As Long As There's Christmas

It's never been a favorite time for them—until they met each other.

Italics=L

Normal=Sunako

I've never really liked Christmas. Mostly because people just don't understand it's more fun to celebrate Christmas alone!

If there was one holiday I had to despise, it was Christmas. My parents died on Christmas. I preferred to spend it alone in my room.

I went to go for a walk in the morning. I needed to get away from the Creatures of the Light for a while as they planned out their days with their girlfriends. Noi wanted me to join them and be Kyouhei's date, but he was urged to go home by his dad (he promised his mother would behave and that his brother was going to back him up).

So…Kyouhei had gone home for the holiday.

I went to go stretch my legs in town. Watari didn't urge me to take up the Yagami family's invitation. He knew I wouldn't celebrate. Ever.

But as I walked, feeling awkward among the couples, I noticed a girl walking around, her head bowed. She was alone.

"Hey," a guy said, approaching her. "Do you have any plans tonight, Babe?"

I stepped aside, watching.

I glared at the guy and tried to step around him.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Let me go."

"Come on, Babe, you look lonely."

"I prefer it that way! Let me go!"

The man's smile vanished and he wrapped his arm around my waist.

That look…this guy was crazy!

I strode towards them and pulled her out of his grasp. "Get your hands off her," I growled, praying the girl had a sense to tell I was helping her. "Are you alright, Love?"

"Yes," she answered.

I stared at the guy that pulled me out of the pervert's grasp.

He was bright, but at the same time, he wasn't. I didn't understand it, but he led me away in the direction I was going.

"Thanks," I said after a few minutes, bowing to him.

"Not a problem," he answered me, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away.

I turned to leave.

"Hey."

I turned back to him.

"Yes?"

"Do you need an escort?"

"Escort? I'm just walking."

"But what if that…er…happens again."

Why I was insisting, I wasn't sure. But I felt that something might happen again. She shrugged.

"Alright. I'm Sunako."

"Ryuuzaki," I answered. I walked beside her.

Occasionally, I'd look at her as though trying to figure Sunako-chan out.

"What a disgrace!"

"How could he take advantage of a child?"

I glared at the speakers. "Sorry," I said in advance, placing an arm around her shoulder.

She tensed a little, but relaxed.

She also contributed to make the scene look more realistic by wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Sorry," I mumbled, after I had wrapped my arm around his middle. I heard the gossipers and figured he was just trying to make it look more as though we were a couple to get them off his back.

He did help me, so I figured he didn't need those stupid people giving him trouble.

I leaned against him. He was as tense as I was.

"Why were you walking alone?"

"I needed to get away from my housemates for a while. They were making plans with their dates and tried to get me in on it. What about you? You were walking alone too, were you?"

"Yes. I needed to stretch my legs. Normally I wouldn't have dared, but I needed to get out. So…you're…er…not doing anything?"

"Nope. Christmas is only fun when spent alone."

"I don't know about that, but I spend them alone by choice too."

We had walked into a park and I had not realized it. We stopped to look at the pond—which was entirely frozen.

"You seem to hate Christmas," Sunako noticed. I glanced at her. She was looking at me and a tingle went up my spine. She really was beautiful.

"It's a personal reason," I answered her. She didn't press me, which I was grateful for. I glanced at her again. "Why do you spend it alone?"

"It's also a personal reason. I just like being alone. It's more fun that way."

That was…odd, but I guess she was right to some degree.

But then again…

I looked at the pond.

"Okay, I guess I'm pressing my luck," I mumbled, but I glanced at her again. She was staring at me curiously. "Have you ever actually tested that?"

"Yes. I spent two years alone."

"But never actually compared it to spending Christmas with a friend or a lover?"

"Who'd love someone as ugly as me?" she asked.

I was taken aback.

"Put your theory to the test. I'll spend Christmas with you. We don't have to do what all the other people do. Just actually test out your theory."

I looked at him. He looked quite serious, so I shrugged. "Fine."

~Three Years Later~

"Sunako-chan!"

I ran to see what the problem was. "What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell me you were engaged?" Obachan shouted at me. "And to a world renowned detective to boot?"

"Because I didn't want you to freak out like you are now."

"The only reason I'm 'freaking out' is because you never told me you were dating in the first place!"

I knocked on the door to the Nakahara Mansion.

The door opened and Yuki stood aside to let me in. "Hi, Ryu-san."

"How's everything with Machiko-chan?"

"Pretty good," Yuki answered me.

"You're Father knew before me, Sunako-chan!"

"That's actually supposed to be the case, Obachan. If you don't mind, can I finish getting ready?"

Yuki shrugged. "Obachan just found out you're marrying Sunako-chan a few minutes ago. Kyouhei's slip up."

"Ah…"

Ms. Nakahara—Obachan to Sunako and her housemates—came up to me, glaring. I stared back.

I ran to L's rescue as soon as I was finished getting ready. The moment I came downstairs, Obachan was ready to pounce and kill, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the door and out of harm's way.

"What was that about?"

"I don't want Obachan to chew you out. She's just mad she wasn't told sooner about our engagement."

"You're aunt likes that sort of thing, doesn't she?"

"She likes it way too much…She wasn't supposed to find out until the wedding invitations were out, but now…be ready for an insanely big wedding."

"Damn."

"Damn is right."

We left the mansion's premises and down the street.

Sunako was my life and my soul.

Nothing—nothing—would happen to her so long as I lived.

We passed by Light and Misa.

After a quick conversation, we let them be, and vice versa.

I was pieced together by him—by L Lawliet—because he insisted on "testing" a theory of mine and helping me test it out.

Because of that, we never parted.

And it was all because of this time of year.

My faith in Christmas was restored because of Sunako. So, as long as there's Christmas, I'll never be unhappy.

So…yeah…Light wasn't Kira in this story, but L did meet Light and Misa did fall for Light. So…Light's good in this story…Maybe that'd be an interesting little Death Note fanfic…anyway! I know that the possibility of Christmas being the day that the bombing L's parents were killed in is like 1/365. Just deal with it!