Hello, hello, I am back again with a Thanksgiving story. YAY! I wrote this last year because my best fried requested it... And since by the time I actually typed it up on the computer (it was originally written in a notebook), it was a couple of days after Thanksgiving, so I didn't post it here until...well, now. I hope everyone enjoys it. :)
Notes: I, as always, use "Hime" for Sakura, which means "princess". I THINK that's all I need to warn you about. (For those who don't know...obviously)
This takes place BEFORE the acid tokyo arc. (Yeah...) Sometime before that... I guess it doesn't really matter when.
I don't own Tsubasa! If I did, everyone would be stick-figures (Because I suck at drawing)!
"So what the hell is a turkey?" Kurogane asked.
"Silly Kuro-min, didn't you listen when those nice people explained it to us?" Fai smiled as he read one of the recipes he had borrowed from one of the locals. This one was for something called 'mashed potatoes'. "We eat turkey on Thanksgiving," Fai explained, trying to remember everything the locals had told them earlier. "And Thanksgiving is when families get together and eat lots of food!"
"I remember that part," Kurogane grumbled. "I just don't get why we have to partake in their holiday." Apparently, this 'Thanksgiving' was a big thing in the world they had landed in. Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona had gotten completely sucked into it. In fact, the three had gone to a Thanksgiving parade… Which was, in Kurogane's mind, a crazy gathering of people with huge rolling things, floaty things, and loud, noisy things. One huge pain, to sum it up, so he sat that nightmare out. The only reason Fai didn't join the others in pointless celebration was because he had to cook Thanksgiving dinner. Kurogane didn't know why Fai had to start cooking so early. Dinnertime was still hours away.
"So after I chop up the potatoes, I put them into the pot of water…," Fai mumbled to himself. "But they won't take long to cook… So I'll move onto something else before I do that…"
Kurogane frowned, only watching as the mage picked up another recipe and began to get out more ingredients. He watched as Fai carefully measured the correct ingredients, a faint smile on his face.
Kurogane was actually enjoying the silence until it was suddenly shattered when the door opened and Mokona, Syaoran, and Sakura came in, all talking excitedly.
"Mokona has never seen anything like that before!" Mokona said too loudly.
"And there were so many people!" Sakura added.
The three eventually came into the kitchen to greet the two older men.
"How was the parade?" Fai asked with a smile.
"Fai-san, it was amazing!" Sakura replied happily. "I had so much fun!"
"I'm glad," Fai said. "So I'm guessing you like Thanksgiving so far."
Sakura nodded. "I remember having a huge feast with my family a long time ago… So Thanksgiving is kind of the same thing."
Syaoran nodded in agreement. "I've had something like that, too."
"Mokona has had lots and lots of feasts with Yuko! With lots and lots of beer!"
"Now there's an idea…," Fai remarked mischievously.
"Don't even think about it," Kurogane warned with a glare.
Fai turned to him. "What about you, Kuro-tan? Have you done anything like Thanksgiving before?"
Kurogane stopped to think about it. He remembered, a long time ago, he had a great meal with his parents, right before his father had to leave. It was a happy moment, where they could all relax, without having to worry about anything…
"Something kind of like it, yeah," Kurogane finally answered.
Fai threw him another smile. "So this isn't too different than that. Just…with different people, I suppose."
Kurogane grunted. It was just like Fai to change the subject when it was his turn to share. Did the mage really think he would look over the fact that he didn't follow pattern and tell them about a Thanksgiving-like experience that he's had?
"Have you ever had something like Thanksgiving?" Kurogane inquired. Now that the question was asked, Fai would have a hard time avoiding it.
Fai's eyes froze for a second, but he closed them and smiled. He shouldn't have thought that Kurogane would be fooled with such a weak reflection.
"Ahhh…," he drew out, trying to come up with a suitable response. Oddly enough, he decided to tell the truth. "Actually, no, I've never had anything like this."
"Then this will be Fai's first!" Mokona announced.
Fai nodded. "I suppose so, yes."
Kurogane frowned. "So you're saying that you've never had a feast before?"
"Ah… No, Kuro-pun, of course I've had a feast before." And he continued with cooking, obviously ending the conversation there.
Kurogane grunted and left the kitchen. Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona were soon to trail after him.
"Are you tired, Hime?" Syaoran asked.
Sakura smiled. "Yeah…"
"Mokona is tired too!"
"Well, why don't you take a nap?"
"Oh, I shouldn't… I should really be helping Fai-san with dinner." She stifled a yawn.
Syaoran smiled warmly. "I'm sure he'll understand."
Kurogane watched as the kid led the princess and the white pork bun down the hall to Sakura's bedroom.
"Don't worry," he heard Syaoran say, "I'll wake you up for dinner, okay?"
Kurogane sighed and sat down on the couch. He didn't know what was so important about Thanksgiving. It was a time for families to get together, so he guessed it would be important to people who actually had families. But the four of them didn't. Well, the princess had that brother she sometimes talked about, but he wasn't there either. So what did Thanksgiving mean to them? Why did they even bother celebrating a holiday that was all about families? Talk about a waste of time…
Sure, he could eat with the others, but it wouldn't be the same.
It would never be the same.
-Flashback-
"One day I'll be that strong too!" Kurogane proclaimed, swinging around an imaginary sword. "Whoosh!"
His father laughed. "I'm sure you will. But even the best warriors need to eat. Wash up and meet your mother and I for dinner."
Kurogane groaned loudly, but did as he was told.
When he finally reached the dinner table, he saw that it was full of delicious-looking food. He saw his parents whispering to each other and his mother was giggling softly. It was a nice sight—since his father was gone so often, it was a rare occasion to see his mother so happy. When his father was around, his mother didn't seem sick anymore.
"Oh, Kurogane, you're here," his mother said with a kind smile. She really was beautiful when she smiled like that. Every day, Kurogane thanked whatever higher power that was out there for bestowing such a good mother upon him.
"There's a ton of food," Kurogane mumbled as he sat down.
"Yes, we're having a feast!" his father announced, before scooping an enormous amount of food onto his plate.
That dinner was probably the best Kurogane had ever had. His father made stupid jokes, jokes that he and his mother had laughed hysterically at. He wished that night had never ended…
-End Flashback-
"Kuuuro-rin? Helloooo, Kuro-rinto? Are you there?"
Kurogane looked up, shaking thoughts of his parents from his mind before glaring at Fai. "Aren't you supposed to be making dinner or something?"
Fai smiled. "It's cooking." He sat down next to Kurogane and planted the palms of his hands onto his knees. "The turkey should be ready in an hour or so… Is it too much to ask for you to cut it up?"
"Because you can't do that?"
"No, because cutting the turkey is what a good daddy does."
Kurogane snorted. 'Daddy'. What a joke.
"Please, Daddy? Do it for the kids!"
Kurogane grumbled something under his breath.
"I hope that means yes!"
"Whatever."
Fai looked right and left. "Speaking of the kids, where did they run off to?"
"The princess and the pork bun are sleeping, and if I know the kid, he's probably just watching the princess sleep."
"That does sound like Syaoran-kun," Fai remarked cheerfully.
Kurogane paused, not saying anything for several minutes. "So you've had feasts before, but nothing like Thanksgiving."
Fai shook his head. "No, nothing like Thanksgiving… I'm guessing Thanksgiving is mostly family-oriented…a time when you can be relaxed and happy… No, I've never had anything that was remotely like Thanksgiving."
Kurogane didn't respond, just waited for an explanation.
"I once had a feast with Ashura-ou," Fai said quietly. "That was probably the closest thing to Thanksgiving that I've ever had."
"So what happened?"
"I was extremely uncomfortable the whole time. I remember feeling stressed and sick and… I felt like I'd…" He shook his head. "And then, after all that, I threw up everything I had eaten." And the mage smiled.
How Fai could say what he just said with a smile, Kurogane would never know. He wished Fai would glare or frown or make some other facial expression besides that smile of his.
Fai gave a small sigh. "So I'm hoping this feast will be better."
"Syaoran-kun…"
Syaoran looked up. "Hime, you're awake."
"Syaoran-kun… I remember having a big feast… With Toya and Yukito-san and Father…but…" She looked troubled. "But…there was someone else there, I know it… I just don't remember who it was… I know it's important, and it's there, I know it. But I just can't remember."
Syaoran found himself smiling wistfully. He wondered if maybe, one day, those lost memories of him could ever be recovered. Was there some way he could get it all back?
"I'm sure you'll remember eventually," he reassured her.
Sakura smiled warmly. She knew he was being sincere. She knew he wasn't going to stop until all of her feathers were returned to her… She often wondered what his motivation was…
"Why the hell did you get us this huge turkey?! We're not going to be eating all this!" Kurogane complained as he tried to cut the turkey.
"I'm sure Mokona will eat what we will not," Fai replied, before leaving to go set the table.
Kurogane growled in frustration as he cut another slice of turkey. "This thing better taste good, or I swear…"
"You swear what, Kuro-chin?" Fai asked as he strolled back into the room. "I should hope you like the turkey. It was a lot of trouble."
"Was? It is a lot of trouble. Now I know why you asked me to cut this thing. It's the hardest part!"
"Oh, Kuro-ri, you're so naïve…"
"I'm what now?"
Fai grabbed some plates and a few of the things he had already cooked up. In one hand, he carried the stack of plates, and on his other arm, he lined up a few dishes so he could carry three on one arm. "Ahhh, hot casserole!"
Kurogane glanced over his shoulder. "GAK! Use one of those oven mitt things! And don't try to carry so much!"
"The table isn't that far away." And without heeding Kurogane's advice, Fai rushed into the next room, coming back a few seconds later.
"Now you burned yourself. Good work, moron."
"I did no such thing."
Before Kurogane could say, "prove it", Fai had already left the room, with more items in hand. He rolled his eyes.
"Look! Look! All the delicious food!" Mokona said the second he saw the dinner table full of new but delicious-looking food. "Fai made it all for Mokona… Mokona is so touched!"
Kurogane shot Mokona a nasty look.
"Ah! Kurogane is glaring at Mokona! Mokona is scared by Kurogane's manliness!"
"Why you…"
"Now, now, Daddy, don't get mad at Mokona!" Fai scolded. "Mokona, be a dear and fetch the other children."
"Of course, Mother Fai!" And Mokona bounced off.
"Enough of that ridiculous joke," Kurogane growled.
Fai grinned. "But I like it."
"Yeah, and I don't like it. So can you just quit it for now?"
Fai didn't respond, but the others came into the room and sat down. Sakura looked absolutely delighted.
"Fai-san, this looks great! I can't believe you made it all by yourself!"
Fai laughed. "Maybe you should eat it first, and then decide if it's good or not…"
Sakura instantly started scooping food onto her plate. These weird foods called 'mashed potatoes', 'cranberry sauce', 'green bean casserole', 'stuffing', and of course 'turkey'. There was also corn, which Sakura knew that was also in the Kingdom of Clow… but it didn't look anything like the corn they had here. And then there was 'gravy', which Sakura wasn't sure about… Did you drink it?
Fai took a bite of his casserole, and was pleased when he found it to be satisfying. He was actually pretty nervous about making such a big meal, with foods he's never cooked before. He was even more worried about what everyone would think of it… But as he looked around the table, it looked like everyone was enjoying the food… Well, except for Kurogane, who never looked like he enjoyed anything.
Kurogane took a wary taste of the mashed potatoes. They looked really weird, but didn't taste half bad. He looked up to Fai, who only smiled back. Figured. The mage always looked like he enjoyed everything, which only made him wonder if he enjoyed anything.
"That was delicious!" Sakura proclaimed when she was finished, beaming happily.
"Yes," Syaoran agreed. "Thank you very much for making it, Fai-san. It must have been a lot of work."
Fai smiled. "Well, it was worth it."
"Mokona will take care of all the leftovers!" Mokona opened his mouth and sucked up all the food on Kurogane's plate.
"HEY!" Kurogane shouted. "I WASN'T DONE WITH THAT!" And before Mokona could suck up the rest of the food, Kurogane stabbed some more turkey and shoved it into his mouth.
They had all retired to their rooms—except for Fai, who insisted on staying up and cleaning the dishes. Later that night, Kurogane shuffled towards the kitchen for a glass of water. Unlike earlier, the kitchen was now spotless, and the dishes were all put away.
Because even though the dirty dishes could wait for tomorrow, Fai had cleaned them anyway.
"Hmph…" Kurogane downed his glass of water and turned to go back to his room. Before he started down the hall, he spotted Fai lying on the couch. Well, not really lying. His head was resting on the couch, but he was sitting on the floor.
Kurogane went up to him. He was definitely asleep.
I guess he's tired from doing all that stuff today…, Kurogane thought. It didn't seem like it at the time, but when he looked back on it now, Fai had done a lot of work to make this thing work. He spent the whole day cooking all that food…something Kurogane knew he wouldn't have the patience for. It had all been worth it in the end, he thought. The kids had been happy, he actually had a pretty good time, and the food was pretty good… The turkey was magnificently cut, as well…
Kurogane grabbed the blanket that was on the back of the couch and draped it over the mage. "Well, thanks anyway," he grumbled, before stalking back to his own bedroom.
END
Yes, it's pretty short. But please! Give me a Thanksgiving gift by reviewing! I'd like to know what you think.
Happy Thanksgiving, guys. (Throws everyone a free turkey) (???)