Spirit
Of Christmas
By SMYGO4EVA
In winter, the world seems to become more beautiful, with the crystal snow covering everything. It is a white blanket that purifies the ground, with newborn flowers blossoming into the world, with lovely visions marking the once desolate and empty planet. During the winter, there is the little holiday called Christmas, where presents are exchanged in the name of love and gratitude, trees are decorated with ornaments galore being lit amongst starry nights and the birth of the savior is celebrated in the name of faith.
Serenity Wheeler knew that Christmas also has candy canes and mistletoe, trinkets of the sweetest value and the plant from underneath a couple is obliged to kiss, thus professing their love. She wondered how she would include them in her present for Yami. He has only lived in the present for a while, so he many have not known much about the holiday.
Then again, Yugi may have taught him about the festivities during the winter so he might know what it's all about. And he and Serenity have been together in secrecy for a while, so presents would be a given. She would give to give him the best Christmas present ever, but what exactly?
Good thing I got gifts for everyone else, especially Joey, but why did I have to leave Yami's gift at the last minute? She mentally cursed herself in her thoughts. Wait, I was busy helping Mom with gifts for relatives, so…that's it.
As she ventured into the streets of Domino City, keeping warm in her winter clothes, she saw the many citizens bustling through the crowds because of imminent deadlines of Christmas Eve, with the thoughts of having either extravagant or simple gifts to show the person how much they care. Serenity, all the while, just wondered what she would give for Yami for the holiday, something that came from the heart, what she really felt about him. She loved him, and he loved her, so she wanted to show him that she cared for him.
When she stopped near a window littered with poinsettias and ribbons, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that across the street, there was a park bench covered with diamond snow, shimmering in the little light from the sky.
It was the park bench where she sat once, contemplating about her forbidden feelings for the Pharaoh, where he found her through the crowd and where she got the courage to tell him how she felt. She felt her face grow hot when she realized their little meeting led to his place, where they made love for the first time. It was all so romantic, yet it was the spur of the moment, but still, that was then they realized how much they loved each other.
The blaring noise of a car's horn snapped her out of her reverie, making her spin around and face the window once again. The window stood there, decorated with ribbons, silver ornaments and poinsettias from head to toe. She stared at the window with awe as she sunk her face into her scarf, the cold air making contact with her skin. Even though she was dressed in warm clothing from top to bottom, she still felt the unforgiving cold air flow right through her. She continued to admire the display, with the bright red vibrancy and the silver gleam from the lights above, simply colors of the yuletide season. A reminder of what beauty the holiday can bring.
A reminder….
Remembrance….
Memory…
That's it!!
Then it hit her. The best gift would be of great value and memory and beyond.
She looked away from the window, from left to right, where she saw that far from the park bench was the museum, where she heard the Egyptian exhibit was still there. Without another thought, during a red light, she ran across the street, past the bench and ran into the corridors of the museum.
(scene change)
From inside the Game Shop, Yami lay flat on his bed, staring at the dimly-lit ceiling with unnoticed snow decorating the window next to him. Snow drifted from the sky, onto the cold ground outside his window. He lay there, just thinking.
He wondered about what he could get for Serenity as a gift for Christmas. Clearly it was a holiday he had to get used to, especially with the weather and all. He wasn't used to the cold weather, being more accustomed to the warmth of the sun. Now the sun rarely rose, hidden behind the white clouds that released snowflakes into the air, changing everything of what he knew about the seasons.
He wanted to show Serenity how much he loved her, and since it was the yuletide season, as everyone called it, he had to give her a gift. Nothing too predictable like a small trinket she would throw away in a matter of minutes, but something she would hold forever, a symbol of their love.
I could give her jewelry – but do I have the money? He wondered. I do, but would it be enough for a symbol of our undying affection? He hoped so.
Yami rolled onto his side, his eyes wandering over the patterns of the bed cover, the vibrant colors of blue and grey almost marking his mind. Beautiful colors, yet very subdued with its gloomy presence. None of which represented hope and love, which the world needed, of what everyone needs during this time of year.
Optimism…
Hope…
Truth….
Love…
The heart…
Yami then sat up from the bed, swinging his legs over the edge, and ran down the stairs whilst grabbing his coat and running out the door to retrieve the present.
(Scene change)
After a long day of walking around and venturing through the city Of Domino, Yami and Serenity have found gifts for each other in their own separate ways, hoping to commemorate their first Christmas together, as soul mates.
Serenity walked through the door of the Game Shop, closing the door behind her, and placing her coat on a coat rack and her boots were left on the doormat. She sauntered over to the decorated Christmas tree to place her wrapped present underneath amongst the other presents. She smiled to herself, relieved that her present was safe and sound, ready for Christmas morning, and she decided to put on the radio, which was playing only holiday music, to break the silence.
One of her favorite songs, "Christmas Time Is Here", played on the radio as she sat down finally, when she started to feel sleepy. It wouldn't hurt to take a nap; after all, all the presents were ready for the morning, and she had done her share of the annual holiday duties. She lay down on the couch, and her eyes closed.
Before long, the door opened and Yami walked in, peering in to get inside the Game Shop, with his gift for Serenity in tow. Ridding articles of winter clothing, he noticed that there was a coat and boots that belonged to Serenity.
Her winter clothes? So she must be here… He turned, walked over to the couch where he heard light breathing and looked over to find his sweet Serenity sleeping on her side. He lightly chuckled to himself as he set his gift aside on a table and he walked around the couch to kneel down so he would face Serenity, resting his arms on the edge of the sofa.
He smiled as he watched her sleep, his head tilted to the side. She's so cute when she sleeps, and so beautiful… He reached out and began to stroke the auburn hair away from her face.
Serenity felt someone place a strand of her hair behind her ear, and her eyes fluttered open, seeing warm purple eyes in contact with her own hazel orbs. She jumped back, a startled yelp escaping her and he pulled back, a little startled by her reaction. They took a moment to realize the current situation.
She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, Yami, it's you."
The namesake smiled at her."The one and only. Forgive me if I startled you."
"No, it's fine, really. I just didn't hear you come in." She sat up and adjusted herself on the sofa. "So, what have you been doing today, besides, you know…holiday-related stuff…" Serenity looked down, twiddling her thumbs at the awkward start of a conversation.
"Um…nothing much. Just doing…holiday-related stuff…that's all." Yami began to rub the back of his neck, suddenly feeling a little awkward himself.
What could cure the conversation at a time like this? They both were wondering about that.
What to do, what to do…? I have to do something, or else what's there to do?
Then a lightbulb popped over her head. The gift!
"Yami….I have something to show you…" With seeing his face in puzzlement and intrigue, she got off the couch and went to the tree, pulling out the present she had meant to give him the following morning. It was a small box, wrapped in shimmering, silver gift wrap with a red bow tied on the box and a little sticker that read:
To Yami
From: Serenity
Happy Holidays
(I love you)
She went over to him and gave him the present, hoping with all her heart that he liked it. He took the present in his hand and unwrapped it slowly; curious of what she gave him. When he got through the bow and the wrapping, he removed the lid from the box and his eyes went wide at what he saw.
Inside the box was a silver pendant that held the carving of Ieb, a symbol of Egypt that represented the heart, something that held the utmost importance to kings, loyal subjects and their people. It also represented Serenity's love for him, as she knew of his past, and she wanted to remind him that it was still with him. He gently took the pendant into his hand and stared at it with shock and awe.
"Well? Do you like it?"
He looked up at her, his eyes wide and shimmering. "I….I don't know what to say." Seeing the symbol, the memories of his past flashed right before his eyes, the memories that he almost lost forever, but now, they're with him always. "Th-Thank you, Serenity…" With that said, tears started to roll down his cheeks, surprising Serenity. She didn't know that her gift would affect him so deeply. She leaned over and embraced him, hoping that it would make him feel better. He returned the embrace.
"…Thank you." He said once again.
"It's all right, Yami…" She whispered softly to him.
She understood.
They both did.
When he finally regained his composure, he pulled away from the embrace, wiping his eyes and took a deep breath. "Well, since you gave this gift to me, maybe I should return the favor." He stood up and retrieved the present from the nearby table, kneeling back down in front of Serenity. Like his present, it was a small box but it was wrapped in glimmering red wrapping. There was a card on top of the box, which said:
To my dearest Serenity
From: Yami
With all my heart, Merry Christmas
"Here, it's for you." He in turn gave the box to her, whom was curious about what he gave her for the holiday. She unwrapped the present, releasing the box from the burgundy wrapping and removed the lid from the box. Her hazel eyes doubled in size at what she saw.
Inside the box was a luminous ruby connected to a diamond chain, marking the gift as a necklace. The ruby glistened in the light, nearly blinding her, and when she took the necklace into her hand, she felt writing on the back. She turned the ruby over, and saw an inscription that read Always is forever.
She looked up at him, hazel eyes overflowing with emotion. "Yami, it's beautiful!"
Yami smiled—it was a small smile, but a smile nevertheless. "I thought you'd like it. When I saw it, I thought of you."
Serenity nodded, clearly still in shock. "Oh, this is too much! If there's anything I could do-"
Yami put his hands on her shoulders, steadying her.
He put one finger under her chin, and raised her head up so she could meet his violet orbs called eyes.
"You already have. You have given me the greatest gift of all – the gift of love. And that is something money cannot buy. The gifts we got each other may be nice, but your love is so much more valuable than any gift could offer."
Now the tears she tried to suppress rolled down her face, tears of joy and happiness. Serenity embraced Yami, and he did in return.
Now it was definite.
All that was certain was the love that they shared.
And that was something that could not be shaken.
FIN
(A.N: Inspiration came from the spirit of the holiday season. I'm in New Mexico now, but thank goodness I have a laptop. This is dedicated to Journey Maker. For everyone, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!)