Title: 12 Days of Christmas
By: Queen Beryl
It's the Christmas season, so I decided to write a little Christmas thing for Escaflowne.
This is my first time writing an Escaflowne fic, so don't kill me! XP I don't own Escaflowne. I only created this story and one of the characters, Bdelle. I hope you like
it! Please RR!
@---^---
Chapter 1: Day One
"Excuse me, I didn't see you there." Kanzaki Hitomi smiled, stepping back from the girl she had just bumped into.
"Oh, that's fine. I wasn't aware of where I was headed either." The tall, black-haired, brown-eyed girl smiled. "I'm Aino Bdelle, by the way."
"Kanzaki Hitomi... it's nice to meet you." Hitomi smiled again, her bright green eyes alight. "Hey, I was just going to meet my friend, you wanna join me?"
"Really? May I?" Bdelle's eyes grew wide with excitement.
"Sure!" Hitomi pulled her parka closer around her body and the two girls headed off to the local arcade where it would be a lot warmer than the icy December air. On the way Bdelle noticed something.
"Hitomi?" She ventured hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Why do you wear a dousing pendant around your neck?"
"You know what this is?" Hitomi asked, surprised. They paused just outside of the arcade.
"Yeah, my grandmother had one similar to that one. She gave it to me, but I left it behind."
"Behind where?" Hitomi pulled her newfound friend forward into the warm arcade.
"Oh," Bdelle blushed, "just... behind." Hitomi thought that Bdelle was being a bit mysterious, and she wanted to know where the pendant was left, but Yukari was already waving at her. The two girls slid into the booth from where Yukari had waved.
"Yukari, this is Bdelle." Hitomi introduced. Bdelle bowed slightly and smiled warmly.
"Hiya, Bdelle. It's nice to meet ya. Oh, Hitomi, you have to come see. It's amazing!" Yukari pulled on her friend's coat sleeve.
"What now, Yukari-chan?" Hitomi rolled her eyes and smiled, knowing full well what was so "amazing."
"Amano, of course!" Yukari exclaimed with enthusiasm. Hitomi rolled her eyes. Yukari _always_ did this. There simply was no escaping it. Ever since Yukari and Amano-senpai got together all she did was talk about him. Hitomi thought about how they got together and what the circumstances were. She remembered that it was about the same time she was figuring out her own feelings on the matter of love. Hitomi's heart was taken for good by Van Fanel of Fanelia. She wished desperately to see him again, but it had only been six months since she was with him last.
"Hitomi?" Bdelle ventured hesitantly, bringing Hitomi out of her reverie.
"Oh, yes?" Hitomi asked, smiling.
"What are you thinking about?"
"A very dear friend of mine." Hitomi replied a bit mysteriously. She laughed at Bdelle's confused look. "It's nothing. So, tell me about yourself. You don't pronounce Japanese as well as a native speaker."
"But I'm pretty convincing, though, right?" Bdelle asked hopefully.
"Actually, yes. I don't think that Yukari would notice... though sometimes Yukari doesn't notice too much when Amano's around."
"Who's Amano?" Bdelle asked. Hitomi pointed to the boy Yukari was laughing with.
"That's Yukari's boyfriend. Don't try to change the subject either. Where are you from?"
"Oh yes, that's right. Sorry. I just moved from North America about three months ago. I was studying Japanese since I was young. My grandmother insisted I learn it, in case I ever ventured to Japan. Well, she couldn't have been more right." Bdelle laughed lightly.
"North America, huh? You live there your whole life?" Hitomi ordered some green tea and set the napkins in front of her, spinning them on the table with her finger.
"Well, no." Bdelle hesitated. She was afraid somebody would ask this question. Honesty was Bdelle's greatest virtue, and she was well known for it wherever she went. She wasn't about to slip now.
"Oh, how mysterious." Hitomi laughed. "Are you going to tell me?"
"Perhaps someday." Bdelle starred at the napkin.
"I understand." Hitomi nodded. Bdelle fiddled with her scarf without looking up.
"What about you, Hitomi?" Bdelle ventured when Hitomi's tea arrived.
"Me? I've lived in Japan my whole life. I've gone traveling, of course, but I'm Japanese all the way." Hitomi said proudly.
"Where have you been traveling to, if I may ask?" Bdelle prompted.
"Oh, just... around." Hitomi smiled. Bdelle realized she was getting a taste of what she was doing and laughed. The two girls giggled for a few moments.
"I can't wait until Christmas." Bdelle sighed suddenly. "How about you, Hitomi?"
"Oh, I guess. I haven't really thought about it. What is it, twelve days until?"
"Yes. I'm so excited. Every year I get twelve gifts. One for each day until the day of Christmas."
"That's unusual, don't you think?" Hitomi finished off her tea and set the cup down. She glanced over at Yukari, who was laughing loudly at something Amano just said.
"I dunno. What's really weird is I don't know who the gifts are from. There's nobody that they could be from that I can think of."
"What do you mean? Don't you have family?" Hitomi asked delicately.
"All I have left is Grandma, but I would know if it was her."
"Well, perhaps it was a secret admirer. But, do you think, that now you've moved here this gift giver will still give the gifts?" Hitomi leaned forward.
"I don't know. I really don't." Bdelle sounded a bit crestfallen. This fact hadn't occurred to her before.
"Well, I hope you have a wonderful holiday no matter what happens." Hitomi nodded.
"Oh, I'm sure that I will."
Hitomi checked her watch and sighed. "I've gotta get home, it's almost six. I'll tell Yukari goodbye and if it isn't too much of a bother, I want you to come with me so I can get to know you better."
"Really?" Bdelle lit up. Finally, after three months of living in Japan, she had a friend.
"Sure, come on." Hitomi laid down some yen on the table to pay for her tea and slid over to Yukari for a moment. "Sayonara, Yukari!"
"What, leaving so soon, Hitomi?" Yukari protested.
"Afraid so. Mom wanted me home by six thirty, and I'll barely make it home as it is. Sayonara, Amano-senpai!"
"Bai-bai!" Amano smiled pleasantly.
"Bai Hitomi and... uh, Bdelle!" Yukari waved and bowed to Bdelle.
"Sayonara, Yukari." Bdelle bowed and followed Hitomi out into the cold December air.
"How far away do you live?" Kanzaki Hitomi asked, crunching a small patch of snow beneath her boots.
"About a ten-minute walk from the arcade." Bdelle nodded to her left.
"Well, I'll walk you home then, because I'm about fifteen minutes off in the same direction."
"Sure." They walked, talking about family, school, and whatever came up about their respective pasts. Bdelle seemed a bit reluctant at first, but later opened up toward the end of the walk.
"This is me." Bdelle stopped slowly and smiled, waving a hand toward her small house.
"Wow, I was wondering who had moved in here." Hitomi surveyed the shingled roof and thin plaster walls. "I've never been inside it, though. I used to think it was haunted when I was younger."
"You wanna see inside?" Bdelle asked, laughing at Hitomi's story.
"Okay, but if a ghost comes out and gets me, you're gonna pay." The girls walked up the short, small path to the door and entered. They took off their shoes in the entryway, and Bdelle called to her grandmother.
"Ah, you're home, my child. A package was brought here for you, today. I set it on the living room tab- Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn't realize Bdelle had brought a friend." The older woman entered the hallway, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She had stopped in mid-sentence seeing Hitomi.
"Grandmother, this is Kanzaki Hitomi, my new friend." Bdelle introduced.
"Pleasure to meet you, darling. You must excuse me, I'm making dinner and wasn't expecting company."
"That's quite alright, Mrs...." Hitomi faltered.
"Just call me Obaasan. I don't like formal names too much. Bdelle just calls me 'grandmother' to bug me." Bdelle's grandmother nodded. Hitomi and Bdelle laughed. "If you'll excuse me, I have to finish up the miso soup and rice."
"Miso soup _again_, Grandma?" Bdelle raised an eyebrow.
"You could just eat the rice, you know." The old, graying woman commented as she went back into the kitchen.
"So you got a package?" Hitomi recalled.
"Oh, yes, that's right." Bdelle went into the living room, closely followed by Hitomi.
"To Miss Aino Bdelle..." Hitomi read then faltered. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she read on.
"...and Miss Kanzaki Hitomi." Bdelle finished, equally shocked.
"Who would know that we...?"
"I'm not sure. Let's see what's inside." Bdelle tore open the box as quickly as she could. The cardboard was thrust open, throwing packing peanuts all over the carpet. The two girls laughed for a moment, then starred at the box. The contents were still concealed by the foam peanuts, and the anticipation was building drastically.
"Here goes nothing." Bdelle grabbed a handful of peanuts and threw them on the table next to the square box that was roughly abou the size of a basketball.
"There's a piece of paper." Hitomi snatched it up and opened it. She made a face, wrinkling her eyebrows. "That's not fair, it's written in English... I think."
Bdelle stopped pulling out peanuts and looked at the letter. "It's definetly English. I'll read it aloud. 'Dear Bdelle and Hitomi:
There are twelve days left until the day of Christmas arrives. I hope you enjoy today's gift. Tommorrow will bring another and so on until Christmas. Bdelle already knows about it, but this is new for you, Hitomi. We both decided that this is the year. We shall reveal ourselves; one of us for the first time, the other for the last. Hopefully. Happy holidays to you both. We'll see you on Christmas day.'
And it isn't signed." Bdelle finished. "It never is."
"But this time you'll find out who it is, right? And I... still don't know where I come into play in the whole matter."
"Does something like this mean anything to you?" Bdelle asked, peering into the box. Hitomi followed her example and gasped.
Bdelle picked up the small trinket just after Hitomi picked up hers. Bdelle mumbled quitely: "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... a pendant just for me."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Like I said, it's my first Escaflowne fanfic, so I hope it's okay. Please tell me what you think of it, I love feedback. :D Thanks!
Queen Beryl ^^;
By: Queen Beryl
It's the Christmas season, so I decided to write a little Christmas thing for Escaflowne.
This is my first time writing an Escaflowne fic, so don't kill me! XP I don't own Escaflowne. I only created this story and one of the characters, Bdelle. I hope you like
it! Please RR!
@---^---
Chapter 1: Day One
"Excuse me, I didn't see you there." Kanzaki Hitomi smiled, stepping back from the girl she had just bumped into.
"Oh, that's fine. I wasn't aware of where I was headed either." The tall, black-haired, brown-eyed girl smiled. "I'm Aino Bdelle, by the way."
"Kanzaki Hitomi... it's nice to meet you." Hitomi smiled again, her bright green eyes alight. "Hey, I was just going to meet my friend, you wanna join me?"
"Really? May I?" Bdelle's eyes grew wide with excitement.
"Sure!" Hitomi pulled her parka closer around her body and the two girls headed off to the local arcade where it would be a lot warmer than the icy December air. On the way Bdelle noticed something.
"Hitomi?" She ventured hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"Why do you wear a dousing pendant around your neck?"
"You know what this is?" Hitomi asked, surprised. They paused just outside of the arcade.
"Yeah, my grandmother had one similar to that one. She gave it to me, but I left it behind."
"Behind where?" Hitomi pulled her newfound friend forward into the warm arcade.
"Oh," Bdelle blushed, "just... behind." Hitomi thought that Bdelle was being a bit mysterious, and she wanted to know where the pendant was left, but Yukari was already waving at her. The two girls slid into the booth from where Yukari had waved.
"Yukari, this is Bdelle." Hitomi introduced. Bdelle bowed slightly and smiled warmly.
"Hiya, Bdelle. It's nice to meet ya. Oh, Hitomi, you have to come see. It's amazing!" Yukari pulled on her friend's coat sleeve.
"What now, Yukari-chan?" Hitomi rolled her eyes and smiled, knowing full well what was so "amazing."
"Amano, of course!" Yukari exclaimed with enthusiasm. Hitomi rolled her eyes. Yukari _always_ did this. There simply was no escaping it. Ever since Yukari and Amano-senpai got together all she did was talk about him. Hitomi thought about how they got together and what the circumstances were. She remembered that it was about the same time she was figuring out her own feelings on the matter of love. Hitomi's heart was taken for good by Van Fanel of Fanelia. She wished desperately to see him again, but it had only been six months since she was with him last.
"Hitomi?" Bdelle ventured hesitantly, bringing Hitomi out of her reverie.
"Oh, yes?" Hitomi asked, smiling.
"What are you thinking about?"
"A very dear friend of mine." Hitomi replied a bit mysteriously. She laughed at Bdelle's confused look. "It's nothing. So, tell me about yourself. You don't pronounce Japanese as well as a native speaker."
"But I'm pretty convincing, though, right?" Bdelle asked hopefully.
"Actually, yes. I don't think that Yukari would notice... though sometimes Yukari doesn't notice too much when Amano's around."
"Who's Amano?" Bdelle asked. Hitomi pointed to the boy Yukari was laughing with.
"That's Yukari's boyfriend. Don't try to change the subject either. Where are you from?"
"Oh yes, that's right. Sorry. I just moved from North America about three months ago. I was studying Japanese since I was young. My grandmother insisted I learn it, in case I ever ventured to Japan. Well, she couldn't have been more right." Bdelle laughed lightly.
"North America, huh? You live there your whole life?" Hitomi ordered some green tea and set the napkins in front of her, spinning them on the table with her finger.
"Well, no." Bdelle hesitated. She was afraid somebody would ask this question. Honesty was Bdelle's greatest virtue, and she was well known for it wherever she went. She wasn't about to slip now.
"Oh, how mysterious." Hitomi laughed. "Are you going to tell me?"
"Perhaps someday." Bdelle starred at the napkin.
"I understand." Hitomi nodded. Bdelle fiddled with her scarf without looking up.
"What about you, Hitomi?" Bdelle ventured when Hitomi's tea arrived.
"Me? I've lived in Japan my whole life. I've gone traveling, of course, but I'm Japanese all the way." Hitomi said proudly.
"Where have you been traveling to, if I may ask?" Bdelle prompted.
"Oh, just... around." Hitomi smiled. Bdelle realized she was getting a taste of what she was doing and laughed. The two girls giggled for a few moments.
"I can't wait until Christmas." Bdelle sighed suddenly. "How about you, Hitomi?"
"Oh, I guess. I haven't really thought about it. What is it, twelve days until?"
"Yes. I'm so excited. Every year I get twelve gifts. One for each day until the day of Christmas."
"That's unusual, don't you think?" Hitomi finished off her tea and set the cup down. She glanced over at Yukari, who was laughing loudly at something Amano just said.
"I dunno. What's really weird is I don't know who the gifts are from. There's nobody that they could be from that I can think of."
"What do you mean? Don't you have family?" Hitomi asked delicately.
"All I have left is Grandma, but I would know if it was her."
"Well, perhaps it was a secret admirer. But, do you think, that now you've moved here this gift giver will still give the gifts?" Hitomi leaned forward.
"I don't know. I really don't." Bdelle sounded a bit crestfallen. This fact hadn't occurred to her before.
"Well, I hope you have a wonderful holiday no matter what happens." Hitomi nodded.
"Oh, I'm sure that I will."
Hitomi checked her watch and sighed. "I've gotta get home, it's almost six. I'll tell Yukari goodbye and if it isn't too much of a bother, I want you to come with me so I can get to know you better."
"Really?" Bdelle lit up. Finally, after three months of living in Japan, she had a friend.
"Sure, come on." Hitomi laid down some yen on the table to pay for her tea and slid over to Yukari for a moment. "Sayonara, Yukari!"
"What, leaving so soon, Hitomi?" Yukari protested.
"Afraid so. Mom wanted me home by six thirty, and I'll barely make it home as it is. Sayonara, Amano-senpai!"
"Bai-bai!" Amano smiled pleasantly.
"Bai Hitomi and... uh, Bdelle!" Yukari waved and bowed to Bdelle.
"Sayonara, Yukari." Bdelle bowed and followed Hitomi out into the cold December air.
"How far away do you live?" Kanzaki Hitomi asked, crunching a small patch of snow beneath her boots.
"About a ten-minute walk from the arcade." Bdelle nodded to her left.
"Well, I'll walk you home then, because I'm about fifteen minutes off in the same direction."
"Sure." They walked, talking about family, school, and whatever came up about their respective pasts. Bdelle seemed a bit reluctant at first, but later opened up toward the end of the walk.
"This is me." Bdelle stopped slowly and smiled, waving a hand toward her small house.
"Wow, I was wondering who had moved in here." Hitomi surveyed the shingled roof and thin plaster walls. "I've never been inside it, though. I used to think it was haunted when I was younger."
"You wanna see inside?" Bdelle asked, laughing at Hitomi's story.
"Okay, but if a ghost comes out and gets me, you're gonna pay." The girls walked up the short, small path to the door and entered. They took off their shoes in the entryway, and Bdelle called to her grandmother.
"Ah, you're home, my child. A package was brought here for you, today. I set it on the living room tab- Oh, I beg your pardon. I didn't realize Bdelle had brought a friend." The older woman entered the hallway, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She had stopped in mid-sentence seeing Hitomi.
"Grandmother, this is Kanzaki Hitomi, my new friend." Bdelle introduced.
"Pleasure to meet you, darling. You must excuse me, I'm making dinner and wasn't expecting company."
"That's quite alright, Mrs...." Hitomi faltered.
"Just call me Obaasan. I don't like formal names too much. Bdelle just calls me 'grandmother' to bug me." Bdelle's grandmother nodded. Hitomi and Bdelle laughed. "If you'll excuse me, I have to finish up the miso soup and rice."
"Miso soup _again_, Grandma?" Bdelle raised an eyebrow.
"You could just eat the rice, you know." The old, graying woman commented as she went back into the kitchen.
"So you got a package?" Hitomi recalled.
"Oh, yes, that's right." Bdelle went into the living room, closely followed by Hitomi.
"To Miss Aino Bdelle..." Hitomi read then faltered. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she read on.
"...and Miss Kanzaki Hitomi." Bdelle finished, equally shocked.
"Who would know that we...?"
"I'm not sure. Let's see what's inside." Bdelle tore open the box as quickly as she could. The cardboard was thrust open, throwing packing peanuts all over the carpet. The two girls laughed for a moment, then starred at the box. The contents were still concealed by the foam peanuts, and the anticipation was building drastically.
"Here goes nothing." Bdelle grabbed a handful of peanuts and threw them on the table next to the square box that was roughly abou the size of a basketball.
"There's a piece of paper." Hitomi snatched it up and opened it. She made a face, wrinkling her eyebrows. "That's not fair, it's written in English... I think."
Bdelle stopped pulling out peanuts and looked at the letter. "It's definetly English. I'll read it aloud. 'Dear Bdelle and Hitomi:
There are twelve days left until the day of Christmas arrives. I hope you enjoy today's gift. Tommorrow will bring another and so on until Christmas. Bdelle already knows about it, but this is new for you, Hitomi. We both decided that this is the year. We shall reveal ourselves; one of us for the first time, the other for the last. Hopefully. Happy holidays to you both. We'll see you on Christmas day.'
And it isn't signed." Bdelle finished. "It never is."
"But this time you'll find out who it is, right? And I... still don't know where I come into play in the whole matter."
"Does something like this mean anything to you?" Bdelle asked, peering into the box. Hitomi followed her example and gasped.
Bdelle picked up the small trinket just after Hitomi picked up hers. Bdelle mumbled quitely: "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me... a pendant just for me."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Like I said, it's my first Escaflowne fanfic, so I hope it's okay. Please tell me what you think of it, I love feedback. :D Thanks!
Queen Beryl ^^;