A special Christmas Fic for you all! Merry Christmas!
"Santa's coming, Santa's coming!" Kirihara shouted giddily as he ran around the spacious kitchen.
"Stupid, brat! You're going to ruin my cake!" Marui shouted, stepping aside as Kirihara nearly ran him and his precious cake over.
"Che, don't you know that there's no such thing as-"
"Shut up, Nioh." Yukimura cut him off and cast him a say-another-word-and-I'll-have-your-head-on-a-platter glare.
"What, buchou. I'm just telling the brat that Santa is a-"
"Say another word Nioh and I'll murder you on the spot with my own two hands."
"But buchou-"
"What did I say Nioh?"
"Yes, Yukimura-buchou…"
"That's what I thought," Yukimura said. He walked away, wiping his flour covered hands on the red and green apron he wore. The tennis team of Rikkai Dai was preparing for their Christmas party. Today was Christmas Eve and all food and decorating had to be prepared before their first guest showed up the next morning.
"Buchou, Buchou, is Santa's coming tonight!"
"Yes, Akaya, he is."
"Can't believe the stupid brat still believes in Santa," Nioh muttered.
"Don't be so negative Nioh," Yagyuu said, "Christmas is coming up. Try being a little cheery."
"I am being cheery!" Nioh retorted, "The real grump is Sanada over there!" He pointed to grumbling mess on the couch.
"Hey Sanada," Marui said, "Get off the couch already. We need help decorating."
"No," Sanada bluntly stated.
"Why not? Christmas is the best time of year! Candy, cake, and free stuff!" Marui shouted, "Who doesn't love Christmas!"
"We should be practicing," Sanada said, "We lost the Nationals and you guys are taking it so lightly! As if it didn't matter at all!"
"It actually kinda didn't matter…" Nioh muttered, earning a death glare from Sanada.
"Now, Sanada," Yanagi said, "It's good to forget about the past sometimes. What has happened can't be changed."
"Yeah! And Santa will just leave you a big lump of coal if you keep moping!"
"Shut up about Santa already! Nobody believes in him except you!"
"What did I just tell you Nioh?"
"Sorry…"
"Sanada," Yukimura said, "Yanagi does have a point. It'll be good for the team if we just relaxed for a bit. Everyone is working hard and they deserve a break."
"Tarundoru! Slackers never win!" Sanada shouted as he sprang up and stormed out of the door.
"Someone's a bit of a grump," Marui commented.
"He's just upset," Jackal said, "The loss did hit him pretty hard after all."
"We should help him cheer up! He's spoiling everything!" Kirihara exclaimed.
"That's a great idea and all, but how do we make Sanada like Christmas?" Nioh said, "Last time I checked, he hasn't smiled since grade school."
"Well, I did read this one story," Yanagi offered, "I believe it was called A Christmas Carol."
"A Christmas Carol? What's that?" Kirihara asked.
"Idiot, even I know that story," Marui said.
"It's about a greedy old man who doesn't like Christmas until he is visited by three ghosts, and then he changes for the better."
"So we're gonna summon ghosts like they do in those manga!"
"…No."
"Well then that story's useless," Kirihara said.
"Not entirely," Yukimura said, "Nioh, do you think you could pull it off?"
"Pull what off?" Nioh asked. Yukimura leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.
"…I like your thinking, Yukimura."
"So, will you do it?"
"Well… It'll take a lot of equipment as well as a few special effects, but I think I can do that."
"Good. Now everyone, here's the plan…"
*~A Rikkai Christmas Carol~*
"Just a bunch of slackers… Don't know the meaning of hard work…" Sanada muttered to himself as he climbed into bed and turned out the light. "What's up with everyone and Christmas anyway? Just another marketing holiday meant to get you to waste money…" He closed his eyes. Putting up with his team really was exhausting…
"Genichiro? Wake up, Genichiro." Sanada stirred. What was his mom doing? If she needed help wrapping gets then she could forget about it. We opened his eyes and was about to say something about trying to sleep when it hit him.
"Who in the world are you?!" Standing in front of him was a feminine figure dressed entirely in white holding a candle. He looked around, bewildered. This wasn't his bedroom. No, he was standing outside, in the snow. "Why am I outside?! And why are you here?!"
"I'm the Ghost of Christmas past, Genichiro." Sanada stared at the ghost weirdly. He'd read A Christmas Carol before. He'd thought the ghost thing was just a fairy tale, but this…
"Y-You can't be real!"
"I'm as real as it gets, Genichiro," the ghost said, "Now come with me. I've got to show you something."
"N-No… T-This isn't real. This is just a dream, a really bad dream…"
"Don't fuss Genichiro, now come along; we've got to teach you what Christmas is about." The ghost grabbed his hand and led him into a cloud of smoke. The next thing Sanada knew, he was standing near a strangely familiar tennis court. There were two boys playing tennis.
"Why am I here? And who are those two kids…?" And then it hit him. "That's me?! T-then, that must be…"
"Tezuka," the ghost said. "I'm sure you remember this match well, Sanada."
"What's this got to do with Christmas?"
"It's not the match we're here to see Genichiro. Look across from here. See that little girl?"
"Girl? I don't remember a girl…" Sanada looked at the place where the ghost was pointing and sure enough, there was little girl with curly black locks standing there.
"That's Kira," the ghost said, "Your old lover."
"I never had a lover!" Sanada shouted.
"You mean you don't remember when she confessed to you on Valentine's Day two years ago?"
"Well… no…" Sanada said. He never really cared for Valentine's Day either.
"I thought so," the ghost said, "Did you know that when you rejected her she was devastated? She really did like you."
"I…"
"She sat crying in her room for weeks. All of her friends and family were worried about her you know? Couldn't look anyone in the eye anymore. The poor thing, it still hurts her you know. How does it feel Genichiro, knowing you trampled over an innocent little girl's heart like that? A cold heart will only end up hurting others."
"I… well…"
"My times running out, Genichiro. You're going to be visited by two more ghosts tonight. Pay close attention to what they tell you." Then, everything went black.
*~A Rikkai Christmas Carol~*
"Hey, Sanada. Get up. We have to get going."
"Huh?" Sanada slowly opened his eyes. Standing over him was a bald man with a bushy black beard dressed in festive robes.
"Are you…"
"The Ghost of Christmas Present. Follow me." Sanada slowly got up. None of this could be happening, but it was. Soon, the ghost stopped in front of the Yukimura house.
"Why are we…?"
"Just come inside." The ghost led Sanada inside the house and to the kitchen. There, the entire team (minus Jackal) was still working on getting the decorations up.
"Where's Jackal?" Sanada asked.
"Uh… He went to get more flour?"
"I thought we had plenty of that."
"Um… Marui used it all on his cakes?"
"Tarundoru!!! That glutton, he-"
"C-calm down Sanada; we're here to help you, remember?"
"Fukubuchou's a grump," Kirihara said as he hung up some holly.
"Yeah, he really spoils all the fun," Marui said, "I mean, look! He even killed the happy mood in here!"
"At least he's gone," Nioh said.
"I say we keep him out of the Christmas party!" Marui suggested, "He'll just ruin everything again."
"I think we should give Sanada another chance," Yagyuu said, "He might reform overnight."
"In a million years!"
"Never!"
"When Santa doesn't deliver presents!"
"He isn't real!"
"Nioh..."
"Sorry..."
"There's a 0.000000000000000001% chance of Sanada reforming, but it's still possible," Yanagi said.
"Why don't we take a vote? Whoever wants to kick Sanada out, raise your hand." Kirihara, Nioh, and Marui's hands shot up.
"And who wants to give Sanada a second chance?" Yukimura raised his hand as well as Yagyuu and Yanagi.
"Looks like a tie."
"We still need Jackal's vote!"
"He'll want to kick Sanada out!"
"I'd think Jackal would be nicer than that…"
"No, he'd never kick me out!" Sanada yelled. He turned to the ghost. "Ghost, please tell me if they kick me out!"
"Uh… I can't see into the future…?"
"Then ask the Ghost of Christmas Future for me!"
"W-Why don't you ask him for yourself…?"
"I-" And then, everything went black again.
*~A Rikkai Christmas Carol~*
"Ugh… My head hurts…" Sanada muttered. He looked around. He was in a dreary field covered in mist. Standing in front of him was a robed figure dressed entirely in black.
"A-Are you the Ghost of Christmas Future?" The ghost only nodded.
"Then, tell me ghost, h-how can I change? I don't want everyone to hate me anymore! I want to be nice!" The ghost said nothing and only pointed to behind him. Then, Sanada heard a series of voices.
"He's too grumpy. Santa definitely doesn't like him."
"Stupid guy can't even take a good prank!"
"He takes away all of my sweets!"
"I value Sanada as vice-captain but he could loosen up."
"I want to give Sanada the benefit of doubt but the percentage is too small."
"I guess Sanada's okay… He is a bit too strict though."
"He could learn a thing or too about kind behavior."
"Che, he's too old fashioned. Mada mada dane."
"Hoi, he needs to loosen up!"
"Saa, he could smile more often. He's too stern, like Tezuka."
"Ore-sama looks down on his pitiful behavior!"
"He's even grumpier then Koshimae!"
"He's too stern, like my father. Those two are always yelling. They seem to do it all the time. Maybe they like yelling at people. But why would they enjoy that? Are they sadists…? Maybe they are... mumble, mumble..."
"N-No, I'm not a sadist… I'm a good person! I want to be a good person!" Sanada yelled as he fell on his knees. "Ghost, please tell me it isn't too late!!!"
The ghost reached up and grabbed his hood. He slowly removed it to reveal a demonic like face. "It is too late Sanada. You're going to the underworld."
"AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"
*~A Rikkai Christmas Carol~*
"NOOOOO!!!!" Sanada yelled as he shot up in his bed. He looked around and then outside. Was it really no too late? He quickly got dressed and grabbed his coat, as he dashed out the door. Sanada sprinted all the way to Yukimura's house and, much to his relief. Found his entire team dressed in holiday clothing still there, putting the finishing touches on everything.
"Yes!" Sanada shouted, "Merry Christmas everybody!" he ran around the room hugging and greeting everyone on his team.
"What happened to him?" Marui asked.
"I think we went too far…" Nioh muttered.
"The new fukubuchou is scary…"
The moral of this story: It's great to be cheery at Christmas but don't get too out of character. It scares people.
(This moral should not be taken seriously.)
OMAKE: HOW DID YOU DO IT?!
Kirihara: How did you pull this entire thing off Nioh?!
Nioh: Why would I tell my secrets to you?
Yukimura: Because you're super amazing like that?
Nioh: I'll do it!
Yukimura: Flattery gets you everywhere.
Nioh: For the Ghost of Christmas Past, we decked Yukimura out in white and went to Sanada's where we dragged him out of bed and to the local tennis courts which were made to look like the courts Sanada played at when he was little! Then, we used electronic puppets-
Yanagi: Provided by me-
Nioh: -to be little all of the little kiddies.
Yagyuu: Of course, Kira was never a real person so we based her off of Akaya.
Kirihara: I didn't like that!
Nioh: The smoke was made using a fog machine. Once again, courtesy of Yanagi.
Sanada: So how did you make everything go black?
Marui: I snuck up on you with a baseball bat and knocked you out!
Sanada: TARUNDORU!!!!
Nioh: For the Ghost of Christmas Present, we had Jackal play the part. It was simple, we just took him to Yukimura's place where the rest of us were and pretended like Sanada wasn't there and talked about how much we hated him!
Sanada: TARUNDORU!!!!
Nioh: Finally, for the Ghost of Christmas Future!
Yagyuu: Although the correct term would be the Ghost of Christmas to Come.
Nioh: Whatever! Anyways, we dragged KOed Sanada to a park that we covered in mist using the fog machine! Then the ghost, me, woke Sanada up! To get the voices, we used a pocket recorder to record them ahead of time. (A/N: Since we're on the topic, can any of you guess who said what? Hint: The first seven are the Rikkai regulars.)
Marui: At the end, we didn't need to knock Sanada out because he fainted!
Nioh: I was kinda shocked at how he reacted to everything, especially when he said he wanted to be a good person.
Kirihara: That was really out of character.
Yukimura: Well, I think that's it. A Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New Year!
Kirihara: Hey, Marui-senpai. You know how in the story Tiny Tim says "God bless us everyone!" don't you'd think it's be funny if we said "Yukimura bless us everyone!" I mean, since people do call him the "Child of God" and everything.
Marui: I guess… But that's kinda weird…