A/N: I know this is a little late for Christmas, but it took me longer than I expected to finish it. This is the first time I've published a fanfic. Please review. If you flame me, I will repost your flame in my next chapter with the spelling and grammar corrected free of charge. (Yes, that was a joke.^_^
Flames are welcome, but if you're going to tell me that my story is horrible, please also tell me why so that I will not make the same mistakes next time.) There is no yaoi in this story--actually, there is really no romance at all. I hope you enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, Cracker Barrel, Coca-Cola, or the poem "Journey of the Magi."
Journey of the Magi
"Wake, awake, for night is flying
The watchmen on the heights are crying
Awake, Jerusalem, at last!
Midnight hears the welcome voices
And at the thrilling cry rejoices:
Come forth, ye virgins, night is past!
The Bridegroom comes, awake!
Your lamps with gladness take--
Alleluia!
And for his marriage feast prepare
For ye must go to meet him there."
Hiei glanced at Kurama's silver CD player as the music faded. Kurama was fond of classical music, especially(he had said once) German Christmas carols. He had not gone into any detail about what a Christmas carol was, and Hiei has not asked. He supposed that this was a Christmas carol, since everyone had been talking about Christmas lately. Hiei could not for the life of him understand this human celebration.
There was always a lot of talk about strange things at Christmas, things like flying animals and trees inside houses( which he did not understand but wished he did), and other things such as light and darkness and good and evil( which he did understand but wished he didn't).
Hiei shifted his position on Kurama's windowsill and looked out at the stars. There seemed to be an emphasis put on stars at this time of year, too. Hiei had seen dozens of commercials and Christmas cards showing three travelers following a large, over-bright star across the wilderness. Hiei did not understand exactly what the significance of this scene was to the humans, but it meant something to him anyway. He felt a certain kinship with the travelers. Their plight seemed to be his own: wandering, exhausted, alone, over miles and miles of wilderness(figurative and literal), chasing a hope, a dream of something more, a bright and shining light that never seemed to get any closer but at the same time would not allow him to turn away...Hiei wondered if they had ever found what they had been looking for.
Approaching footsteps jarred Hiei out of his thoughts. The door to the bedroom opened and Kurama appeared, carrying a stack of textbooks. He walked with some difficulty over to his desk and let the books drop onto it with a bang. He then sighed and massaged his arms. "Hello, Hiei."
Hiei looked curiously at the pile of books on the desk. Kurama gave a small grin. "I will be spending most of the next few days studying for my ACT, I'm afraid."
"Your ACT?"
"Yes. I'm beginning to think that school is more trouble than it's worth." He gave Hiei a wide-eyed look. "You could help me, you know. You could quiz me over my notes."
:What makes you think I would want to do that?"
"Because it's a nice thing to do," Kurama grinned. "You've got to make up for your behavior this year. It's almost Christmas."
Hiei blinked. He had always, ever since he had begun working with the Reikai Tantei, tried to avoid associating with anything human. He had always just kind of let this Christmas thing blow past him every year. However...now, now that the missions were over, and he had nothing else to occupy his thoughts, he found that his curiosity about the human world had been growing. He felt that he would like to know what the others meant when they said "Christmas."
"Well?" Hiei said abruptly.
Kurama looked at him from over his notes. "What is it?"
"Aren't you going to explain this--this Christmas to me?" Hiei asked impatiently.
Kurama put down his notes, looking surprised. "I never knew you even cared. Okay, what do you want to know?"
"Just tell me everything," Hiei snapped. "It's not like we have anything important to do."
Kurama, who did, in fact, have many important things he could have been doing, leaned back in his chair. "Well..." He considered, then continued.
"Well, Christmas is seen by most people as a time of love and compassion."
Hiei snorted. "Humans? Showing love and compassion? Kurama, humans are worse than the cruelest demon--what?"
Kurama was regarding him patiently. "Are you going to let me talk?"
Hiei rolled his eyes. "Please. Continue."
Kurama took a breath. "Well, Christmas is celebrated in a lot of different ways. Some people exchange gifts, some don't; some use it as an excuse for immoral behavior, some view it as a religious holiday. But the most widely practiced Christmas tradition is probably the legend of Santa Claus. According to the story, Santa lives at the North Pole and makes toys all year. On Christmas Eve, he goes around the world n a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and stops at each house. He lands on the roof and slides down the chimney while everyone's asleep. He leaves presents under the Christmas tree for people who have been good all year. The story goes that he leaves coal for people who have been bad."
Hiei had been listening wide-eyed. "Let me get this straight. The humans know full well that this man is going to break into their houses and they don't try to stop him? They celebrate it? And the man breaks into the house to leave things instead of to take them? And everyone's OK with this?"
Kurama smiled. "He is not breaking in with the intention to steal. He leaves things because he wants to reward people who have been good."
Hiei frowned. "So why haven't I noticed someone breaking into my house every December twenty-fourth since I've been here?"
"Well, for one thing, you live in a tree, not a house. For another, this doesn't really happen; it's just a story."
"What? Then why do people celebrate it??"
Kurama smiled patiently. "It's fun to pretend. The children enjoy it."
"I've seen them put out milk and cookies. Who eats them?"
"Usually the parents."
"So where do the presents come from?"
"Parents buy for children. Friends buy for each other."
"So what is the point of the Santa story?"
"It's fun."
"Stupid ningens."
"Yes. Well, you usually decorate your house for Christmas. You put up tinsel and decorate a tree that you put up in the house."
"Why a tree?"
"Well, evergreen trees symbolize the triumph of life over death. They bloom green and produce berries even in the darkest of winter. And they symbolize the hope that spring will come again."
Hiei blinked. After all these strange, unintelligible customs, this idea hit him powerfully. He did not quite understand why this was, but the image of a green tree in the middle of a harsh winter stayed in his mind's eye. He filed it away to dwell on later. "You know too much about trees," he muttered finally.
Kurama shrugged. "Anyway, a lot of people believe that Christmas is when the son of God was born on Earth in a human body. According to these people, he was born of a virgin, in a cave or barn, in a little nowhere town."
"In a barn?"
"Yes. The innkeeper turned the family away. There was no room for them."
Hiei knew how that felt as well. The thought of a baby being turned away stirred up whispers of memories that made his stomach clench painfully. He narrowed his eyes. Stupid ningen holidays, he thought angrily. Christmas seemed to Hiei so far as nothing more than a set of stories and traditions designed to bring about disturbing, discomforting thoughts in people.
And it's all well and good for people like Kurama, he thought suddenly. Kurama would spend Christmas Day with his human mother and father and brother, and they would probably spend the day doing stupid ningen things like exchanging gifts and singing carols and sharing family memories and saying they loved each other...
Hiei realized his fists were clenched. He stood up and turned to Kurama. "I have to go."
Kurama blinked. "Okay..."
"Good-bye. I'll see you tomorrow."
"it's cold outside, Hiei...Are you sure you don't want to stay here tonight? I can make you a bed on the couch."
"No. Thank you."
****
Kurama bit his lip as he watched Hiei leave. He had worried about this. Kurama knew from experience that the holidays were often nothing more than a catalyst for loneliness. He would have to make sure that Hiei was not alone on Christmas. He could invite him over to spend the morning with him and his family, but he knew Hiei would never accept. It would be too obviously an act of charity. Perhaps he would invite everyone over. Hiei might come if he knew everyone would be there. And he would not let Hiei sleep in that tree on Christmas Eve. Maybe I'll make it a slumber party, he thought amusedly...
****
Hiei walked down the street the next day feeling a bit ashamed of his abrupt departure from Kurama's the night before. Kurama probably thought he was mad at him or something. Well, he had been mad at him, but for pretty selfish reasons.
He should be happy that Kurama, after a thousand years of being alone, had finally found people who loved him. He shouldn't ruin it for him just because he didn't have any family at all...
Wait.
He did have a living relative.
Hiei turned a corner. How could he have forgotten about Yukina? Of course, she didn't know he was her brother, but that didn't mean he couldn't spend the day with her. What did one do on Christmas?
"Friends buy for friends," Hiei recited what Kurama had said. That was what he would do. He would buy a present for her.
Hiei traveled on, feeling inexplicably, childishly happy. This was something he could do. He would find her, and the others, something special. And he would buy; he wouldn't steal. That would be more thoughtful. Hiei almost laughed to himself as he turned another corner, heading toward the town.
****
So what does everyone think so far? I know it's starting off slowly. Don't worry, T.S. Eliot fans, I'll get to the poem, and how the story ties in with it, in the later chapters. I'll update soon, and again, please review!