I don't own Yugioh Zexal or Carol of the Bells. They belong to their respective owners.
A/N Just a cute little thing I wanted to do for the holidays. This is actually my first oneshot, so I hope it's good! And Merry Christmas to all!
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The Arclight Family Choir
"Hark, how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, 'Throw cares away.'"
Thomas's fingers slid across the piano, play each note flawlessly. He continued, each key more beautiful than the last.
Isla chimed in, her voice mixing with his piano melody and his own voice. "One seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air. Oh, how happy are their tones…"
Byron applauded each of them. Rosalind whistled, urging them to continue.
Thomas rose from his bed, shaking shaggy blonde and maroon hair from his wife red eyes. "Another dream about the family concert. I swear I'll go crazy if I have another!"
Isla bent down from the bunk they shared. "Stop, Thomas. You woke me up!"
He glanced up at her dismissively. "So what?"
"You got me mad, that's what!"
"And?"
"You—argh. It's Christmas Eve. We shouldn't argue. Shall we practice our song instead?" she suggested.
He shook his head again. "Why not."
Thomas sat at the large wooden piano in the living room. He pushed up the cream-colored shirtsleeves of his Christmas sweater.
Brushing violet hair from her face, Isla opened her mouth to sing.
"What are you doing?"
Thomas mentally slapped himself. Of course Chris of all people would come to watch them practice.
Michael rose from his shoulder. "Yeah. What 'doin' Thomas?"
Michael too?
He clasped his hands together and fell to his knees. The already loose seams of his dark green shorts finally split. "Please don't tell Mom and Dad! We just wanted to surprise them. Isla thought it'd be a good idea to make use of all those piano lessons and have a family concert. Wish I'd thought of it." He crossed his arms.
Chris acknowledged this. "Alright, you can continue working on this…"
His younger brother jumped up in glee. "Thank you, thank you—"
He held up a finger. "…On one condition."
The words caused him to deflate immediately. "And what's that?"
"That Michael and I are part of it as well."
Michael narrowed his ginormous emerald eyes. "I wanna help! I help too!" He shook his tiny fists for emphasis.
It was either agree to this or risk getting told on by Chris, the known tattletale of the family. Or at least according to the twins.
"Fine. You're good with computers and stuff, so you can set up lights or whatever. And," Thomas added, pointing to Michael, "he can paint signs. Will that work?"
"With some more planning added, yes."
They shook on it.
"Let's have the greatest Arclight family concert ever."
.
For the next two hours they worked tirelessly until they finished.
Chris wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and took a moment to look over their work.
Michael had made a collection of red and green finger paintings which Isla had turned into a garland with strings and scissors. Thomas, though very grouchily, hung it above the blazing fireplace and over the edge of the piano.
Now that they had finished, there was but one thing left to do.
"Mother! Father!" He called joyfully.
Rosalind re-braided her pink and blonde hair, tying of the end with a white bow. "Yes, Chis? What is it?"
He bit his lip. "I…um…just bring Father to the family room. I have a presentation I think you will both enjoy. Isla, Michael, and Thomas are in on it as well. We've been working on it for a considerable amount of time now."
"Alright." She gathered her skirts and sat on the red satin couch. From her pocket she pulled a duel gazer. "I told Byron that we'd have to call each other inside this palace of a house to communicate," she said jokingly to her oldest son. "Chris has something he wants to show us in the living room. He says that it's some kind of a surprise he put together with his brothers and sister."
"I'm coming down right away," replied Byron joyously. "Merry Christmas Eve."
.
"Hark, how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, 'Throw cares away,'" Isla began.
"Ding, dong, ding, dong, ding, dong!" continued Michael.
"One seems to hear words of good cheer from everywhere filling the air. Oh, how happy are their tones. Gaily they ring while people sing. Songs of good cheer, Christmas is here," Chris sang.
Thomas himself continued the music on the piano, his fingers flying over the keys like butterflies in a garden. He may as well be the king of pianists, if he did say so himself.
He finally joined the choir for the last verse. "Ding dong, ding dong. That is our song. With joyful ring, all caroling. On how they send, on without end. Their joyful tone, to every home."
Each child was showered with praise and love.
"Thomas, I had no idea you could play like that. Isla, you have the most beautiful voice I've heard in years. Chris, you did very well bringing this all together. You even got Michael to join in!" they gushed.
And so, for seven more years after that they always had a concert. Each time a different Arclight would play a song of their choice and get everyone to participate in it. Each year on Christmas Eve they would sing their hearts out.
.
How long has it been since then?
Quattro lit the candle and placed it ceremoniously on the table. It wasn't quite the family living room, but it was close enough. This time he would play for no one but himself and his memory.
The piano was not the one he remembered. Again, it was close enough for him.
He let the song flow from his hands and lips. Almost as water from a stream. Or fire from a building.
"Hark, how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say, 'Throw cares away…'"
