resolve melt at the thought of having some company. She smiled. There really was no competition.

'Of course I'll go. You didn't think I'd actually say no, did you?'

Sora looked away, "Honestly, I didn't know. I just felt like I had disappointed you, for not taking you to the dance and all. I guess there was a chance you would have been mad enough to say no."

Kairi shook her head, tapping his hand with her finger to get his attention, 'I was never mad, Sora. Don't guilt yourself when you don't have to. Trust me a little more.' Her gaze bore earnestly into his so he understood.

"I'm trying," Sora breathed softly, pulling her warm hand in his, "I never shared so much with anyone before. I guess I didn't know what to expect."

Kairi gave his hand a warm squeeze, 'I'm new at this too. Let's work on it together,' she stood up, 'Let me clean up and grab a coat.'

Before they left, Kairi slipped the present she had made for Sora into her coat pocket, hoping she could give it to him before the night was over.

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Before long, Kairi and Sora were out the door, trekking through the gently falling snow, their breaths coming out in wispy white clouds as they puffed their way to Sora's house. It was a fifteen-minute walk, short by most standards, but it felt impossibly long in the freezing night. By the time they arrived, Kairi couldn't feel her nose or her forehead.

"Mom! I'm home, and Kairi's here too," Sora called the instant he opened the door, stomping the snow off before actually entering. Kairi followed close behind. "Mom?"

"In the kitchen, sweetheart," a familiar voice called back.

Sora helped Kairi hang her coat up before they both made their way into the cozy little kitchen, following the scent of hot cider and cinnamon buns. The instant they arrived, Mrs. Risado swept over and enveloped them both in a big hug, apologizing when she accidentally got flour on them. Sora just brushed it off before throwing on a blue apron and giving Kairi a spare green one. Before long, his mother set them to work in the kitchen making batches upon batches of sweets.

Kairi turned to ask Sora which of the unlabeled jars was sugar and salt when she felt him touch her nose with his cookie dough coated finger. She pouted, 'If you were trying to get me to taste it, you missed.'

Sora grinned down at her, "I didn't." Before she could protest, he leaned down and kissed her nose. It was so chaste that Kairi barely saw it coming. She caught Mrs. Risado's amused, blue gaze before blushing furiously and attacking the brownie batter in front of her with the electric beater.

Kairi was almost worried at the amount they were making but Sora assured her that only some of it was going to stay. The rest was going into neat little goody bags to give away as Christmas gifts at the police station. In fact, Mrs. Risado mentioned she was on call and that she had a night shift. She felt badly for not being able to stay, but Sora and Kairi assured her it was okay.

"My, it's almost eleven. What time did you say Kairi had to be home by?" Mrs. Risado asked as she hung up her apron and began to load the freshly baked and packaged sweets into a brown grocery bag, "Does she need a ride back?"

"It's all right, mom. Yuna's dad said to bring her home before twelve. I know you have to get to work, so we'll be okay walking back," Sora said, "We'll clean up for you too."

"Are you sure? It's freezing! I don't want you two getting sick if you get lost. It's snowing and it's dark out."

Kairi smiled as Sora let out an exasperated sigh, "It's a short walk, Mom. You have to go or else you'll be late. You don't want the chief to get mad now."

"As if – I am bringing some warm midnight snacks to share. He'd have to be grateful," Mrs. Risado scoffed playfully, "But all right, Sora. You and Kairi take care! I'll be home in the morning."

After getting a goodbye hug from Sora's frazzled mother, Kairi helped Sora clean the trays and wash the batter bowl. They each grabbed a cooling cinnamon bun, and washed it down with milk before deciding to heading back to Yuna's house.

The walk was mostly silent since it was hard to see each other's faces in the dark. But halfway through, Sora stopped her in an open area that they had to cross earlier. It was a small, discreet clearing that separated their neighborhoods and was fringed with sleeping trees. Kairi looked curiously at Sora, wondering why they had stopped here of all places.

Sora must have sensed her confusion for he gave her a lop-sided grin to assure her.

"Listen."

Kairi frowned but did what he said. She strained her ears in the silence, trying to pick up what he was picking up. Neither said a word, and just stood side-by-side, close but not touching. A few minutes went by, and Kairi was sure that all she could hear was the chattering of her teeth in her head.

Sora nudged her gently, "What do you hear?"

Luckily the ground was covered in fluffy white snow, reflecting the moonlight. Otherwise, Sora wouldn't have been able to see her lips moving, 'I don't know. It's quiet. What were you listening to?'

"I was listening to the snow fall," Sora responded quietly, as if he didn't want to disturb the serenity in the clearing.

Kairi looked up into the sky, blinking when the snowflakes caught on her dark lashes. The snow drifted slowly all around them, the occasional wind whipping up glittering clouds of it from the ground. But mostly, they fell in a swirling fashion as if in a dance she couldn't hear the music to.

Dance?

When she looked back at Sora, she wondered if they were making the same thought connection. He turned to her.

"You hear it, don't you?"

Kairi looked a little longer into his sky blue eyes, searchingly. She gave him a tentative smile when he held out his gloved hand to her, and she took it with one of her mitten-clad hands. In one swift motion, Sora pulled her up against him, holding her around the waist while she let her arms rest around his neck.

A part of her felt a little silly, dancing to no music. But at the same time, it felt strangely more intimate than if there had been some slow song playing in the background. She forgot about her two left feet. She forgot about time. All she could see was Sora and the moon bright snow billowing around them, as if the scenery was moving with them. As if they were moving with the scene. They could have been inside a shaken up snow globe, and she wouldn't have known the difference.

He picked her up and swung her around till she felt as weightless as the snow floating around them. Their movements felt uncoordinated and at times clumsy, but the joy she felt made her forget everything but the moment they were spending together. It was cold, but the wind no longer felt as chill as it had been. Her teeth no longer chattered and her bones no longer ached from the cold. All that mattered were their smiles and silent laughter.

She never let go of him once.

What felt like neither a long time nor a short time, soon came to an end as Sora slowed them both down even more until they were barely swaying at all. Sora leaned his head down, resting his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling, and warming each other's rosy cheeks.

"I'm not good at making analogies," Sora began, "But listening to the snow fall reminds me of us."

'Why?' Kairi asked, completely out of breath.

"Sometimes when you stand somewhere in the quiet while it is snowing, you can almost hear it landing on the ground. It's such a soft sound that sometimes, you don't know if you're really hearing it or not."

She let out a long breath, 'I don't understand.'

"Yeah, it's a stretch," Sora grinned, though his eyes remained intense, "I remember trying to deny what I felt. But sometimes when I wasn't doing anything and just let my mind wander quietly, my thoughts would become a little clearer. Listening to my heart felt like listening to the snow – I didn't know if I was really hearing it or not."

'How about now?'

He brought his gloved hands up and cupped her face.

"I think you and I both know."

Just when she thought he would kiss her, let his hands drop from her rosy face. She couldn't help but feel disappointed as she watched him pull away from her. But he only did so, so he could pull something out from the inside of his jacket. She looked on curiously as he handed her what appeared to be a wrapped book.

Gently, she took it from him, running a mitten over the glossy wrapping paper before looking up at him in awe, 'Is this my Christmas present?'

Sora nodded and rubbed the back of his head, "I was going to give it to you on Christmas, but now just seems more appropriate."

Kairi smiled up at him, reaching into her own coat pocket and pulling out her gift to him, 'I'm glad I took this with me then. It's not much, but it took a while to make. You can open it right now.'

Sora took off a glove so he could untie the ribbon holding the wrapping paper together. As he pulled down the paper, he discovered a glass star shaped object resting in his hand. It reflected the moon and snow, but inside contained little paper stars. In the moonlight, he could see his name written on the glass surface in Kairi's pretty handwriting. Attached to the top was a ribbon.

"My mom's going to love seeing this paopu ornament on the tree at home," Sora said giving her a hug, "It's beautiful."

Kairi beamed, holding up her gift, 'Can I?'

Sora laughed, "I don't see why not."

Kairi picked carefully at the sellotape, not wanting damage whatever was inside. When she uncovered it, she was surprised to see a leather-bound book. When she opened it, all she could see was page after page of wrinkled papers carefully sealed in plastic sleeves. A carefully mended drawing caught her attention, and she felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes when she recognized it as one of hers.

Sora was alarmed, but had half-expected a reaction like it, "I tried to fix as much as I could – whatever I could find after the janitor threw the papers out. Some of it was waterlogged, so it was hard to tell what went where. I did my best with a hairdryer, but…"

Kairi looked up at him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears. She opened her mouth, but couldn't form what she wanted to tell him. Sora fidgeted uneasily as he tried to explain.

"I couldn't forget it – what we did, what I did to you. That was when I started waking up and realizing what I was doing was wrong," Sora closed his eyes, regret washing through him, "I can't ever fix the past completely, like I couldn't completely fix your work I destroyed that day. But I will do my best to mend and rebuild what I can."

Not caring that her nose was beginning to run a little, Kairi grabbed the front of his coat and buried her face against his chest. Sora wrapped his arms around her, hoping it was enough to keep her together. He didn't have to wait long for Kairi to look back at him. But what surprised him was that while she was still crying, she was actually smiling.

'Thank you,' she told him, rubbing her face with a mitten.

"Kairi, I…" Sora began shaking his head, but Kairi wouldn't hear of it.

'No, Sora,' she brushed a stray lock of chocolate brown hair out of his face, 'This is the most thoughtful Christmas present I could have gotten from you.'

Sora was at lost for words, but chose to smile at her. "You're welcome," He said, helping her wipe away the stray tears from her cheeks, "We better go. It'll be midnight soon."

Vaguely, Kairi thought of how midnight signaled the end of the magic that had been bestowed upon her this night of all nights. But the stroke of midnight had not come yet.

'Wait,' Kairi stopped Sora before they could leave, 'I still have one more gift to give you.'

Sora didn't pull away when she brought his face down to hers and kissed him. Her lips felt incredibly soft and sweet against his, prying yet yielding as she encouraged him to respond. He wasn't particularly sensitive sometimes, but the tenderness in which she kissed him wasn't something he would be forgetting anytime soon, if ever. He dipped her head back, deepening the most intoxicating kiss they had shared yet.

When they finally pulled away, both were slightly breathless. They leaned into each other to catch their breaths and stay warm. Kairi recovered first.

'I'll be listening to the snow fall more often,' she told him.

"Me too," Sora agreed, "Merry Christmas, Kairi."

She smiled up at him as he kissed the top of her head.

'Merry Christmas, Sora.'

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A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone. I hope this is enough fluff for you until the next update! I know this chapter was a bit of a curve ball, but it was still sweet, no? Despite them not going to the actual dance.

Please remember to leave a review as well as an answer to the question below! Thanks, guys.

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Question of the Chapter:

What music do you listen to this time of year? Does it vary from season to season – holiday to holiday?

My Answer:

I'm listening to Enya's "And Winter Came…" album – in fact, I was listening to it while I was writing much of this chapter. I like Enya in general, especially during the winter holidays. There's this sort of ambience about her music that really puts me into a writing/working mood. Other times, it puts me to sleep. But I listen to whatever I think sounds good year round. Like in the summer, I enjoy more summery music, like songs from Chrono Cross.

For now though, I'm obsessed with Enya's "Trains and Winter Rains" song. The music video was very good. :)

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Candy Canes and Hot Chocolate to Chapter 20's reviewers: timisnotmyname , FlowerLady-Aerith , sashu , KHfan22 , LoveLife45 , TrueLightSan , anonymous , xTwichii , Kingdommad , Kora Bloom , Flightfoot, Amulet Misty , Infatuation-x , ParadiseAvenger , , xPocKyxx , lamatikah , Meep Forever , kitty-gurl1 , Sora's GuardianAngel , CrimsonAngel , hideki411 , MoonCastic , pen wizard , ASTRIDINES , Airoh, EternallySky , xLeeny , xTwilightxDestinyx , SKgirl101, Chibi-Love-Angel , AquaFlameElementalist , EYES to LIE , the weird kid , CerberAsta , brian6330 , Icetiger 13 , theleadingman08 , Rivendell101 , KaUiA , AKAAkira , and ventus4ever .

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