A Christmas Carol

A CCS Parody

by SyaoranSword

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to CCS. CLAMP and other companies I may not know of own it all. A Christmas Carol was written by Charles Dickens. This is a fanfic, and the story is only meant for the enjoyment of the author and any would-be readers.

Notes: I had to take a few liberties with the Cratchit children since there really is almost no one suited to those roles in the CCS universe. I'm pretty sure his real first name is Takashi, but can anyone confirm or deny that?

Chapter 4: The Spirit of Christmas Present

Clow opened his mouth, but no words came out. He didn't know what to think, but this was definitely unexpected. It wasn't so much the small teddy bear-like creature with wings and a lion's tail that shocked him, but it was the fact that his entire study was covered in a thick layer of… yellow and dark brown swirly stuff. The sorcerer had no idea what this substance was, but he figured out who was responsible for it. "You did this, didn't you?"

The golden beast crossed his cute little arms. "Oh, that's a good way to greet someone. I wouldn't be pointing fingers if I were you, Clow Read, especially at the Spirit of Christmas Present."

Clow's eyes were ready to pop out. "You're the Spirit of Christmas Present?!"

"Yep! That's me! Now…" The Spirit reached behind his back and pulled two large spoons out of nowhere. He tossed one to a sweatdropping Clow. "Let's dig in!" The creature dove down toward the mess and started to gobble it up.

Clow scooped up a spoonful. "Spirit, what is this stuff?"

"My name is Cerberus, and you mean to tell me you've never seen pudding before?"

"My study is covered in pudding?!"

"Chocolate and vanilla swirled together, my favorite! Isn't this great?"

Clow snapped. He grabbed the greedy little creature and held him at eye level. "Cerberus, wherever this pudding came from, I want it to be put back!"

"Ok, ok! There's no need to get mad." He glowed with a golden aura, and Clow's study returned to its original pudding-free state.

"Thank you very much, Cerberus. Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to wake up from this dream. I've had one nightmare already."

"First, you can call me Kero for short. Second, you're already awake. And third, I am here to show you what you're missing from the celebration of others."

"I suppose you'll also want to fly me to different places, right?"

"How did you know that? Magical foresight?"

"No, previous experience."

"Oh. Well it's time for us to get going." Large wings surrounded Kero as he changed from the cute yellow being into a winged and armored lion. "Hop on."

Clow's jaw dropped when Kero came out of his transformation. He looked unreal, but also magnificent and majestic. Clow straddled the Spirit, and found his fur as soft as goose down. "Incredible."

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Kero, I am."

Cerberus spread his wings, and they were off. "You may think you're rich now, but tonight, I will show you the ones who are truly rich." The Spirit descended to a house where a Christmas Eve party was well underway.

Clow looked through the window and into the parlor where a small group was gathered. "My nephew!" Eriol and the others with him sat in a semicircle of chairs around his roaring fireplace. With one hand, he stroked the fur of the black cat on his lap, and with the other he held the hand of a woman with beautiful red hair. "That must be my nephew's wife."

"You've never met your nephew's wife before?"

"No, I never attended his wedding."

Eriol attentively listened to the one of his guests and broke into a grin. Cerberus said, "It seems like they're having a good time." Clow dismounted from the Spirit, and the two walked into the festive room.

"Really, Rika-chan! You shouldn't embarrass your fiancée in front of our hosts," said a red-faced Yoshiyuki Terada.

The young lady next to him giggled. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist!"

"Oh, I'm sure she didn't mean anything… suggestive, Terada-san," Eriol added. "Everyone knows you should wait until after the wedding night to do that."

This remark earned him a playful slap. "Eriol, behave! I think my husband has had a little too much eggnog."

"Haven't we all?" Everyone burst out laughing.

Cerberus nudged Clow. "See what you're missing? They're having a blast!"

The laughter died down, and Eriol stood up. "Let's play a game. Twenty questions?"

"I got the first question!" Rika enthusiastically raised her hand. "Vegetable, animal, or mineral?"

"One would hope he's an animal."

Terada jumped in. "So it's a he, ne?"

"Yes, it's a he."

"Is he famous?"

"Infamous is more like it."

Kaho asked, "Is he built like a bear?"

Eriol's eyes widened. "I hope you're not trying to imply anything, my dear Kaho."

"Just answer the question, honey."

"Very well. No, but he can be a bear to invite to dinner."

While more and more questions were asked, Clow Read was trying to figure out who they were talking about. "My nephew sure does have wit, and his wife is as sharp as he is."

"I got it!" Rika exclaimed. "It's your uncle, Clow Read!"

Eriol grinned. "Correct. He's a bear, a fox, and a snake all rolled up into one package." He picked up his glass of eggnog. "A toast to my dear Clow-ojisan. Merry Christmas to him, wherever he may be."

Cerberus said, "It's time for us to go, Clow Read."

"Do we have to leave, Kero? I was enjoying my nephew's company," the sorcerer said as he climbed back onto his ride.

"We still have one more home to visit, the home of someone you know very well." They flew up again over London. "There's the house." The Spirit landed before a rather poor-looking residence.

"Kero, I've never seen this house before. Who do I know lives here?"

"Does the name Syaoran Li ring a bell?"

"Li-kun?!" Clow ran up to the window, and he did see Syaoran there. He was sitting at the dinner table with his wife and three of his children. "Kero, can we go in?"

"Of course."

They entered the little house in time to here the thumping of wood coming from the stairs. A black-haired boy with the most innocent of eyes came limping down with a wooden crutch under his arm. "Otou-san, Okaa-san, I made it down the stairs by myself!"

Syaoran smiled. "That's wonderful, Takashi!" He picked up his son and put him in his own chair.

Clow presumed that the woman with honey-auburn hair and emerald eyes was Syaoran's wife. "Now that Tiny Takashi is here, we may all eat."

"Kero, surely they have more food than that!"

"With the salary you pay Syaoran Li, they're lucky to have that much."

As the family began eating, Syaoran raised his cup of water. "To Clow Read, the founder of this feast!"

"The founder of this feast, indeed!" his wife said in an indignant tone. "Clow Read doesn't care about you or any of us here! If that miser were here, I would give him a piece of my mind!"

"Sakura, please. Let's talk about happy things. It's Christmas Eve, and we're together. That's all that really matters." Seeing that she wasn't satisfied, Syaoran added, "We'll talk after dinner."

They soon finished eating, and the children were put to bed. Syaoran and Sakura sat at the table. "Syaoran, I'm really sorry for what I said at dinner. I shouldn't have said such mean things."

"It's ok, Sakura. I know how you feel. I get frustrated, too."

"I thought about what happened when you went against your family's wishes so many years ago. You lost everything because of me!"

"Sakura, that's the past. Don't blame yourself for my decision. Given the choice between my family's fortune and you, I chose you."

Pools of tears welled up in Sakura's lush green eyes. "Oh, Syaoran."

"And if I could go back and do it all again, I wouldn't change my choice for the world. I don't care that we are the lowest of the low class. Chiharu, Meiling, Peony, and Tiny Takashi have made me richer than I ever could have been. My children and of course you, Sakura, are what I treasure the most." He passionately kissed Sakura, warming both of them with their love.

"I wish we could help our Takashi," Sakura said.

"Looks can be deceiving. I know he's a strong boy on the inside. He'll make it." [I hope.]

Clow turned to the Spirit. "Kero, can you tell me what will happen to Tiny Takashi?"

"In the shadow of things to come, I see an empty chair where Tiny Takashi once sat."

"Does that mean… Takashi will…"

"Clow Read, my time is growing short. We must leave now."

"No, wait! Kero!!" The scene before the sorcerer's eyes melted away into a deserted street. "Kero, where are we?"

The golden beast looked up into the dark sky. "He's coming."

"Who?"

Cerberus turned to him. "The last Spirit. Take everything you have seen so far and learn from it before it is too late." The Spirit then bowed to the sorcerer. "I bid you, farewell, Clow Read." Cerberus then faded in a shimmer of golden sparkles.

"Kero, no Cerberus… an unbelievable being." Clow froze as a shadow fell over him. He gulped, knowing who the shadow probably belonged to. The sorcerer turned around to see an angel-like figure hovering off the ground. He gasped at the cold beauty that he possessed. His robes, his long white hair, and his eyes matched each other perfectly. "Are you the Spirit of Christmas… Yet to Come?"

He nodded. "That I am, Clow Read."

To be continued…

Cast of Characters

Kero – Spirit of Christmas Present

Spinel Sun (Suppi-chan) – Fred's cat (not a character from the original)

Kaho Mizuki – Fred's wife

Rika Sasaki, Yoshiyuki Terada – Revelers

Takashi Yamazaki – Tiny Tim

Sakura – Mrs. Cratchit

Chiharu, Meiling, Peony – The Cratchit Children (Peony is borrowed from "The Testing of Li Peony")

Two Spirits down, one to go. The future is not going to look good for Clow Read. Everything will be come to a nice and neat finish soon. Read and review please!

I'm really sorry, but I won't be able to finish this in time for Christmas. My plane for San Diego is leaving at 7:00 AM on Christmas Day. I'll be spending ten days in California with my four cousins. It's going to be a vacation, and hopefully not like JadeWing's! Although I won't write anything during that time, my brain will still be coming up with ideas. I'll be back on January 5th to finish this. Until then Merry Christmas, and a happy Y2K2!