The sun was still high in the sky, its rays caressing everything down in Tokyo. It was a beautiful afternoon, the perfect atmosphere to meet up with friends. Hikaru Shidou was pleased that it had worked out so well.
The pink-haired teenager was inside Tokyo Tower, overlooking the city as she waited for her two friends. As the three girls all attended different schools, they couldn't meet up very often, so when they did, they had to make it special.
Not too long after she arrived, Hikaru heard her name being called. A bright smile decorated itself on her face as she turned to wave wildly at the two girls who rushed up to her.
Blue-haired Umi Ryuuzaki grabbed Hikaru in a hug, before pulling back to look at Hikaru's face. "It's been so long, Hikaru. How have you been doing? This December weather is really cold."
"I'm fine. It'll take more than some frigid weather to make me sick!" Hikaru grabbed the front of her dark red coat to show that she was well-protected from the elements.
Green-haired Fuu Hououji giggled. "I would expect no less, Miss Hikaru. We've all dealt with things far more dangerous than the chances of catching a cold." She quickly moved her glasses up from sliding down her nose, an action that was probably involuntary at this point.
The three girls peered out the large windows of the tower, admiring the view. The late-afternoon sunlight bounced off the numerous windows on the buildings, causing a bright glare. The small bit of ocean water that they could see sparkled.
"No matter how much we come here, the view always amazes me," Fuu breathed. Umi nodded.
"Yeah. It almost reminds me of how breathtaking Cephiro was." At the mention of the faraway land that the girls had saved twice, they went quiet in contemplation. After the last visit, it seemed that they would never be able to go back.
"I miss our friends over there. I wish we could just go visit whenever we liked," Umi remarked sadly.
"I suppose it's never that easy," Hikaru sighed. They had some great times in Cephiro. Sure, there was a lot of danger, as they battled against evil sorcerers and robots, but there were plenty of fun moments as well. Even some romantic ones…
"Enough of this depressing talk! The reason I called you guys over was to discuss our Christmas plans. I'd really like it if you guys came to my house to celebrate!" Hikaru stared at her two friends expectantly.
"Miss Hikaru, are you sure? We wouldn't be a bother?" Fuu looked like she wanted to accept, but with her, manners always came first.
"Of course it's okay! It'll be great spending a Christmas with someone other than my three brothers!" She loved her brothers dearly, but they could be a bit overbearing.
"In that case, we'll have to accept!" Umi grabbed both of her friends by the shoulders, and pulled them together. "Looks like I'll have to go shopping for some clothes."
Fuu giggled. "Why bother, Miss Umi? We all know that you'll buy a blue costume." The three girls laughed, and Hikaru almost sheepishly realized that Fuu was right. All the girls were practically color-coordinated.
Hikaru, who thought of herself as having a fiery spirit, always wore red clothing that matched her hair and eyes. The same went for Fuu, who loved green, and Umi, who was as blue as the sea. Even in Cephiro, their Rune Gods seemed to match, with the girls receiving fire, air, and water powers respectively.
Huh, the Rune Gods.
"You know," Hikaru began slowly. "Maybe we should try to get our Rune Gods to participate in the Christmas festivities, somehow."
Fuu tipped her head in thought. "Would that be possible? I don't believe they would even fit in your house, Miss Hikaru."
Umi nodded. "I wonder if they even know what Christmas is. Anyway, we would have to ask them first. Do you think they'll say yes? They don't seem like the kind of guys who like festivities." But Hikaru was already thinking of a plan.
"Um, you have an evil look in your eye," Umi commented. Hikaru glanced around, before leaning in to whisper.
"Why don't we dress them up?" Umi and Fuu sweat-dropped.
"Are you mistaking Christmas for Halloween, Miss Hikaru?" Fuu asked, concerned. Hikaru shook her head fast.
"No, no! Not like that!" And Hikaru leaned in to whisper the rest of her plan.
However, the girls had forgotten that their Rune Gods could literally read their hearts. It was a trick almost as handy as telepathy itself.
"…"
The Rune Gods, when they weren't summoned by the Magic Knights, were stationed in another dimension. It was a dimension void of anything substantial and filled with endless space, leading to many boring hours. If it wasn't for the human girls, they may have perished of boredom long ago.
The three Rune Gods were currently in their large robot forms, each of them colored after their user. Rayearth, Hikaru's Rune God, crossed his arms in what he assumed was a regal manner. The flames spurting out of his head made him look much more hot-headed than he actually was.
"I do not believe I like…Hikaru's plan." Rayearth had almost slipped, and called her "girl from another world," just like he used to. On their last quest, however, Hikaru had asked him to stop being so formal, and refer to her by her actual name. Likewise, Rayearth's two partners had received similar requests. Even so, it always felt strange using his master's name like that.
"I suppose there is something rather undignified about it." The words were softly (or at least, if you could call any of their booming, imposing voices soft) uttered by Windam, Fuu's Rune God. The emerald mecha was on the ground, meditating, or at least attempting to. Somehow, his large wings didn't get in the way.
"What sayeth thou, Celes?" Rayearth addressed Umi's mech, who hadn't spoken a single syllable since they had overheard the girls. Celes seemed to consider the question, before giving a carefully-worded reply.
"The Magic Knights have done a great deal for the safety of Cephiro, and have never asked for anything in return. Indeed, how can we refuse anything they ask of us?" Rayearth sighed. Celes was right, of course, even if the piece of metal jutting out from his head looked almost like a bird's beak.
And while he wouldn't easily admit it, he was fond of his master. He could assume his partners felt the same way. He didn't want Hikaru to feel sad on his account.
"Very well. We will have to accept their demands. But do remember to act surprised!" Rayearth knew it would be highly embarrassing if the Magic Knights discovered that their private conversation had been overheard.
So it was decided, and a few hours later, the Rune Gods made sure to keep their voices level when they were telepathically contacted by their masters.
"Hello, Rayearth. How are you doing?" Any greeting that cheerful would normally be met under heavy suspicion from Rayearth. However, Hikaru always greeted everyone around her in such a manner, so any thoughts that she was simply trying to "butter him up" were immediately banished from his mind.
"I am doing well, Hikaru. Why has thou contacted me?" Rayearth could feel Hikaru hesitate slightly, before resolving to go forward.
"Here on earth, we celebrate this special day called Christmas, once a year. It's a really fun day, and I always love hanging out with my two friends. I don't think Cephiro had a holiday like that, let alone the dimension that you rest in." At this point, any quiver in her mental voice had ceased, and she pressed on with fervor, almost rambling.
"I was hoping that you could join us this year. After all, we couldn't have saved Cephiro without you guys, and I didn't want you to think that we were ungrateful."
Hikaru truly was a kind girl, and so were her friends. Rayearth wondered if all human girls were like that, or if most would have simply forgotten the Rune Gods. It was such a heart that enabled Hikaru and her friends to save Cephiro in the first place; after all, Cephiro was a land where strength of heart gave one the strength to fight.
"Ah. But how will thou materialize us on thine planet?" As he and his fellow Rune Gods were as large as the average human building, it was impossible to be inconspicuous. Zapping to Tokyo would probably cause quite a stir among the humans.
"We're still thinking about that part, heh heh." Hikaru sheepishly stuck her tongue out. Rayearth stared on, amused.
"So, is that a yes?" Rayearth pretended to ponder the invitation, before giving a resigned, "Very well." Hikaru clapped, grinning and saying that she couldn't wait.
A few days later, a loud buzzing sound alerted Hikaru to the fact that it was time to get up. Stretching and yawning, she wasted no time in dashing to the window, hoping to see a whole bunch of white outside her window. She wasn't disappointed.
"Oh wow!" If there was one thing she liked almost as much as Christmas, it was snow. Opening the window despite the cold, Hikaru leaned out to catch some of the falling flakes on her tongue. They didn't have any real taste, but the brisk feeling was what she was after anyway.
Going back inside her room, Hikaru quickly dressed herself, finishing up with a rose-colored coat. Skipping down the stairs, Hikaru contacted her robot.
"Rayearth, are you there? It's almost time!" Rayearth didn't reply, but she could tell he heard by the way the air around her briefly and subtly heated around her, like her body was being surrounded by a blanket of heat.
Hikaru walked over to the bus, which she would use to get to her destination. She coughed as the fumes reached her; Cephiro never had any air pollution. "Where are we going, exactly?" Hikaru heard Rayearth's echoing voice in her head as she walked up the small stairs into the vehicle.
"I'm not telling," Hikaru whispered under her breath. She didn't need to speak out loud for him to hear her, but the physicality of it was comforting. Still, it would be awkward if one of the other passengers heard her speaking to herself.
A few stops later, and Hikaru exited the bus, coughing at the fumes the bus emitted again as it drove on. Back in Cephiro, the air quality was just so much nicer. Hikaru quickly shook her head, trying to get rid of the somber thoughts. This was supposed to be a happy day.
She checked her cell phone for any text messages, and sighed when she received the "No new messages" sign. Looking up from the screen, she immediately perked up when she was felt two pairs of arms encircle her.
"Umi! Fuu! I was starting to worry that you guys forgot!" Hikaru laughed.
"What? Never!" Umi pretended to be offended, and Fuu just giggled, holding up a green bag.
"We even remembered to bring the items, Miss Hikaru." Hikaru could feel Rayearth's curiosity grow, and she decided that now was the time.
"C'mon, girls! Lets head to the park!" The nearby park was the destination the three girls had decided on, as not many people went there on a normal day, let alone one that was freezing from the December winds. After entering through the gates, the girls checked around to make sure that they were alone.
The three Magic Knights called out the names of their Rune Gods, and Rayearth was only happy to let himself be summoned. His metallic body blinked, and became an incorporeal ball of light, which flew into the shimmering air, warping itself to the dimension where earth was located.
Feeling himself arrive at his destination, Rayearth allowed his body to materialize, careful not to step on the girls. The three Rune Gods knelt down on one knee, so that they could see their masters better.
A quick glance at the "park" showed that it was much like the finer areas of Cephiro, filled with shrubbery and the sound of birds frolicking in the trees. There were no humans around at the moment.
"We have to hurry, 'cause I don't know how long the park will stay empty," Hikaru said, as she motioned for Rayearth to give her his hand. Rayearth complied, placing his large hand on the soil, where the sunlight caused a flash of red to cover the girl's eyes. After rubbing them, Hikaru stepped on his hand, where he raised it to his face, then noticing the bag in her hands.
Before he could inquire as to what was inside the bag, Hikaru ended up answering his unspoken question by pulling out a red hat, with what looked like a snowball at the end. Standing on her tiptoes, she placed the hat on his head, where it was somehow not blown off by the winter gale.
His master knew the hat wouldn't get burned to a crisp, as Rayearth had the ability to control his own flames. If he didn't wish for them to singe something, they wouldn't.
"What is this?" Rayearth was tempted to poke at the small hat, but he suspected that if he were to do so, it would fall off from its already precarious position.
Hikaru laughed. "On our planet, there is this legend about a man called Santa Claus, a magical man garbed in red who gives presents to people everywhere. Since you're red, I figured this would look neat." She gave Rayearth an almost apologetic bow before she signaled him to lower her back to the ground.
"So I am to be this…Santa Claus?" Rayearth could tell that this was supposed to be a good thing, judging from the way Hikaru clasped her hands together.
"Yes, your color makes you the perfect choice. Although…he was a lot rounder." The three girls giggled, and Rayearth had to wonder if this Santa Claus was ball-shaped.
"Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you guys," Umi reassured Windam and Celes. The two robots also knelt on the ground to pick up the girls, leaving a small dent in the ground as they stood back up.
"Windham, your wings have always been very beautiful to me. The first word that always goes through my mind is angel." Fuu smiled at Windham, who looked a bit awkward at the words. Pulling a shiny object out of her own bag, Rayearth watched with some mirth as a golden halo was placed on Windam's head.
Umi winked at Celes. "I had trouble deciding what kind of costume you should wear. I had some choices, but none of them felt right." Umi reached out to hug one of Celes' claws in her arms.
"Since you're blue, and your power is water, I finally decided that you could be a snowflake." Rayearth could feel the mental surprise that Celes exuded.
"Also, you're very special. Here on earth, no two snowflakes are alike. To me, you're like that, as no one I know is anything like you." Umi rubbed her cheek against the cool armor, and if a robot could blush, Celes would be doing it now.
"Very well," Celes muttered. Although he didn't notice, Rayearth spied the three girls giving each other mischievous glances. If their plan had been to butter up the Rune Gods – well, who was Rayearth to spoil their fun?
A few minutes later, Hikaru had fished out her camera (well, it actually belonged to her brothers, but they wouldn't miss it for a few hours) out of her coat pocket.
"OK, I'm gonna set this to take a photo in a minute. While it's loading up, we have to get into a cool pose, OK?"
Rayearth mumbled something about losing his dignity, but Hikaru ignored him as she and the girls motioned for the robots to pick them up again. With all three Rune Gods holding their hands out, the girls stood on each of their palms, making some kind of dramatic pose.
Hikaru stood tall, hands on her hips. Umi was down on one knee, a fist over her heart. And Fuu had her hands behind her back, and had placed one knee in front of the other.
After they heard the tell-tale clicking sound of the camera snapping a photo, the girls couldn't help but laugh.
"Your pose was so goofy!" Hikaru informed the other two.
"Oh really? Well, the hands-on-the-hips routine is hardly intimidating," Umi shot back.
"Magic Knights," Rayearth interrupted. The three girls looked up at the majestic being.
"We will be heading back to our own dimension now. We…had a fine time here."
The three girls grinned, and cried, "Merry Christmas!" Hikaru wildly waved at the three Gods.
With a flash of light, the three Rune Gods disappeared – but Hikaru could swear that she heard the resounding echo of a reply, one that carried across the winds.
Author's Notes
Yeah, kinda sweet and fluffy, which isn't usually my style. But that is honestly how the actual series is usually written, so...
The Rune Gods are always so stoic, I wanted to get them out of their element, even for just a bit.
Anyways, Merry Christmas, readers! :)