December 25

December 25, 2307 A.D.

It's a miracle I was allowed to go out today. I'm surprised Klaus was able to let me go. Its Christmas today, isn't it? I guess that's why. I stopped by a few shops and bought some things. When I reached the cemetery, the usual lush, green grass was covered in pure white snow.

"Mom, Dad, Amy… It's Christmas time again. I'm doing fine, and I'm sure he's doing well, too." I said with a light smile. "Here's a present from me, and from him if he isn't able to come today." I laid down the bouquet I had bought before.

Surprisingly, I was the first one here this time, seeing as how there was nothing else placed on the tombstone. I had a slight feeling of accomplishment. Well… that was before I felt a cold wetness splatter all over my coat and back.

"Think you could get here before me, eh Lyle?" Neil gave me a big smile.

Since we haven't seen each other in a long while, Neil and I decided to go out for a few drinks. I decided to pay him back for that snowball earlier.

Once we were almost down the hill, I made my move.

"Big bro! Over here!" I quickly reinforced a snowball I saved and aimed.

"Wha-" Straight in the face! Cut him off, too!

I laughed and laughed until I ended up in the snow, rolling in it. I heard Neil angrily get up while wiping the snow off his face. Then he decided to start up a snowball fight declaring me the enemy and building up a snow fort. I quickly got up, wiped a few tears out of my eye, and started building my barrier.

I heard Neil laugh in the distance. "Too slow man! Too slow!"

And then my fort was bombarded with snowballs before even half of it was up. I got hit too, since my walls weren't high enough and Neil had the high ground.

"No fair! We're on a hill and I'm on the bottom!"

"Who says I'm not being fair, Mr. I-hide-snowballs-behind-my-back?"

I shrank back into my fort's remains. "Okay, so maybe that wasn't fair… But who says-" And I got hit in the face.

Neil smiled again. "Payback! Score one for me!"

I wiped the wet substance off my face. "Since when were we keeping score?"

"Since now, so start targeting and firing!

The snowball fight lasted for a good while. Neil had been aiming snowballs at my fort and then my face, while I just focused on his face. In the end, Neil won. But I was close! Just one more point and I would've won! The sun just had to set when it did.

"Why can't you come back?" I asked him that question again. He looked up into space.

"I told you already… I can't." He handed me a package. "Here's this month and the next. See you in a while, Lyle." And with that, he left.

December 25, 2312 A.D.

"Thanks for all you've done for me, big brother. I've finally stopped running, I've accepted this job that I have. Ironically, I'm wearing your colors.

So much has happened over the course of a year… I don't even know where to start.

"Mom, Dad, Amy, Neil… I hope that you're all in a better place now. Especially you Neil. You worked hard for it, even though you didn't see this part come to pass. And… That man's gone. You'll be able to rest in peace."

Thank you, little brother.

A/N: Written as a late Christmas/New Year's gift to guilt3711 on tumblr! Sorry it's late, and short… ^^" It was my first time writing a 00 fic with only 00. I hope they're both in character.