A Frontier 02 Christmas Carol
madjack89: Ho ho ho, everyone! It's time for a very merry Frontier 02 Christmas Special!
Dai: Yay! I love Christmas!
madjack89: Don't we all?
Kouji: Not really.
Takuya: Don't you mean "Bah, humbug?"
JP: Yeah, Scrooge!
Kouji: *sigh*
Kouichi: I'm sure Kouji has his reasons for not liking the holidays.
Kouji: That, and I'm not a very Christmasy person.
Takuya: Not a very…that's ridiculous!
Kira: Really, pretty boy! If you just got in the spirit…
Kouji: No.
JP: But you could…
Kouji: No.
Zoe: Kouji…
Kouji: No.
Shino: …
Kouji: No.
Shino: I didn't say anything!
Kouji: You were going to.
Shino: No I…well yeah, actually, I was gonna tell you that you should…
Kouji: No.
Shino: Darn.
Tommy: Maybe Kouji just needs to go sit on Santa's lap and he'll feel happier!
Kouji: Hell no!
madjack89: Hm, it sounds like Kouji needs a healthy dose of Christmas spirit, right kids?
Kouji: What the hell are you talking about? What kids?
madjack89: Well, I think I know just what will boost his spirit! *whispers to others*
Takuya: Oh, that's good!
Kouji: What?
JP: Nice!
Kouji: What?
Kouichi: It just might work.
Kouji: What? Tell me!
Bokomon: I'll narrate!
madjack89: Excellent idea, Bokomon!
Kouji: Bokomon? What's going on?
madjack89: Okay, time for a Frontier 02 Christmas Carol, starring Kouji Minamoto!
Kouji: What?
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own a Christmas Carol. And no, I don't think I'll be finding them under my Christmas tree. (lol)
—
Marley was dead. That has absolutely nothing to do with this story, but I thought that I should just point it out.
However, Seiko was also dead, and that has more to do with this particular story than Marley, so there.
Once, there was a boy named Kouji Minamoto. He had a twin named Kouichi Kimura whom he met in the Digital World, and Kouichi…oh, you already know this story. I'll just skip ahead to Christmas Eve.
Kouji was walking a slight distance behind his brother, Kouichi, and his brother's girlfriend, Zoe, trying not to look like the third wheel. It was Christmas Eve, and Zoe and Kouichi had suddenly showed up at Kouji's house earlier and forced him to come out and walk around town with them.
"We don't want you to be alone tonight," Zoe had explained sincerely.
Kouji glared at the sidewalk, which was covered in slush from the recent snowstorm they had had. He kicked at some, watching it run over the edge of the sidewalk and onto the road.
"Kouji." Kouji looked up at the sound of his name, seeing that Zoe and Kouichi had both stopped and turned to face him.
"What? Have you finally felt guilty somewhere deep in your warm Christmas-stained hearts and are letting me go home?" he asked sarcastically.
Kouichi and Zoe glanced at each other. "Actually Kouji, I was going to say that you don't have to walk five feet behind us this entire time," Kouichi said.
"You're not a third wheel," Zoe added.
Kouji smirked. "That's funny; I pretty much fit the description of third wheel. While you two do your little couple thing, I'm stuck walking by you and trying not to ruin your little moments. And I'm a twin wheel, so I'm like the clone of a wheel, which makes it even more degrading."
Kouji ended his rant, once again choosing to glare at the sidewalk.
"Kouji…" Kouichi began to say that Kouji wasn't a degraded clone wheel, but was interrupted by Takuya Kanbara, who donned a Santa hat at the moment, slinging his arm over Kouichi's shoulders.
Next to him, also wearing a Santa hat, Kira Ishiko had slung her arm over Zoe's shoulders as well.
"Merry Christmas!" they both cried, giggling like crazy.
"Um, hey Takuya," Kouichi greeted his friend warily.
"What in the world have you two been doing?" Zoe asked.
Takuya and Kira looked at each other and laughed again. "We've just been indulging ourselves fully in the Christmas Spirit!" Takuya said happily, pulling his goggles over his eyes.
"Why, I do believe that Santa is ready to take a sleigh ride with those goggles on!" Kira said enthusiastically.
"Well, I gotta deliver those presents!" Takuya replied, and both he and Kira went into another giggle fit.
Kouichi and Zoe stared at Takuya and Kira with wide eyes, wondering whether they needed medical attention or a nap.
Kouji glared at the both of them, anger and annoyance showing plainly in his features. "You know, I would expect this kind of cheery Christmas behavior from Takuya, but Kira? Yankee Kira?"
"Even Yankees celebrate Christmas, pretty boy," Kira replied, for once not yelling at him for calling her a Yankee. "Besides, you gotta be feeling the Christmas Spirit, too!"
"No," Kouji said frankly.
Takuya and Kira both gasped. "Kouji, you gotta be feeling something!" Takuya exclaimed.
"I'm feeling like punching you in the gut," he grumbled as he turned and began walking down the sidewalk.
"Where are you going?" Zoe asked.
"I'm going home," Kouji said gruffly, stalking away from his group of friends.
"Kouji," Kouichi muttered, staring at his brother's retreat.
Zoe placed her hand reassuringly on Kouichi's shoulder, then turned to glare at both Takuya and Kira.
"What?" they both said cluelessly.
—
Now, Kouji Minamoto didn't always hate Christmas. He was never a Christmas fanatic, but he didn't despise it as he does now. However, due to certain events in his past, Kouji Minamoto had come to hate Christmas with a passion.
As he trudged home, he came upon a group of children who were singing Christmas carols.
"On the first day of Christmas," they began to sing as he passed by.
Kouji glared at them with such intensity that they instantly fell silent, and one young girl even began to cry. Kouji just continued on his way, not giving the children a second glance and he turned the corner.
Minutes later, he ran into yet another group of people who were collecting money for a charity.
"Would you like to make a donation, sir?" one girl asked, holding out a small tin filled with a meager amount of yen. "All the money collected goes to the poor so that they too may have a merry Christmas!"
Kouji glanced at the girl, noting that she looked to be about the same age as him. She smiled warmly, and that was when he noticed her hazel eyes. The same shade as…
"Just leave me the hell alone!" Kouji growled, shoving past the girl and continuing down the street.
Oh yes, Kouji Minamoto hated Christmas.
—
Later, after he'd finally made his way home, Kouji sat on his bed, staring out his window at the snow that had begun to fall. He sighed, thinking about how he had come to spend every Christmas utterly alone.
"Well, that would be your own fault, wouldn't it?" Kouji jumped, startled by the familiar voice he heard behind him. He turned and standing in his doorway was Shino Kosuke, dressed all in black with chains wrapped around him.
Kouji stared at his friend, puzzled. "Um, hey there, Shino. Are you taking up the gothic look or what?"
"No, this is just to add to the drama," Shino explained, dragging the chains with him as he walked up to Kouji. "But damn, they're heavy!"
"Okay," Kouji said, figuring it was best not to ask. "So, what are you doing in my house dressed up like that?"
"Right," Shino muttered, straightening up and glaring at Kouji. "I have come to deliver a message to you, Kouji Minamoto!"
Kouji blinked. "Alright; that would be?"
Shino held up a link of the chain, saying, "If you continue to act like a jerk-off to people at Christmastime, when you die, you'll have to carry these chains around for all eternity!"
"That's it?" Kouji asked. "Well, I already knew I was gonna be screwed in the afterlife for being an asshole, so this isn't much news to me. Anything else?"
"Well, three spirits are going to visit you tonight," Shino said, slightly put out by Kouji's nonchalant attitude. "They're going to try to make you a better person and stuff."
"Fascinating," Kouji muttered, rolling his eyes. "Now, if you're done, kindly get the hell out of my room."
"Um, okay," Shino said, dragging himself and his chains out of Kouji's room. Before he'd completely shut the door, he added, "Uh, Merry Christmas!"
Kouji chucked a pillow at the door just as it closed, barely missing Shino's smug-looking face. He glared at the door for a second, then laid flat on his bed, eyes trained on a spot on his ceiling. "Spirits," Kouji mumbled. "Yeah right. The only spirits around here are the ones in our D-Tectors, and I doubt they're gonna come out and teach me some lesson about Christmas cheer or whatever."
But Kouji Minamoto would soon come to believe in spirits, as later, his first visitor arrived...
—
Kouji was lying in his bed and had just begun to doze off when…
"Hey! Hey, Kouji! Hey! HEY, PRETTY BOY, WAKE UP!"
Kouji's eyes snapped open. The first thing he saw was Kira's impatient face just inches above his own, glaring down at him. He yelped, putting his arms up to shove her out of the way. But when he sat up, his arms, along with the rest of him, passed right through her.
"Heh, that tickled," Kira chuckled, now sitting right next to Kouji with a cocky grin on her face.
"Oh my god!" Kouji cried, jumping off the bed in panic. "W-what the hell?"
Kira smirked, amused by Kouji's fear. For some reason, she was dressed in a white gown and held a white candlestick in her hand, lit with a flame that never seemed to flicker.
Kouji took a deep breath, calming himself. "Okay, I've officially gone insane. That, or you died and now you're haunting me for always calling you a Yankee."
Kira floated over to Kouji, stopping right in front of him. "Neither of your assumptions is correct, and Kira is not a Yankee!"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you Kira?" Kouji asked. "I mean, you look just like her…"
"I am not the mortal known as Kira Ishiko!" the spirit proclaimed. "I am the ghost of Christmas past, come to teach you, Kouji Minamoto, a valuable lesson!"
"Okay…?" Kouji said slowly. "Then why do you look like Kira?"
"Because if I were in my true form, your puny little human mind would melt from the mere force of my presence!" the spirit said ominously. "Plus, I love Kira's hair!"
Kouji stared at the spirit for a second, then shrugged. "I guess if I can believe in an alternate universe inhabited by creatures constructed entirely of data, I can believe in you, too."
"There you go!" the spirit said, patting him on the back. "So, you ready to go learn your lesson?"
"One more question," Kouji said. "Why was Shino delivering messages for spirits and why was he doing it in chains?"
"Uh…" The spirit paused. "Well…um…so, time to visit your past!"
"Wait, what?" Kouji barely had time to utter this question before the Kira-lookalike spirit took his hand and dragged him to his suddenly open window. Kouji looked over the windowsill, grimacing. "We're not gonna fly, are we?"
"Yup!" the spirit replied, jumping out the window and pulling Kouji with her.
Kouji gripped the spirit's gown with both hands, afraid to look down at the ground below. It wasn't exactly that he was afraid of heights, he just didn't completely trust that this spirit wouldn't accidently let him fall to his death. "You couldn't have given me a little more warning, could you?"
"God, you're whiney," the spirit muttered, stopping in midair above a wooded hilltop. "Besides, we're already here."
Kouji looked in the direction the spirit was pointing to see himself and Seiko, back from her last Christmas Eve. She was so beautiful, dancing around in the snow that had fallen all for them…
Kouji turned his head and glared at the spirit. "Take me back right now," he growled.
"No can do," the spirit said. "You have to see this out till the end or pay the price."
"And what kind of price would that be? That I spend all my Christmases alone? That I become eternally damned?" The spirit didn't answer Kouji's questions.
Kouji scowled, turning his attention back to his younger self and Seiko. He flinched when he saw Seiko lean in and kiss him softly…
"Well, don't you look happy," the spirit stated.
"I was happy," Kouji muttered to himself, smiling faintly at the memory. "When she kissed me…I was so happy. To think that she actually loved me…"
The spirit glanced at Kouji and said, "I guess you've seen enough of this memory."
Then the spirit waved her candle and the next thing Kouji knew, he was once again standing in his room. But on his bed sat a slightly younger version of himself.
The younger Kouji sat with his back against the wall, head resting on his knees. His arms were wrapped around his legs, clutching them tightly to his chest. In his hand he held his blue and brown bandana in a death grip, as if this were the only thing tethering him to reality. It very well might have been.
Kouji looked away when his younger self choked out a soft sob, trying desperately to hold back his own tears.
"And here was your next Christmas," said the spirit-Kira, popping up beside Kouji. "You're miserable and alone now. I wonder how that could have happened."
"You know damn well how it happened," Kouji growled angrily, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"No, YOU know damn well how it happened, because it was YOUR fault," the spirit accused, pointing her finger at Kouji. "You decided that it would be better to shut everyone out and sulk in silence on Christmas Eve, sharing your pain with no one but yourself. Well, here's my lesson to you: sometimes you need your friends, and I don't just mean when fighting. Sometimes you need friends to get you through the bad times. Consider that."
The spirit waved her candle once more and the younger Kouji vanished. Kouji looked around and realized that the spirit was gone.
Wiping the leftover tears from his eyes, he slowly collected himself. "I already know that, Kira," he mumbled. "I just don't think I should have to bother them with my problems. It's my burden to bear, and no one else's."
"You really are stubborn, you know that?" Kouji jumped, spinning around. Behind him stood JP dressed in a big green robe and casually chewing a chocolate bar.
Kouji sighed. "JP, I will give you ten chocolate bars and a guarantee that I will not snap at you for the next two weeks if you get out of my room right now."
JP chuckled, throwing the chocolate wrapper in Kouji's trash can. "The first spirit got you in a bad mood, didn't she? She really is a piece of work."
Suddenly Kouji realized what was going on. "You're the next spirit, aren't you?" he asked.
The spirit nodded, bowing his head. "Pleased to meet you. I am the ghost of Christmas present, but that does not mean I will be giving you a present!"
Kouji rolled his eyes as the spirit laughed at his own joke. "Okay, so you're here to show me things happening right now?" Kouji asked.
"That's correct!" exclaimed the spirit, walking to the window. "Now take my robe and off we go!"
"Great, more flying," Kouji muttered, grabbing the spirit's robe. The spirit floated through the window, with Kouji in tow, and made a beeline for Takuya's house.
The spirit landed just outside the window to Takuya's room. "Well, here we are!" he said, pushing Kouji forward. "Just look inside and see what you caused!"
Kouji glared at the spirit for a moment, then looked through the window. Inside, Takuya and Kira were sitting on Takuya's bed, hanging their heads as Zoe continued to chew them out.
"You just had to drive him away!" she said, pointing accusingly at the pair. "You couldn't have just acted normal for once! For crying out loud, I was even afraid of you!"
"We were just trying to wish you all a merry Christmas," Takuya mumbled sheepishly.
"You acted like you were half drunk!" Zoe exclaimed.
"We acted like we were completely drunk!" Kira retorted.
"Zoe, it's fine." Kouji realized then that his twin brother was also in the room, standing silently in a corner. "Maybe it's better this way," Kouichi continued, sounding bitter. "I mean, it was pretty obvious that he didn't want to be around us."
Kouji flinched. He wasn't used to Kouichi acting like, and it made him feel a twinge of guilt for leaving earlier.
"Kouichi," Zoe began.
"I'm just gonna go home," Kouichi muttered, turning and walking through Takuya's door. "Merry Christmas," he added half-heartedly as he slammed the door behind him.
"Feel guilty yet?" the spirit asked, turning Kouji's attention away from the window.
Kouji sighed. "I didn't want to make him mad," he muttered. "I just couldn't take all the stupid Christmas crap going on around me."
"Well, maybe Kouichi was excited that you had actually agreed to spend Christmas with him," the spirit said. "But then you dashed his hopes and left. Think about it; you both grew up alone. Kouichi was probably ecstatic that, for the first time ever, he was going to get to share Christmas with his brother. I'll bet he thought you felt the same."
Slowly, Kouji made his revelation. "Kouichi thinks that I didn't want to spend time with him. God, I'm the worst brother ever, aren't I?"
"Sounds like you've learned your lesson," the spirit said, chuckling again. Kouji glared at him.
"Well, anyway, I've got one more thing to show you," the spirit continued, holding up his cloak. "Feast your eye on these babies!"
Kouji looked within the robe and grimaced. "Oh my god, what are those hideous, mutated things?" he asked, backing away slowly.
"These were Madjack's first attempts at creating OCs for F2HF," the spirit replied, pointing out the various abominations. "This one was the first Kira, and this one was the first Dai, and this thing with the one eye and crippled foot used to be the first attempt at Shino." (Trust me, you don't want to know…)
"Ewww," Kouji muttered. "Why the hell are you showing me this?"
"To show you the horrors of getting rejected by Madjack," the spirit said, glancing at Madjack. (Really don't want to know…)
"Okay," the spirit continued, closing his robe. "My time is up, so close your eyes and get ready for the third and final spirit!"
Kouji closed his eyes just as the spirit snapped his fingers. After a few moments, Kouji opened his eyes and saw that he was in a foggy graveyard.
He frowned at the change in scenery. "Okay, what's going on here? Why am I in a graveyard?"
Suddenly a figure stepped out of the fog, followed by a shorter figure. As they drew closer, Kouji realized that the taller figure was Hotaru wearing a long black cloak and the shorter figure was Dai wearing a T-shirt and jeans.
Before Dai could say anything, Kouji held up his hand. "Let me guess; you guys are spirits who are gonna show me things that are supposedly going to teach me a lesson, right?"
"Wow, he's good," the shorter spirit muttered, stepping forward. "Yes indeed, we are spirits! My partner here is the ghost of Christmas yet to come, and you can just call me Daiki!"
"Okay, Dai," Kouji began.
"Daiki!" the spirit corrected.
Kouji blinked. "Okay, DAIKI, your friend is going to show me things yet to come? Does that mean the future?"
Daiki nodded. "Yup! Go ahead, Hotaru!"
The taller spirit extended his arm to his right, clearing the fog in that direction. Through the fog, Kouji saw a crowd gathered around a grave.
Upon further inspection, he noticed all his friends gathered in the crowd, along with his mother and father, even his stepmother. All of them were either crying or looked like they were about to.
Mouth agape, he turned and looked at the two spirits beside him. "Are you seriously saying that if I don't get in the Christmas spirit, I die?" he said. "That's a little harsh, isn't it?"
"Not you," Daiki murmured. "Keep watching."
Kouji turned back and saw that most of the crowd had dispersed, except for Takuya, Zoe and…himself.
Kouji stared at the likenesses of himself and his friends, horror-struck. Slowly, he realized that there was one person who had not been in the crowd. He turned to the spirits, asking quietly, "Whose grave is that?"
The spirit that resembled Hotaru pointed to the grave. "Go see for yourself," Daiki said.
Kouji turned back toward the grave, taking a slow step forward. His hands trembled as he got closer to grave, for he already knew what it would say. The mist around the grave cleared when Kouji stopped in front of it. He looked down and read:
Kouichi Kimura
February 24 – December 24
(Don't ask me to figure out years for this…)
Kouji turned around slowly, glaring at the two spirits. "Are you trying to say that Kouichi will die because I left?" he asked.
Daiki nodded. "When he was walking down Takuya's steps to leave, he slipped on some slush and fell back and hit his head against the steps and…well, you know. You really should keep him away from stairs."
Kouji's eye twitched in annoyance. "Okay, so if I want to change this, all I have to do is accept my friends' gestures of kindness on Christmas?"
"That, and hurry up because you'll only have ten minutes to make it to Takuya's house before Kouichi slips when we send you back," the taller spirit explained.
"Exactly!" Daiki stated. "Watch out for cars on your way!"
Kouji was blinded by a flash of light and then…he opened his eyes.
Kouji looked around and realized that he was back in his room. He shot out of his bed, instantly remembering the spirit's warning.
He rushed down the stairs, grabbing a coat as he ran out his front door. His father, who'd still been watching some late night programming, called after his son, but all Kouji said was, "Dad, not right now! Oh, and…merry Christmas or whatever!" Then he rushed down the pavement, letting his feet carry him to his friend's house.
Kouji continued sprinting down the street, ignoring the fact that snow was pelting his face. C'mon, c'mon! he thought, running as fast as he possibly could.
Finally, he saw Takuya's house looming in the distance. "Yes," he said through his labored breathing. "I'm gonna…make it!"
His smile fell when he saw his brother open the front door of the house and take a step toward the stairs.
"NO!" he exclaimed, running faster.
Kouichi looked up at the sound of Kouji's voice. "Kouji? What are you-"
Before Kouichi could finish his sentence, Kouji rushed straight at him and tackled him to the ground to make sure that he couldn't get anywhere near the steps.
Takuya, Zoe, and Kira rushed out of Takuya's room to find the source of the crash they'd heard. "Kouji?" they all said, staring at Kouji as he got to his feet.
Kouichi was about to get to his feet too, but Kouji put his hand on his brother's head. "Please stay on the ground," he muttered, eyes filled with concern. "You can't fall if you're already on the ground."
Kouichi blinked. "O-kay? I'll stay down here, then."
"Kouji, what's going on?" Zoe asked warily.
"Have you finally snapped?" Kira asked.
Kouji ignored her and said, "Okay, this really isn't easy for me to do, but…I'm sorry I left like that earlier. You guys were just trying to help me, and I really do appreciate that. So I just thought I should apologize and…merry Christmas." He murmured the last part, hanging his head.
The others looked at each other, not sure how to respond. Finally, Takuya held out his hand. "Merry Christmas, buddy," he said, smiling.
Kouji smiled back, taking Takuya's hand. "Thanks," he said.
At that moment, Kouji Minamoto realized that the spirits were right. It was better to have good times with his friends than to grieve in silence every Christmas Eve. And he would never forget that for the rest of his days. He was still a jerk sometimes, but one problem at a time.
"Um, can I get up now?" Kouichi asked
"No!" Kouji replied vehemently.
—
Bokomon: And they all lived happily ever after. The end.
madjack89: Well Kouji, did you learn anything from that little tale?
Kouji: I learned two things. The first thing is something Takuya's been saying for a while; never trust an author.
Takuya: You got that right.
Kouji: The second thing I learned is that Kouichi should never be allowed near a flight of stairs ever again.
Kouichi: So how do I get around?
Kouji: Easy; use teleportation.
Kouichi: *sigh* Now you're just making fun of me.
JP: Chief, you make it way too easy! I mean, you fell down a flight of stairs…
Kouji: …you trip over things a lot…
Zoe: …you ran into that street sign the other day…
Kouichi: Okay, I get it! I'm a little accident prone!
Takuya: It's all good, Chief! We still love you! *hugs Kouichi*
Everyone: *group hugs Kouichi*
Kouichi: Guys, I can't breathe…
madjack89: Alright guys, see you next time! Have a very merry Christmas!
Tommy: Ahem…and God bless us, every one!
Dai: That was supposed to be my line!
Tommy: Well I'm younger, so I win! ^.^
Dai: Aw…