Well, this is just another Christmas theme story for Kyou Kara Maou with Anissina and Gwendal as pairing (My fave!)... Santa Claus is coming to town! :D
Enjoy!
"Deck the halls with bough of holly, falalalalalalalala...," Yuuri sang cheerfully. "Tis the season to be jolly, falalalalalalalala..."
"What's that song?" Wolfram asked. "It's a good song, even when it's you who sing it."
"Deck the halls," Yuuri said. "Well, it'll be Christmas soon in my world."
"Christmas? What's that?" Wolfram asked as he opened the door to the study and let Yuuri in. He followed behind his fiance.
"Well, it's the day when Christ was born. Christmas is actually a big day for Christian people, but it is now an all people celebration," Yuuri explained. "I enjoy Christmas a lot. It's really nice. You got gifts -or exchange gifts-, your mother cooks good food, and there will be some nice cookies and cakes. Oh yeah, and you don't go to school, it's a holiday!"
Yuuri gave Wolfram a wide smile as Wolfram nodded several times. Wolfram put his hand under his chin like he was thinking thoroughly of something.
"Yuuri," Wolfram called as he sat on the green sofa on the study. "How about me going to your world to see Christmas?"
Yuuri turned his attention from the paper in front of him to Wolfram. "Eh?"
"Yes, I'm going there!" Wolfram said, answering Yuuri's surprised look.
When Wolfram was determined to do something, Yuuri knew that trying to stop him was of no use. He sighed deeply and said, "Okay."
"Your majesty, allow me to go with you!" Gunter begged Yuuri. He knelt and kept on begging. Yuuri tried to stood him up and as he was doing that, he let out another sigh. He knew that, like Wolfram, Gunter couldn't be stopped.
"Then, I, too want to see Christmas!" A really familiar voice said. As the one with the voice appeared in front of the group.
Anissina.
'This one is really dangerous,' Yuuri thought.
"Ehm, Anissina-san, I don't have much power," Yuuri said, trying to avoid having Anissina with him to the Earth.
"I don't believe in that, your majesty, Shin'ou himself said, you're far more powerful than him," Anissina said and smiled. "I want to see how you people on Earth celebrate a festival. That would be a good material for my next book."
"Ehmmm...," Yuuri frowned, but tried to smile as he tried to figure out something to say to Anissina.
"So, will you take me there?" Anissina looked deeply inside the young Maou's eyes. Faced with that sparkling bright blue eyes, once again, Yuuri let out a sigh, and nodded unwillingly.
"Yes! Let's go!" Anissina smiled sweetly. "Do I need to bring some clothes?"
"No, it would get wet," Yuuri answered. "You're forgetting that we're travelling via water, Anissina-san. I could ask my mom to lend her clothes to you."
"Thank you, your majesty!" Anissina said.
"Anyone care for a ride to the Earth?" Yuuri asked everyone around, realizing that perhaps, it wasn't bad to have them all celebrating Christmas with him on Earth. The mazoku were his family, too.
Conrad and Lady Cheri stepped in front. Yuuri smiled and nodded, "Good. Are there more?"
"Me! Me!" Murata exclaimed as he hurriedly entered the front gate. "So tired. I was running from the temple til here, you know. There were no horses at all. Glad that I made it in time." He wiped his sweats as he tried to adjust his breathing.
"No more?" Yuuri asked and waited. There were only Gwendal, the servants, Yozak, and Dakaskos who didn't volunteer to go to the Earth. Yuuri looked at each one of them and when there were no responses from them, Yuuri said, "Okay. See you next year then!"
"Everyone, hold hands!" Yuuri said as he threw himself on the water while holding Wolfram and Conrad's hands. They were all holding each other's hand.
"Come on," Anissina said as she suddenly ran towards Gwendal and took his hand. He was surprised. Taking advantage of his moment of surprise, Anissina led him to the pond and joined the rest of the group who threw themselves into the water. While she was holding his hand with her right hand, her other hand took Lady Cheri's hand.
As he realized what happened to him, it was too late. He was in the water already and was being transported to Yuuri's world, as he screamed, "Anissinaaaaaaa!"
"Gwendal? You've decided to join us?" Yuuri asked cheerfully.
"No," Gwendal coldly answered.
"Oh, okay. So why you're here?" Yuuri asked. Gwendal responded by lifting up his left hand. He was holding Anissina. The red-haired woman smiled as she wiped away the water from her face, "I was the one who brought him with us, your majesty. I apologize for not telling you beforehand."
Yuuri shook his head. "Don't worry, Christmas is supposed to be celebrated with family and friends, all people that we love, so, this Christmas wouldn't be perfect without Gwendal," Yuuri told her.
Gwendal turned his head away. Avoiding Yuuri and Anissina's eyes.
At that moment, suddenly the door to the bath was opened and Yuuri's mother went in. She covered her mouth with her right hand, surprised that her small bath tub could fit in 7 persons.
Yuuri quickly got out of the tub, followed by Wolfram, Conrad, and Gwendal.
"Come on, guys, get out of that small tub," Yuuri said. And the other got out of it.
"Mother, this is Lady Cheri," Yuuri said to her mother as he showed her the demon queen. Lady Cheri gracefully greeted her. Then, Yuuri turned to the queen, "This is my mother, Lady Cheri."
"It's a pleasure to meet Yuuri heika's mother!" Lady Cheri cheerfully said.
"It's nice to meet you, Lady Cheri," Yuuri's mother said.
"And mother, there's one more person for you to meet," Yuuri continued as he grabbed Anissina's hand and brought her closer to his mother. "This is Anissina-san. She's a scientist."
"And a writer," Anissina added and showed a smile to the Shibuyas. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you," Shibuya Miko said, nodded at the red-haired woman greeting. "Now, let's dry you guys up!"
In the evening, Anissina went with Miko and Lady Cheri for a shopping, while the guys were in the house, decorating the Christmas tree and the living room for the Christmas party the next day.
Anissina was amazed to see how advanced the technology in the Earth was. Doors that could open by themselves, which was named 'automatic doors', as she was told by Miko, and the moving stairs, which was called 'escalator'. She would make those when she got back to her own world. Anissina smirked as she thought of changing the whole Blood Pledge Castle into a modern building.
After the department store, Miko took the nobles to to the park. There was a huge Christmas tree. The tree shone the brightest in the middle of the park. Many couples were seen around there, they were holding hands, embracing each other, or kissing. When Anissina saw that, she closed her eyes, and opened them again a few moments later. She would never be like them, she thought, she never needed a man.
"It's very nice to see people who are in love. I, too, am always in a journey of love," Lady Cheri told Miko.
"That's very nice," Miko commented.
"A woman never needed a man's love," Anissina said.
"That was harsh," Lady Cheri said as she eyed Anissina.
"I'm sorry," Anissina said. "Well, I'm leading the women's emancipation movement. That's one of the basic principles there."
"Really?" Miko questioned Anissina. "You know, here we got that kind of movement too. The main goal are to educate women, giving women the same chance as men in many aspects of living, etc, I don't really know about the other purposes. But, being emancipated doesn't mean you can't get married."
Anissina was silenced by Miko's words. 'Being emancipated doesn't mean you can't get married.'
"But, if you got married, you'll depend on a man," Anissina argued.
"Rather than depend, I think 'support' will fit in better, Anissina-san," Miko smiled. "You'll give your support to a man you love."
Anissina couldn't argue anymore. She turned her attention to the Christmas tree with all the pretty things that the humans put on the tree as she thought of her conversation with Miko earlier. She couldn't find fault in Miko's words, didn't that mean she agree with her words?
"Now, now, let's go home, It's eight o'clock," Miko said.
That night, when Miko and Lady Cheri had slept soundly, only Anissina remained awake. She was still thinking about Miko's words when they were in the park that evening. It bugged her a lot.
Anissina went outside the room and went to the living room. She sat on the sofa and smiled at the Christmas tree and the decorations the boys had made. It was easy for her to find which the ones that were made by Gwendal. She took a small kitten doll which hung on the Christmas tree and thought that the doll was neatly made.
"You can't sleep?" Suddenly a familiar low voice was heard.
"Gwendal," she said as she turned her eyes to Gwendal who was walking towards her.
He sat next to her and then, it was silent.
"You're the one who made it right?" she asked him as she showed the doll she took from the Christmas tree earlier.
He didn't need to nod to confirm her words.
"So, you can't sleep?" Gwendal asked again.
Anissina nodded and threw him a sad smile.
"Why?" he asked.
"You're concern about me now?" she said.
"Not really," he said. "I just wondered what in this world could make a carefree person like you can't sleep." Gwendal chuckled.
Anissina took a deep breath. "You know, perhaps, the women's emancipation movement, perhaps, there's something wrong about it."
"Today, when I went shopping, we took a tour to the park, then, we saw many couples there. I told Miko and lady Cheri that a woman never needed a man. Then I went to an argument with Miko about women's emancipation movement," Anissina told him.
"Then?" Gwendal asked.
"She beat me in that argument," Anissina said. She didn't like to admit her defeat, but she really was defeated by the human. Then, she continued, "Miko said when a woman got married it's not that she depends on the man, but it's rather that she supports the man."
"I couldn't say anything to her," Anissina softly said, like a whisper. "Do you have any ideas about this Gwendal, so I might win this argument?"
Gwendal was surprised, it wasn't like Anissina to ask for his help, moreover in the battle of wits. Yuuri's mother was as wonderful as her son, Gwendal thought. 'Both of them could change one's point of view so easily, looks like it's in their blood.'
"Well, if one day I marry someone, I will not want her to always depend on me, it would be annoying" Gwendal said. "I want her to be my equal. Miko-san was right, I want someone that could support me as I support her. But, I think I don't need anyone to support me, I'm okay by myself, perhaps," he said as if speaking to himself.
"So you agree with her?" Anissina frowned.
"I suppose I do," Gwendal chuckled again.
"I don't want to talk to you again," she pouted as she left him alone in the living room, going back to her bedroom.
That time, Gwendal smiled.
Gwendal went back to his room not long after Anissina. He wasn't the type to smile all day, but Anissina made him smile until he was unable to get himself to sleep. He was kinda happy to find that finally Anissina realized that women's emancipation didn't mean a complete independence from the male species. Perhaps, soon she would want to get married. He blushed as he thought about Anissina in wedding dress, his logical mind said that it was completely stupid for it was no way that she would wear one.
It was two o'clock when Gwendal looked at the clock which hung on the wall. He tried to sleep but couldn't, because there were images slipping inside his mind. They were the memories of his past, how he met Anissina, fell in love with her, and then how he broke his heart by saying that she wouldn't get married because of her 'important' movement.
If this turn of event could change Anissina's mind about marriage, perhaps it would be his chance. Then, Gwendal remembered about what Yuuri said that evening, that he could get what he wanted if he wished hard for it on the Christmas day. He didn't believe it, but, a part of his heart wanted to wish. Then, he softly prayed and wished to Santa 'something' - he forgot the name-, and told Santa in his prayer that he would be in debt to him if Anissina ever changed her mind because of what happened that day.
"Jingle bells, jingle bells..." Yuuri sang. "Wake up! It's Christmas today!"
Gwendal was awaken by Yuuri's bad singing. It was unusual for him to wake up late, but because he had difficulties in sleeping the night before, he overslept. He sighed and quickly got up despite his sleepiness, the others quickly followed.
After the guys readied themselves with thick warm clothes, they all went downstairs. They could hear the Christmas carols as they went to the living room. The Maou's family and the nobles had prepared plenty of good food and drinks for them.
"Merry Christmas!" They all said.
"I'm sure you all are very hungry so let's just eat and then we're going to exchange gifts!" Miko said.
"I didn't know that we'll be exchanging gifts, I've got nothing with me," Gwendal said.
"Me too!" Gunter said.
"Okay, okay, boys. If you don't have anything with you, then you could show us some entertainment or anything you could do for us," Miko smiled at her own words. "Is that okay?"
"Is baking cookies okay?" Gwendal asked.
Miko nodded quickly and led them all to the dining hall. Before Gwendal could follow, Anissina tapped her friend's shoulder and smiled. A smile that she showed only before she began her experiment.
Gwendal shuddered. He felt the chill running in his spine and was sure that something, something really bad was going to happen to him, but he wasn't sure what kind of torture that Anissina was going to make him go through.
He quickly went to the dining hall, following the others, avoiding eye contact with Anissina because he knew that Anissina would know his fear once she looked into his dark blue eyes.
The gift exchanging was really fun. The Shibuyas had readied the gifts for all who were present there. The Mazoku, who didn't ready a thing for the gift exchange could only thank them, and in exchange, they did something for the others. Gunter reading some poems, Lady Cheri sang a song -she got a really nice high soprano voice-, Anissina and Gwendal baked cookies -which could be enjoyed later, in the evening-, Conrad and Wolfram showed the way of martial arts in Mazoku world.
"It's snowing!" Yuuri exclaimed and quickly opened the door, rushing outside. He was already in his jacket. "White Christmas!"
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!" Yuuri sang. He then asked, "Wanna take a walk?"
"If it's your majesty's wish," Gunter said, he then grabbed Yuuri's arms tightly. "I would love to go with you, your majesty, no matter where your destination is."
"The other? No one wanna go?" Yuuri asked as he tried to pulled his arm from Gunter Gunter.
"I'll go too! I won't let you go only with Gunter! You are my fiance!" Wolfram yelled and he tightly hold Yuuri's other arm.
"Conrad?" Yuuri asked. "You'd go right?"
Conrad chuckled and then nodded.
"We'll take a tour by ourselves, right Gwendal?" Anissina said and smiled. Her eyes were on Gwendal's and she knew that he wouldn't be able to say no.
Gwendal slowly gave a nod and he sighed deeply, thinking of what might happen to him later.
"Oh well, if you guys had your own plan," Yuuri said. "Let's go! We're going to the amusement park! We could get discounts if Shori were here, unfortunately he was abroad again."
"Oh, that's why I didn't see him," Gunter said. "But, that's okay, I prefer Yuuri heika!"
"Where are you guys going anyway?" Yuuri asked Anissina.
"To the park," she said. "We're not going too far, because we're baking our special cookies, so, we won't go too far, or the cookies would be a mess, right Gwendal?"
Gwendal sweated. He hated it when she said 'Right, Gwendal?' It was creepy. At the time he realized her eyes on him, he nodded.
Deep inside his mind Gwendal wondered why Anissina wanted him to go with her so badly that she used the 'Right, Gwendal?' everytime Yuuri heika talked to her. Did it have anything to do with what they were talking about the night before? he thought. Or was it just because of the cookies? Anissina was a perfectionist, so she wouldn't let her cookies got burnt.
When they arrived at the park, it was just like when Anissina went with Miko and Lady Cheri. Many couples, much more than before, were there. They looked happy.
"Is this what you were talking about yesterday?" Gwendal asked. He was uncomfortable with the place atmosphere. Not only it got too many couples gathered in one place, he could also feel that people were talking about him and Anissina. True, both of them really looked like a foreigner, a rare sight in the area, he guessed.
Anissina nodded. "What do you think about this?"
"They look happy," Gwendal answered shortly and smirked at his friend.
"Do they?" Anissina said as she led him to sit on a bench. "This world's women are more advanced than in our world, yet, they still enjoy depending on a man."
"That again, I thought you have understood that it is not 'depend', but 'support'," Gwendal reminded her. "You couldn't find a good argument to go against that, right? So, I thought, 'support' is the correct one, since the smartest -you- couldn't prove it wrong."
"I know," she said. "Let's change topic."
"You're the one who brought up this topic," he told her.
Then, Anissina smiled, like when she finally found a really good idea. "Perhaps, I should change my way of thinking then..."
"You will?" Gwendal asked her. He was surprised to hear her saying that.
"Now, Gwendal, look at me," she said. "Closer." She pulled him closer to her. His face was so close to him, about four or five inches at most, she looked deep into his eyes in silence. On his face, she could see that he wanted to ask her what she was doing, but stayed silent, waiting patiently for her to explain, which she would usually do after she finished what she was doing.
Then, suddenly, she quickly moved closer, closing the gap between her and her childhood friend with a kiss on the lips! Gwendal eyes widely opened, realizing what his friend was doing. He saw that Anissina, slowly closing her eyelids, didn't care that he was shocked to receive a sudden kiss from her. Her soft lips brushing against his, and not long afterwards it was the battle of tongues. That time, Gwendal had started to enjoy the situation he was in. It wasn't bad to receive a kiss he'd been longing for so long, he thought, though perhaps Anissina was only playing with him in a game he didn't know.
Gwendal started to draw himself closer to his friend, embracing the red-haired woman gently, as she put her arms on his shoulder. The kiss lasted for a quite long time. Gwendal and Anissina began to hear people talked about them, they said, "How could they kiss for so long?" or "Those foreigners really know how to kiss", etc. They started to chuckle in the midst of their kissing, and soon, they broke the kiss.
"Do you need explanation?" Anissina asked him, she smirked and her eyes told him that she had already known his answer. Nonetheless, he nodded.
"So," she began, trying to find the right words. "I've told you that I'm going to change my way of thinking, right? So, I've been thinking about that the whole night. That time, I thought that I must have been a blockhead all these years. I'm not listening to my brother's advice to get married, and even said that I wouldn't want to get married," Anissina's expression slowly changed into the one Gwendal never saw before. She took a deep breath, she continued, "Last night, when I thought about me getting married, you know,... It's a bit weird, but don't laugh."
She stopped to make sure he agreed to her term.
"I won't, now, tell me," Gwendal said. He was quite amused to find that Anissina had this cute side to her as well.
"I imagined you marrying me!" she said as she quickly turned herself away from Gwendal, showing her back to him
"What?" Gwendal asked as he was nearly forgetting his promised to not laugh. He tried his best to hide his chuckles. Gwendal shook his head. Perhaps, it was time for him to open his heart too, just like she tried to speak out her mind to him. He closed the gap between the two of them, gently embracing her from behind.
"You know, Anissina, I have a confession to make, too," he said. "Last night, I, too, imagined you in a wedding dress. But, I thought you would never want to wear one."
"So, I shook that thought out of my head," Gwendal added. "Now, will you want to wear one?"
Anissina turned back to see him. "Is that a marriage proposal? No slapping?"
Gwendal shook his head. "Not here, they have different culture, Anissina."
Anissina showed him a rather gentle smile and hugged him tightly that he had a hard time breathing. Softly, she whispered to his ear, "I want to wear a wedding dress, it's my pleasure to wear one."
He nodded. "Good," he, too, whispered to her.
Suddenly, in the middle of their peaceful embrace, Anissina pulled herself from him. "Gwendal!" she yelled. "The cookies!"
Gwendal frowned, his wrinkles, which were not seen for quite a long time, appeared. "Let's go home!" he said in his cold voice, his usual stoic expression went back to its regular place.
"Take it easy, Gwen, we could bake more," Anissina said after she regained her usual self. "Well, on our wedding day, don't show that wrinkles, okay?"
She laughed sweetly as he began to blush, remembering how he got proposed to her.
'I am indebted to you, Santa something!' Gwendal thought, as he looked back once again to see the Christmas tree. Then, he quickly went back to the house with Anissina to save his cookies.
END.
Actually this was made on the Christmas Day, but for some silly reasons, I didn't get to post it until today... So, sorry for being late for Christmas...
Thanks for reading!
Wish you a good new year! :D