Kurisumasu Kitai

Japanese

Kurisumasu Kitai – Christmas Hope

Normally I didn't like the Christmas season all that much. Too much hustle and bustle for the one day of the year when people were supposed to be nice to each other, only to be so worn out by the preparations that they snapped at everyone.

But with Amarin in our house now, I was actually enjoying December. Maybe it was because the decorations she put up were mostly made by herself and Mokuba, and weren't overwhelming. Maybe it was because she liked to celebrate the twelve days of Christmas by making as many different kinds of cookies as possible.

Maybe it was just because Amarin was so cheerful, and it was hard not to be warmed by her very presence.

"Scrambled eggs over rice?" I asked when I cam downstairs for breakfast. I was surprised; while Amarin was equal opportunity on ethnic dishes for dinner (and lunch, I assumed, though we hardly ever ate that meal together) she normally fixed some Western dish for breakfast. I don't think French Toast counts as International.

"I thought you might like something different," she said. "Plus, Mokuba said it was your favorite breakfast. And we have over three pounds of rice in the pantry that's going to pass its expiration date in less than six weeks."

Involuntarily, my lips quirked up. That was so like her – to sidetrack me with a logical explanation instead of just admitting she wanted to do something nice for me. I knew it wasn't because she was uncomfortable admitting something like that; it was because I was uncomfortable with her doing it for that sole reason. "Should I be expecting Chinese fried rice for dinner every night this week?" I asked dryly.

She chuckled. "No, just tomorrow night. Tonight I'm making Spanish rice; Wednesday it's rice pilaf, and hopefully after that we'll have used it all up. If not, Thursday I'll make curry rice."

"Normally I'd think you were underestimating, but with Mokuba's appetite the way it's been lately, I'm not so sure you aren't right," I admitted.

Shrugging, she picked up her own bowl of rice and eggs and sat down across from me. "He's a growing boy; he needs his sustenance." She picked up the salt and butter and proceeded to turn her relatively healthy breakfast into something resembling a heart attack in a bowl.

Another smile stole over my lips and I quickly buried it in my breakfast.

When I came home that afternoon it was to discover both Mokuba and Amarin in the den. Mokuba had his homework out, but was more focused on watching Amarin.

"You seem to be making an awful lot of scarves lately," Mokuba observed, watching as Amarin finished adding fringe to a wool scarf in shades of green.

Amarin shrugged as reached for a ball of blue yarn out of the tote bag at her feet. "It's nearing Christmastime."

"What's that have to do with anything?" Mokuba asked, clearly perplexed.

"Every year I give people something I knitted for Christmas. It's almost always a scarf," Amarin explained, casting on her stitches to start yet another scarf.

"Why?" I was curious about this, too, and moved closer to continue my eavesdropping.

"It's sort of a tradition. Ever since my Great Aunt Madison Rose, or as I called her, Grandma Rose, taught me to knit when I was five, I knit nearly all my Christmas presents." She laughed softly and pause in her knitting. "I remember how it all started – I'd just finished my very first knitting project, a scarf and said, 'That was fun; I want to make another one,' and Grandma Rose told me that was fine but how many scarves did I need? Then I said, 'Well…I'll make them for other people then. Christmas is coming up, isn't it?' and that's how the tradition started." She took up her needles again and soon had the first row done.

"Do…do you have any other Christmas traditions?" Mokuba asked earnestly.

Giving him a sideways look, she said, "Sure, quite a few, actually. But most of them I won't be able to do this year." She smiled a tad wistfully.

"Why not?"

"Normally my friend Kyle and I, and his family would go out caroling on the Saturday before Christmas," she revealed. "And since we were twelve we'd volunteer as Elves together down at the Homeless Shelter for their Christmas party. I won't be able to do that this year since I'm not in America."

"Oh." Mokuba fell silent for a moment, and then his face furled in a frown. "Is that all you do on Christmas?" He seemed to be asking about the holiday in general, not her personal experiences, and this confused Amarin.

I knew why he was doing it, though; we Kaibas don't have any Christmas traditions, and my little brother wanted to start some, or maybe even join in on hers.

"People do lots of things around Christmas," she told him. "Bake cookies, put up a tree and decorate it, go shopping for presents and wrap them, send Christmas cards, give and attend parties, hang out with friends since you're off from school for two weeks…"

Her explanation seemed to have only made Mokuba more morose. "Seto and I have never done any of that."

I have never been good in emotional situations, but I felt I should go out there and try and cheer my brother up. Luckily I didn't need to; Amarin had him well in hand.

"It's never too soon to start," she told him, then considered for a moment. "I think I've made more than enough cookies, but there's no such thing as too many. We can send out Christmas cards after dinner, once you've finished your homework," she added pointedly. "And maybe, if Seto is free, this Saturday why don't we all go out and get a tree?"

Mokuba was smiling again, and actually, so was I. "Yeah, that sounds great."

It was great. Amarin refused to let us get a live tree, claiming that it was 'mean to the tree' and also she didn't want to clean up the needles.

The plastic one was more expensive but we'd be able to use it every year. Then, of course, we had to buy a tree stand, a star for the top, lights and ornaments. Amarin and Mokuba spent over half an hour picking out ornaments and baubles to hang on the tree.

Mokuba didn't even need to prompt me to get some of my own: a miniature Blue Eyes White Dragon, a silver star, a chubby snowman with a computer for a stomach. Those were the three that caught my eye, and the pleased grin on Mokuba's face was definitely worth it.

While Amarin was in the grocery store getting the ingredients for fudge, Mokuba dragged me to the toy store next door, he surprised me by saying that we needed to get Amarin presents.

"Presents, plural?" I raised an eyebrow in question.

Mokuba nodded, giving me a look that questioned my high intelligence. "One from me, and one from you, big brother."

The 'Duh' resounded silently in my head.

"What kind of present?" However much I loved Mokuba, sometimes I felt like I didn't know him at all. Half the time I got him presents he liked, and the other half, while he didn't hate them, he was obviously confused as to why I thought he'd like them.

Spying something over in a corner, Mokuba scampered over to the display of plush Duel Monsters. "I remember she said the Kuriboh was cute," he said, pointing at one of the brown and green monsters out of his reach.

I obliged him by getting it down for him. Coincidentally, another stuffed toy fell down on top of me after I removed it.

It was a Blue Eyes White Dragon. Before I even knew it, I was cuddling it in my arms. I stopped immediately once I realized what I was doing, but the damage was done.

I was much too old for stuffed toys, but not for being teased by my younger brother. Thankfully, all he said was, "I think she'd like that."

We paid, left and got back to the grocery store just minutes before Amarin finished checking out. Mokuba was the opposite of subtle trying to keep Amarin from looking in our bag, but I could tell she was mostly doing it to tease him.

When we got home, Mokuba and Amarin went off to make fudge. I had work to do, but promised I'd help them with the last batch.

The last batch ended up being made just so the two of them could use up all the ingredients, which is why it had nuts, toffee bits, chocolate chips, and M&Ms in them. There was barely enough room in the pan for the actual fudge part once we got the 'toppings' in there.

They were really good, though.

Christmas morning dawned much too early. Actually, it didn't even dawn; I was awoken by the sound of Mokuba knocking frantically on my door when it was still dark outside. I opened it and stared at the retreating form of my whirlwind of a brother through bleary eyes. When I looked away I came face to face with Amarin.

She was wearing pink plaid flannel pajama pants and a baggy pink sweatshirt. Also, fuzzy rainbow colored slippers. Her hair was in two long braids, but a lot of it had escape and waved wildly around her face.

She didn't notice my perusal of her attire because she was too busy yawning wider than the Grand Canyon. "Is it actually morning?" she asked sleepily.

"A bit past for," I confirmed.

"Ah," she replied, and then shuffled sleepily down the hallway after Mokuba.

Most of the presents under the tree were for Mokuba. There were a few odd ones from Amarin's relatives for her, and a couple gifts from various business associates for me.

Mokuba finished unwrapping his fourteen presents before I finished my four and Amarin her seven. Most of Mokuba's were various computer games that he'd mentioned to Amarin, plus a red and blue striped scarf. There were also few Duel Monsters card booster packs, a remote controlled car and a skateboard from me. By his pleased grin, it looked like I'd done good this year.

Amarin received some books, romance novels by the look of them, a Celine Dion CD, some sparkly and brightly colored – and very expensive, Amarin told me – yarn and a pair of wooden knitting needles, a pink flannel nightshirt with cats on it, and of course, mine and Mokuba's stuffed toys.

She was eighteen years old; it was almost ludicrous how…adorable she looked cuddling them like kittens or babies.

It was almost equally as ludicrous that my pro forma gifts were actually usable. One was from the American Macintosh representative, a beta version of their newest iPhone. The other was selective of gourmet coffees complete with travel mug. Mokuba had gotten me a dayplanner with a Blue Eyes White Dragon on the front. I already had one – without the Dual Monster motif – but the note include explained. I know you already have one of these, but that's for work. Use this one to make some time to spend with us. You know, doing things that are fun.

There was a drawing of a cheeky little chibi with a smile on its overlarge face as a signature.

Amarin's gift was a surprise, though it shouldn't have been. A navy blue scarf – the same blue I'd seen her using the day I eavesdropped on her and Mokuba – with my initials embroidered on both ends. Classy enough that I could wear it to work, but not so stylish that I couldn't wear it everyday.

"Oh!" Amarin exclaimed. She crawled underneath the tree, and I flushed as I realized that her shirt had ridden up, exposing parts of her I shouldn't be staring at.

Mostly because I wanted to stare.

She crawled back out a few seconds later, thankfully. There was an envelope in her hand, and when she said, "It's for you, Kaiba-san," I must admit I was surprised.

Not because there was something else for me, but because I didn't recall that envelope being there the night before. Amarin obviously hadn't put it there, and Mokuba, always an open, if not clear, book to me, didn't know anything about it either.

When I opened it, however, it all made sense.

Happy Kurisumasu, Seto,

Since this a time for family and friends, we wanted to wish you well.

Because no matter how much you might dislike it, we consider you our friend.

Yugi & Yami (and all our friends)

"What makes you think I don't appreciate your friendship, Moto?" I muttered under my breath. Just because I don't show it doesn't mean I don't feel it, I added silently, my eyes cutting across the room to where Amarin and Mokuba were laughing over the contents of their stockings. She looked up and caught my eye, smiling at me.

No, it doesn't.

I couldn't help but smile back.