Vampire Ronin: Oh, fudge! It's like college days all over again. I can go over what I write like four times, but the minute I print it and look over it again I catch the error(s). The only difference now is I publish the chapters instead of printing and handing 'em in to the professors. Yes, it was a very sneaky Ryo and you'll find out about Kento's gift below. As for Cye, you inspired me to insert in this chapter the answer to your question. Thank you, thank you! I'm lovin' this story!

Author's Note: Another wonderful chapter from the beautiful and creative mind that is Tigergirl (Don't you love my modesty?). Lol Enjoy reading.

CHAPTER TWENTY

/Day 4 of Christmas Break, Christmas Day/

Satsuki and Yayoi snuck quietly down the hall to Emily's room. They opened the door and tiptoed inside. Emily was still fast asleep with her blanket pushed halfway down and her pillow hugged tightly. The two older sisters looked at each other, counted to three, and then jumped onto their sister's bed.

Emily shot up into a sitting position, fully awake and confused.

"Merry Christmas, Emily," they chorused in a quiet voice.

Emily stared at them a moment before understanding slowly dawned on her. She smiled wide as her sisters moved off the bed so she could stand up. Still clad in their pajamas, the three sisters crept down the hall to Sage's room where they roused their brother from his slumber. The four walked downstairs together with Satsuki and Yayoi in front and Sage and Emily in back.

The four wandered out into the living room where they found their Christmas tree lit up with a large assortment of wrapped gifts under it. The two older girls giggled like schoolgirls as they snatched up their stockings. Emily picked up Sage and hers stockings, handing her brother his as she sat down beside him.

The four siblings pulled out the contents of their stockings. The contents were small items such as lip gloss (for the girls), gloves, a yo-yo (Emily) and vegetables/fruits. Each sibling pulled out a round piece of food. They each looked at each other before tossing their items around.

Emily threw her apple to Satsuki who threw her orange to Sage who threw his peach to Yayoi who threw her tangerine to Emily. Satsuki laughed as she rolled her peach around in her hands.

"After so many years, you would think Santa would know by now what each one of us likes," she said.

The other three smiled and nodded their heads in agreement. It never failed. Every Christmas, the quartet would find the wrong piece of food in their stockings and they would wind up swapping before the older adults were awake. Speaking of the adults, it was a Christmas family tradition for them to wait until everyone was up, dressed, and drinking something hot before presents could be distributed and opened.

The four wandered back upstairs to their respective rooms to change into their clothes for the day. Emily changed into a white t-shirt and khaki pants. Her t-shirt had dark winter blue snowflakes across her chest in a row of three. Her khaki pants were a little dark in color and she wore a brown belt to compliment her pants. She wore a matching dark blue scarf around her neck that wrapped around her neck once to even out the ends lying on either side of her body.

Emily met her brother in the hallway and looped her arm through his again.

"We're spending the afternoon and evening at Mia's, right?" Emily asked.

Sage nodded silently as they walked downstairs. Sage reminded Emily that Rowen would be joining them around nine-thirty to spend part of Christmas Day with the family. They were both extremely happy when they found their parents and Grandfather awake and sipping drinks. Once Satsuki and Yayoi came downstairs, the family gathered in the living room near the tree to open presents.

"Whose turn is it to play Santa this year?" Mrs. Date asked.

Everyone minus her pointed to Satsuki. The young woman clapped her hands happily as she knelt down beside the tree. Each of the four siblings had a different way of playing "Santa." Satsuki would go from the left side to the right side of the tree while Yayoi would go from right to left. Sage started from the middle then went to the left before returning to the middle and going right. Emily swept from side to side, handing out all the gifts from top to bottom.

Satsuki picked up a small, neatly wrapped gift. "This one's for Dad from Yayoi."

Mr. Date leaned forward on the couch to take the gift from her before she turned back around to pick up another gift. Mr. Date got a brand new travel coffee mug from Yayoi which he thanked her since his last one had been lost. The gifts under the tree quickly disappeared as members of the family unwrapped them.

Emily frowned. Her Grandfather had given everyone a gift except her. From his standing spot behind the couch, he motioned for her to follow him outside. Without the others noticing, Emily slipped outside after him, but quickly jumped back inside to retrieve a jacket. Emily's Grandfather held out his arm for Emily to loop her arm through. They walked out into the Zen garden Emily's mother had put together earlier that year.

"What can you tell me of a card deck, my gyousei [morning star]?" Grandfather Date asked.

Emily thought this question strange, but answered anyway.

"A standard card deck consists of 52 cards. The cards are represented by spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. The cards range from two to ten, then the face cards and Aces. Some decks are theme-based while others are more traditional," Emily explained.

Grandfather Date chuckled as he patted Emily on the arm and they stopped in the middle of the garden. He produced a small wrapped gift from his inner jacket pocket and handed it to her. Emily let go of his arm so she could gently unwrap the gift. She was pleasantly surprised to find not a full card deck, but a single card in a sealed card holder.

"Every card has its place in the deck. Even the Joker I've given you," he said, cryptically.

Emily stared at him puzzled. What possible place did a Joker card have in a deck? She wasn't aware of any card games that used it. This particular card wasn't even a part of the 52 cards that made up a standard deck.

"While it has no place in any card game, the Joker still holds its place in a card deck. Without it, the deck is not complete. Also, if not shuffled out before a game begins; the Joker can be the one card to upset even the most strategic planning. It is the most unique card in a deck because it belongs to none of the four suits," he told her.

Emily smiled as she now admired the card. She felt like her Grandfather was referring to her when he talked about the card's uniqueness. His small sly smile gave her even further confirmation.

"Keep it in a special place, child," Grandfather Date told his youngest granddaughter.

The young blonde woman playfully glared at the elderly man.

"Ojiisan, I have been eighteen since early October. I'm not a child anymore," she nagged him.

He clucked his tongue at her with the waggle of a finger.

"You will always be a child in my eyes, my gyousei."

The sound of a car pulling up out front alerted them to the arrival of Rowen. They walked back inside to greet him with the rest of the family.

/…/

/Earlier that day/

Ryo walked into the kitchen just as Cye was pulling out a casserole. He frowned as he grabbed up an apple and hopped up to sit on a kitchen counter.

"Merry Christmas, Cye. I thought Kento was fixing dinner later," Ryo said, before biting into his apple.

Cye smiled sheepishly which piqued Ryo's interest. He had his jacket and shoes on, meaning he was planning to go somewhere with that casserole.

"This isn't for us," Cye confessed as he headed for the door.

Ryo slid off the counter and tossed the apple core away.

"So who's the casserole for?" Ryo asked.

Cye stopped at the door and let out an inaudible sigh. He placed the casserole down on the counter near the kitchen door and turned back around. He smiled weakly.

"You remember how you and Kento found me trampled yesterday while we were shopping?" Slow nod. "I offered to bake a casserole for Christmas for this Grandmother if her grandchildren ran me over."

Ryo barked out a laugh. He didn't have to worry about Kento hearing them since the man had been going into the shower as he passed his and Cye's room to come downstairs.

"I knew it. You sly fish! You may play the innocent act with all of us, but I knew it!" Ryo grinned.

Cye shrugged with a chuckle of his own. "I had to do it, Ryo. Ken would have had us out all day."

Ryo looked over his shoulder, checking to make sure none of the other residents were around.

"Next year, you and I are going to tag team him. This year, it was us. Next year, it's Rowen and Sage," he murmured.

An uncharacteristic smirk graced Cye's face as he gave his friend a nod of agreement. They shook on it with equal grins on their faces.

"I'm thinking this time next year would be a good time to go camping. I'll be back in twenty minutes. Merry Christmas, Ryo," Cye said before slipping out the door with the casserole.

/…/

/Later that day/

"Wow! Thanks, Cye. Thanks, Kento. You two rule."

Kento beamed and Cye chuckled as Ryo admired his new motorcycle helmet. The guys had decided to come together on Ryo's gifts this year. Cye and Kento had gotten him a new helmet while Sage had bought him new gloves and Rowen tools to help him better care for his bike. Emily had been the "odd man out" who had given him a framed drawing of him and his motorcycle drawn completely from memory.

In fact, it turned out Emily had given all the guys and Mia drawings of themselves doing activities they loved. The drawings were all a small size of 11" by 14". For being a "tomboy," Emily was very skilled in the Arts. Speaking of the little artist, she had received a few special gifts, too.

Rowen had given her a new bow and one of his own armor arrows. "Don't go using that arrow for practice. It will smash clean through any target." Cye gave her a new paint set with fresh brushes and a hat he had personally made. Sage's gift had been a special can of pepper spray which had caused them all to chuckle.

Emily was unwrapping Ryo's gift while the others were chatting about this and that. Kento had stepped into the kitchen to check on some of the food and to retrieve his gift for Emily. He stepped back into the room just as Emily lifted the lid off the box she was holding. She frowned.

Sitting in the box was a small Polaroid picture of Ryo's old bike. She stared at it a second before picking it up. Then she noticed something else seemed to be in the box. She moved the tissue paper aside to reveal a single key attached to a carabineer ring. Emily's gaze turned over to Ryo who was smiling at her. Slowly, realization dawned on her.

Ryo had about two seconds to move to avoid a fatal injury as Emily landed halfway on the couch and halfway on him. Her arms wound around his neck tightly as she thanked him over and over again. The others stared at the spectacle in confusion until Cye picked up what Emily had dropped. Holding up the motorcycle key for all to see, everyone came to an understanding as to what Ryo had given her.

Quietly, Kento slipped out of the room without anyone noticing. He carefully set the Christmas bag down on the kitchen table as he checked on the oven and lowered the heat on the stove. He didn't bother suppressing the small sigh as he stirred the potatoes.

How can I top a gift like that, Kento thought.

Unknown to him, as he worked quietly on the dinner, Emily had crept into the kitchen. Since Kento had been standing behind the couch, Emily had spotted him slipping out when she had turned her head. Emily glanced over at the gift bag and gathered a conclusion on the reasoning for Kento's sudden departure. In her absence, Emily had forgotten how sensitive her "adopted" brother could be.

So as not to startle him too badly, she slid up beside him to stand next to him for a minute. Kento didn't say anything as Emily looked at the mashed potatoes.

"What do you think about blue mashed potatoes?" Emily asked.

Kento paused for a second before his frown shifted into a laughing smile.

"The food coloring's over in that counter," he told her.

Emily hugged his arm before retrieving the food coloring. She was happy to see they still had a large quantity of blue leftover from the family's Halloween party last year. She brought it over and dropped the necessary amount of drops into the potatoes before Kento mixed it up the rest of the way.

"Did you like your drawing?" Emily asked.

Kento finally turned his head to flash his smile at Emily.

"It rocks, Em! I love it," he replied.

"You know I like Ryo's gift," Kento winced "but I'd really like to see your gift."

Kento smiled weakly as he made sure the food he was working on didn't need his immediate attention. He walked back over to the kitchen table and Emily followed him. He slid the bag over to her and explained to her to be careful with pulling things out.

Emily reached in and pulled out a beautifully wrapped rectangle that weighed a little heavy. She placed it down on the table before reaching in the bag and pulling out a new full-sized candle. Her face broke out in a smile.

"Sparkling cinnamon? My favorite!"

Kento's smile started to grow. He had spent such a long time in the Yankee Candle store because he had been struggling to remember Emily's favorite scent. He was glad to see the time had obviously paid off. Now came the "perfect" gift.

Kento held his breath as Emily tortured him by slowly peeling off the wrapping paper. He just wanted to rip it all off for her, but he held himself back. Emily peeled off two layers of wrapping paper before coming to the blank backside of a thick, hardback book. Raising an eyebrow, Emily flipped it over to look at the cover.

Kento let out his breath silently when Emily started smiling and flipping through the book. She giggled as she put it down and hugged Kento.

"Ken, it's awesome. I absolutely love it! I love the pictures and the historical legends and information. And the best part is that it's signed by the author!"

Kento nearly fell over backwards. He hadn't realized the book was autographed. Now he knew

Emily loved the book on mythological creatures for sure. She sat back down at the table to look through her new book as he moved about cooking. They could hear the others talking out in the living room, but chose to stay in the kitchen together.

Emily loved the book! The thing she loved most about mythological creatures was the various ways they could be depicted, based on different cultures and different viewpoints. Her eyes fell on a creature unfamiliar to her.

"Hey, Kento?" she called softly.

"Yeah, Em?" he replied without turning around.

"Have you ever heard of a will-o'-the-wisp?" Emily questioned him.

"I think I heard Cye mention something like that before," he murmured, frowning when he tried a piece of food.

He reached across to a few spices and mixed them in evenly before trying it again. The taste was still a little off, but at least tasted a bit more pleasantly. Emily made an hmm sound as she read over the description.

"That would make sense. The will-o'-the-wisp is mentioned in English folklore. It's said to be a ghostly light that resembles a flickering lamp and it's seen by travelers at night. It supposedly recedes if the traveler approaches. People say the will-o'-the-wisp draws the travelers away from safe paths," Emily explained.

"You would also find it," Emily jumped and spun around in her seat to face Rowen, "in book IX of John Milton's Paradise Lost. Milton compares the will-o'-the-wisp to Satan in tempting Eve to partake of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil."

Emily made another hmm sound as Rowen stepped up behind her to lean over and take a look at Emily's book.

"Your brain must weigh like a gazillion pounds, man," Kento murmured.

Rowen shot him a mock glare while Emily nearly fell out of her seat laughing.

Unknown to the occupants of the house, a figure stood off in the distant on a hill. Their gaze remained on the busy house as a cool breeze blew by.

"Soon. Soon all will be revealed, child."

/…/

/That evening/

Everyone was scattered about the house, happily chatting and eating. Emily was pouring herself some punch when Elizabeth Ann appeared beside her.

"Thanks for the invitation, Emily. I've having a great time," Elizabeth Ann said.

Emily smiled, taking a sip of her drink.

"I'm glad. The guys usually invite a few friends over so I thought you'd like to meet them all since you'd already met Sage and Rowen," Emily replied.

She neglected to mention the one furry occupant that was staying hidden upstairs in Ryo's room. Elizabeth Ann whispered a question to Emily so quietly that the younger blonde had to ask her to repeat herself.

"I wanted to know if you could help teach me some sign language," Elizabeth Ann whispered.

"Oh."

Emily was a tad confused. Elizabeth Ann hadn't shown any interest in learning the language before. She actually asked her about that.

"Well, you see, I'm taking a basic sign course for the spring semester and I'm afraid I won't understand it as well. I thought you might help me out a little," Elizabeth Ann confessed.

"Oh! Sure, I don't mind helping. Maybe you can join me and Tom for our monthly silent dinners," Emily suggested.

"What's a silent dinner?" Elizabeth Ann inquired.

Emily proceeded to explain to her what a silent dinner was. A silent dinner was when a group of deaf and/or hearing people gathered together for a meal. It was called a silent dinner because during the dinner no one was allowed to speak. You didn't have to know sign language to attend, but it did help because it was usually the main communication method at silent dinner.

"There are some lower level students that have come out to them before. They usually bring their phones to pass back and forth or gesture a lot. It really helps a lot with expressing yourself and working on your receptive skills," Emily finished explaining.

Elizabeth Ann blushed. "And you said your roommate Tom goes to these…silent dinners?"

Emily nodded. "Every time."

"Hey, Emily! Can you come outside for a minute?"

Emily glanced up and around her friend to see Cye standing in the open doorway.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming. Let me grab my jacket," Emily said, excusing herself from her friend.

Emily went over to the hall closet under the stairs to snatch up her jacket. She pulled it on as she weaved her way around the other people. She zipped her jacket up halfway while walking outside. She stepped out onto the porch and down a few steps. Emily was surprised to see Cye helping an elderly woman out of a car.

Cye took her arm around his elbow and escorted her over to Emily.

"Emily, there's someone I would like you to meet."

END OF CHAPTER TWENTY

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I wish you all a Happy New Year and, in the spirit of 2013, I am posting a new chapter. Usually, I would prefer a few more reviews, but I wanted to celebrate the new year with a new chapter.