A/N: So, I just finished watching the Disappearance movie, and it was really good. So good, in fact, it made me remember I had an account on this website, and that I had an unfinished story to tell. For those who have been waiting to read something of mine for these past years, thanks for being patient. And while I can't make any promises that I'll be finishing everything that I've started, I do take a lot of enjoyment writing and I'll probably be writing some more. So...here's an update to Blue Holiday!

I.R.E.

The line to sit on Santa's lap wasn't as long as I thought it would be. It was long, but the time I spent actually standing was short. This was good since I disliked waiting. And even more, I really disliked waiting for something I wasn't excited for.

Adults herded their children between fences of velvet-wrapped candy canes, guiding us as if school hadn't already taught us how to stand in line correctly. Though, my parents weren't standing with me. They were watching from the sidelines and casually chatting to other parents about older-type things.

…

In all probability, this was child neglect.

Can't say I blame them though. There was a difference between adults and kids, and naturally, adults would rather hang out with other adults. People like talking to others of their own age group since there's a lot more to talk about. A kid like me wouldn't know much about the Soviet's Sputnik, or the American Apollo Program, or any other topic irrelevant to my age group. In the end, I guess this lack of understanding goes to show how...

How...

…"kiddy" I am.

If that's the right word...

Though...it's not like I was bothered by that. It was nice being a kid. Innocent. Pure. With no expectations whatsoever. I mean, I really did wish these days could last. Not like immortality or anything like that, but more like... the slowing down of time or the like...

…

…it's no point thinking about it. Really, I should just learn how to make the most of my childhood, before I turned into some old man that only remembers the way life used to be. Hopefully, my teenage years won't be wasted on complaining and hard-to-understand musings. That would be terrible.

Ring-a-ling-a-ling

a-ling…

I heard a bell.

The little girl that was sitting in the old man's lap hopped off, signaling everyone else to take a few strides closer to the end. Helper elves looked kind. The plastic snow looked pleasing. The air had a synthetically sweet smell.

My legs carried me forward, and to my surprise, I was the next to go up to the man in the red suit. I was virtually at the end of my journey. This was the final stretch. All I had to do was wait just a few more moments, then I could finally do what I came here to do. I really should be excited about for this.

Santa was in front of me, and somehow… I just wanted to get it over with.

"Hey!"

A voice caught me off guard.

I couldn't tell if it was directed at me, so I looked around a bit. A girl was standing across the velvet rope in the exit aisle next to me. She seemed normal, dolled up in a red pleated skirt and white blouse. She had a striking prettiness that probably made it difficult for others to talk to her. Incidentally, she was the same girl that was previously sitting on Santa's lap awhile ago.

"…hey."

I said back.

"You know, Santa's a nice man! He'll give you anything you want! All you have to do is ask him!"

I looked to the side and noticed that a man and woman looking semi-similar to the girl were talking to a sales clerk. I guess she was a neglected child too.

"Oh, is that so..."

"Wanna know what I asked him for?"

I didn't think she was giving me a choice.

"Well first, I asked him for a-"

Yeah, and I was right...

As she started to list off everything on her Christmas list, I decided to zone out and just nod my head. I didn't particularly think that doing something like that was mean. After all, we had just met, and… I was sure that she wouldn't notice anything as long as I looked interested.

Now, come to think of it, I haven't planned out what I was going to say once I got to Santa.

Of the things my parents could buy me, asking for a game console would probably be pushing our budget, but other than super expensive electronics, I really had no idea on what to want. There was always candy, but then again, wanting just candy for Christmas seemed a little off. Maybe ceramic plates. Plates didn't cost that much, did they? And probably, it's something I can appreciate, right? After all, they're plates. People need plates. But again, that's weird too, huh...

I wonder, was considering my home's monthly budget a natural thing for a kid? Maybe I should think whether or not I'm normal before I ask for normal things. Yeah, let's think about that for a second…

Or not.

Or whatever, I don't want to think about this anymore.

"Hey, are you listening?"

The girl in front of me seemed to be a little irritated at my dazed expression.

"…yeah, I'm listening."

"...hmm?"

She seemed skeptical, so I tried proving myself by repeating what I unconsciously absorbed.

"You said you wanted your parents to get you a… yellow hair band, right?"

"Not my parents," she corrected, "Santa. San-ta."

Putting her hands on her hips, she leaned forward, as if she was now looking down on me.

"…yeah, Santa, that's what I said."

"…"

And for some reason, the situation turned tense.

…

Her gaze moved down towards my feet and floated back up to my head. She was analyzing me for something, and I didn't feel too hot about it.

"What is it?"

She frowned and tilted her head.

"Say..."

Her voice got a little quieter, and she asked me a decidedly touchy question.

"Do you believe in Santa Clause?"

"..."

And I didn't know how to respond. What did she expect me to say? Was there a right answer to this question? Since I was standing in this line, it'd be natural to think that I did, right? I had to stop and think. Was this a trap?

"…yes."

…

The girl's stare was boring into me, and I found myself cracking under it. I couldn't do it. I couldn't lie to her. Even though we had just met, I felt like I had to tell the truth. No, more like, I felt that she was forcing me to tell the truth. Strange, I know, but that's what happened.

"…no."

And I said it.

"…honestly, I don't think I can believe in the existence of an old man who works only on Christmas Eve."

…

This was the first time I had actually said that out loud. Up until now, I had always just kept my thoughts to myself and never said anything. But now that I heard my own voice say those words, I felt chills. I had no regrets about it, but what really scared me was how... unhappy... I sounded.

Ring-a-ling-a-ling

a-ling…

I heard the bell again.

I looked around and saw the other kids behind me waiting patiently for me to go up. I needed to move, but at the same time, I felt like I needed to apologize to this girl.

"I've got to go now," I said, "Look, I'm sorry for saying all that-"

"How dare you."

"Huh?"

She said something in a low voice. I almost didn't catch it. She then repeated the phrase, this time yelling it out for the whole store to hear.

"How dare you!"

I couldn't react quick enough. Deftly vaulting over the velvet rope, she headbutted me right under the chin. I fell to the ground, and she fell on top of me.

"How dare you say that about an old decrepit man!"

What? Decrepit? Is that really how you see San-

The girl straddled herself onto my torso as I desperately tried to scurry back up to my feet.

"You don't deserve to be in Santa's presence!"

I tried to push her off using my arm but-

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Let go! Let go!"

I felt something sharp clamp down onto my skin, and the next thing I knew, adults were rushing around the two of us, trying pry us apart.

"Mmm! Hrmm! Mmmmr!" (I'll make your life hell!)

…

Well, after everything was said and done, the girl returned home with her parents, and I was sent back to "Santa's Workshop". And all was well with the world.

Except it wasn't.

She bit me. I can't believe she bit me. Just why did she bite me? What? Why? What?

Just...

...ugh.

Touching the scars on my forearm, I walked up the elevated platform to where Santa was. My mood was less than happy and my tolerance was low. I really didn't want to be doing this. I hoped to forget that girl's face and everything about this incident. While making a seat out of Santa's leg, I tried to erase the last ten minutes of my life out of existence.

"Now what would you like, little boy?"

A gruff, grizzly voice addressed me.

"..."

I looked up. From what I could tell as I sat in his lap, he seemed like a nice man. His body type was Santa-y in terms of how Santa was supposed to be, but his synthetically curly beard and distinctively Japanese eyes were questionable. He still seemed like a nice man though, honestly.

"I think…"

At this time, I decided to stop thinking and let my mind go.

"A gift card would be nice."

"…gift card?"

He seemed to flinch at my decision.

"Yeah, a gift card," I repeated, "There doesn't have to be a lot of money on it. I just want something convenient I can use for when I need something. A gift card for maybe my local supermarket or…"

In my head, I realized it was rather bland of me to ask this, but a gift card was a pretty practical gift. It was about as practical as ceramic plates.

"You do realize that I'm Santa Clause, right? I can get you anything you want."

"…anything?"

He nodded, but I didn't have that much faith in what he was telling me.

"I think it'd be too much for you to turn around Japan's economic recession."

"Err...well… that's not really…"

The man in the red suit caught himself before he could delve any deeper into our nation's future. He offered me an alternative.

"How about..." he said, "I give you a shiny red fire truck? How does that sound?"

"…"

I stared at the nice man. Drops of sweat was forming from his brow, and his glinting eyes seemed desperate. He was tired. So I bit the bullet for his sake.

"…sure, that'd be nice."

As I left towards home, I hugged myself to squeeze out any body heat left in my torso. God knows how much my arms needed it. While I could just blame Haruhi for forcing me out on this cold winter night, I really couldn't since it was technically a voluntary effort. Maybe, I should blame my kind heart?

Or maybe Haruhi.

The skies were still dark, and I realized how ridiculously late it was. If I ran into the police, I didn't think I'd be able to explain why I was out after curfew on Christmas Eve. Honestly, such a celebration shouldn't last so long! Though I can't say that I didn't have fun with everyone in the clubroom, it really was a bad idea to stay up so late! Why must my kind heart be so kind? If something does happen and Haruhi doesn't back me up, I swear I'll...

…do something. I'll do something drastic. Yeah, that'll show her.

I could hear the frigid air crack in the distance as well as every one of my footsteps dissipate into the cold dark night. It was torture. Let alone the cold, the eerie emptiness of life would scare the living daylights out of anyone sane. Christmas usually meant spending time with your family in the comfort of your living room, not randomly walking down desolate streets at night. Everyone else was probably snug in their beds and what was I doing? What I'd give to have-

"...!"

Walking passed a corner, something shot passed me.

It was big. And it was fast. So fast, I almost thought I imagined it, but I swear, there was something.

I whipped my head back to see what it was, maybe a bit too quickly as my neck started cramping badly, but I thought I spotted it before it disappeared around the block. It kind of looked like a deer, and while a deer in the suburbs wouldn't be too uncommon, the shiny red rubbery nose was a little odd.

…

I really didn't want to think about it much further than that. I needed to be home at least before my sister wakes up, so moving along...

Walking further down the street, I started noticing something ahead of me. I couldn't make out what it was, and I had no choice but to find out what it was, as it was in my way. From half-a-block away, it was a red blob. From three-quarters of the way, it was a man lying on the road, possibly dead. From ten meters, it was definitely an old man lying on the road.

…

"…"

…

Well, this was disturbing.

I wonder, should I call the police? Then again, I should probably not involve myself with the police right now so... I guess I'll ignore this also.

"….unghh."

In any case, he seemed to be alright. At this ridiculous hour, there were bound to be strange people lying around in the streets anyway. It's most likely very common. So, moving along...

"Hey. Where do you think you're going, bub?"

The old man was calling out to me. Really now, I just wanted to go home, but...damn it.

"O...O-Oh! Are you okay! You had me worried there for a second!"

The old man, despite looking slightly overweight, managed to maneuver himself easily onto his chubby legs. While dusting off his strange outfit, he decided to scold me.

"Ah. Shaddup. I don't need people like you to showing off your fake sympathy. It's Christmas for God's sake. Where's your damn spirit?"

Somehow, I think I might have gotten myself caught up in something troublesome. I had better make my leave soon.

"Well, that's-"

"Hold it!"

He silenced me.

"Now, I've been in this business for a long time you see, but your generation's got me pulling extra weight. What's up with these wishes here? Smartphones? Tablets? What? I just don't get younger people anymore! Back in my day, people were happy with a plain old kendama. But now, things are completely different. Just what are parents teaching kids these days? Huh?"

Although he was angry, he didn't seem drunk. Though, that still didn't make him any less dangerous.

"I don't think-"

"Nothing! That's what they're teaching! They're all too busy doing so-and-so and doo-be-doo. They got no time to actually take care of their kids, so they buy this crap to do their job for them. And in the end, who's it up to build all this stuff? Do you know who? Do you want to know whose sad life it is to pick up all this slack?"

Using both his thumbs, he pointed at himself.

"This guy."

His rant stopped momentarily, but I could tell another one was on its way up. Despite better judgment, I decided to give some input to end this quickly.

"... it sounds like you're not satisfied with the gifts you're giving for Christmas."

The old man gave me a straight face.

"Yeah. I'm not."

He said it bluntly. He wasn't amused by my efforts to understand where he was coming from. Though, if he didn't want me to understand , what the hell was the point of ranting? Really, I should leave now.

"But you know... that's not exactly... in line with the novelty of Christmas. What-"

"'Novelty'?"

He gawked at the word I just used.

"Shit, has my holiday really sunk down to that level? To become a 'novelty'?"

I stopped him before he could come up with another rant.

"What Christmas is about is good will to all men alike and being kind to the less fortunate, right? So, as long as you put some thought into what you want to give, you don't really have to get anyone exactly what they've asked for. Just putting time and effort into thinking about them is enough. And if they don't like it in the end, they probably didn't deserve it to begin with."

What I said was a bit short and corny, but I felt satisfied with how it sounded. Surely, he had to agree with me about this.

"..."

The old man gave my words a thought.

"Well, actually, Christmas is essentially about the gifts."

And he shot my idea down completely. Then and there, I decided to leave him alone and go home. It didn't seem like he was going to chase after me or anything, so taking off would probably be safe.

"I'm going now."

As I made my leave, he called out to me again.

"Though, your idea of Christmas, I like it! You're not such a bad kid after all!"

I glanced back to see the old man hobble off in the direction I came from.

...

...and in that instance, I suddenly remembered an old telephone trick that could work around Caller ID. Taking out my cell phone, I did what was natural of a good citizen.

"Hello? Yes, I would like to report a strange man wandering around..."

...

"...I'm sorry, my name? That would be...Smith...John Smith. So yeah, there's this old guy..."

"Clothes... and gift cards."

Haruhi had said listlessly.

"What about you?"

Though she probably didn't care, I answered her anyway.

"Nothing interesting. Though, if it counts, my aunt did give my family a commemorative Christmas platt-"

"Stop. I actually don't care."

As I thought.

While I didn't really get anything interesting for Christmas, there was something that occurred on the night of Christmas Eve. See, when I woke up on Christmas morning, I found that someone had apparently broken into my room, brutally murdered my alarm clock, and stole all my saved up cash to buy a new bike. I can't say who though, and I don't know why the burglar was so selective, since both my sister and parents' rooms were unscathed. But... I was most like very lucky that that's all that happened.

If Haruhi was in the mood, I'd tell her all about it, but since she's not, whatever.