Chapter 11- Cherished moments
A/N: Here is a special chapter in light of Christmas literally around the corner. Personally, I'm very proud of this one; it's a very touching chapter. Please do review and enjoy. Also, Merry Christmas to all readers!
Following the business with Sephiroth last week, Sairu was back and better than ever; every day, he continued training on his own, and even began demonstrating some techniques to his friends, namely Ienzo and Yuffie, who became competent sparring partners; from this onwards, Ienzo and Yuffie began to hang out, and every time he saw them together, Sairu couldn't help but notice that Ienzo laughed even more than he would with him and Kairi. He was jealous he wasn't spending as much time with Ienzo as he wanted, but he knew he needed more friends than just him and Kairi, so he said nothing.
Meanwhile, apart from training, everyone was preparing for the Christmas party that Ansem the Wise held at the palace every year; it was always an elaborate event, generally reserved for the adults, but this year, he decided to extend the honour to the children. Further, Sairu was seeking gifts for his closest friends, but was struggling to get anywhere. In the end, Sairu concluded that he had to ask for help, and when he did indeed ask Aerith for help, she was more than happy to offer her services.
"Hmm... what about this?" Aerith asked, showcasing to Sairu a chemistry set on their little expedition, which had brought them to a science-themed store. Sairu, after looking over the set itself, could only give a confused expression as he stared at it in contemplation. "I don't think so. Lord Ansem's lab is much bigger than that, and Ienzo may not like it because it 's not so hard to understand" "I see. Well, he is very smart. But still, what does that leave?" Looking around, Aerith then noticed in the distance an entire area dedicated to lab coats. "What about a lab coat that fits him?" she suggested hopefully. "Nah, he's already got a lot of them in his wardrobe. You have no idea how many he goes through in a week" he quipped jokingly.
"Well, we need to try something else. What else do you think he would like?" Aerith asked, completely clueless about what to get. Sairu wasn't making it easy for her to help, until one last thought came to her. "Well, it's our last chance, we'll have to go to a bookstore. He must love reading new things, so maybe there's something there" Knowing they tried everything in the store, Sairu nodded and hand in hand, they arrived at the town's most well-known bookstore. Needless to say, they looked around for a long time, sifting through the walls upon walls of books trying to find something. However, their efforts proved fruitless, fearing he wouldn't understand any of the books dedicated to physics, and deciding he wasn't one for storybooks either, it looked as if Ienzo was the kind of guy it was impossible to search for a gift for. That is until, Sairu discovered a thick black book with the numerals 'VI' inscribed on the bottom part of the spine and looked through it, only to discover the pages were all blank much to his confusion. This gave Sairu an idea, and with the book in hand, he approached the elderly owner and asked "Excuse me, sir, but why is this book broken?" "Hmm? What do you mean, young man?" the owner enquired politely. "Well, I was looking through this book, and nothing is inside; just blank pages" Sairu explained, genuinely curious.
Hearing this, the owner could only chuckle lightly as he analysed the boy's question and responded "Well, this is a special kind of book that people write in themselves. This kind of book is actually called a journal, where people write what they like, what they hate, almost like a diary. It can also be used to make notes about learning something" After hearing what he said, Sairu then realised that Ienzo could use something like that. "Hey, Aerith. I think I found a present for Ienzo" Hearing Sairu call out to her, Aerith came over and looked the book over, after which she turned to Sairu and smiled. "What a wonderful idea. Excuse me, sir, we'd like to purchase this book, please" "Ah, of course, miss. That would be 500 munny, please. And would you like me to gift wrap it?" the owner asked in response. "Yes, please" Aerith responded happily.
After paying, in a few minutes, the book was neatly wrapped and a blank label was attached. "Here you are. If I may ask, who is this book for?" the owner enquired curiously, at which Sairu grinned and answered "For my best friend, he loves experimenting" "Well, I do hope he likes the gift. Thank you and come again" the owner responded and a wave of his hand, Sairu and Aerith bid farewell, taking their leave. As soon as they stepped outside, Sairu's grin immediately faltered as he realised something. "Sairu what's wrong? We finally got a present for Ienzo, so why do you look sad?" Sairu then turned to face Aerith and sadly said "Yeah, but we still haven't got one for Kairi. I... don't know what to get her. What if she doesn't like the gift we find for her?" "Heh heh, Sairu, Kairi will love anything you get her, because it will come from her close friend. The best part of Christmas is giving something special to everyone who is important to you, and it's not something you have to buy; it's showing you care about someone. It's not just what you give, it's how you give it, do you understand?"
"Uh, I think so" Sairu sheepishly nodded, which brought another radiant smile from Aerith. "Now then, let's go and look for a present. Her grandma said Kairi really loves princesses; maybe we could find something to do with that" Aerith suggested, which Sairu nodded at, and together they left for the next location.
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Unfortunately, owing to excessive demands and purchases, the store they were hoping to look in had closed down owing to near cleared stocks, much to their disappointment. Although they continued to look around, the other stores didn't have anything remotely appealing to princess merchandise, and noticing how the sky was darkening, Sairu and Aerith realised it was time to go home. While they had a gift for Ienzo, Sairu's spirits were deflated at the lack of a gift for Kairi; he really wanted to do something special, but with the shops closed, their prospects at finding one were slim.
As Sairu slumped on the sofa, his head began lolling to the side, resting on the arm, and he just laid there, looking at nothing in particular. For a time, it seemed like he had fallen asleep with his eyes open, but he was alert when he received a slight jostle on the shoulder from the occupant on his left. "Hey, kiddo. Why so glum?" Cid asked curiously. Sairu rose his head and sat upright. "I wanted to find a present to give to Kairi for Christmas, but all the shops are closed now, and the ones we looked in had nothing she would like" Sairu sighed, depressed. Hearing this, Cid could only give Sairu a ruffle of his hair and replied "Did Aerith give you a speech about what Christmas is all about?" "Huh?" Sairu asked, until he remembered what Aerith told him. "Yeah... it's not what you give, it's how you give it, I think" Sairu recalled. "Bull's eye. She has been spouting that speech whenever this time of year comes round. Which is why I may be able to help" "How?" Sairu queried curiously.
After shiftily looking around the room, confirming the coast was clear, Cid gestured for Sairu to come closer and after he obeyed, Cid proceeded to whisper in his ear "I have also done some work with crafting jewellery. I can make something pretty for your little girlfriend, and you don't have to pay a thing" At this, Sairu's dishevelled gaze brightened into joy and excitement, and rapidly nodded his head, with a beaming smile plastered across his face. "Thank you, thank you!" he exuberantly cheered, at which Cid proceeded to give him a noogie, and stated "Just don't tell anyone I've crafted jewellery, I'm still a mechanic to the men in this town" Realising what this meant, Sairu nodded with a finger pressed on his lips. "Great, let's go. I can get started right away" And together, Sairu and Cid bolted for the workshop.
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"I really shouldn't bring you in here, but coz it's for a good reason, I think it's fair to let you off this once" Cid stated, as he approached his workshop. The room itself was surprisingly large and spacious ('Merlin' thought Sairu as he comprehended the size of the room around him), numerous dangerous-looking and undoubtedly dangerous tools were hung on the wall, an anvil off to the side of the room with a bucket of water placed next to it, a giant furnace in the corner of the room, a wide desk fixed into the wall, littered with thousands of tiny objects placed atop complicated blueprints and designs. The only piece of so called decoration in the entire room was a design for a bizarre looking airship called the Shera, at least as far as Sairu was concerned.
"So, how is this going to work? You can craft jewellery here, even though this is a mechanic's workplace" Sairu asked, surprised and clueless. "You'd be surprised, kiddo. Crafting jewellery and maintaining machinery are still made in flames, and takes keen eyesight and accurate measuring. Don't tell anyone, but with the dough I'm raking in for my jewellery, it's enough for me to retire peacefully. But the ladies love me for it, so how could I refuse a pretty face?" Cid replied with a beaming grin that nearly crushed the toothpick in his mouth. Cid then proceeded to a cupboard located under the desk, and using an old rusting key, he unlocked it to reveal to Sairu's awe, brightly coloured and stunning stones of nearly every colour of the rainbow.
"Whoa, where did you find all these?" Sairu asked, astounded. "Outside the city. You remember? There are canyons full of all sorts of gems, crystals, and precious metals. Folks'll pay a pretty penny for things like that coz they're so pretty. I mainly use the precious metals to repair and forge new weapons; the precious stones are a side job when I make jewellery. You can help me if you want, but you gotta do exactly what I tell ya, ya getting me?" Cid then said, turning to face Sairu with a serious expression. Noting this, Sairu stood straight and saluted. "Yes sir. What do you want me to do first?" Sairu declared exuberantly. "First off, go get an apron, some gloves and a special mask. There's some over by the door" Cid instructed, and as soon as Sairu was geared up and protected, the mission began.
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Within a couple of days, the project was completed, and Sairu, Kairi and Ienzo arranged to exchange gifts at Sairu's place before going to the party with Squall, who dressed in some unusual black suit that looked like the guards' uniforms at the palace, and Aerith, who was dressed in an elegant emerald ball gown that matched her eyes perfectly; even Ienzo couldn't take his eyes off her. Sairu was dressed in a simple suit, wearing a navy collared shirt, black trousers, a black jacket and sensible black shoes. Ienzo still wore his trademark lab coat, but had traded in his usual attire for a white collared shirt with a turquoise ascot, black trousers and black shoes not unlike Sairu's. As for Kairi, she was dressed in a lavender dress with a darker purple blouse, and had her hair styled in curls, and had silver sandals to complete her attire.
"Alright, everyone. We'd better hurry or we'll be late" Aerith called, and the children gathered with their gifts in hand. Sairu opted to go first, and gave a wrapped present to Ienzo. He opened it rather placidly yet his visible eye widened in intrigue when his gaze fell over the black book in his hands. As he opened it, his intrigue heightened as he examined the 'contents' of the book itself. "Sairu, not to sound rude, but may I ask why this book is blank?" Ienzo enquired politely. "Oh, the owner of the bookstore said it's to be written in. I thought that you could use it for your experiments" Hearing this, Ienzo's intrigue was replaced by a satisfied smile. "That makes sense... I never thought you'd be able to think of a gift as sensible as this. Sairu... this is a great gift. Thank you" Ienzo responded gratefully with a raised hand, but Sairu instead hugged him, much to Ienzo's alarming discomfort.
"In any case, here's my gift for you. Merry Christmas, Sairu" Ienzo then shakily said, before presenting a small box wrapped neatly with an indigo bow over turquoise paper. Not one for waiting, Sairu began shredding the paper, and as he opened the box, he noticed a small object attached to a chain: a presently mostly black sphere, with an edge of white. Sairu was completely surprised at the gift, and looked it over, completely enthralled. "What's this? It's so cool" Sairu exuberantly asked. "Just a little project Even and I have been working on. It's a special charm that can tell you the phases of the moon in the sky. Namely, there's a crescent moon out tonight. It's very unique; there's not another one like this." Hearing this, Sairu could only leap for joy. "Awesome! Thanks a lot, Ienzo!"
Once he finished, Ienzo smiled again, and then turned to face Kairi. "This is for you, Kairi. I found it amongst the books in my room, and thought you might like it" And he presented a similar shaped gift to Kairi who graciously accepted and proceeded to unwrap. The gift revealed was indeed another book, but this actually had stories in it, primarily fairy tales from what Sairu could see, via illustrations of a unicorn and a dragon. "Thanks so much, Ienzo. I love it" Kairi said joyously as she pulled Ienzo into a one-armed embrace, which still unsettled him but he returned all the same. As they let go, Kairi proceeded to pass her gifts to Ienzo and Sairu at once. "These are something my grandma and I made together. I hope you like them" she explained with a slight flush in her cheeks. At this, Ienzo and Sairu nodded and opened their wrappings together. Continuing in synchronicity, both boys proceeded to extract their gifts: identically designed rope bracelets, Ienzo's coloured navy blue, while Sairu received a white coloured bracelets.
"Kairi, these are... a... amazing" Ienzo actually struggled to say, while Sairu was speechless for the first time that night. Together, both boys pulled Kairi into a group hug, which seemed to last forever until a click and a flash of a camera from Yuffie interrupted their moment. Slipping their gifts into their pockets, Ienzo proceeded to fold his arms and give Sairu a patient yet intense stare, with Kairi gazing expectantly at him. Seeing his friends act like this unnerved Sairu and he unconsciously stepped back until he was pushed forward gently by Aerith. Finally recalling, Sairu proceeded to present a small box wrapped in silver paper with a gold bow tied over it, he proceeded to pass it to Kairi with shaking hands. "K-K-Kairi. I, uh... I mean... Th-This is f-for y-y-you. M-Merry C-Christmas" he stuttered, a burning blush colouring his face red.
After taking the gift from Sairu gently, Kairi nodded to Sairu and gave him a small smile, which made his face burn a deeper red. Carefully, she unwrapped the box and proceeded to open the box. As soon as the lid was completely removed, her mouth fell open, her eyes locked upon the beautiful artefact that was gently placed upon the tissue paper that lined the box. Inside was a dazzling silver bracelet, which was adorned with small fragments of gems embedded, pulsating with all the colours known to mankind. The instant that Kairi placed it on her wrist (a perfect fit, one might add) and, eyes swimming tears of joy, she charged at Sairu and gave him the tightest hug she could muster. Sairu absentmindedly returned the hug, his mind in shock at what just happened, yet was able to muster an utterly serene smile.
Once they released each other, Sairu immediately turned to face Cid, who gave him a wink, at which Sairu grinned and winked in return. Then he noticed Cid raise his hand and point at something, stifling a sound. Following his finger, Sairu then turned and noticed something that made his heart stop: a sprig of mistletoe dangling above him and Kairi, courtesy of Aerith. Ienzo at this time was futilely attempting to stifle a laugh as he saw the blank expression on Sairu's face. "Come on, Sairu. You know what happens under the mistletoe, right?" Aerith teasingly remarked, with a cheeky wink. Although his expression did not change, Sairu inwardly was fuming at Aerith, thinking of many ways to pay her back for this. Sairu slowly nodded and turned to face Kairi, and without even knowing it, both proceeded to awkwardly lean closer to each other with their eyes closed, slowly but surely, until... their lips met one another, gently but sweetly.
For Sairu, everything was white: what he saw, what he heard, nothing seemed to register but what he felt: an electrifying sensation that paralysed him, frozen in place. If his mind was in shock before, then he was in a white oblivion now. To everyone present, they couldn't help but stare at the sweetest scene before them; Aerith was practically crying tears of joy, Yuffie snapping pictures continuously, Squall giving a smile of his own, Cid clutching his sides in silent laughter, and Ienzo could only smile with folded arms, not only touched by the scene before him, but also contemplating the numerous ways in which he could use this moment for blackmail, inwardly snickering evilly. And just as soon as it began, their lips parted, both Sairu and Kairi's faces completely red as they looked at one another. Even though the kiss was done, Sairu felt incredibly light, almost if he was floating, and smiling so hard that his cheeks hurt; Kairi was experiencing a similar thing, and then they both started laughing out loud, at which moment, everyone started laughing light-heartedly.
"Now then, are we ready to go?" Aerith asked, clapping her hands for everyone's attention. With that, everyone was out the door within a minute, and a certain trio proceeded to walk hand in hand, proceeding to the banquet on what was, in their opinion, the best night ever.
"This was the one Christmas that I remember with joy and glee, the only Christmas I spent with my best friends. Even despite what happened later, we still managed to enjoy Christmas, but they will never hold a candle to this one. The gifts were awesome, but they were still nothing compared to that moment between Kairi and I... my first kiss. There is nothing that can take that moment away from me, and I hope the day will come when I can be with Kairi again, forever".
