I told you I had a Christmas one-shot. Having a loud family whose angry half the time is the worst near Christmas.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Boshi No Futago Hime
Shade's POV
So, there's this girl. She has some... well... unique traits.
Unusual, strong sense of adventure, and feminine. She fantasizes, is a hopeless romantic, and isn't afraid to get into a fight when necessary. What's most unusual is her childishness.
She still believes in Santa Claus at age 16. Yep. You read right. Mr. Hohoho, with his big belly and white beard and jolly red nose or whatever part was jolly. If I had to choose my least favorite quality about her, it'd probably be her belief in Santa Claus. Yeah, it's cute, but every time Christmas comes around...
"I can't wait to see Santa Claus again! I hope he gets me that new cute jewelry box!" She squeal next to me. Her sister squealed with her(She also believes in Santa Claus too). "Hey, hey! What are you going to ask him for?" Rein asked with sparkles in her eyes. This was normal.
She'd ask me this every Christmas year and I'd always reply with, "I don't believe in Santa. He isn't real."
Then she'd cross her arms and say, "He totally is! Haven't you see him at those malls with those kids on his lap?"
"Yeah! And he always get's what we want!" Fine added. I sighed and let my head fall into my hands. How hopeless can these two be?
"Because you guys always ask for the easiest things to buy." I retorted.
"That's mainly because Santa doesn't appreciate selfish children. I know because I once asked for a castle where my entire family could live like royal and he gave me a message saying that being selfish won't get you anywhere in life." I laughed. A castle. She wanted a castle. Not a pony, but a castle. "It's not funny!" She smacked me on my side.
"You must have had a sad childhood Shade. Did Santa not bring you anything?" Fine asked me as she stared at me from the edge of my desk. I shut my eyes and rubbed my temples.
"I was awoken by a strange sound downstairs and found my mom kissing 'Santa Claus.'" I sighed, not wanting to remember that. My dad had dressed up, and I was extremely freaked out when I saw it. It's definitely not something I want to remember. Seeing there reactions though was pretty funny as they gave me disgusted looks. An old man kissing a young woman like my mom? Definitely not something Santa would do.
"Maybe you're mom wanted a kiss." Rein replied first, suddenly happy again. Fine however, couldn't seem to get the though out of her mind. "What if you're mom asked for a kiss on Christmas?"
"Get real. A kiss isn't exactly something Santa can give you." I replied. But she was already deep in one of her day dreams. Even then though, I'd hear that accursed name. "Oh Prince Bright! I look forward to the gift you'll give me this year too." I let my head fall into my arms so she didn't have to see my irritated look. It was always about Bright... But I could never tell her that he loves her sister. Especially during Christmas, when she tries her best to make sure he gets what he wants.
"Do you need help again?" And how could I, the one who wants her to smile, not help her? It is only when we shop for Bright that she is at her happiest during Christmas.
"I think I got it this year. Plus, Fine is coming with me, you know?" Rein nudged Fine who seemed to finally get the image out of her head. She then turned to Rein, then glanced at me, processing what she said before a blush over came her face.
"Y-Yeah..." I sighed, feeling bad about her too. I didn't plan to tell her my feelings either, mostly because I'm waiting for Bright to say his confessions. Being in a love square is so much worse than being in a triangle. Especially when the females are the ones who are clueless about the males' feelings. I decided that it'd be best to get them presents too, wanting to get off the topic of love.
"So what are on you're guys Christmas wish lists?" I questioned. Fine was the first to reply.
"There's this bakery down the street that's really expensive, but I heard the cakes were great!" Fine said happily. I nodded, not having to worry much about her gift mostly because Bright would get it. It's creepy, but he always knows what she wants, even though he's not there when she says it. As for Rein though...
"I told you that I wanted this new jewelry box! It has so many compartments to fit all my necklace, and earrings." She flipped her hair as if to reveal fake earrings and a necklace. I laughed at her reaction.
"Is that all? Not gonna ask 'Santa' for a kiss?" I said sarcastically, making the quotation gesture as I said Santa. She frowned at me, and shook her head as though.
"I'll prove to you that Santa is real! I won't ask for that jewelry box this year! I'm gonna ask for Santa to let me have my first kiss with Bright!" She said cheerfully. I almost choked on my spit. What?! It was an extremely shocking and absurd request.
"Are you really sure about that?" I asked, trying to keep my voice levelled. Luckily she didn't notice, and was too busy fantasizing.
"Yes! And if Santa does grant that wish, you have to believe me when I say that he is real and you have to buy me the jewelry box I always wanted!" I turned to stone. What have I done? I asked myself as Rein began day dreaming again.
"Excuse me!" I shouted as I knocked on Rein's front door. It was already Christmas Eve, and Rein and I had planned to go Christmas shopping. Rein's mom, Elsa, opened the door.
"Rein's waiting upstairs! I don't know why, but she seems to be in an extremely good mood today." She giggled. I sighed as heard Rein come walking downstairs. The first thing I noticed though was the bright red card in her hand. "You ready for Christmas Rein?" Rein nodded and hugged her mom. "Love you, have fun!"
"Love you too mom." She left with me out the door. Once I knew the door was shut, I questioned the letter in her hand. She quickly hung it up on her door and we began leaving.
"Did you seriously write it out?" I asked. Rein gave me one of those, 'Isn't it obvious?' looks.
"How else is he suppose to know? Besides, he always gets the letter anyways." I rolled my eyes and the two of us took the subway to the town square. Beautiful lights littered hung in the night, and a large Christmas tree sat in the middle. The area was crowded with last minutes shoppers, but we still managed anyways.
Rein awed at almost everything she saw, from jewelry to clothes to food. It was an amusing sight, and when I laughed, she turned to me, a blush of embarrassment on her face. "So what's first on the list?" I finally asked before we could get completely off track.
"Well, I need to buy Fine's gift." I watched as she traveled to a new store once again. I knew that she never ever bought the same gift for her sister. I on the other hand...
"I guess I should buy Milky's gift too." I followed behind her, and we both stared in aw at the displays on stores. Even in the clothing section, we would both try on weird clothes, making each other laugh. "How would this look on her?" I said as I attempted to wear a knitted hat which was obviously too small for my head. It had a star knitted on as the design along with a fluffy ball on top.
"That would look really adorable on her!" Rein squealed. Then she laughed a little as she stared at me. "You, not so much." I then took off the hat, and placed it on hers. It didn't exactly fit on her head either, but it fit better than mine.
"It looks great on you. Reminds me of a child. Especially when you say you believe in 'Santa.'" I watched as her face turned a light shade of pink before she took off the hat and shoved it in my face.
"I am not a child! And Santa is real!" She said as she marched off. I laughed again as I stared at the hat, wondering when I had so hopelessly fallen in love with her. I was about to follow her towards the cashier when one more thing caught my eye. I grabbed it and quickly headed to where she was.
I paid for my share, and she paid for hers, and once we exited the store, I immediately stuck on the earmuffs I had bought. She panicked at first, unsure of what I was doing until she felt the earmuffs herself. They were brown with small deer antlers sticking up from the muffed parts.
"Why'd you buy me these?" Rein asked, slightly embarrassed. "I don't really..."
"Just take it as... as thank you gift I suppose." I replied, unsure of what else to call it. She blushed as she turned to me.
"I... I should be the one thanking you. You always help me, and are able to bear my fantasizing and always talking about Prince Bright..." She turned to me, her face a bright red, but even so she gave me a large smile. "Thank you for always being there the unbearable, hyperactive me!" I felt my heart skip a beat as I turned away to hide a blush. She had already moved on though, and began tugging me towards the next shop.
I said the dreaded words that I hoped we wouldn't get to do. "Is it Bright's turn next?" Rein seemed to stop for a moment on her way to the next store. Then let out a cheerful 'yeah' before continuing. We looked through more clothes and accessories. This time we messed around with the toys, tossing the bouncy balls, and pressing the toys that spoke.
"You know, I've been meaning to ask, but where is your sister?" I asked as I stared at the candy in front of me. I was debating whether to get a watermelon or a grape lollipop. Rein, who seemed to be grabbing a bunch of chocolates, looked down, a slightly sad look on her face.
"She, um, she's out too." She said. "She went out with... Bright." I stopped staring at the two lollipops in my hand, and stared at her with a sad expression. "But I don't think I have to worry. They said they were just Christmas shopping." I could see her shaking a little, but she quickly reverted back to her usual self. "Maybe they'll get some great gifts for us! Who knows?" Even though she said that, I could hear the bitterness in her voice.
I unwrapped a lollipop and shoved it in her mouth. "I don't want to hear you sounding bitter on Christmas Eve." I said. It looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she shook her head.
"Don't worry." She blinked the tears away. "Thank you." We gathered everything we needed, and then paid at the cashier. I mainly bought more candy for Milky, and some chocolates for mom. Rein bought some chocolates for her parents too, and as for Bright, she chose a stopwatch. The two of us exited in silence with me in the lead.
The minute we stepped out though, I was suddenly choked from behind. At first, I thought I was being attacked and almost immediately reached out for Rein, but when I turned to her, I saw her blushing as she struggled to put a scarf on me.
"Hold still would you!" Rein complained as she wrapped it around one more time. "I've never tied a scarf before." She almost choked me two times before just wrapping it around twice and leaving it be. I took the ends in my hand, feeling the fluffiness of the ends. It was nice. "I didn't know what color you liked, so I just got a navy blue scarf." She looked at the ground, embarrassed and at that moment I just couldn't help myself.
I leaned down, giving her a small kiss on the head before turning around and walking away. I glanced back to see her frozen in place, until she suddenly sprung to life and ran next to me. "What was that for?" She asked, an even darker shade of red covered her face. I was grateful for the scarf since I was also slightly blushing.
"A thank you kiss. Is there something wrong with that?" I asked. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but couldn't form the words. In the end she mumbled no, and the rest of the walk was spent in awkward silence. I couldn't help from laugh every now and then as I watched her cover her face in embarrassment.
"Why did you buy your family some gifts when you could have relied on 'Santa' to give it to them?" I questioned, halfway home. She gave me another one of those looks.
"Santa has to stop giving you toys eventually, and if I don't get my family something I bought myself, how else am I suppose to show that I love them?" I smiled, at her, to which she turned away. I could see her small blush though. "W-What?"
"Just glad to know you don't rely on 'Santa' to provide presents for everyone in the world." I replied. She gave me a shove.
"Of course I know that! And stop saying Santa so sarcastically!" Rein replied as she crossed her arms. I looked ahead to see her house in sight. "I'll prove to you that he's real! If your mom had her wish for a kiss granted, then my most definitely will be granted too! Just wait!" She then ran the short distance to her home. I was at the door a couple seconds later, and we waited for the door to open. Fine answered first, her face unusually red.
"H-hey. You're back." She said as she tried to hide her face behind the door. Rein opened it wider, oblivious to her sister and walked in, partially hiding Fine's sight.
"You can't look at the presents!" Rein said excitedly. Fine glanced at me, then looked down, which was actually quite unusual.
"I-I won't. Rein, I need to talk to you about something." Fine said, somewhat serious. Rein stopped as well, her happy look turning in to confusion.
I knew this wasn't a conversation I was suppose to be present for, so I quickly said, "I'll take my leave." I placed the rest of Rein's presents on a counter near the door, and then shut it, not even waiting for a thank you. Through the door, I heard small muffles that slowly decreased as they moved farther away.
I got ready to turn around and leave when I saw Rein's Christmas letter. I couldn't fight off the urge to take it from the door. She did say Santa usually does take it, so it's not like it'll be suspicious if it's gone. I began walking back to my home, staring at the letter in hand. Tomorrow's already Christmas... And Rein is going to attempt to get a kiss form Bright... I sighed as I began to tear open the letter, feeling a little guilty.
It was just a plain letter, with the front saying Dear Santa. The inside was also plain, but with a small Christmas tree doodled in the corner. The letters on the card were neatly printed, and Shade slowly read it to himself.
Dear Santa,
Please let me have a wonderful love with Prince Bright.
I felt jealous, yes, but I also felt a bit bad for her. I wasn't sure how she'd get Bright to spend time with her. It's not like he was going to suddenly waltz into her home, rose in hand and say, 'Oh Rein, you're the only one for me.' and then they'd kiss. That just doesn't happen, and even if it did, I wasn't sure Rein's name would be the one he would call...
I slapped myself, realizing that I was fantasizing, much like Rein would. I think her fantasizing is getting to me. I thought as I stared at the letter again. Bright had been hopelessly in love with Fine for a while. Much longer than I had been with Rein, and even after everything he's seen Fine do for me, he still didn't seem to want to give up. I definitely admired him for that.
I sighed, and placed the letter back into the card. I guess I can just wait and hope for the best. I tucked the card away in my coat, having to move the scarf's arms out of the way. I can only wait...
I looked around, not sure where everyone was in the cold snow. It was Christmas, and everyone wanted to go on a friendly outing at night. It was actually pretty crowded, and everyone ended up splitting up. I got lost, and ended up alone so I just bought myself some hot chocolate and took a seat on a bench. The Christmas lights were bright around me, and the tree was dancing with light.
"Where could everyone have gone..." I asked myself as I took a sip of chocolate. It was actually snowing, but it was pretty light and it added to the Christmas scenery around me. I liked it, and it was extremely peaceful not having everyone around. Though something had bothered me when we first left anyways.
I'm sure the others didn't notice (with the exception of Fine), but Rein wasn't exactly herself today. She spaced out a lot, and didn't join in in a lot of the conversations. When I asked her, she said, "I'm just nervous." Her expression said otherwise, but I didn't want to push, out of fear of making her more depressed on this special day.
I sighed, taking another sip as glanced around at the scenery again. This time though, I two familiar figures near the Christmas tree. It was mostly noticeable because I saw the small dear antlers sticking up in the silhouette (I was extremely happy when I saw her wearing them). I slowed down a bit when I realized they were having a moment.
I was happy that she was smiling again, but hurt that I wasn't the one putting it on her face. I was even more hurt when I saw her huddling a little close to Bright, but I made sure not step in, happy that she was just smiling again. I stood near the edge of the tree, and made sure I was hidden by the scarf Rein had given me. I felt slightly guilty, but I wanted to hear what they were talking about and see what they planned to do.
"I still can't believe we haven't found anyone." Rein said as she stopped in front of the tree with Bright. He stopped too and stared at the tree.
"I guess everyone's having fun on their own." Bright replied. He then turned to Rein, and I couldn't see what kind of expression he was putting on. Rein however, looked extremely anxious, and a bit hesitant to do anything.
"So what now?" I saw her tighten her hand on her chest, feeling my breath stop for a moment as I saw her straighten up a bit.
"I think it would be best if the two of us waited here together. It is the center of the town after all." Bright said as he glanced around. "Should I..." He stopped when Rein grabbed his shirt, and I saw a sad look on her face, as though she was on the verge of tears.
"You don't have to stay with me anymore." She said, trying to keep her voice steady. Bright stopped turning around so it was still impossible to tell what kind of face he had on. "I already know. You don't have to stay with me anymore." She repeated. Still unsure of what kind of expression, I watched as he leaned down a little, thinking he really was going to kiss her. He wouldn't... I thought, but watched as he gave her a hug instead.
"I'm sorry and thank you." He said as he let go. "Merry Christmas, Rein." Rein nodded.
"Merry Christmas to you too." She replied. He then turned around, heading in my direction. I turned, making sure my back was facing him and pulled the scarf up to hide my face better. It didn't really work out though as I felt him pat my shoulder.
"It's not good to leave her out here alone." He said as he gave me a guilty look. I knew I couldn't glare at him since this was bound to happen. I nodded as he left and watched as Rein wiped her face. I approached her.
"Rein-" Before I could say anything more, she ran away. "Wait a sec!" I shouted as I attempted to grab her arm. She slipped right through and disappeared through the Town Square's exit. Why'd she run? I looked around a bit, searching for something specific. I stopped searching when I found what I was looking for. Standing in front of the store, I took a deep breath. This is for her, remember, this is for her. I marched into the costume store.
"Ho ho ho!" I laughed outside of a window. When there was no response, I laughed even louder. "Ho! Ho! HO!" Still no response. I gave the window a glare before aligning the ladder I had brought under it. I knew Rein was home because I made sure to check in at the front door with her mom. I almost scared her too, but I reassured her of who I was. There's gonna be a ho-ho-homicide if I'm out here any longer. I thought to myself as I climbed the ladder.
What are people going to think when there's a strangely dressed man saying ho ho ho in someone's backyard? Sure it's Christmas, but people can take it the wrong way sometimes.
When I reached the window, I knocked a couple times. I couldn't really see anything passed the blue curtains, and I was getting pretty angry considering I had to walk all the way over here in these clothes, even taking a detour to get a red sack from my home. I opened the unlocked window and began to climb in.
"Answer your dang window!" I shouted at Rein who was huddled up on the corner of her bed. She jumped in surprised, squeezing the pillow in her hands tighter. She had already changed into her pajamas.
"What's Santa doing breaking into my home?" She said, slightly panicked. I swung both my legs over the sill and hopped in. She got a better look, realizing I wasn't exactly Santa. "Shade, what are you doing?"
"Who needs that old man when you've got the best Kris Kringle right here?" I said as I opened my arms wide to pose. Though in this process, the beard I wore fell off, leaving just a white mustache. This earned me a smile, and everything became worth it. It didn't take long for a frown to come back though.
"What does it matter to you anyways? Here to rub it in my face that Santa isn't real? That he can't grant wishes?" She said as she shoved her face into the pillow. I sighed as I sat across from her on the bed. "You know... I... my belief in Santa began to die as the years passed. " She said through the pillows. I was slightly surprised considering how excitedly she'd talk about him. "Every year, when Christmas gets closer, I try to be the best girl I could be." I could hear a light sniffle. She then looked up to me with teary eyes. "It wasn't the first time I've asked him to be with Bright." I was surprised. She had attempted to ask before? "I thought I maybe had a chance, hearing about your mom's story, but when... when Fine told me she was confessed to... I..." I sighed, leaning forward to give her a pat on the head.
"Guess what then." I said as I slowly reached into my small red sack I had brought. I took out her letter and handed it to her. "Since your last present was broken, Santa decided to replace it with a new one." She glanced at the letter suspiciously, then at me. I nodded for her to open it, feeling a bit embarrassed. She opened it, and read the contents, then blushed and threw it on the ground.
Dear Santa,
Please let me have a wonderful love with Prince Shade.
I crossed out Bright's name and wrote mine under it. If Santa wouldn't give her her last present, I would just give it to her myself.
"That is, if you don't mind." She hid her face in the pillows.
"I can't just suddenly fall in love with you after getting indirectly dumped by my first love." She replied as she peaked up from her pillows. This time I took the chance to sit next to her on the bed, and intertwined my hand with hers. She squeezed mine before mumbling, "But I can't say I didn't developed a small crush for you." I could feel a small blush on my face.
"Really?" I replied, squeezing her hand a little. I was happy that she kept her face in the pillow. "It's good to know that my hard work was worthwhile." There was an awkward pause.
Rein broke the silence, saying, "This feels a little weird since Santa is saying it to me." She tugged at my white mustache. I stroked it elegantly in response, and she giggled.
"Do you still believe in 'Santa Claus?'" I asked. I didn't know if she still believed in him or not.
"What do you mean?" She replied, leaning on me. She seemed to have calmed down a bit. "I have the best Kris Kringle sitting right next to me, right?" I chuckled, pulling off my mustache.
I leaned towards her, giving her a light kiss on her forehead. "Right. Merry Christmas." Her face flushed bright red, and I laughed as I began comparing it to the color of my costume.
This was indeed, a very Merry Christmas.
I don't believe in Santa Claus. I believe in Finland. Apparently he lives there. Finland all the way. Also sorry for the awkward transitions in the timeline, but I didn't know how else to set it up. Thank you for reading, and once again Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!