"Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose! And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows! All of the other reindeers used to laugh and call him names! They never let poor Rudolf join in any reindeer games! Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say, 'Rudolf with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?'"
Well they won't be able to get anything no matter how loud they sing, the black-haired Gear Master thought wryly as he trudged towards his house, pushing his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose. The children crowding by his dwelling's front porch sang as loud as their vocal chords would allow them to, all looking energetic and joyful, and very much expecting to earn something from their little escapade.
The door opened, much to Kyousuke's surprise at the expectation that nobody was home, and an equally dark-haired man stepped out, grinning at the youngsters who had just finished singing their carol. His father then dropped a handful of coins and candy on the children's open palms, making them cheer loudly in jubilation. "Thanks for dropping by, kids! Merry Christmas to you, too! Enjoy yourselves! Be good always!"
He then stopped, seeing his son standing a good distance away. "Hey, kiddo!" he called out, very relieved to see that the young man was around at such an occasion, knowing his aloof and rather unsociable nature. He smiled, opening the door to admit the younger Jin inside. "You're just on time! Your mom's cousin, Shieru --- well, I guess that makes her your aunt, one way or another --- has invited us to go to her apartment in Yokohama to celebrate Christmas with my other cousins and siblings… one big family celebration! So come on, get dressed, we'll be leaving soon."
Kyousuke rolled his eyes as he walked past his father and into their house, the thought of attending yet another family affair annoying him to a great extent. He was doomed. Doomed big time. And there was nothing he could do to change his fate. He could not lock himself up in their garage and make the necessary preparations on his comrades' Gears for the Japan Cup, as much as he wanted to; his parents would, in the simplest terms, kill him. Family gatherings were very important for the couple, and there was definitely no way they would let their only son miss any of them.
He sighed heavily. I should've just accepted Hiroshi's offer to stay at his place. With two Griffons in the premises, I would've been able to convince Kazuya and even Kuroudo easily to catch up with us sooner or later. And even without those two, Hiroshi would already be able to keep me occupied with all the Gears his father collects.
But he knew that it was useless, so he stopped thinking about the matter instead. After all, just as he had mentioned, there was nothing he could do to change his fate. All he could do was hope that his relatives would leave him alone for the rest of the night to sulk in his misery… but that, he knew, was too much to ask from a reunion-obsessed family.
He was doomed.
The Griffon Nova held tightly with one hand, and the other tucked into a pocket of his trousers, the blonde-haired young man hurried towards the amusement park, having remembered that his teammates were supposed to be there, to hang out and have fun before they would go attend all their family reunions. And he, he clearly remembered, had refused to go with them, as he had intended to go with his parents to Kanazawa to visit his grandparents. Only that the trip had been cancelled at the last minute, though not officially, by the unexpected argument that erupted between his parents.
He looked around, searching for a small group of brunettes and a spectacled boy with a red bandanna. To his dismay, he couldn't find them, though he was no longer surprised. It was almost nightfall, after all, and they must've gone back to their homes already. Sighing, he walked over to his team's favorite spot in the park --- the wishing well, though he really didn't know why they liked going there --- and dropped a few coins into its calm, seldom rippling waters.
"I wish all this would be over," Kuroudo whispered, closing his eyes just in time to hear, with utter distinction, the ripples made by the shiny metal objects he had thrown into the water. He never expected the holidays to turn out the way it had; instead of enjoying the free days they had been given off school, he found himself caught up in other matters that he didn't want to be caught up with in the first place.
As much as he loved Gear Fighting, he hated the fact that he had to spend much of his time training himself and his teammates for the upcoming Japan Cup, which was going to be held on the second week of January. And he couldn't possibly take the event for granted; they had worked so hard to qualify in the competition, and numerous fights had ensued between the playing team because of all the stress and pressure.
Practice, however, was the least of his worries; his comrades worried him even more. Hiroshi had been slacking off, sneaking into town more often than necessary to eat and go on a ride in the amusement park, and dragging the others along, as he was generous enough to pay for all the expenses every time. He was only a substitute player, yes, but even substitute players had to practice. Christmas spirit was too high on Kazuya that he hadn't been able to concentrate; Kyousuke, on the other hand, had been focusing too much on their Gears instead of actually mastering his grip on his newly improved Dino Spartan.
And Mitsuke hadn't reported to practice at all.
His turquoise eyes opened, and this time, they were directed at the Gear he held in his hand, the Gear that belonged to their team's assistant captain. Even without a leaving a letter to complement the possessions he had left behind, Mitsuke's message was evident; he wanted to resign. Only that whatever his reason was, Kuroudo didn't know, and that the blonde would never let him, even if he had a good reason to decide to do such a thing.
A girl stepped up beside him, pulling out a couple of coins from her purse and throwing them into the water. By then, he was already at the verge of leaving --- though he didn't really know where his destination was --- but the stranger's prayer made him stop in his tracks completely. He didn't intend to overhear it, of course, but with her standing very close to him and his extremely sensitive hearing, it was something that was bound to happen.
"Please, God," she whimpered in a voice barely above a whisper, her trembling hands firmly clasped together that her knuckles turned white, "please help Mitsuke pull through. I… I don't know what I'd do if he wouldn't be able to… that's all I want for Christmas, God, to see him alive and well. Please, don't leave him alone… don't take him away from us… Please."
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Author's Note:
And that was the second chapter… ahem. I hate irony {I suppose only schrenima will understand this comment of mine, though}. Well anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed, and please please please annoy me so I can finish this fic before I have to go back to school! I'll need your pestering and your reviews! *puppy eyes*