As Long As There's Christmas
A/N: Final chapter. We see what happens in Vale now that…well…you'll see.
And to Feonyx…there's a Christmas present/surprise in here for you. You'll have to find it, though. ;)
Chapter Four: As Long As There's Christmas (yes, I know that's the title of story. Bear with me.)
Colors swirled around in an endless, ever-shifting pattern. Trapped there, the lone figure was unable to move or speak, only listen as the voices in the distance grew ever closer.
"We have no choice! It was the time!" cried the voice of raging fire and glowing embers, and the red tones in the void of color flashed angrily.
"This one was chosen. Mars speaks the truth. It was the time," said a more perceptive, penetrating voice, the voice of gentle breezes and stormy gales, and the violet streaks grew brighter steadily. The color was becoming blinding, burning through the trapped one's closed eyes.
"Love deserves a second chance," argued the voice of tranquil waters and raging waterfalls. "Love should stand unhindered above all, and may nothing try to oppose it!" Blue that ranged from sky-colored to deep indigo began to glitter with the power behind the voice.
"The child is mine. I cannot pass judgment," said the epitome of utter calm, the voice of vibrant new growth and immovable mountain. "Be it known that I would side with Mercury in any case." Green light flashed brilliantly, seeming the brightest of all to the trapped figure, now overwhelmed by the brightness and intensity of the color.
"Know that all has been heard and taken into account," said the final voice, that of bright sunlight reflected on ocean waters, giving life to green things, brighter than the brightest fires and revealed by gusts of wind. It was the voice of the golden light, which grew in brightness until it overpowered all the rest.
"The time was not right. There is still too much this one has to give. The decision is made." There was a finality to the tone of the voice of golden light, and at once all the colors united, and then with a powerful flash, disappeared.
As did the figure previously held within.
~*~
"Mia, come on, we should…we should…" Jenna trailed off, looking at the still form of her childhood friend. Isaac lay unmoving in Mia's arms, and the Mercury Adept's sobs were loud enough that they echoed off the cliffs of Vale.
"She's right, Mia," Picard said, putting a comforting hand on Mia's shoulder as he knelt beside her. "We have to go."
"I won't leave him," Mia said stubbornly, the tears still flowing full force. "There's still a chance! There has to be!"
"Isaac was my closest friend," Garet said, and Mia's enraged glare snapped up to meet his. For the first time in his life, the Mars Adept was unfazed. "I would never give up on him, Mia. Never. And I know you wouldn't, either. But this time, we have to. He's…he's gone…"
The sight of Garet breaking into tears at this sudden realization seemed to bring everyone to the reality of the situation. Even Felix, so unused to showing emotion, was crying silently, even as he comforted Jenna, who was steadily soaking the left shoulder of his green cloak.
"I really don't see…why you make…such a fuss…" whispered a soft voice.
All time seemed to stop. The seven Adepts all locked eyes simultaneously (a feat indeed) and then fixed their gazes on the one who had spoken.
"ISAAC!" was the resounding yell, and it rebounded off the cliff walls and seemed to ring from the peak of Mount Aleph. Picard jumped up and into the air with a whoop of exhilaration. Tears of sadness transformed instantly into tears of joy, and Ivan was on the verge of dancing, it seemed.
"How, Isaac?" Mia asked quietly, and, hearing her amidst the joyful yells of his friends, he smiled.
"I saw…I heard…the Elemental Spirits…they brought me back…" Isaac looked into Mia's eyes, and aquamarine locked onto azure as Isaac said the words that had been threatening to burst ever since so long ago, at Mercury Lighthouse.
"I love you, Mia." Expecting a reply, Isaac's eyes widened as she hugged him fiercely, tears spilling again. Slowly, he pushed himself up and smiled, gently pulling her into a soft, sweet kiss.
"We really did it, didn't we," Sheba said slowly. "We saved Vale…again," she added dryly, and everyone laughed.
"Oh no! Everyone's still in the Sanctum, probably," Felix said, feigning shock. "We'd better tell them that there's still a Christmas to have, in Vale."
"Tree," Ivan pointed out, and Felix groaned.
"We'll deal with the tree," Isaac said, standing and leaning on Mia's shoulder for support. "We'll deal with everything. We're all alive, and that's what counts."
"Don't I know it," Garet said, hurriedly wiping the tears from his face and giving Isaac a hearty clap on the shoulder that nearly sent him flying. Mia glared, as did Picard, and Garet backed away, hands in the air.
"Sheesh. You people. Jenna, I'm glad you've still got some of that fire left in you, or I'd be toast." Garet grinned, and Jenna turned to him with an evil smirk. Anyone watching would have sword she'd grown a tail and horns and was holding a pitchfork.
"You may yet be toast!" she yelled, launching a snowball his way. Garet yelped and ran off, Jenna following quickly behind. Shrieks of laughter were heard long after the Mars Adepts had passed out of sight.
Mia, Isaac, Picard and Sheba turned and headed for Isaac's house. Ivan and Felix looked at each other and shared a resigned sigh.
"To the Sanctum!" said a voice, and Kite popped onto Ivan's head.
"Very big mosquitoes this year," Ivan commented dryly. "Honestly, Kite, no one made you captain."
"Captain of what?" Kite and Felix asked at the same time.
"It was the first high-ranking term I could think of," Ivan explained. "Let's go."
~*~
"How come I have to fix the tree?!" Felix complained. Bane, sitting atop a mound of snow shaped vaguely throne-like, gave him a disgusted look.
"Vine! Sap! Help the boy, will you?" Bane ordered, waving a twig about like a royal scepter.
"Who made you king?" Vine asked disdainfully.
"King Bane of the Venus Djinn!" said Duo excitedly.
"Too young for his own good," Sap said with a shake of her head. "But we'll help you Felix."
"Thank you," Felix said with an exasperated sigh. Using Carry Psynergy, he lifted the tree back into its original position and held it as he cast Growth at the same time. Vine and Sap put their own powers to work, and soon the tree was exactly as though it had never broken off in the first place.
The Psynergy lights were still attached and intact, but some of the ornaments were broken. "Quartz!" ordered King Bane, and Quartz flashed into a bow in front of the arrogant-seeming Venus Djinni.
Bane made smug noises of approval until he was hit full on in the face by a barrage of Djinn-sized snowballs. Quartz, Vine, Sap and Duo giggled insanely for a moment. Quartz, still laughing, fixed as many of the ornaments as he could, then disappeared.
"Whippersnappers!" Bane called after the other Djinn as they too flashed out. "Kids, all of them! Lazy good-for-nothing little…I oughta just…" Still grumbling, Bane disappeared as well. Felix sighed and shook his head.
"They might make good ornaments," Ivan mused, and Felix's evil smirk had him staggering back. "Don't do that! It makes me think of back when you were evil!"
"Do you want me to attach you to this tree, Ivan?" Felix asked, grin still in place. "Because I can do it. Quite quickly."
"I won't make a good ornament!!" Ivan yelped, and he backed away a few steps through the now-waist-high snow, toppling over and groaning as flurries buried him completely.
"No," said Kite, reappearing as Ivan stood, a snowy, wet mess, "but you do make an interesting snowman."
"Is the tree set right, Felix?" asked a voice behind him, and he turned to see the mayor of Vale along with several others, his grandparents among them.
"Sure, though your sentence had double meanings, if you paused to consider it," Felix said straight-faced. Ivan rolled his eyes.
"You are going to confuse the lot of them, being a Venus Adept but using Jupiter logic on them. Sheesh."
~*~
"I thought we were all dead," Jenna said quietly. She and Garet had long ago given up their snowball war and were now walking, side by side, along the cliff atop which sat the house where Kraden had once lived.
"We've fought a dragon before. It was Saturos and Menardi in dragon form, but same basic idea. As I recall, Ivan hadn't been doing so hot by then." Garet's eyes glazed a bit as his mind wandered the paths of memory.
"It was Christmas then, too, you know. Well, almost. It was winter, at least."
"I know. The thought of Vale being destroyed, possibly never having a Christmas again, was what kept us all going. Especially when we had to fight those darn talking trees. They were intimidating!"
"But today…I thought I'd never get the chance to tell you…" Jenna stopped suddenly and looked down at the ground. A few snowflakes were falling, and stray ones lit in her hair and made her seem, to Garet's eyes, like something ethereal. Of course, Garet did not know the word ethereal, but he knew what he meant.
"There is something I've wanted to tell you for a long time, Jenna," Garet said, and Jenna looked at him again questioningly. "See, I've been waiting for years to tell you LOOK OUT!" he yelled, and as Jenna spun about, Garet grinned and stepped closer to her.
She spun back around angrily, ready to tell Garet off or possibly Flare him, and instead found herself caught in a tight embrace.
"Look out…because you never know what I've got planned," Garet said slyly, and Jenna laughed.
"And I thought I would die without ever being able to tell you how much…" they said suddenly, together, and in a flash they had let go of one another and were regarding each other curiously.
"How much I love you," they finished together.
~*~
The sun was turning the sky beautiful pink and gold Christmas morning, as the sleepy citizens of Vale emerged to find their presents under the big tree.
Garet lifted a box with his name on it and tore off the wrapping paper, looking at the treasure-chest-like container in his hands. Almost instantly, it doubled in size and he dropped it, yelping as it sprouted spiderlike legs, fangs and eyes.
"Mimic!" he yelled, and Ivan and Sheba nearly collapsed in laughter as the walking treasure chest began to chase the Mars Adept here and there.
"Wonderful present idea, Sheba," Ivan said.
Jenna shook her head and smiled as Garet ran past, and she opened the present she had received from him. It was a staff weapon, topped by a sharp-edged crescent moon set with red gemstones.
"It's perfect!" she cried, jumping on Garet's back as he passed her by again and hugging him tightly enough to make him think he would prefer the Mimic.
Isaac and Mia stood together a little way apart from everyone else. Together they looked at the newest ornament on the great tree—a giant dragon's horn suspended by a yellow scarf.
"A symbol of honor, bravery, and courage against impossible odds," Mia said reflectively.
"Not to mention a good reason to hope we never have a Christmas like this one again," Isaac said fervently.
"Here," Mia said, blushing as she handed him a lumpy thing wrapped in metallic blue. "Merry Christmas," she said as he opened a new scarf, this one gold like the first but with little bits of other colors thrown in here and there.
"Listen, Mia…about before…you've been acting so distant, ever since I told you…"
"About loving me. I know. Listen, Isaac, do you remember the story of Daidalos and Iris?"
"You mean how he was so moronic about loving her that it took him forever to realize she loved him just as much, if not more?"
"Well, I wouldn't say you've been moronic…" Mia trailed off coyly.
"Then you…you…" Isaac's face turned as red as Garet's hair.
"Merry Christmas, Isaac," Mia repeated.
"And this is for you," Isaac said, pulling a tiny box from his pocket and handing it to Mia. She opened it slowly, gasping when she saw the glinting blue jewel of an amulet.
"Isaac, it's beautiful! And I can feel power in it…what is this?"
"The Mercury Amulet. When I was…when the Elemental Spirits were talking, Mercury spoke up to defend love. I figured I owed you one."
"Me? I wasn't involved."
"It sounded like you, and felt like you. And none deserve it more than you do…Mia." Slowly, Isaac and Mia leaned toward each other.
"There is a party to get ready for, you know," Ivan said with a smirk. He glanced over his shoulder to Garet, beating the Mimic down with a stick, and Picard and Felix trying to control a veritable horde of Djinn, and sighed.
"And by the look of things, it's going to be quite a celebration."
~*~
Music played, Psynergy lights twinkled, a few snowflakes fell, and the Djinn ran about causing general havoc. Aside from the Djinn, Isaac saw this as just another Christmas. A Christmas he was very thankful for.
"Ground! Hail! Get away from there!" Picard yelled, chasing down the diminutive creatures as they knocked over several trays of food.
"Zephyr! Chili! Bane, control them!" Felix cried miserably, being pelted from all angles by all four types of Djinn wielding snowballs. "I thought Mars Djinn didn't like snow!"
"And I thought people were smart enough to know the crazy ones from the normal ones," Breeze remarked from his perch among the branches of the giant tree.
"We're all crazy," said Dew with a grin. "Some of us just hide it better."
The eight Adepts, Megan, Justin, Hama and Feizhi shared a table, making it quite crowded. Garet amused them all with the way he devoured the chili (the Djinni who shared a name with the food only looked at him disgustedly), and Picard and Sheba offered tales of Christmases in Lemuria and Lalivero, respectively.
Suddenly the music stopped, and everyone was silent. Isaac knew midnight, and their celebration's end, was fast approaching, but he was interested to see what the instrument players (not rightly called a band) had in mind.
Slowly, a flute played the first strains of a melody. One by one the other instruments joined in. With a start, each Adept realized that they knew the words to this particular Christmas song.
"There is more to this time of year…" Mia began softly, and the others looked at her. A bit louder and more confidently, with images of Mercury Lighthouse running through her mind, she stood and began again.
There is more to this time of year,
Than sleigh bells and holly,
Mistletoe and snow,
Those things will come and go
Ivan and Garet were the next to join in, rising and thinking of the day they had crossed the Lamakan Desert and fought the Manticore. It had been right after Ivan had learned Reveal, and the hot desert temperatures had affected even Garet.Don't look inside a stocking,
Don't look under a tree,
The one thing we're looking for,
Is something we can't see
Jenna's clear alto and Sheba's ringing soprano joined in as the next verse began and they stood. Both had been captured by Saturos and Menardi and knew better than any with the possible exception of Felix what it was like. It was quite easy for them to get into the holiday spirit.
Far more precious than silver,
And more splendid than gold,
This is something to treasure,
But it's something we can't hold
The music and singing softened for a moment, and Picard, quite surprised that the verses were the same both in Lemuria and here in Vale, sang the chorus alone, his melodious and slightly accented voice adding to the wonder of the night.
As long as there's Christmas,
I truly believe,
That hope is the greatest,
Of the gifts we'll receive
Isaac and Felix joined then, the words they sang ringing clearly in the night, each of them thinking of better times in the past and better times that lay ahead.
As we all stand together,
It's a time to rejoice
And here, every voice of everyone in Vale, visitor or no, rang out in perfect harmony.
And though we may be different,
We'll all sing with one voice!
As long as there's Christmas,
I truly believe,
That hope is the greatest,
Of the gifts we'll receive
It then fell to Garet and Jenna, hands locked and eyes smiling, to continue. The Mars Adepts did so without complaint, for the spirit of Christmas had truly taken hold of everyone. As they sang the next verse, they looked to the shining stars above.
As long as there's Christmas,
We'll all be just fine,
A star shines above us,
Lighting your way and mine
The chorus was sung again, the intensity and true meaning of the words striking a chord in Isaac's soul. And it was he who began, alone, the end of the song.
As long as a guiding star,
Shines above,
There will always be Christmas…
Mia looked at him then, and he caught the love, unjudging and complete, in her eyes, and together they ended.
So there always will be a time,
When the world is filled with peace,
And love
Isaac looked to the sky then, and a shooting star flashed by, tail glittering. Christmas truly is magic, he thought as he hugged Mia tightly. His mind wandered back to the time between when he had left the Elemental Spirits and when he had returned to the world of the living.
"Isaac, I hadn't thought to see you here for many years," said a voice, and Isaac turned around suddenly to see a face he'd only seen in dreams for the past four years.
"Dad!" he cried, and father and son embraced.
"You have a life, Isaac. And, what's more, you have a love. The spirits will let you return because of that love, Isaac. Promise me you will never lose it."
"Sure dad. I promise."
"Mia?" Isaac asked, and she looked into his eyes again.
"Yes?" she asked quietly.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Isaac," she whispered, and, standing side by side at the base of the wonderfully lit Vale Christmas tree, they kissed.
~*~*~
Vil: The END! Merry Christmas everyone!! And I do not own the song "As Long As There's Christmas" though it was the inspiration for this ENTIRE fic. Happy holidays!!
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