.:Author's Notes:. I know I'm kinda late, but I had the idea of writing it just on... x-mas morning! I think it was the x-mas spirit, hehehe (or should I laugh "hohoho"). I know Japan is not a catholic country and they don't celebrate x-mas (I mean, they didn't on the 11th year of Meiji era), but it's kind of an AU. First of all, because the Oniwabanshuu's crew is alive! Leaving behind this details, enjoy (if you can!).
A post-Xmas fanfiction
On every christmas eve, a long white-beared man with mercuful eyes flies through the skies and drops gifts to the children and the hope on a new beginning to everybody he gets above. To have him looking warmly at you, all you have to do is call him...
"Aoshi-sama, please keep quiet, will you?"
"Feh. I hate this fake beard..."
It was the 11th Christmas time of Meiji Era. Poor Beshimi, stepping on a box, was measuring the fake white beard on Aoshi's face, but the okashira didn't seem any amused with it at all. Every year it was the same: as Hyottoko and Shikijou giftwraped the material sent by the source, in Finland, Hanya looked after the carriage Aoshi would ride and Beshimi had the hard task to whip up the clothing he would wear on the special night -and consequently, keep up with his bad temper. That year, though, everything seemed too late
"Ouch! Beware! I shaved yesterday, my face burns!"
"Cut it out, Aoshi-sama. Don't come up with this one. Every year it's just the same! Haven't you got used yet?"
"I did. But I still deslike it."
Beshimi shook his head and went on with getting the beard ready. Aoshi got worriedly away to see the two wrapers that worked continuously.
"So? Did Nicolaus-sama send everything right this year?"
"Well, according to our list... hm... There are still thirty-five toys missing." Shikijou asserted, quickly wraping a gift and placing it cautiously into a huge box on the floor.
"I can not believe... I will send them a complaint, scolding that fat barrel-man." Aoshi hit violently his own tights.
"Hey, Aoshi-sama... cool off!" Hyottoko placed his heavy hand on Aoshi's slim shoulder. "Leave it to us! After all, we are the dwarves!"
"Hyottoko is right." Shikijou asserted. "All you have to worry about is wearing the green gown, the beard, grabbing the staff and scattering the gifts for the children."
"Indeed!" the fat fire-spitter chuckled. "You are Santa Claus. The children must have something to believe in, and you are this something. Think about them and leave the red tape to us!"
Aoshi sighed and raised his eyebrowns, kind of getting conformed. He weaved to the giftwrapers and led outside, where Hanya was fixing the carriage's wheels. He handed the okashira a message sent from the source about the missing gifts -they'd be delivered on the following day, December 23th- , much for the japanese Santa Claus's displeasure. Aoshi muttered a couple of coursings on the old Fra Nicolaus's staff and left. "I will get back to the Aoi-ya, before someone suspects my abscence. I wait for ye there."
Getting to the restaurant, Aoshi got upstairs and led to his room, where he kept some of his Santa Claus stuff, such as the note he recieved on his first christmas time, when he was advised bout his selection and the Oniwabanshuu' to represent the legend in Japan. He unfolded it and started reading yearningly, remembering his first impression of his mission of his. At first he got faltering, but after some years on by, he could say he liked this mission after all. Still he hated the stress he was drawn into on this period of the year though.
"Aoshi-sama?" Someone knocked the door -and it was not Misao, who usually did; it was Okon. "I brought you dinner. May I come in?"
"Uh... Aeh... Thank thee, Okon-san." he jumped from his skin, awkwardly folding the letter again and sitting on it. Okon entered smily and placed the tray in front of the swordsman, who smiled sickly at her -much to Okon's amazement; it was not everyday that Aoshi smiled at all, even sickly.
"Hm... Aoshi-sama... Are you feeling alright?" she frowned and looked aside to the man.
"Hum... Yes. Yes, I am." Aoshi realised he was being too transparent and got serious again. Okon chuckled, wigged her head and meant to leave, when the okashira remembered to ask her. "Okon-san? Where is Misao?"
"She's at her room, resting. I think she got sick."
"Really?" Aoshi frowned, starting to eat. "She's not used to it..."
"I'm not sure on what the matter is. All I know is that she felt nauseated this morning, she threw up and when she was going to her room, she got dizzy and fell from the stairs."
"Oh." Aoshi put a piece fish on his mouth.
Okon looked piercingly to the okashira. "I hope you don't have anything to do with this sickness."
Instantly, Aoshi choked, spitted the fish and started coughing copiously. Okon stood glaring him. The okashira sipped the tea and managed to talk, gasping. "I am sure I have not."
Okon got away muttering, leaving behind a startled Aoshi who ate concernedly. "Kami-sama... Those girls have strange ideas..." he thought. He went on eating, looking to the calendar. "The day after tomorrow is Christmas eve... I have to get ready."
*#-_-
On christmas eve, Aoshi woke up late. Getting downstairs, he found the Aoi-ya people getting ready to leave. Everyone but Misao.
"Hey, Aoshi!" Okina got closer. "We're going to the catholic temple. They're having one of their religion's festivities and we're going to see their preparations."
"They call it 'Christmas', and people say it's a beautiful party." Omasu cheered up the crew. "Won't you come with us?"
"I have no mood for it." Aoshi groaned.
"Nice, then." Okina sighed. "So, do you mind keeping an eye on Misao? She's not feeling well still." With this sentence, the crew left noisily. Remaining alone in the building, Aoshi whiped him up somethingto eat and, after finishing his lonely breakfast, he got upstairs in order to see if Misao was aright.
There she layed on her futon, eyes partially closed, looking annoyed to outside from the window. Hearing Aoshi getting close, she got allarmed and tried to fix her hair a little. Getting there, he just stood by her door.
"G'morning, Aoshi-sama... Has everybody gone out?" she babbled sickly.
"Yes." He crossed his arms. They stood like this for some time, till she heaved her head back and moaned displeasured. "Do thou feel alright?"
"Not indeed... Fuck, I'm gonna throw up again..."
As she raised her hand and placed it in front of her mouth, Aoshi wraped her in a blanket and took her to outside the house. Right when he placed her on the ground, she kneeled on the iced coverture of the grass and vomited, gasping and coughing noisily. Aoshi closed his eyes and turned his head aside, thinking silently. "It is going be a long day indeed..."
After spending about ten whole minutes of Misao's throwing up, Aoshi helped her wash her face, took her upstairs again and placed her on the futon. She was wan and he got concerned. "I am going to make thee some tea." he said leaving. "I do not know how much time Omasu and Okon will spend out."
He looked after her just as Okina had told him to -and just like he used to do when she was a child- , till she finally fell asleep. Sneakly, Aoshi decided to leave the Aoi-ya and see how were things to that night's show. "I must see if Hanya and the other need any help." And like this he left.
Getting to the hidden warehouse where the four Oniwabanshuu gathered to make their anual dwarf's job, a wooden carriage with two brown horses on its front was parked in front of the entrance. On it's back there was a crest -the Santa Claus Co. crest. Recognizing it, Aoshi rushed into the building to find many dwarves -real ones- arguing with the four Oniwabanshuu members. "What is happening here?" Aoshi halted stiffened.
A fat and short-bearded dwarf, wearing a blue jacket -such as a policemen's uniform- , approached to Aoshi and asked authoritarily. "Who are you?"
Aoshi crossed his arms and looked down at the pathetic dwarf -he was high to the swordsman's tights. "I am Shinomori Aoshi, the okashira of Oniwabanshuu, Kodachi Nitou swordsman and the japanese Santa Claus representative." At each word, the dwarf retreated a little till he got to a cockroach' size.
Fixing a pair of glasses on his tinny and unpleasant face, the dwarf faced Aoshi up. "Erm... We came to this hide-out and found those four invaders."
"They are not invaders. They are my dwarves."
Hyottoko walked forth, almost steping on another dwarf that was in front of him and had to dodge quickly. "We told them, Aoshi-sama. But he didn't believe us."
Aoshi looked unsteadly to Hyottoko, the huge overgrown and fat fire-spitter, to the blue-jacketed dwarf, then back to Hyottoko. He couldn't push back a chuckle. "If I was him I would not believe thou were the dwarf either, my fellow." Hyottoko frowned quizzically -he didn't understand why.
"What about thee?" Aoshi raised his eyebrowns. "Who are thou and all those dwarves?"
"Hmf, we're called the Santa' Lower Guard. It's like the police. We came because we recieved a denunciation that someone would be planning to spoil the japanese Christmas."
"That is absurd." Aoshi pondered. "Why would anyone mess with the japanese Christmas?"
"We don't know, sir Shinomori. All we know is that you have to keep an eye on everything, in order to preserve the celebrations the way they ought to be."
"Be sure we and my dwarves have always taken care of it, without ye and yer staff coming here to poke yer noses on our work." Aoshi walked forth to the door, theateningly making the speaked dwarf get to it. The okashira opened the door and, pointing outside, he said firmly. "Merry Christmas. My respects to Nicolaus-sama."
The arrogant dwarf coughed, fixed his glasses on his face and called the other dwarves that were with him, then all of them entered the carriage and vanished in the sky. Coming inside again, Aoshi sighed and turned to Shikijou. "Did they deliver the missing material right?"
"Yes, Aoshi-sama..." the fighter faltered. The four Oniwabanshuu members looked among each other, a bit awkwardly.
"What? Can ye please tell me what is happening?" Aoshi turned worried. "Hanya? Can thou explain me?"
"Well, Aoshi-sama... What if they are right? What if someone really wants to act like this?"
"Nobody can do it. The carriage has enough gas, the gifts are wraped and all of them are here with us, the clothes are ready and so am I. What can be wrong?"
"We never know, Aoshi-sama..." Hanya raised his shoulders. "For the moment, nothing. But we can't say what the enemy keeps ready for us."
Aoshi smirked. "Hanya, thou are a genuine Oniwabanshu... We are not in a battle. Nothing can get wrong." All the others looked suspicious yet, but they had to trust their okashira. The japanese Santa Claus was the boss there. He took a glimpse at all the preparations and left. "Okina asked me to take care of Misao. She is still sick."
Getting back to the Aoi-ya, everything seemed extremely silent to Aoshi. It would make him glad, if it wasn't for the fact that Misao should be at home -and she was the noisiest people he had ever known in his life. Worried, he got upstairs and knocked at her door. "Misao? Are thou alright?" No answer. He knocked many times, but didn't get any reply. Opening the door, he saw... Nobody. On the floor he could see spilled tea and the pieces of the cup he brought her, as well as Misao's kunai. Picking them up, he realized that one of them was missing.
Still holding the girl's weapon, Aoshi searched for her throughout the building, but she was nowhere. Coming back to her room he found a note on her futon he hadn't seen before. "Merry Christmas, Santa Claus." he read it aloud. "Damn, someone kidnapped Misao!"
*#-_-
Six o'clock on a Christmas eve. Aoshi had already turned Kyoto inside out, but he couldn't find Misao anywhere. He was till searching when he ran into Beshimi. The Oniwabanshuu member seemed to be really on a rush. "Aoshi-sama! It's already six!" the small man whispered. "You have to get ready for tonight!"
"No time now, Beshimi. Misao had vanished and I must find her. I think she was kidnapped."
Beshimi got startled and worried, but he insisted. "Aoshi-sama, I know we must find her, but you can't delay yourself more! I'll have Shikijou and Hyottoko look for her, but you must go now!" Aoshi couldn't do anything but agree: it was his job after all.
Getting to the warehouse, he described all that happened. Imediately, Hanya solved the puzzle. "The person that took Misao-chan away must be the the same one that's trying to spoil Christmas!"
"You must be paranoid, Hanya." Aoshi shook his head, getting undressed.
"I think he's right." Hyottoko started loading the carriage.
"That's the only explanation, Aoshi-sama." Shikijou pondered. "Why would anyone stir Misao-chan? If anyone ever does, you are the aim!"
Aoshi looked him sideways. "Thou may be right... But who could know I am Santa Claus in Japan?"
"Whoever it is, is a dangerous person for us all, for he had realized our secret." Hanya sat down on a counter.
"What will we do now, Aoshi-sama?" Beshimi asked, bringing his green gown.
The okashira didn't wear the gown. He first wore his boots and searched for a piece of rope, then sat on a western armchair. "We will do like this: Beshimi, thou will come with me. Hanya and Shikijou, ye will take another carriage and search through the skies, the trees, the roofs, and every now and them, ye must meet our carriage. Hyottoko, thou will tell the Aoi-ya people Misao is with me, whip some story up for them not to be worried with her, then search for her down on the ground, for we may be mistaken." Aoshi wore a white blouse and the gown as he talked. Stopping his speech, he tied the rope around his waist and placed his kodachis' scabbard on it. Raising his gown's hood, in order to hide his hair and part of his face, and grabbing his wooden staff he led to the door. "Now, let us go to our work. Good luck, my fellows."
"Erm... Aoshi-sama... You forgot your fake beard..." Beshimi faltered, handing him the forgotten acessory. Aoshi sighed annoyed and managed to wear it, leaving ill-tempered then.
*#-_-
The sky was glimmering with tinny tinny stars. Every now and then two shooting stars could be seen passing through, meeting and going on with their way. What people couldn't imagine is that they were not shooting stars, but flying carriages, one of them carrying nobody but Santa Claus and one of his dwarves.
Aoshi was uneasy. Sitting on the fast carriage, he looked down to see in wich houses there were light. If the lights were off, he could go down and drop the gifts, on the contrary he'd wait and pass another time. Beshimi was driving and, noticing his okashira's impatience, he looked back to him and asked, in an effort to distract him with some talk. "Aoshi-sama, have you seen any unlighted house?"
"None with the crest."
"Crest? Wich crast?"
"It is a new way to identify the houses. Nicolaus-sama's dwarves placed the Santa Claus Co. on each house in which the dwellers must recieve gifts."
"Oh... I didn't know..."
Aoshi got silent. "I wonder where Misao was taken to." He sighed after a long time.
"And whom by." Beshimi completed. "If I ever reach such a cruel stinky motherfucker, I will slice his whole skin as a sashimi portion. I will--"
"When we reach this crook, thou will stay at the carriage, take Misao to the Aoi-ya and I will chop the bastard myself." Aoshi interupted Beshimi with a roar, tightening his fist until his fingers got bleeding. With this assertion, Beshimi decided not to bother his okashira again for a long time.
Time passed fast and it was already ten o'clock. They had ran into the helping carriage many times, but none of them had any news. Almost all the houses in Japan had already been visited by Santa Claus and just a few of them, exactelly in Kyoto -the city that never sleeps, besides New York- , were missing. But suddenly, before they could do anything, the carriage started diminishing heigh fast.
"Beshimi, what is happening?"
"Bad news, Aoshi-sama. I think we're running out of gas. I'll try to lend and fill it up again."
Unfortunately Beshimi couldn't carry out with this task and they fell over an empty house, destroying its roof. It was a poor place, where nobody layed and no trace of dwellers could be found, but an unfolded futon. Beshimi got out from the carriage and scrutinized it, so as to make sure that were no damages on it. Aoshi did the same soon.
"Yeah, I think there's no problem here, Aoshi-sama. Then, I'll fill the tank up." Beshimi said, taking out of the carriage a gallon filled with a shiny silver liquid. As long as the japanese dwarf took care of the vehicle, the okashira took a glimpse at the place. A metallic-bright object on the floor called his attention. When he got closer, his eyes widened. It was...
"One of Misao's kunai!" he gasped aloud, cautiously holding the weapon on the palm of his hand. In a rush, Beshimi finished filling the tank up, then went to meet Aoshi at the place he was.
"It means that the kidnapper lives here. Or at least he brought Misao-chan." Beshimi said, startled.
Aoshi didn't say a word. He just got up and headed to the futon, touching it afterwards. "It is still warm. He took Misao away not long ago. If we rush, we may still have time to find them."
They came back to the carriage fast and took off, counting on the others to find them soon. Not long time after, they saw a shadow running to a small cave. It was carrying a small body on his arms and it didn't seem to react. Beshimi landed close to the building and crept to it with Aoshi.
Without looking to inside, they bursted into the building threateningly. In there, there were about ten men. One of them, probably the one whose shadow the Aoshi and Beshimi saw, was still carrying the body, his back to them. This man turned to them and they saw it was really Misao the one whom he was holding.
"Take your hands out of Misao." the japanese Santa Claus pointed his staff to the kidnapper. The other men raised themselves and faced the two christmas figures.
"Men, go ahead. Greet them ou 'merry christmas'." the kidnapper ordered ironically and turned to leave calmly, while Misao was still unawake on his arms. Aoshi tried to rush forth, but a man hindered his way, as he had to helplessly stare at the leaving kidnapper. Beshimi looked at him firmly and Aoshi nodded as a sign they would fight the men.
A big and bulky man dashed in their direction. Aoshi and Beshimi dodged and, with a quick movement, this one kicked the assaulter's stomach, heaving him on the floor, as the others attacked Aoshi. They struggled not to be defeated for some time, for the fighters were good indeed and it was a nine-versus-two fight. Trying to get rid of a slim swordsman, Aoshi got corraled on a corner, what diminished the room he had to move and fight. When the cynnically-smiling swordsman was going to obviously jab the okashira's throat, something knocked him down and, behind his falling body, Aoshi could see Hanya's mask, Shikijou fighting out there, Beshimi just close. Aoshi muttered a thank and went on with the fight. Among the enemies, Beshimi shouted. "Go rescue Misao-chan, Aoshi-sama! Leve the party with the dwarves!" Aoshi chuckled, knocked his oponent down and rushed to outside.
Getting out of the building, the sound of his companions fighting just behind him seemed to go louder and softer as he ran to catch the kidnapper, following his footprints that led him to the forest. After running for some time, he finally saw the man and Misao on a glade. His blood boiled and got violently to his hands, that got ready to take his kodachis from their sheath. "Here thou are, dirty bastard." Santa Claus roared.
"Santa Claus, what a plasure your presence causes me!" the kidnapper said ironically, placing Misao on the ground. "Lemme introduce myself. I'm The Shadow. Don't you want to join me and our silent and pretty companion?"
"Shut thy mouth up, thou stinky devil!" Aoshi dashed, drawing his swords and whiping a cross-shaped attack up with them. The Shadow protected himself with a long sword he drew from a sheath on his belt.
"Uh! What a bad temper, Santa Claus! Or should I say Shinomori Aoshi?" The Shaddow laughed, still holding his sword's tsuka with one hand and sustaining its kissaki with the other, stopping the okashira's attack. Aoshi got severely raging and shoved him back.
"Never meddle with Santa Claus again, thou maniac."Aoshi got ready to another attack. But his time, with this sentence, The Shadow seemed to have gotten really angry. It looked like he had ran amuck, for he dashed desperatelly and assauled the okashira continuosly, who did nothing but dodge.
"I'm not a maniac!" The Shadow shouted while attacking beserkly his oponent. "I hate Christmas, I hate Santa Claus, I hate you, I hate everything! And now feel the real power of Kageboushi style!"
All the place got darker and Aoshi could see nothing around him. Suddenly, a glimmering flame seemed to appear above and ahead him, going down to his direction afterwards with a scream. "Kouen!". After this, he felt a burning cut on his chest and he fell back.
When the place got moonlit again, Aoshi got up with dificulty. His gown and blouse had a great cut and, around it, they were black of ashes they had turned into. On his chest there was also a big wound, burning his flesh deep. Giddy because of pain, he stood. "The fight is not over, The Shadow. I am still on my feet."
The Shadow turned to him with an ironic chuckle. "Congratulations, Santa Claus. I wonder how the hell you survived to my attack."
"I am Santa Claus. Santa Claus is a legend. This premise makes me a legend. Thou should know legends do not die." Aoshi smirked, challenging. The Shadow frowned angrily and prepared for his attack again.
"Really? Let's see if a legend can survive to my Kouen again." The shadow darkened the place again. Aoshi didn't fear, for he felt the place his oponent was.
"Kodachi Nitou, Gokou Juuji!" he dashed, before The Shadow could whip his attack up. As soon as his kodachis met an obstacle, the darkness vanished, allowing the okashira to see he had knocked his oponent down.
Aoshi sighed: the battle was over. Ahead of him, Misao layed helplessly on the floor, so he ran to her. Hand over her breast, he felt her heart throbing and felt relieved. Picking her up to his arms, she opened her eyes slowly.
"Aoshi-sama?" she breathed, frowning.
"I am Santa Claus, my child." Aoshi kept on pretending. Misao was still frowning and didn't seem to have been decieved, so the japanese Santa Claus went on. "Sometimes people see other people they know in my face."
"I'd never mistake those eyes for any other ones." Misao smiled and took his beard away, much for Aoshi's surprise. He could do nothing but stare.
This very time, the sound of the bronze bell came from the catholic temple, announcing it was midnight, it was Christmas. "I am glad thou are alright."
"Merry christmas, Aoshi-sama." Misao snuggled on Aoshi's arms and fell asleep again. Aoshi took her to the carriage, where Beshimi waited for him, and they led to the warehouse, then to the Aoi-ya.
*#-_-
On the following day, Okon woke Aoshi up abut ten o'clock. Sitting up on his futon, Aoshi rubbed his face and muttered. "Hm... I think I overslept..." Then yawned soundly.
Getting ready and going downstairs, Aoshi found the restaurant crawling with people and everybody but Okina and Misao was there. Coming back inside, he could see the girl coming on, hoping outside her room as a happy rabbit. "Good morning, Aoshi-sama!"
"It is good to see thou are better today. Much better, if I may say." Aoshi nodded, entering his room.
"Yeah, I think it's Christmas spirit." Misao laughed, leaning by his door.
"Now thou have talked about Christmas spirit, have thou seen if Santa Claus left thee any gift?"
Misao laughed and rushed back to her room, as Aoshi remembered the wooden doll he curled in her futon when he placed her on it the previous night.
*#-_-
.:It's Me Again:. So? Did you enjoy this one? I'm sorry for having posted if after x-mas. Did you understand the emoticom separating the strory blocks? I tried to make Aoshi-sama's face (-_-) wearing Santa Claus bonnet(*#), and that's whow that thing (*#-_-) was born -did it do? And, as a little disclaimer, I must say that the first sentence of the third part is based on Dream Theater's "Six O'Clock". Ah, just a little explanation about The Shadow's style and attack. His fighting style name means "Shadow Figure" and his attack, "Flame". Opinions? Suggestions? Coursing on me? Review, please! And a happy new year to all of you!