Waiting for Santa
By Firenze
A/N: It's a short, plotless sibling fic. No, it isn't about Matt and TK, it isn't Tai/Kari, it isn't Joe/Jim, or the nonexistent Davis/Jun, or Yolei/her brother in a towel/siter who fights over cookies/or the other one. Okay, I got carried away. Anyway, this is a Ken/Sam Ichijouji (I just love typing their last name for some reason) sibling fic. It's relatively pointless, just a little idea I got while watching the Christmas episode of "South Park," while Kyle and Ike were waiting by the toilet for Mr. Hanky to arrive. I've personally never stayed up for Santa, or truly believed in him, but I just thought it's kind of cute when two kids do that. But has anyone ever realized that by switching around a few letters in S-A-N-T-A, you get S-A-T-A-N? Just...just wondering. Oh yeah, this fic only has only minimum dialogue, because I realized my fics always have too much talking. I'll stop talking about how it has no talking really, and let you read it for yourselves now!
Disclaimer: Ken and Sam don't belong to me. Neither does that "Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem thing. Anything else you recognize that isn't mine, isn't.
* * *
'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse...'
Well, almost.
It was Christmas Eve, but not everyone was sleeping soundly in their beds, dreaming of sugar plums and such. In one case, the Ichijouji home. The Mr. and Mrs. were snoozing, but unbeknownst to them, their two young sons were not. Instead, little Ken and Sam were in the living room. Doing what? Waiting.
Their gazes were fixated on the coffee table, particularly a plate of home-baked chocolate cookies and a tall glass of milk. But they didn't want to eat it. They were waiting for someone else to come and eat it. Who? For Santa Claus, of course.
The two had heard stories about this fascinating man all their lives, mostly during Christmastime. This man, also going by the name of St. Nick, Kris Kringle, and so many more, supposedly delivered toys to every single child's stocking on Christmas Eve. It was a mystery how he did it, but he rode on his large sleigh with his huge sack of presents, led by his eight reindeer, and a ninth, Rudolph, and they flew all over the world, giving children what they wanted. The man was said to be fat and jolly, with red cheeks, a white beard and mustache, and a red and white outfit. But for all the two children knew about Santa, they had never actually seen him.
So Sam, a sprouting young genius, had come up with the idea that if they stayed up all night and waited, they'd be bound to see Santa Claus. But the hours had ticked by, and no sign at all.
They had various worries. What if he forgot about our house? Maybe he lost the directions. What if we were so bad that he didn't even want to give us coal? What if his sleigh broke down? The children had large imaginations, and their questions were endless.
Then Ken suggested that it could possibly be because Santa wouldn't come if he knew they were watching and waiting. Sam thought that might actually be it, so his solution was to hide. Sam scurried behind the sofa, and Ken dashed under the Christmas tree, from lack of hiding places.
Ken was intoxicated by the strong scent of pine, and it was making him drowsy... Even though the presents surrounding him were excitement enough, he started to drift off...
Until Sam noticed and woke him up. Sam said that they had to stay up all night, or they'd never catch a glimpse of Santa. So they were determined not to fall asleep again. They plopped onto the couch once again, and decided that if one started to fall asleep, they'd wake each other up.
And of course, they started getting bored and restless...so Sam figured they could do something while they waited. Sam got a few books about Christmas to read, and Ken got out a coloring book with pictures of reindeer and Santa and Christmas trees and other things. With their attention on something else, they were too occupied to get tired.
Suddenly Sam gasped and showed Ken his book. 'The stockings were hung by the fireplace with care, with hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...' The two boys were horrified. They had forgotten one major detail. Santa came into houses through chimneys. And their apartment didn't have a chimney!
Frantic of what to do then, they started instantly panicking. They had thought that their house was perfectly decorated and perfect for Christmas, but what good were a tree, holly and garland, and other things if they lacked a fireplace? In the end, they settled for Ken's logical comment of,
"If Santa can find a way to deliver toys to billions of children in one night, he'll find a way to get to houses without chinmeys." (Wrong spelling was done on purpose, you know how some little kids say words wrong?)
When Sam finished reading all his books and Ken finished coloring all his pictures, they drifted off into boredom again. And boredom meant restlessness... Restlessness meant sleep... And sleep meant they'd miss Santa...
Though they fought it for a very long time, which was impressive for such two young kids, they started to yawn more...their eyes got red and watery...their eyelids heavier...until their eyelids drooped, their bodies slumped, and they gradually fell asleep.
* * *
"Wake up, Kenny-boy!"
Ken slowly blinked open his eyelids. Was Santa there? Would they finally get to see Santa Claus himself in person? But his eyes were greeted by intense sunlight. It was already Christmas morning. They had fallen asleep and missed Santa Claus. Oh no! Now they'd never get to see Santa!
But had Santa even come by last night? Their apprehensive question was answered… Underneath the tree were two wrapped boxes to Ken and Sam...addressed by: Santa Claus.
He did come! He did make it to their house! And they had missed it! However, their excitement for gifts overtook the disappointment in not seeing Santa. So as they tore their presents open, they realized they could always wait for Santa again next year.
* * *
"There was no next year," Ken said bitterly to himself. "All because of me. I wished Sam would disappear...and he did." He started to feel his tears flow freely now, as opposed to when his eyes were simply tear-rimmed from reminiscing on the Christmas past. Realization hit him hard. "Sam is gone."
He gave the photograph one final glance, and finding he could bear it no longer, placed the frame back down on the table and turned away. His eyes were greeted by the same old decorations he had seen every single year...but it simply wasn't the same without his older brother. Ken had grown older and stopped really believing in Santa Claus over the years...and he'd much rather see Sam again, then ever getting a glimpse of St. Nick, if he even truly existed.
Waiting for Santa had always been Ken's favorite holiday memory. "Is it yours too, Sam?" he asked to really no one in particular. The spirit of his older brother wasn't there in actuality, but he still lingered in Ken's heart. That's whom he was speaking to. "Maybe if we're ever together again someday...we can wait for Santa Claus and try extra hard not to fall asleep...and it'll be the next year that we never got to have. Sam, wherever you are now...I hope you'll have a Merry Christmas."
THE END
Okay, so it wasn't exactly a HAPPY Christmas fic, but who says every holiday is truly happy, anyway? That was my first fic about Ken and Sam, and...I hope you liked it! And whoever you are, wherever you are...I hope you'll have a Merry Christmas too!