Chapter 7 – Merry Christmas Miss Won
Christmas Day
"Wake up, wake up! Damn you Hari, get your ass in gear!"
With a groan, Hari stirred and squinted at his watch through painful blurry vision. "Mik, it's six-fifteen,"
"Yeah, but it's Christmas!" Mikoto shouted, way too loudly. She persisted in shaking him like a rattle. "Come on you lazy-bones! We've gotta go wake the grown-ups!"
"Urgh," Hari rubbed his eyes, burning in demand for more sleep. Grunting, he sat up, knowing Mikoto's pestering wouldn't cease until he did. Next to him he saw Yukina applying similar treatment to a reluctant Ruri, whose bloodshot eyes looked like a sunset now, with pale red surrounding a central golden globe. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to be currently embracing the warmth that would suggest. Her fixed frown and sagging cheeks told him that she was not exactly thrilled at being woken up this early and would quite like a few more hours sleep, thank you very much.
"Come on, let's get the others!" Yukina cried excitedly, completely ignoring the lethargic stares they were giving her.
"You go ahead, we'll join you in a second," Hari slurred, drunk with drowsiness.
"'kay, but you'd better still be awake when we get back!" Yukina said. "Come on, Mik, let's go and jump on Minato's bed!"
"Yeah!" The two girls whooshed up the stairs, both of them way too energetic for this ungodly hour. Hari spared a thought of pity for the unsuspecting adults, but was glad for a second's peace. In the meantime he was left alone with Ruri who smiled sleepily at him from behind many tresses of dishevelled white hair.
"Merry Christmas Hari."
"Merry Christmas to you too Ruri," said Hari, leaning in to give her a hug. She returned it warmly, and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Wow," she said, still embracing him. "Look under the tree. There are many more gifts than there were last night!"
Turning his head, Hari looked. "You're right! Sheesh, there're millions of them!"
Both of them crawled over fascinated and began to investigate, picking up and examining the presents under the tree. They were all shapes, sizes and colours, a magical pile of colour and generosity. Some were obviously CDs or DVDs and some were a sure-bet to be books, but there were others with such odd shapes that it was impossible to even imagine what they could be. The most interesting one of all though was a colossal one behind the tree against the wall. It was the largest gift of all, with the area of a kitchen table.
"It's for you Ruri!" Hari shouted excitedly. "It's from your Mum and Dad!"
"Such a large gift? For me?" Ruri seemed overwhelmed. "Those idiots…"
"Oh that reminds me!" Hari darted back over to his suitcase, which had been tidily slotted at the foot of his sleeping bag.
"What?" Ruri asked.
"I brought presents too. Here," he returned with a plastic bag, filled with shoddily wrapped presents. None of them were that large, but there were plenty of them so that they were nearly spilling out of the carrier bag. He knelt by the tree and started adding them to the massive pile, carefully finding a spot for each one.
"You bought presents for everyone?" Ruri gasped, dumbfounded.
"Of course I did!"
"But you didn't have to do that! You are guest and a child after all. You must have saved up for ages to have been able to afford all this!"
"Well, yeah. But I guess I felt I had to do it." Hari said, scratching the back of his head. "After all, you said Christmas was about the good in people, right? And part of that is giving isn't it?"
Shaking her head in fond exasperation, Ruri sighed. "Idiot."
"Heh," Hari replied, reaching down into his bag to retrieve the final gift. "Oh hey, this one's for you!"
"You have one for me?" she stammered, gingerly taking the small parcel off him. "Oh Hari, you shouldn't have!"
"Of course I got one for you! You're my very best friend after all. Yours was the first one I bought!"
"Heart bigger than your mind," she murmured, repeating the words she'd said on the train earlier. "But that's what I like best about you," she moved in and hugged him again. Hari placed his own arms around her and squeezed her, savouring the heat of her body against his own.
As harsh fate had it, this moment of bliss was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. It made them start in each others arms and look over to the front door in surprise. Reluctantly, Hari released her so she could answer it. "Who would it be this early?" Ruri wondered aloud as she went.
Taking the key from its hook, she unlocked and opened the door. Hari shivered as cold air rushed inside, but didn't let it stop him from moving closer to see who it was, over Ruri's shoulder. On the doorstep, a young athletic woman with bright green hair stood, stifling a yawn with a hand. She looked familiar, but Hari couldn't place her. Fortunately, Ruri could.
"Merry Christmas Miss Subaru!" she said brightly. "Please come in. You certainly are early."
"Yeah, I got an early train," said Ryoko, wiping the sleep out of her eyes. "A very early train. The one I was planning to take got cancelled, so I took that one instead. Wasn't expecting anyone to be awake this early, but I heard noises so I figured I'd try the bell," She strode into the room, stretching her arms and yawning lazily. "Is everyone up yet?"
"Well, they certainly will be very soon," Hari murmured, looking over towards the stairs, up which the two girls had dashed.
"Well then, what are we waiting for!?" the green-haired Aesiti pilot demanded, thrusting a fist into the air. "Let's get Christmas started!"
* * *
They came with mixed feelings. There was bound to be some happiness to come with Christmas morning, but the hour was far too small for everyone to be feeling it whole-heartedly. Every adult looked sleepy and tousled by the early morning, with the exception of Minato who was as pretty and cheery as ever, without a hair out of place. Akito and Yurika, however, were still awake enough to seek out their daughter and give her a very warm Merry Christmas hug. Hari felt a little pang of envy, seeing that family love which he would never know right there in front of him, but he dismissed it quickly. Christmas was not the time for such unhappy thoughts!
The great gift bonanza began. Yukina and Mikoto had quickly designated themselves as the official 'present-giver-outers', taking random gifts from under the tree to their recipients sitting all over the room. It was a role perfectly suited to them considering that both of them had more energy than the rest of the room combined at the moment. Soon everyone had a present on their lap and the unwrapping commenced.
Between them, Yurika, Akito and Minato had decided, way back in October, how they were going to organise the children's presents. Each one would get a 'main' present, something expensive and substantial. But in addition to that they would also get a small stocking which was filled with such things as selection boxes, T-shirts, quirky little gadgets and, in Mikoto's case, a charming pair of bright pink toe-socks which she insisted on showing off to everybody.
One would have put good odds on Ruri's main present being computer-related, but to everyone's surprise it was nothing of the sort. Instead, the largest gift of them all had turned out to be a small, baby-blue bike with its own bell and basket. Her gleaming jewel-like eyes lit up in delight the moment she saw it, and she'd flung herself into the arms of her parents a second later. Yukina had done the exact same to Minato when she'd uncovered her brand new hi-fi. And Mikoto, bless her, had actually burst into tears when she'd unwrapped her present – her very own Gamebase computer console, with six games and an extra controller.
Hari himself had also done exceptional well, gift-wise. He'd received an eight-ball, a few selection boxes, a CD of classical music, a shoot 'em up for his computer, a model kit, a signed copy of the recently published My Lizard War Story by Jun Aoi and a metal colander (which had been from Izumi, predictably enough). His main gift though had been a tiny silver digital video camera which he'd been absolutely thrilled to receive. Yurika had explained, saying that he'd be able to send videos of himself speaking along with his e-mails to Ruri, rather than just plain old words. Hari loved both the gift and the thought behind it and had expressed his gratitude so profusely that he had looked like a chicken pecking in the dust when he bowed to them.
Erina didn't have presents for everyone of course, but gave each child an envelope with a cheque in it, much to their delight. One nice surprise was that Jun and Megumi actually had a present for her. They'd been planning to drop it off on Boxing Day, during a tour of former Nadesico crew-members who lived there, so it was actually very convenient that they could give it to her now. She'd been flattered and tore it open eagerly. It had only been a bottle of red wine, but she appreciated the gesture none the less.
By mid-morning all presents had been exchanged and they found themselves drowning in a sea of wrapping-paper, ribbon and gift tags. After the waste-paper had been cleared up and the selection boxes soundly raided, Yurika had suggested to the kids that they get dressed while she conjured up some sausage sandwiches.
Despite being the last in the bathroom (and hence the unfortunate one to get the cold shower) Hari was the first to be dressed, wearing the one smart shirt that he owned, which was a fairly chic faded orange colour, and a pair of musical Christmas socks which he'd found in his stocking (which he'd seen as quite impractical. He'd only be able to wear them once a year!). He waited at the bottom of the stairs for the girls to descend, setting up his new gizmo, which was frustratingly fiddly to work out even for a tech-head like himself. In fact he still hadn't figured it out by the time they finally came down. Ruri looked very pretty indeed in her smart blue dress with frills everywhere. For today, she had replaced the bobbled headbands that usually held her hair in place with little patches of shiny blue tinsel. The other two girls were also neatly dressed-up, but the fake red antlers which they both wore kind of spoiled the effect.
About then, Yurika brought their sandwiches out, leaving the kitchen free so Akito, along with his beautiful assistant Minato, could start work on their epic Christmas dinner. Things quietened down for a little bit as they brunched, then went on to muck around for their presents. A video game tournament began on Mikoto's new console, involving all the kids plus Ryoko, while Jun studied a book he'd been given and Yurika chatted with Megumi (their conversation seemed to revolve around them bragging about their respective boyfriends, typical of the competitiveness that had always existed between them). The pleasant period of stillness lasted for an hour before, at midday on the dot, the excitement began again at the unexpected sound of the doorbell.
"Goodness, I wonder who that is," said Yurika, coming to get it. Hari paused the game and everyone watched curiously as Yurika opened the door.
On their doorstep stood four familiar figures, all wearing Santa hats. A slender man with floppy black hair, a tall blonde woman with hands in pockets, a moustached chap whose glasses were misting up with in the heat coming from the room and a massive hulk of a man towering over them from behind. Just as everyone had recognised them, Nagure Akatsuki, Inez Fressange, Prospector and, yes, even Goat Hoary burst out into song.
"We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year!"
"Good tidings we bring,
To you and your kin,
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year!"
"Right that's your lot," said Akatsuki once they were done. "Now make with the figgy pudding already!"
"Mr Akatsuki? Everyone?" Yurika gasped. "What are you all doing here?"
"We come bearing Christmas cheer," Prospector announced. "Along with a case of wine and an apple pie, courtesy of Miss Fressange! Not to mention plenty of gifts for everybody!" He indicated the colossal sack that Goat had slung over his shoulder.
"So may we come in?" Miss Fressange asked. "Only it's very cold out here on your doorstep."
"Oh, of course!" said Yurika stepping aside. "Come in, give me your coats!"
The four of them trotted in, one by one. Goat hit his head on the doorframe, sending Yukina and Mikoto into hysterics. After shedding his black leather jacket, Akatsuki scanned the room and when he saw Erina, his grin outgrew his face. "Ah-ha! So she is here after all! Merry Christmas, my darling Erina!" He walked over and embraced her.
"Why are you are?" Erina stuttered, looking daunted as she accepted his arms. "I though you were working today."
"Well, that was the plan," Akatsuki said. "And to be fair to us, we had a go, but by nine o'clock we'd all decided we'd had enough. The first plan was to pay a festive visit to our very own flower of Nergal here." He gestured musically at Erina.
"Me?" Erina blurted incredulously.
"Yep, but we didn't find you at your apartment. We were at a bit of a loose end after that but then ever-bright Miss Fressange here did a little investigation and found out that you'd used your Nergal transport pass to come to this village." He smiled, baring gleaming white teeth. "Knowing that, it didn't take a Ruri to work out where you'd gone to!"
"You came all this way because you wanted to spend Christmas with me?!" Erina said again, not believing the words she spoke.
"Why, of course Erina," Akatsuki replied slyly. "My favourite holiday wouldn't be the same without my number one girl now, would it?"
Hari grinned up at her and gave her a nudge. "There you go!" he whispered. "And you thought that no-one cared for you!"
Erina gave no sign of having heard him. Her whole body was quivering now and her face was crinkling up with emotion. In that very moment, her depression was finally defeated for good for if she needed any more evidence that people cared for her it was right here in front of her. "Oh…oh damn," With a sob she turned away, one hand on covering her mouth as the tears fell forth from her eyes.
Akatsuki approached her, clearly a little surprised at this emotional reaction from her. "Come now, today is not for tears!" he said, taking her in his arms again. She hugged him back fiercely, her salty tears absorbed by his shoulder as she stuffed her face into it. Everyone sighed contentedly at the touching scene (except for Yukina, who rather inappropriately yelled 'get a room!').
"Anyway, now that we've finally tracked you down, let the gifting commence!" Prospector announced eagerly.
"All the presents are in here," Goat murmured with typical gruffness, as she slung the sack onto the floor. "Come and I will give them out."
"Hope we don't have to sit on your lap to get them," Mikoto murmured.
"Here we go!" said Prospector, fishing gifts out of the bag and distributing them, seemingly at random. "One for our gorgeous captain, one for Megumi, one for Ryoko. And here's one for you Hari!"
"Even for me?" Hari unwrapped his gift. It was a travel alarm clock with the Nergal logo on the face.
"What did you get Ruri?"
"A Nergal T-shirt," Ruri replied, holding it up against herself. "As if I didn't already have enough of these."
"Count yourself lucky!" Mikoto spat. "I got the Nergal golf-ball! I don't even like golf!"
"And everyone else?" Hari asked.
"Nergal keychain," said Jun.
"A Nergal tie," said Akito.
"I got a Nergal bath-pillow," Yukina added gloomily. "Anyone wanna trade?"
"I'll swap," said Yurika. "I got a Nergal baseball cap!"
"Nergal beach-towel?" Ryoko murmured, examining it at arms-length with disgust. "Great."
"Well, I got Nergal smelling salts," said Megumi. "Now that's a product too far."
"And I got a Nergal stress ball," Minato concluded. "Now all I need is some stress!"
"Mr Akatsuki, is there anything in that sack that isn't Nergal branded?" Yukina asked bitterly.
"There is indeed, but it all belongs to our very own Miss Won," replied Akatsuki, with a slight bow. Goat dumped the sack, which was still half-full, and all the remaining packages at Erina's feet.
"They're all for me?"
"Sure are. Think of it as a combination of a Christmas present, a token of friendship, a reward for good work this year and a thank-you for keeping me sane during the whole Lizards War. Add in presents from Prospector, Inez and Goat and you get half a sack of pressies! Aren't you the lucky ducky?"
"Oh you shouldn't have, Mr Chairman…"
"I wanted to, you whole-heartedly deserve them! Merry Christmas Miss Won!"
"Merry Christmas to you too, Nagure," she replied, her eyes twinkling with happiness foreign to them.
Deciding she could finally come in, Yurika spoke, addressing the four newcomers. "Um, now that you're here, why don't you stay for Christmas dinner?" she offered. "After all, we've got enough food to feed the whole Nadesico and then some!"
Akatsuki put on an expression of fake confusion. "I'd assumed that was a given. Far be it from me to come all the way out here without seeing what the fanboy cooks up for a Christmas meal. But we'd be delighted!"
* * *
Akito Tenkawa was an excellent cook. But with this Christmas dinner, he had set himself a new standard. The turkey was tender and juicy, the roast potatoes were crispy, the sausages plump and wrapped in crunchy bacon, the Yorkshire puddings were warm and spongy, the cauliflower cheese was bubbling hot and the carrots nice and crunchy. Unfortunately the sprouts were still repulsive. Not even Akito's talents could make them taste good.
There was plenty for everyone, even with the extra guests there was still enough left over to ensure turkey sandwiches for lunch until the New Year. The table had been set out in a 'T' formation, with the children at one end and the hosts at the other. To Hari's delight, Ruri had practically barged her way through the others in order to knick the seat next to him.
As Akito and Minato dished the food up, everyone pulled their crackers. Hari and Ruri pulled each others, and while Hari won the first time, he deliberately lost the second, so she could have a hat. Predictably, he ended up with the tacky bracelet in his, but Yukina had kindly traded her 'Snakes-and-Ladders' game for it. There was also much laughter when Mikoto pulled a cracker with Goat and won convincingly. But there was less amusement from the dreadful cracker jokes.
"Hey, this is a good one," Akito announced. "What has an E at the beginning, an E at the end, but only one letter?"
"I don't know Akito," Yurika replied. "What does have an E at the beginning, an E at the end, but only one letter?"
Mercilessly, Akito delivered the dire punch-line. "An envelope!"
Silence descended on the table. You could almost see the tumbleweed drifting past. Yukina threw a mince-pie in his direction and no-one denied that he had deserved it.
They'd dug in to the meal with relish, not out of hunger, but because the food tasted so good that eating it slowly just seemed silly. Everyone, without exception, commented on how good it was. Megumi described it as 'divine', Mikoto said it was 'yummy-licious' and Akatsuki had gone so far as to call it 'orgasmic'. For his part, Hari adored the crunchy roast potatoes and had kept going back for more until they'd all gone. After second helpings for everyone, and thirds for some, everyone was stuffed to bursting with fine food, but that didn't stop them from polishing off Miss Fressange's apple pie, with a dash of custard.
* * *
Everyone, bar Megumi on the keyboard, went silent to let Ruri's angelic voice do its thing.
"Once in royal David's city,
Stood a lonely cattle-shed,
Where a mother laid her baby,
In a manger for his bed,
Mary was that mother mild!
Jesus Christ, her little child."
On cue, everyone else joined in for the second verse, which sounded a whole lot rougher than it had with just the soloist, mainly due to the addition of Goat Hoary to the vocals. Akatsuki had surprised everyone with a melodic voice that, frankly put all the other males to shame, while Megumi and Minato sung as beautifully as you would expect them to, and Yukina and Mikoto tried to get away with just mouthing the lyrics.
Together they sung the remaining verses and when they were done, Yurika started clapping jubilantly.
"That was fantastic, people!"
"And Ruri, you were wonderful!" added Minato.
"…thank you," murmured Ruri, ducking her head timidly. Hari, standing next to her, squeezed her hand happily.
"You really were," he murmured to her alone. She smiled shyly at him in return,
"Right, from the top people!" said Megumi, striking a few tuneful keys. "Let's hit it with O come all ye faithful! Three, two, one…"
"O come all ye faithful…!"
* * *
The post-Christmas dinner lull took place once their lungs were all burnt out. Everybody lay about sleepily, engaging in their own little conversations about the room. Yukina and Mikoto returned to their video games while Ryoko of all people was talking with Erina. Astoundingly, the green-haired pilot had actually seemed glad that Erina and the rest of the Nergal brigade had turned up – it had made her less of an intruder to the Christmas gathering.
Hari himself was slouched on the sofa, Ruri next to him. Neither had the energy to do anything besides loafing.
"Do you want to play on the console again?" Hari asked.
"No thank you. I've played enough video games today to last me for the rest of my life."
"Then what do you want to do?"
Ruri stretched out with a lazy yawn. "Not a whole lot at the moment."
As the pair sat stewing in their own sleepiness, Jun came up to them, beer in one hand and half-eaten mince-pie in the other. "How are you two doing then?" he asked, spraying crumbs over them.
"Little tired but otherwise just fine, thank you Mr Aoi," Hari replied, suppressing a belch.
"That's great!" Jun said cheerily. "Hey Ruri, don't you think this party's way more fun than the one we were at last year!?"
Ruri grinned up at him. "I agree, but don't let Mr Uribatake hear you say that!"
"Hey, it's the facts! You, Yurika and Akito did a wonderful job!"
"It took everyone here to make this day what it was, Mr Aoi,"
"That it did!" he laughed. "What a great day it's been!" he raised his beer-glass, sloshing liquid over the rim and making Hari wonder just how much he'd had to drink. Just then, Megumi sidled up beside them and reclaimed her man, kissing him and drawing him away to join Erina and Ryoko's conversation. Hari watched the group and in particular Erina, who was talking and laughing with them as if they'd been life-long friends. She looked happy and comfortable with them and wasn't at all afraid to speak up. It was as if all her past wrongs had never happened and she'd just been another war comrade on the Nadesico.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ruri watching her too. She smiled and nodded in her direction.
"Look how happy she is. You did a good thing for her Hari."
"Huh?" Hari blurted incredulously. "Wait a second, why are you giving me the credit?! It was you who convinced her not to top herself. You're the one who saved the day, I was just tagging along."
"That's not true. It was your idea to go in the first place," she reminded him gently.
"Well, that wasn't anything really…" Hari muttered.
"You shouldn't be so modest, you know," she added with a smile. "For you have very little to be modest about."
Hari dipped his head shyly. "Well…I don't know about that."
Ruri's smiled widened. "You're lovely," she said, touching his face affectionately. "You are my star."
Hari flushed red at the feel of those icy, yet soft, fingertips against his cheek. Combined with her glorious golden gaze, this contact left him transfixed and gaping like a loony. The girl beamed at him with brightness atypical to her normal self, and even let a girlish giggle slip.
"Oh Ruri, Ruri," he said in his mind. "God, I love you."
Just then, he was distracted by the sound of Miss Minato clearing her throat. The tall woman had snuck up behind them and now held something above them that made Hari's heart stop.
"Why look, it's the mistletoe!" she giggled with a mischievous grin. "You two know what to do!"
Wild panic flashed through Hari. Kissing Ruri would be a dream come true, but his foremost thoughts were worried for her dignity. To kiss her would embarrass, and most likely disgust her, but to not would offend her, perhaps making her believe that he didn't like her. He blushed furious, wishing he could bosun-jump out of this awkward situation. Everyone was looking at them – he had to do something.
He tried pathetic words. "Er, well, we don't have to do…"
At that point he was cut off. No way he could talk with Ruri's lips pressed so insistently against his own.
It was happening. For a mad moment, all his mind knew was unchecked paradise. At a glance, it was so easy to think of Ruri as some kind of cold ice princess, but up close she was nothing of the sort. Her lips felt like warm velvet against his own, so soft and full of passion.
And then all too soon they parted. Hari couldn't speak, only try to comprehend how his most precious dream had come true so suddenly. He stared at her madly, imploring her to say something. The girl's cheeks were blazing red and those wonderful eyes of hers were hidden shyly behind her fringe.
"Sorry, I…just," she stammered in a rare loss for words. "It's just that…" She collected herself with a swallow and looked up again, staring deeply into his eyes. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do to someone you love?" It was a genuine question and her shiny eyes confirmed it.
Seeing that look on her pretty face finally put words in his mouth. "Yeah it is. And also to someone who loves you back," he replied. Suddenly filled with a confidence he'd never felt before, he leaned in to kiss her again. This second kiss was more fluent, as this time he was able to prepare for it. He was able to kiss her back, channelling all his affection for her into the motion of their lips.
Everyone else had watched this exchange in silent amazement. But now, Minato started clapping, Megumi joined her and soon the whole room was applauding them. Well, except for a certain purple-haired girl, who was glaring at them jealously, and a certain redhead, who thought the whole thing very silly.
"How cruel fate is," Mikoto groaned dramatically. "To take away my first love on Christmas Day."
"Oh grow up!" Yukina muttered, giving her a light clout on the head. "You've only known him for two days. Quit being such a drama queen!"
"Guess I'll learn move on in time," Mikoto added, ignoring her. "Hey is that cute tall guy with dark hair married?" she asked.
"Akatsuki?" laughed Yukina. "No, but…"
"Then it's settled! Come New Year, I'm a girl with a mission!" she announced, excitedly slapping her hands together.
Yukina slapped her forehead. "Idiot!" she groaned, filling in for someone else who would have whole-heartedly agreed with her.
* * *
Time went slowly by and Christmas drew to a close. Ryoko and the Nergal posse (including Erina) had left with promises that they would be back on New Years Eve. Darkness had fallen outside and, as the alcohol and the early morning kicked in, people began to fall asleep. Jun was snoring on the couch, Yukina and Mik had returned to their sleeping bags and Akito had taken Yurika upstairs. Only Minato and Megumi remained awake, and were using the time to clear up some of the wrapping paper, cracker toys, empty glasses and stray mince-pies that were strewn all around. Armed with large bin bags, they scouted the restaurant room, now only lit by a scattering of candles whose flames burned brilliantly in the vision against the surrounding dimness.
Megumi scooped up a few used napkins, then the remains of a cracker before looking over at the Christmas tree in the corner and gaping in delight.
"Oh Minato, look at that!"
"Hmm?" Minato looked over to see what was up, chuckling in glee at what she saw. For under the shelter of the majestic tree, their two child prodigies lay, sleeping peacefully in each others arms.
"Oh look at them! They're so adorable," Minato breathed.
"They sure are. It may sound ever so corny, but those two gave the best gift of all this year," Megumi mused.
"To Erina? Or to each other?" Minato laughed.
"Both I guess," Megumi replied. "I mean, giving Erina a reason to keep living was a wonderful thing to do, but young love like theirs is so pure. And they're so right for other!"
"That's what I've been saying all along!" said Minato. "Shall I take a picture of them while they're unawares?"
"Oh leave them be! Let them share this intimate moment alone. And in the meantime we can get started on those dishes!"
"You spoilsport! I never get to have any fun!"
* * *
Literal candles in gloom surrounded them, but if you took Ruri's analogy that light equalled goodness, then Hari's life was now a blazing inferno. How he had been so fortunate he did not know, but one thing was certain. For the first time in his life he had a girlfriend. And not only that, but it was the lovely Ruri Hoshino too, a girl whose beautiful appearance matched the beauty of her soul. The girl who understood him better than anyone. The girl who loved his good traits and saw past his worse ones. And a girl who he loved despite whatever flaws anyone else saw in her. She was his dream-girl and here she was, willingly in his arms and sleeping comfortably, confident that he would be there to take care of her while she did.
He smiled down at her, brushed her fringe off her forehead and kissed her lightly there. She exhaled happily in her slumber and snuggled up closer to him. Hari squeezed her protectively and buried his face in her bountiful fair hair. This was the best. Requited love was the very finest aspect of humanity. In this embrace he could see the true potential of happiness that a human could gain. The happiness that every person strived for, and in that struggle found a reason to keep on living. From now on, it wouldn't matter how dark his days would be, so long as he had this, life would be great. And he would remember the day when he'd first found it forever.
Yep, it had been a very fine Christmas indeed.
------END------
A/N – Merry Christmas one and all! And especially to everyone who reviewed!