A/N: Hey everyone!
I wanted to do a piece about Yukina and Hiei for a while, but it never seemed to come out right. To help get me into the Christmas spirit (because the rainy weather certainly hasn't been helping), I whipped this one out quickly. Enjoy!
As with all of my YYH fanfiction, I assume anime-verse and no knowledge of Eizou Hakusho (the OVA episodes that share some additional information). This will probably be obvious…
I don't own YYH or any of the IP related therein.
"Ah, this is just perfect, Yukina." Keiko sipped at her tea as she, Yukina, and Botan sat looking out at the grey wintery garden in Genkai's compound. "I love drinking tea when it's cold outside."
Yukina smiled softly in return. "You're welcome. I was happy that you two decided to visit. With Master Genkai away it was getting a little lonely."
"But doesn't Kuwabara come to visit you every day?" Botan nudged her.
"Kazuma comes when he can, but he's been working recently. He says that he wants to help his family pay for college." Yukina blew some of the lazy steam away from the top of her cup.
"That boy managed to get accepted into a college?" Botan murmured to herself in surprise. "I never thought that would happen." Then she turned her attention to the blissful Keiko. "Speaking of boys, are you and Yusuke planning anything special?"
Keiko fumbled her drink slightly. "S-special? For what?"
Botan tossed her an annoyed glance. "Don't be coy with me, Keiko. This is the first Christmas since Yusuke's come back from the demon world. Don't tell me that you don't have anything planned!"
"Okay, then I won't." Keiko sighed.
The blue-haired ferry girl response was remorseful. "Oh Keiko, I'm sorry. Did something happen? Are you fighting?" Yukina also drew in anxiously.
"Oh, no. Nothing like that." Keiko smiled weakly. "Yusuke was never the romantic type. Plus, I can tell that he misses Demon World, so planning some girly date is the last thing on his mind."
Botan frowned. "Well that just won't do." She pondered for a minute and then slammed her fist down onto her palm. "Ah ha! I know what we can do - we can throw a Christmas party!"
"A Christmas party?" Keiko blinked.
"Yeah, we could invite some of Yusuke's close friends from Demon World to stop by for a party on Christmas Eve. That should cheer him up, don't you think?" Botan sat back, pleased with herself.
Yukina looked up hesitantly. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but what is Christmas?"
Keiko and Botan looked at each other and then turned back to Yukina. "You don't know what Christmas is?" Botan asked.
Keiko shrugged. "I don't think Genkai is the type of person to celebrate western customs." She smiled at Yukina. "Christmas is a Christian holiday that is widely celebrated throughout the west, although it's celebrated here too. For most it's a time to get together with family and friends, even if you're not Christian."
"Don't forget it's one of the most important days of the year for lovers." Botan winked as Keiko turned scarlet and coughed before continuing.
"It's true that it's a popular day for couples to go out on dates and give presents to each other," she said. "But there are more customs than just going on dates", she added hurriedly. "Like Santa."
"What's San-ta?"
"Santa is a mythical figure that brings presents to the children all over the world. Children can send their wishes to Santa and he delivers them before Christmas morning," Keiko said.
"He's a jolly fat man in a red suit trimmed with white fur and he drives a sleigh pulled by reindeer!" Botan added.
Yukina frowned as she tried to imagine a large man in a red kimono with a giant, white fur scarf. She shook her head and put it down as one of those bizarre human concepts.
"Of course, Santa isn't real. Most western parents intercept their children's letters or wishes and then pretend to be Santa. Any Santas you see here in Japan are just men dressed up with pillows down their shirts." Keiko explained. "But it's still fun to get in the holiday spirit."
Botan steered the conversation back to the party, "But anyway. If you don't have anything planned, I think a small party would be just the right thing! We could invite Koenma, Kurama, Kuwabara, Shizuru, and Hiei of course, but I don't think he would want to join in."
"Do you think it would be possible to invite some of his friends from the Dark Tournament?" Keiko asked. "I know that Yusuke hasn't seen Jin or Chu in a really long time."
"I don't see why not. I can easily get the word around." Botan nodded. "Why don't we plan this for Christmas evening? That will give us today and tomorrow to plan. Then we can decorate the day after just in time for the party."
Keiko was warming up to the idea and Yukina was already sold on the idea of trying out something new. Botan grinned, a little evilly. "Then I'll set out to let everyone know right now. Keiko, I leave the shopping lists up to you!" Her oar materialized and she hopped on. "I'll see you tomorrow to go shopping!"
Keiko rolled her eyes a little. "Botan just wants to do all the fun stuff." Then she smiled at Yukina. "So what do you think, Yukina?"
Yukina smiled widely.
Yukina settled in her room for the evening after a productive afternoon of figuring out what was needed for the party. She wasn't entirely sure why they need to bring a tree into the house, but it all sounded like fun. It was still too early to lay out the futon, so Yukina pulled out her writing desk. Some ink painting would help calm her before bed.
As she swirled the brush across the paper, her mind drifted to part of the discussion from earlier than day. Christmas seemed like a wondrous holiday. She adored the fact that it was an excellent excuse for gathering friends and family for a lively time. Her brush stopped.
Well, maybe family for other people, but not for her. It had been almost four years since she placed her hopes in Hiei's talented eye to locate her lost brother. Without some much as a word from the fighter, Yukina was beginning to lose hope on finding her twin. In all likelihood, Hiei had probably given up or forgotten her request, or even worse - found that her brother was dead and wasn't sure how to tell her.
With tears prickling in her eyes, she put down her brush in its cradle. "Thinking those sorts of things will get you nowhere!" She smacked her cheeks a few times and shook her head to cast the evil thoughts aside.
That's right; she should stay positive. Hiei was an honorable person; he would not simply ignore her request without at least returning her gem. He probably hadn't found her brother yet. She smiled and picked up her brush again, but didn't move the inky bristles to her painting as an idea hit her.
It was absolutely silly and there was no chance that it would work, but still…
She set the brush down again and pulled out a new piece of paper. Then she lifted the brush again, but it was a few moments before she actually wrote something on the paper.
Dear Santa,
For the next few minutes, she carefully crafted a letter and as soon as she was done, she felt very foolish.
"This is something that small children do. This man doesn't exist!" She was about to crumple up the entire page when Botan appeared outside her window. She folded the letter quickly and placed it on her writing desk.
"Botan, what are you doing here so late?"
Botan smiled as she slid off her oar. "I just let everyone know and it looks like they will be able to make it. I was hoping to catch Keiko or you so that we could increase whatever alcohol quantities you had listed." She sighed. "It looks like Suzuka, Rinku, and Shishiwakamaru invited themselves to the party too."
She tapped her chin with her finger. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find Hiei. That one's so hard to track, especially now that he's in Demon World all the time." She panicked, "But don't worry! I'll be sure to track him down. He'll be there."
Yukina looked surprised. "Why would I worry? I will be happy to see him and all of Yusuke's friends, of course, but it is no problem if he can't make it."
Botan stammered out some meaningless gibberish and looked wildly around the room to find something else to talk about. Her eyes rested on the hastily folded letter. "Who were you writing to?"
Ashamed, Yukina smiled sheepishly. "I was writing a letter to Santa." She quickly added. "I know that he's not real, but..."
"There's nothing wrong with writing a letter to Santa," Botan said. She reached over and grabbed the letter. "What did you ask for?"
"My brother."
Silence fell as Botan tried to think of a response. Yukina laughed softly. "I know that it's hopeless, but I felt like doing something silly like this would raise my spirits."
"That's the spirit!" Botan replied whole-heartedly. "You never know - Christmas miracles do happen." She hopped back on her oar. "So will you be a dear and remind Keiko that we'll need to buy a lot more sake for the party?"
Yukina nodded. "Of course. Have a good night, Botan."
Yukina watched as her friend flew out the room and away into the cold night, waving pleasantly. She shut the door and went to retrieve the list that she and Keiko had written out earlier that afternoon. So there were potentially fifteen guests, at least seven of which would happily drink through the night. One of which that could probably drink all week.
When Yukina was finished adjusting the other food amounts, she realized that it was actually getting quite late. She went to go have a bath, her letter to Santa forgotten.
Botan waited until she was beyond the view line of the compound before opening Yukina's letter. "Oh, I know this is wrong, but I can't help getting involved!" She read through the brief note. As she wiped away a tear, she looked up determined. "I am going to do everything I can to make this miracle happen."
Her determination dropped as she realized what that would entail. For starters, she would actually need to go to Makuro's compound in Demon World. She cringed inside.
"Why do I put myself up to things like this?!" Botan wailed. "I can't not do something for her, but I don't want to go that far into Demon World!"
Her head drooped and she resigned herself. "At least this should be enough good karma to last me a lifetime," and she set out for the depths of the demon world.
Botan slowly lowered her oar to one of the windows in Makuro's castle. It had taken all of her power not to turn around every second of the journey. Demon World was a terrifying place, especially if you were a citizen of Spirit World, like herself. A flash of lightning crossed the cloudy sky and she almost bolted, but she chanted to herself again: "I am here to help Yukina. I am here to help Yukina.."
She pulled up alongside the window and took a deep breath. Peeking inside, she didn't see anyone in the corridor. Stealthily, she slid off her oar and dropped with minimal noise to the floor on to the floor. Almost immediately a sword swung out of the darkness, pointed right at her throat.
"What are you doing here?" Hiei asked, a mixture of annoyance and boredom.
Botan froze for a few seconds to catch her breath. "Don't scare me like that, Hiei! What would you have done if you had actually cut my throat?"
"What are you doing here?" Hiei repeated, his face now showing traces of distaste.
"To invite you to a Christmas party, of course!" Botan beamed, albeit a little nervously. She had apparently caught the fire demon in a foul mood. "Oh, and to deliver this." She extended Yukina's letter to him.
Hiei's deadpan expression didn't slip as he stared at the piece of paper, but he did lower his sword. "What is that?"
Botan waved the letter back and forth. "This is a letter from Yukina to Santa. I thought you might want to read it."
"If it's a letter to Sento, then aren't you delivering it to the wrong person, ferry girl?"
"No. Senta is a mythical persona that delivers presents to children around the world on Christmas Eve. But of course he doesn't really exist, so parents are the ones who buy the presents and pretend to put them under the tree..." she trailed off as she saw Hiei's brow twitch in annoyance.
"But that's beside the point! Yukina has a Christmas wish this year and it might do you good to know what it is." Quickly wrapping up she rushed to get back on her oar. "Don't forget, there is a party tomorrow night at Genkai's compound. You better show up if you don't want to disappoint Yukina!" As she left, she dropped the letter. "Don't forget to read the letter!"
With that she rose and flew out of the castle as fast as she could.
Hiei reached out to grab the letter that was drifting down. Despite his apparent blasé attitude, he carefully opened the letter to read:
Dear Santa-sama,
My friends have assured me that you accept wishes in the form of letters, so I am hoping you will be able to grant mine, even though I am not a human child.
I have an older twin brother who was separated from the time we were born. I should very much like to meet with him, but I lack the information or physical prowess to search for him in the demon world.
If it at all possible, could you provide me with some sign from my brother? Even if I cannot meet him, knowing that he is alive and well in the world would be a glorious gift itself.
-Yukina
Hiei crumpled the letter in his fist and stormed down the hallway. What was that silly girl thinking? Making appeals to some fictional character? He thought that she would have given up on the foolish search when she didn't receive any news regarding her brother's whereabouts. But she persisted, even after all these years.
He turned a corner furiously and two gems on cords around his neck swung out, sparkling even in the dim lighting-streaked sky. He stopped and held the stones in his hand.
The gems were the source of the problem, weren't they? As long as he kept her gemstone, he kept her hope alive.
Kurama had said something about this once, when Hiei had tried to force him to return Yukina's gemstone to her. That fox wouldn't close that door - he would need to do it himself. If that was all it took to stop her from fantasizing over a perfect brother, then why hadn't he done it before?
Hiei stared down at the gems and then clenched his fist. Whatever the reason, that wasn't important: it was time to put an end to it all.
The next day Botan, Yukina, and Keiko went out to buy everything for the party. Botan had managed to convince Kuwabara to come along (no difficulty there), for the sole purpose of carrying everything back to the compound.
"You know, Botan, this isn't what you said when you asked if I wanted to go shopping with you guys." Kuwabara grunted as he hauled the food and decorations up to the compound.
Botan smiled slyly, "I know, but I just couldn't resist!" She skipped ahead.
Yukina and Keiko, both with a bag apiece, continued to escort Kuwabara until they reached the main room in the compound. Kuwabara collapsed on the floor, but Botan loomed over him. "What are you doing, Kuwabara? You need to go out and get a tree!"
"Don't wanna."
Botan went to stand behind Yukina, putting her hands on the ice maiden's shoulders. "You wouldn't want to disappoint Yukina, here, do you?"
He sat up immediately, "Of course not! If my beloved Yukina wants a Christmas tree, then I shall go and get one!" He stood. "For I am Kuwabara, man among men, and I am unstoppable in the name of love!" He sprinted back outside, leaving the three girls behind.
"How long before you realize that he didn't taken anything to cut the tree down with?" Keiko asked.
"Knowing him, he'll probably rip the tree right out of the ground." Botan replied. Clapping her hands together she exclaimed, "Well, ladies, we have a lot to do and not much time before tonight. Let's get to it!"
Hours later, the party was in full swing. Everyone had shown up as promised, except for Hiei, which was partially expected.
Kuwabara and Yusuke had found Genkai's karaoke machine which measured spiritual sensibility, but they were just using it to drunkenly belt out Enka tunes. Jin occasionally interrupted, which resulted in a minor tussle. Botan and Koenma were loudly critiquing the loud fighters from the peanut gallery. Shishiwakamaru looked on in displeasure, having taken offense to some earlier comments about his own lack of tone. Suzuka was giving the pretty-boy idol some much needed praise and encouragement.
Chu and Shizuru were surrounded by dozens of bottles, locked in a battle to see who could hold more liquor. Rinku was on the sidelines cheering them on and occasionally swigging down some of the left over booze.
In a complete change of atmosphere, Kurama and Touya were calmly watching the antics while slowly sipping sake. No loss of propriety there.
Yukina smiled and made her way to Keiko, who was sitting near Kurama and Touya. "Keiko, do you not want to join in?"
"I'm not much of a singer," Keiko glanced at the other group, "or a drinker. I'm just happy that Yusuke seems to be having so much fun." She hugged her knees. "Even if I don't get a date with him tomorrow, I'm not too worried. He seems to be himself again."
"I am glad." Yukina nodded and stood. "I will be back soon - I just want to get some air."
She silently slid the door open and closed it behind her. She meandered down the hall towards the back courtyard. She flung open the sliding door. Snow flakes had already started to cover the ground, soon the ground would be a pristine white.
Closing the door behind her, Yukina sat down on the edge of the porch, holding up a hand to collect some of the specks of snow and sighed. Today had been full of mirthful surprises and she was happy that everyone could come to visit. Nothing could have made it better.
That wasn't exactly true; her wish to Santa hadn't come true.
She chided herself for wishing that some childish western tradition would resolve her plight. Keiko had explained that Santa was nothing more than the parents who pretended to do the work of a magical man. It was foolish to think that some merry, crimson-garbed foreigner could provide her with a sign from her brother.
Suddenly, the trees in the courtyard rustled, pulling Yukina from her thoughts. Hesitantly she called out, "Is someone there?" but silence fell.
Something sparkling in one of the ornamental bushes in the garden caught her eye. She quickly rushed into the garden, snow crunching underfoot. When she got to the bush, her breath caught in her throat.
Hanging from one of the branches was a tiny gem dangling from a thin cord. Reaching out, Yukina cupped the small hiruseki stone in her hand and tugged the necklace from the plant. Frantically, she whirled around, calling out again, "Is someone there?" The only reply was the winter wind whistling through the bare branches.
Despair fell upon the young snow maiden and she dropped to her knees. Now she had no tie to her brother; her stone was returned and she was none the wiser for where he could be or how he fared. At least while her stone was with Hiei, there was some chance that her brother might have received her heartfelt desire to meet with him. Looking into the stone had always given Yukina the feeling that she needed to return to the ice realm, to reunite with her family and friends. She had hoped that her brother might have felt the same if he looked in her stone as well, but her gamble had failed.
Now there was no chance of that. It was clear that if her stone had been returned, that her brother had no intention of ever returning. Her long-lost brother was truly lost.
Yukina looked into the stone and waited for the sound of the north wind and the chime of icicles, which was so reminiscent of home. Maybe a homecoming was just what she needed.
Seconds passed and there was no chilly reminder of the ice village. Instead, she could faintly detect the crackling of fire and the heat of bright flames. She fell back in shock, dropping the necklace. She grabbed it again and looked at it more closely. At first glance, it looked almost the same as her stone, but inside this was a glowing warmth. This was not her stone! Then, that must mean…
"Oni-sama? Are you there?" How else would his stone have arrived here if he had not come to deliver it himself?
She saw a small movement amongst the trees. "Wait! Don't go!" She paused. "Oni-sama!"
The figure froze, but didn't leave the anonymity of the shadows. Yukina didn't waste a second of the opportunity. "Oni-sama, is that really you?" The hidden person remained silent. Yukina decided to press on. "Is this your stone? Do you still have mine?"
At this, the figure held out an arm, with another precious hiruseki stone threaded on a cord. The stone disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Yukina beamed brightly. "Then does that mean that we'll meet again?"
With a blur, the figure vanished. "Wait!" Yukina called, but it was clear that whoever it was had finished talking. Disappointed, Yukina clutched the gem in her hands. It was still warm, but not quite as fiery as it had been earlier. Good. Her brother couldn't be that far away. She took comfort in that she would be able to tell when he was nearby.
"Small steps." She reassured herself. "I'll see him again someday."
As she turned to go back into the house, a though occurred. How did my brother know that I was here? And how on earth did he get the timing so perfectly? Strange indeed that he waited all this time, and only revealed himself when she sent out that silly little letter.
She slowly walked back. Hiei must have been able to locate her brother to deliver the stone. Hiei must have told him that she was residing with Genkai in the compound. Hiei must have gotten the letter from Botan and passed it along to her brother. Granted, Hiei was by no means a bad person, but Yukina couldn't see him going out of his way to do all of those things.
She stopped, eyes wide. Of course she had considered the possibility and she had suspicions about the identity of her brother, but this proved it beyond a doubt. Either that or Hiei had suddenly become a social busybody who wanted to bring forth joy and happiness.
Yukina smiled again. Maybe Christmas miracles could happen, even for little ice maidens.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 2012!