Disclaimer - I don't own Magic Knight Rayearth or any of its characters.
Yes, I know that I'm a little bit too early for Christmas. But hey, it's all right to start getting the Christmas spirit early. And I always wondered what would happen if Hikaru, Umi and Fuu brought Christmas to Cephiro. So some Christmas terms would be in quotations as I am writing mostly from Clef's point-of-view.
Please read and review. I hope you enjoy it!
Mistletoe Kiss
Guru Clef just walked by another flashy decoration hanging on the wall. He frowned, not in disgust or irritation, but more in thoughtfulness. Of all his years living and studying magic in Cephiro, he didn't understand why the girls from the other world made such a big fuss around this time of the year.
Fuu was especially distressed when something had happened to the "turkey" that was supposed to brought to Cephiro for dinner on "Christmas Day". Though Clef did had presumptions that a certain fluffy, rabbit-like creature ate it.
Ignoring most of the confused stares from onlookers, Umi taught the young children how to sing Christmas songs, such as "Ruldoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "The Twelve Days of Christmas", "Deck The Halls", "Frosty the Snowman", "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and many more. Clef would often escape from the paperwork just to hear Umi's singing.
They - mostly Hikaru though - insisted that an enormous tree, known as a "Christmas tree", must be placed in the middle of the grand hall, where everyone could see it. Not that Clef really comprehended this concept. The "Christmas tree" was like any other Cephirian tree, except the Magic Knights had adorned it with strange decorations of red, green, white and gold, from the top to bottom. At the very crown of the tree, a white angel stood, her hands clasped together, reminding Clef of the late Princess Emeraude.
The day before "Christmas Day" (something the Magic Knights were particularly excited for), he was taking a "quiet" (if you call walking through crowds of people chattering about the latest trinket discovered and Hikaru shouting every few minutes about "Christmas Day" coming soon, quiet) stroll around the castle. Until he saw Ferio, Lafarga, Caldina and Ascot clustered around one of the doors, staring up at something hanging above at the lintel of the door.
Curious, Clef slipped behind them without them noticing, eavesdropping into their conversation.
" What is that?" Caldina wrinkled her nose, prodding her mind for answers.
" I don't know." Ferio scratched the back of his head, his hair falling in emerald waves. " Maybe it's one of those decorations for "Christmas" that Fuu or one of the others put up."
" But why at the top of the door?" Ascot asked. " All the other decorations are either on the walls or on the tree."
Lafarga peered suspiciously at it. Golden bells dangled innocently from the centre of it, surrounded by lush green leaves. A score of red flowers was enclosed around the bells, almost like a halo. A silver ribbon, stringing the bells together, swayed back and forth by a soft breeze from the windows.
" I don't sense an evil presence from it," he finally said.
" Then, perhaps, there is nothing to worry about."
Clef smiled as he made his presence known to them. He never ceased to enjoy the rather amusing looks on their faces when they realized he was standing right behind them this entire time.
Ferio was the first to snap out of his daze. " Madoshi Clef!"
" How did that old geezer get behind us?" Caldina muttered.
" If Hikaru, Umi or Fuu were the ones who did place it up there," he continued, deliberately dismissing her remark. " We should trust that it is safe, correct?"
Unable to stop himself, Lafarga threw another doubtful look at it. " It isn't that we do not trust them. It is that that I don't trust." He paused, thinking the situation through. Clef had to admire the way he did his job with much regard.
" I'll put some guards just in case," he decided. " It would be a shame if something happened during the time that the girls cherish so much."
8888888888888888888888888888888888888888
As unexpected, things went smoothly. Fuu managed to buy another "turkey" and it surprisingly tasted wonderful. The "Christmas tree" sparkled and glowed in a sheen of dazzling lights. A choir of children sang Christmas songs after dinner, with Umi leading them.
So spectacular was the sight at the grand hall and the intonation of music, that anyone who happened to be there, was impressed and awed. It did take a while for Clef to find Umi amidst all the people praising and complimenting her for the magnificent carols that she and the children had sung.
When the two of them managed to elude the masses of people, Clef took her to the upper gardens, where it was quieter and barely any villagers roamed about.
" Thank you, Clef. I thought that I was going to be stuck there forever," Umi panted, trying to catch her breath from all the running they had to do in order to escape.
" It was because of your beautiful singing," he commented softly.
Colour flushed into her cheeks. " It - it wasn't anything," she stuttered. " I only sang a couple times at a school choir before or when we did karaoke with my friends. It's a type of game where you can sing," Umi quickly said for Clef's benefit. " But the point is, my voice really isn't that good at singing ..."
" But it is." Whether it was the truthful intensity in his eyes or the kindly smile on his lips, Umi felt herself growing warm under his gaze.
" Why are guards here?" she asked as a distraction, just noticing two guards standing by the entrance and bowing as they walked by.
Clef managed to suppress a snort. " Lafarga placed them here to keep an eye on that." He glanced over at the pristine adornment above the door, suspending as unpretentiously as it was when he first laid eyes on it.
She cocked her head in one direction, much like the way Hikaru would do if she was confused. Minus the cat ears. " Why though? It's just a mistletoe."
Now it was his turn to be confused. " Miss-o-too?" he repeated. His questioning look was almost too much for Umi as she stifled her laughter.
" Of course, a mistletoe is harmless," she said, holding back another giggle. " It's one of those Christmas traditions."
" What is so special about it?"
The mirth vanished from Umi's eyes, her cheeks turning a bright pink. There were odd noises in her throat, that sounded distinctly like illegible words. Her hands clenched nervously before she hastily stowed them away behind her back.
" Umi, are you all right?" he asked worriedly. He shot a glare at the "miss-o-too" as if it was all its fault for making Umi behave in this peculiar way.
Hesitating, she swallowed before asking, " Do you really want to know? About - about the mistletoe?"
Enticed yet cautious, Clef slowly nodded his head.
" Then - um, is it all right for you to get ... taller?" she asked in a small voice. If possible, her face turned a shade redder.
" Taller?" he repeated, a vein twitching at his left temple.
" It would work better if we are about the same height," Umi squeaked.
Holding back his infamous I'm-not-short-so-you-take-that-back-before-I-blow-a-hole-in-your-head response, he frowned. For sure, he knew that something was wrong. Umi wasn't one to start squeaking. Nevertheless, he decided to delay his inquiries. For now.
" Why don't you bend down instead?" he suggested. " It would cost less time and energy than for me to revert into my taller form."
Indecisiveness and more blushing fluttered across her face for a split second. " OK," she finally said.
She grabbed his hand and led him towards the door, taking as long as she needed. Her hand encasing over his shook in anticipation and Clef wondered if her heart was beating as fast as his.
What seemed like an eternity later, they arrived underneath the "miss-o-too".
For a moment, Clef actually thought that something extraordinary was suppose to happen, since no one had the pleasure to find out what really happened underneath the "miss-o-too". But nothing happened, even as Umi kneel down, her height now the same with his.
They stood, facing each other, one in patience and the other in embarrassment.
He waited. He knew that by forcing her it wouldn't do any good. So he waited. Waited for her to speak first. Waited for the "miss-o-too" to do whatever it was suppose to do.
But of course, the "miss-o-too" never did what it was suppose to do. It simply hung above the couple, watching them. Clef felt the irresistible urge to burn it to a crisp. After all, it was the reason why Umi was acting so weird in front of him when they clearly got along fine before.
" I feel so silly," Umi confessed, breaking the silence. A smile suddenly lit up her features, though her cheeks remained tinted with pink. He could only nod, letting her continue. " It feels strange to be as short as you."
All feelings of courtesy and patience he had for her were gone instantly. " I am not short!" he snapped. " I only remain in this form because it takes a less amount of magic and energy that it would if I was in my - "
His sentence was interrupted as Umi impulsively leaned forward and kissed him.
He remained standing, too stunned and dumbstruck to move. Her lips were undeniably soft and he could feel a faint warmth on his cheek as she exhaled. Despite being the seven hundred forty-five years old mage that he is, he never, not even once, been kissed at all.
Umi withdrew promptly, an ashamed look on her face. " Clef, I'm - I'm sorry! I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what came over me. Oh, you probably hate me now for doing such a stupid - "
Clef never knew what she was going to say next, as his mouth had already sealed over hers. Pleasantly surprised, Umi returned the kiss.
He was starting to like this "miss-o-too".