A.N.- The Hyper Fangirls without sleep have taken on the Dickens classic! As with many other HFWS projects, this fic features characters from several animes… the animes in this fic are Slayers, Inuyasha, Rurouni Kenshin, Fushigi Yuugi, and Trigun.

This is a three part fanfic, it's all written and will be posted tonight, tomorrow, and the final part on Xmas morning ^^

An HFWS Christmas Carol

Narrator: The meaning of Christmas...to some, it's being with their friends and family, to others, it's waiting for Aunt Mildred's annual fruitcake so you can have a new door stopper, but for some people out there...the meaning is..

Xellos: A secret?

Narrator: No! Go away, you aren't in this till Act 2.

Zelgadiss: Please tell me he's not the ghost of Christmas Present....

Narrator: No, his part is...

Xellos: A secret.

Narrator: whatever....can I just tell the damn story already? Okay...as I was trying to say.... the meaning of Christmas is sometimes hard to find in certain people's hearts...especially when their hearts are made of stone.

Zelgadiss: Hey! My heart's not stone.

Narrator: Might as well be.

Zelgadiss: Damn you...

Narrator: Sorry Zel, that line isn't till later in Act 1. Now...to start the tale....

Act 1- The Stone Scrooge

Narrator: It was a time of great joy in the little city, as the streets were filled with people going to and from preparing for Christmas the next day. Everyone was in a pleasant mood...everyone except...Zelgadiss Greywords. He was a man who was always blue...namely because he was a chimera...but that's another story, and he hated the joy around the holidays. It was completely worthless to him...the only thing that mattered was finding his cure. And with that thought in mind... I will let him enter the scene. As the blue-skinned, rock-covered man turned the corner, the crowd parted allowing him to walk through. His eyes in a focused glare at anyone as he pulls his cloak closer about his face.

Zelgadiss: Bah...

Narrator: Zelgadiss made his way down the streets to a small business that had "Zelgadiss & Rezo" hanging above the door. The "Rezo" had been scratched to where it was barely visable any longer. He flung open the door to see his tealish haired employee conversing with a crinkly brown-haired man sitting at the desk.

Zelgadiss: Tamahome, who is this?

Tamahome: Oh good-day sir, this man is a fellow businessman in the area who has come to see if you might loan him some money for his company.

Zelgadiss: Loan? For what?

Naraku: Our machine has broken down again, and this is the factory's best season for profits.

Zelgadiss: So you think I should waste what money I have to search out my cure for your measly little factory? I don't care if it's your best season...I will not be giving my money to fruitcakes!

Naraku: But Mr. Greywords, we've already tried to fix the machine ourselves and my partner injured his arm doing so. Now we barely have enough for his doctor bills, let alone for a new machine. I know that all people aren't fond of a Christmas Fruitcake, but where's your spirit sir? Our factory is the only one in the area, if we don't get our machine running, all the people in the city will have to pay extra for fruitcakes from another factory.

Zelgadiss: If they want their fruitcakes that bad, let them buy them from another factory. Look, I haven't the time to deal with your and your fruit factory issues, please...leave my premises before I have to make you leave.

Narrator: And with that, the saddened Naraku stood and went out the door, only to hear it slam behind him. He looked around at all the other shops in the area.

Naraku: I've asked everyone I can...I guess, they'll just not have any fruitcakes this year in this city...

Narrator: Once the door's vibrations ceased, Zelgadiss turned to Tamahome who was just staring at the closed door.

Zelgadiss: So...you think you found me a cure...or you're just sitting there not working again?

Tamahome: I'm sorry sir...

Narrator: With that, Tamahome returned to reading through the large stack of books atop his desk, looking for anything that might cure Zelgadiss of his chimeric state. Zelgadiss had gone to sit at his desk, and was about to open a book himself, when the door flung open.

Kagome: Uncle Zel, Merry Christmas!

Narrator: The black-haired girl pratically skipped into the room, a large yellow bag on her back.

Zelgadiss: Christmas? Bah.

Kagome: Oh come on, you need to stop being so disgruntled this time of the year. My husband used to be the same way, but he cheered up, and so can you. You just need to try and...

Zelgadiss: The only thing I'm going to try is finding my cure so I don't look like a freak. Unlike that boy you married, I can't hide all my freakish features under a hat.

Kagome: Now Zel, why don't you stop being so silly and just try to lighten up a little. Come to my Christmas party tomorrow, it'll be a lot of fun.

Zelgadiss: I find no fun in sitting around with your idiotic friends when I could be searching for a cure. Christmas is not a time to be sitting around wasting ones life away. Those that are so annoyingly joyful are the ones that should have been cursed by Rezo.

Kagome: Well, here...you take this and cheer up. And I do hope you come to my party tomorrow.

Narrator: With that the girl handed a small package into his hands and waved as she went out the door. Zelgadiss merely tossed aside the package onto a pile of books on the floor

Zelgadiss: Presents...bah...

Narrator: Now before Zelgadiss could even out his temper anymore, or drink his cup of coffee to soothe his nerves, another knock came to the door. He heard Tamahome answer it and saw two people walk in.

Millie: Hello Mister!

Meryl: And Happy Holidays. We are representatives on behalf of the Pennies for the Poor Agency, and we were here to collect your donation for this Christmas season.

Zelgadiss: Donation? I don't remember saying I would give a donation.

Millie: Oh, that's because we just go around and ask people who look like they have lots of money.

Meryl: Millie...don't tell him that....

Zelgadiss: Well ladies, my money is all going towards a good cause.

Meryl: Oh?

Zelgadiss: Yes, the "I need a cure because Rezo is stupid" fund. Now out!

Narrator: And having said that, the two girls were promptly escorted out of Zelgadiss's offices. Once that commotion was over with, Zelgadiss sat at his desk, and continued sorting through his books for the rest of the day. When the time to close drew near, he heard footsteps coming towards him and stopping. He looked up at glared.

Zelgadiss: You still have 5 minutes left in today's work hours.

Tamahome: I know sir, but I was going to ask you... well, since all the other businesses will be closed tomorrow for the holiday, if I could...

Zelgadiss: Sit at home and be all joyful and merry while I suffer another day as a freak? Only if you wish to be unemployed.

Tamahome: But sir, I promised my children that I would be able to be there on Christmas day, and with all the other stores closed it would just be a waste of money to remain open.

Narrator: Zelgadiss pondered the matter, and finally after slamming his book closed replied.

Zelgadiss: You may have tomorrow off, but be here 3 hours early the day after.

Narrator: On hearing that, Tamahome's face lit up as he went about getting Zelgadiss's coat for him to leave.

Tamahome: Oh of course sir, of course! And a very Merry Christmas to you!

Narrator: Tamahome called out as he ran off down the narrow streets, Zelgadiss just mumbled to himself.

Zelgadiss: Bah humbug..

Narrator: Because since this is a story based off Dicken's Christmas Carol, someone must say "Bah humbug" in it. Now once Zelgadiss reached his door, a strange occurance happened. The door knocker, which had once been plain, had taken the appearance of none other than Zelgadiss's deceased business partner and relative...Rezo. At the sight, he stepped back and gaped, but after a moments passing, the knocker was plain once again. Once that was resolved, he muttered to himself as he opened the door.

Zelgadiss: Damn you Rezo...

Narrator: Now normally Zelgadiss would eat his dinner and go straight to bed, but tonight, due to the incident at the door, he felt inclined to search each of his rooms carefully before taking a seat before the fire. After eating most of his meal in peace, the bell began to ring. What bell? Honestly, I don't know...but somewhere in his house was a bell and that bell began to ring. As it rang, the lights dimmed and the ringing began to sound more like it was jingling. Zelgadiss looked around to see none other than the ghost of Rezo standing behind him. He could see the large chains draped around Rezo's shoulders and staff, and finally brought himself to talk.

Zelgadiss: It can't be! You're dead.

Rezo: I have come to tell you something important, Zelgadiss.

Narrator: Zelgadiss could see the chains were growing larger and binding him moreso as he spoke.

Zelgadiss: I heard you jingling...are those the chains that you bear?

Rezo: No, that's my staff..but...yea, I guess the chains clang a little as well

Zelgadiss: The chains, what are they from?

Rezo: These are from my cold-heartedness in life. Since I devoted all to my search for a cure to my blindness, my chains grew very heavy by the time I was dead.

Zelgadiss: Then...will I also share that fate? What does my future hold for me?

Rezo: I see you have a dark future Zelgadiss..

Zelgadiss:You're blind, of course it's dark!

Rezo: Unless you pay heed to the spirits that will visit you tonight, your chains will be larger and heavier than those that I bear. You must change...

Zelgadiss: But...you were the one who cursed me! Just tell me how to cure myself and I'll change right away.

Rezo: Yes, but then we wouldn't have a story and I'm pretty good friends with some of the ghosts that will visit you. They'd be quite unhappy if I just cut their part out.

Zelgadiss: So you're telling me, you know the cure...but you won't tell me?

Rezo: Yes. You can't get your cure that easily...all your fangirls would angst

Zelgadiss: Since when have you been on their side?

Rezo: Since you started damning me for everything. I should be glad that such a nice fellow took over hell when I was there.

Zelgadiss: Right...so about that cure?

Narrator: But before Rezo could answer, he vanished as the bell chimed once and fell silent. Zelgadiss didn't know what he meant by spirits coming to visit, but he decided to ignore it.

Zelgadiss: Damn you Rezo...can't even haunt me properly. See? I'm not scared of you or your stupid spirit friends and I'm going to sleep.

Narrator: And like he said, Zelgadiss went to sleep.