Black Knights Base – Laboratory Section
"Keiichi-kun, are you awake?" I asked. A small, barely audible whimper came in response. "I see." Keiichi would have probably fallen asleep while I was too engrossed with the final touches to the Rurouni's anti-alice barrier system. Sometime ago I had been asked by Zero to do something that could protect the Knightmares from any alice-based attacks, and as Keiichi would always get lonely at the orphanage, he would always help me…although most of the time he would end up asleep, just like today. I can't help but smile at the thought.
Due to the late hour, I decide that it's best for us to stay the night here, which is sort of ironic if you put it this way: We spent the night at the Black Knights' base. Because of that same reason, despite being really tired, I decide to re-check the system once again before taking out some paper and a little gift box for Keiichi. After all, in just a few days it would be Christmas, and, even though this gift might not be the best, it was all I could afford. Besides, the real purpose of it was for Keiichi to experience the magic of Christmas, even if it was just one gift and there was no fancy food or party, it was still Christmas. With those feelings in mind, I proceed to make an Alice stone for him, surprisingly, the stone comes out to be big enough to cover my palm and part of my fingers. It's color is fascinating to me. It is a bluish-gray color that I can't quite describe with words. Trying not to make much noise, I put it in the box and then wrap it carefully in the green-colored paper. If I might say so, it looked a bit crappy to me, so I decided to put a little red ribbon, made with a little cloth I had handy, on it.
Now all that was left to do was hide it and wait for the 24th.
Afterwards, I drifted on to sleep.
Christmas Eve
"Here, have this, Keiichi." I say, handing him the little box.
His face looks really surprised, "What is it nee-chan? What's the box for?" He looks at me questioningly.
"Well, today's Christmas, and this is the gift I want to give to you, so, do you want to open it?"
"Are you sure, nee-chan?" he asks, "With everything's that's going on, I wouldn't be happy if getting this gift troubled you, nee-chan."
I laugh whole-heartedly, "It wasn't any trouble, Keiichi-kun, I made it myself, so, you can open it whenever, wherever, and with whoever you want."
"Well, since nee-chan made it, then I want to open it in front of nee-chan." He starts opening the gift carefully, trying not to break the paper or the cloth. As soon as he opens the box, his face lights up completely. "This stone is awesome!!!! Thank you nee-chan!!!!" Keiichi-kun's face is overwhelmed with joy, "Nee-chan, this is an alice stone, right? I hope one day you'll teach me how to do one. That way, I'll be able to give you mine!"
I smile, remembering the old legend back at Gakuen Alice, "Of course, I'll teach you one of these days."
As weird as it might seem, the little boy named Shiruki Keiichi possessed, indeed, an alice. A really powerful alice, an alice that could bend and break the things around him. For example, he could bend a metal bar by just thinking of it, or cut wood by just looking at it. To put it simply, he could bend whatever he wanted. Even a human being's body. Luckily for him, he hadn't been taken to the academy, where he would have, most probably, have been placed in the Dangerous Ability class. I would never allow that, nor would Zero, or any other person who was aware of his power. No one who knew him well would allow him to go there and suffer that sort of pain.
That was, partly, one of the reasons why I was his caretaker and teacher. Because those who knew about his alice where also aware that I had an alice, so they believed me to be the right person to teach him how to use his alice and other things. That was the reason why he didn't get along with the other kids at the orphanage. Except for a few, they were all scared of his ability.
That was why he had been so happy when I gave him his gift.
"Nee-chan? Do you think we could go practice today?" he asked.
"It depends on what you want to practice," I said, "If you want to practice with your alice, then of course we can, but if you want to practice Knightmare piloting, then it'll have to wait." I say, smiling.
"I'd like to practice using my alice so next year I can make nee-chan a gift with my own hands! That way, you won't be troubled at all!"
"Really!" I say, surprised, "Then I'll look forward to it, Keiichi-kun. I'm pretty sure everyone will."
As I say that, however, I can't help but think about the Christmas I spent at Gakuen Alice with every single one of my friends, because of that, I smile.
Christmas really IS a magical time of year.
Gakuen Alice
"My, my, I wish that the Christmas party in this school wasn't so loud!" said Count Lloyd, yes, that crazy old lunatic.
"Well, Lloyd-san, in this school this is a really important time of year, it is one of the few events that have remained unchanged in this place, after all, it is obvious they will celebrate with all that their worth." Well, I've got to acknowledge it, Cecile's right, this IS one of the few things that hasn't changed over here.