Christmas in the Ship of Blades
"Careful… Careful… CAREFUL!" Link yelled at an Ensign that was putting up decorations. Per the Character's request, the ship was being redecorated for the holidays. The captain, whom you all know as BladeOfThePoet, had ordered the military personnel to put down their weapons and assist in the festivities. As a result, the ship was covered with lights, fake snowmen and reindeer, and all other sorts of decorations. The mood was light and morale was high, the air filled with the sound of childish laughter as the children played with each other. The sound of their mirth brought a smile to all those who resided in the ship… except for one. The sound of laughter was interrupted when an ensign flew across the room, a black spot in his chest. From the direction he had come from, Kyukage was leaning against a wall, looking around with a scowl. He despised Christmas with a passion, and the poor ensign had tried to put a Santa hat on his head. The captain sighed audibly as he approached the tenebrokinetic teen.
"Come on, Kyukage, lighten up. I know you don't like Christmas, for reason I have yet to figure out, I may add, but at least refrain yourself from using your Obscure Fist on anyone." The teen scoffed at the captain's words.
"Enjoy what, spending who knows how much for their families? Forgetting that the world is in a state of wreck? Well, forgive me for being realistic rather than living this lie." The captain's eye began to twitch at the words of his dark doppelganger. "And besides, we all know that Santa Clause doesn… HMPH!"
"Finish that sentence and I'll sever your head." The captain said ominously, one of his twin Katanas resting on Kyukage's neck. "Listen, maybe you don't like it, but I swear, you ruin this for the children, and I'll ruin your life. Clear?" Kyukage snarled at the captain, before seeing the children looking at them fearfully. Both of them had unconsciously extended their powers, the Captain's taking the form of an angel/demon hybrid because of his light and shadow powers, and Kyukage's taking the form of a demon. Unknown to most, Kyukage had a soft spot for children. So, instead of finishing the sentence, he turned around and went for his room.
"Uncle Blade?" He heard Ritias ask the Captain. "What was Kyu going to say about Santa?" Despite her genius mind, she was still a child. The captain turned to the children, who were looking at him expectantly, and broke out a grin.
"He was going to say that Santa doesn't leave any presents unless you leave him cookies! Who wants to go bake some?" He was answered with a chorus of 'Yay!'s as the kids ran to the kitchen. After glaring at his counterpart one more time, the captain went after them. Kyukage scoffed once again before heading towards his room. Back in the common area, Dragon, Ichigo, Naruto, and Link all glared at the corridor Kyukage had taken.
"Someone needs to teach him about the Holiday spirit, don't you guys agree?" Naruto asked them, his trademark grin slowly building up.
"I agree with you, Naruto… How about we take this into our hands?" Dragon answered.
"Oh? And what do you suggest, Guardian?" Ichigo said, a creepy grin appearing in his face.
"Well, Shinigami, are you familiar with Charles Dickens's story?" Dragon told him, grinning like a madman.
"I'm not." Their grins vanished when Link said that.
Meanwhile, in Kyukage's room
"Stupid Christmas… stupid celebrations…" the teen muttered as he lied down on his bed. He despised the season more than any other, and for what reason not even he knew. He figured it was because he was the Shadow version of the captain, and he liked Christmas. "peh… oh well, at least my room was spared the torture." He said as he tucked himself under the sheets. He had placed powerful Shadow Wards on his room to prevent anyone from entering to decorate, although he knew the captain could've broken it if had wanted to. Just as he was about to fall asleep a bright light invaded his room. "I swear, I'm gonna kill whoever is manning that light!" He yelled, kicking of the covers and readying his attack… only to meet face to face with an orb of light. "… da faq?" He deadpanned.
"Listen to me, young warrior. I am the Harbinger of three spirits. They will come to haunt you, one every hour. The first one shall come when the clock tell 1. Listen to their words, or you shall end up like me. A body-less spirit, doomed to wander the universe for all eternity." The orb told Kyukage.
'Ok, I think I had one cup too much eggnog…' He thought as he prepared to lie back down on his bed, disregarding the orb's words. Outside his room, Link pulled back his fishing rod and unhooked the lamp they had tied.
"Ok, Phase one, Marley, complete. Time for phase 2!" Link ran off to alert Naruto, who was in charge of the second stage: Past.
Later that night, 1 A.M.
The second the alarm clock in Kyukage's room hit 1 am, a bright light filled the room.
'Oh fuck no… this can NOT be happening!' The tenebrokinetic fearfully turned around and, sure enough, the first of the ghosts was there, waiting for him. "Oh man, this is BULLSHIT!" The 'ghost' (who was actually Naruto under a henge) had the physical structure of a child, but his facial features were those of an old man.
"Young warrior, I am the ghost of Christmas past. I am here to show you your past…" Unfortunately, he was interrupted.
"Yeah, yeah, what kind of bullshit hologram is this? I am not entertained so cut it the hell out!" Naruto then flared some chakra, to alert Hinata, who was right outside, to start her part of the plan. She quickly ran through some handsigns.
'Dog, rat, dragon, bird, rat, dog. Genjutsu: Resurrection of the past!' Inside the room, everything morphed around, showing Kyukage when he was just a child.
"W-what kind of illusion is this!?" he yelled in outrage, and began to shoot shadow beams everywhere, trying to dispel whatever illusion he was under.
"This, is but an image from your memory. Don't you recognize this place?" Kyukage closed his eyes, obviously in full knowledge of his location.
"M-my old home. Before my powers developed and I ran away"
"Ah, so you do remember. Look at that smiling young boy, playing with a toy plane he just got for Christmas. Who might that be?" Kyukage's answer was a mere murmur, so quite not even experienced Shinobi ears could understand. "Come again?"
"I said that was me!" The teen yelled. "I remember that day all too well. My little sister and I woke up and ran straight down, excited about our presents. That was the day before… before…"
"Before the accident? The one that turned those innocent, brown eyes, into the scowling, black-and-red eyes they are today?" A tear went down Kyukage's cheek at that memory. "Shall we see what happened that day?"
"No… please, don't…" But the spirit paid no heed to his begs. The scene morphed, now showing an armed burglar holding the Yami family gunpoint. The man began to laugh, his hold on the trigger tightening… until a spike of pure shadow drove straight through him, Kyukage's hands pointing toward him. "I said STOP IT!" He turned to punch the spirit, only to find him gone. Outside, Naruto dropped the henge at the same time Hinata dropped the Jutsu.
"Damn, that was close… Good thing I substituted out of there before it was too late, neh?" Hinata nodded. "Ok, let's go get Dragon for phase 3…"
One hour later
Kyukage had spent the last hour staring at the wooden plane in his hands. He unconsciously made a shadow grab it and fly it around, making it look like it was flying on it's own. He nearly dropped it when a hearty laugh resounded through his room, though.
'Ok, I just met past, that means this guy is present…' He thought to himself as he slowly edged towards the laughter's origin point. Inside the room it came from, he saw a round man laughing, holding a drumstick in his hand.
"Come in, and know me better, man!" He yelled happily, munching on his drumstick. As Kyukage approached him, the ghost laughed again. "Come in! And know me better, man! D-did I already say that?"
"Ehh… yes, you did…" The man laughed again, his happiness showing.
"Oh, forgive me! I just like to live in the present, you know? Like my 2011 brothers!"
"2011!? Holy crap, I can imagine the grocery bill!" The man laughed once again, before putting an arm over Kyukage.
"Ah, yes, quite! But! Now is not the time to talk about that. I am the ghost of Christmas present!"
"Yes, I had already figured that much out." The ghost laughed once more at the young man's answer, before the room twisted and turned again. It now showed the Yami manor once more, but Kyukage felt it in his heart, this was the current version.
"Take a look inside!" The spirit commanded. Kyukage shakily did as he was told. Inside, he saw… no one.
"What the… where is everyone?" He asked out loud.
"After you left, the manor was slowly abandoned. Without you, it just didn't have the same happiness it once had, and one by one, your family spread out, leaving it abandoned. Whatever happened to that happiness you once held?" The spirit said, his voice uncharacteristically serious. Kyukage's face hardened a lot at the question.
"It died along with that burglar. That's what happened." He turned around again, and saw that the spirit had vanished. In its place, a note was slowly floating down.
HAHAHAHA! I'm afraid my time here was cut short! But beware, in one hour, the spirit of Christmas future shall come! Go forth! And now him better man!
"Damn it…" Kyukage muttered. Elsewhere, the Guardian of Altomare was panting and sweating.
"D-damn… Who knew it took so much Aura to use the Skin for a while… I just hope Ichigo will be ready for Phase four…"
Yet one more hour later.
Kyukage was pacing nervously around his room. He had read the story of Ebenezer Scrooge before, and he knew that the last spirit was supposed to be terrifying. Before he could ponder, he felt an evil pressure on his back. Dread settled in his gut. Ever so slowly, he turned around… and met face to face with a hooded, skull face figure.
"GAH!" Kyukage yelled as he jumped back, his shadows trying to strike the spirit. It skillfully dodged every one, and then pressed his blade against a wall. The scythe slowly tore a hole in reality, which proceeded to suck Kyukage in. Once through the hole, he found himself in the Weapon room of the ship, where what looked like a funeral was being held. A casket was being loaded into a torpedo, around which everyone was gathered. He heard the captain reciting a speech.
"… was a great character, and he shall always be remembered… as an asshole." The whole crowd agreed. One of them yelled out.
"Oh well! He won't be missed! Let's wrap this up and party!" The captain looked hurt, and he was the only one who looked like that. All the others had looks of relief on their faces. When they all left, Kyukage approached the casket.
"Oh, Spirit, who has visions darker than my own powers. I'm afraid to ask… but who is it that goes in that coffin? Whose death made so many people so happy?" The spirit simply pointed his bony hand at the torpedo. The tenebrokinetic slowly approached, dreading to read what it said… and there, engraved on the polished surface…
Here lies Kyukage no Yami.
Died on December 25, 2012
Great character, close friend to the captain
And a royal asshole!
The last line was written crudely, like someone had scratched that in at the last moment. Kyukage began to stumble backwards, fear overwhelming his senses, and felt himself pushed into the torpedo. He saw the bony face of the spirit laughing at him as the shell closed. He felt the torpedo being fired, and just as it blew up…
"NOOOO!" Kyukage shot up from his bed, cold sweat building up. He was clutching his chest, trying to get some air into his panicked lungs. Slowly, he realized how much he had been missing, and how he would end if he continued like this. "I gotta make amends… and fast!" He yelled as he ran out of his room. From a corner, the bony face of the spirit cracked and fell, showing Ichigo behind.
"Phase 4 complete. Mission successful."
From that day on, Kyukage enjoyed every Christmas like it was going to be his last, and not once did he ever try to say that Santa wasn't real. He never suspected that the spirits had actually been Link, Naruto, Dragon and Ichigo, or that Hinata and Ino had worked on the Illusions.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!