This is getting frustrating…I want my Internet back and I wants it NOW! I wants it now, my precious…
*cough* Anyway, this is the last chapter of Densenbyou. It was a real pleasure doing this and I hope I'm just as lucky with Kikyoku. I will get all sappy and sentimental at the end, as usual. But if you think THAT'S bad, wait until I finish Kikyoku. I'll have to keep a tissue box handy. But good things come with the bad! Co-write with Lexi-chan comes soon after! And Touketsu comes whenever I'm not preoccupied. Whew…
I'm getting off track again. Well, here you go. The last chapter of Densenbyou!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There remained only five days until Christmas, and everybody feverishly dove into preparations for the holiday. Kia and Kurama occupied the kitchen, cooking up a storm. Once, Chuu and Yusuke had made the error of entering and sampling a few of the cookies. Kia hadn't said anything, merely picked up the greased cookie sheet, slid the remaining cookies off onto a piece of tinfoil, and closed her eyes. And then she proceeded to chase the two cookie thieves out of the kitchen while Kurama stood by, watching mildly.
Yusuke finally made it up to the irate Mirror Holder by taking her outside and teaching her the Rei Gun technique. Hiei and Kelsey sat in a tree to observe and the others stayed inside, content to view the proceedings from the windows.
After about forty-five minutes, the tip of Kia's right index finger began to glow. A small blue light, laced through with silver, formed.
"Now yell 'Rei Gun!' and release it," Yusuke instructed her.
The girl blinked, looking at him. "Does it matter what you actually call out?"
Yusuke also blinked, wondering where this was going…and not sure if he wanted to know. "I…I guess not, but…"
"Let's try it." Kia carefully aimed her glowing finger at a nearby tree, frowned in concentration, then yelled "TOOTHPICK!"
The light sped away from her in a large blast, hit the tree, and sliced it neatly in half. Yusuke's jaw dropped.
"Guess it works!" Kelsey called down to her friend. "Nice choice of words…word."
The brunette smiled modestly. "Just testing. I probably wouldn't do that in battle."
"It'd confuse them," Hiei pointed out. Privately, he was amused, but you'd never guess it from the flatness of his tone.
"Uh…Kia…" Yusuke tapped his "student" on the shoulder. When she turned, he pointed. "Did you forget something?"
The blast from the Rei Gun was still going strong, continuing to break down snow-covered trees and leaving a fiery mess in its wake.
"…Oh, bloody CRAP." Kia ran after it, waving her arms frantically. "Come back! Heel! Stop! Halt! Desist! P?relo! SIT! Touyaaaaaa, I need you!!"
Of course, that was on Saturday. On Sunday, Touya got into a tussle with the tinsel when he tried to hang it on the tree and almost strangled himself. It took Kelsey and Kia three hours to untangle him, and they were laughing too hard to concentrate properly.
On Monday, Rinku tricked Kelsey into standing under the mistletoe with him. Shishiwakamaru grew so jealous that he shoved the boy out of the way and kissed Kelsey instead…which was what Rinku had intended all along. Suzuki admiringly called him a "devious little matchmaker" and told him that he had a promising future ahead of him.
Chuu, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru, Suzuki, Jin, Touya, and the Mirror Holders went to Makai from Tuesday to Wednesday, for their own reasons. Kelsey had her doubts when she saw the others headed off in the same direction, but they refused to say where they were going. Shishiwakamaru, after Kelsey had turned the "puppy dog eyes" on him, had muttered that they were going to see a friend, and left it at that.
As for the Mirror Holders, they had their own agenda. They'd dressed for the season, both wearing skirts and long-sleeved tops of red velvet, trimmed in glistening fake white fur. Kelsey sported a Santa cap and Kia had tucked a poinsettia behind her right ear. And now they were ready to spread Christmas cheer.
Their first stop was Mukuro's fortress, where they surprised the demon lord with a Santa cap for her and candy canes for her entire army. Kelsey produced a camera and actually convinced Mukuro to take a picture with them. If anyone ever entered the woman's bedroom, one of the first things you'd see would be a color photograph tacked to the wall. In it, Mukuro was being hugged by two teenaged girls, a blonde and a brunette in Christmas outfits. A young man with gray cat ears was giving the brunette bunny ears, and everyone was laughing.
Tsukai stopped by to drop off the finished cure and to give the girls a ride to Ashita's. The Creator was delighted to see them again, after so long, and they patiently endured her exclamations of how much they'd grown. She'd gotten into the spirit of the holidays as well, changing her eye color to match. The left iris was green, the right was red.
"You've been given an enormous burden," Ashita said at one point, as they sat down in different-sized armchairs. "And I'm afraid it will only get worse before it gets better."
Kia sniffed warily at her cup of eggnog, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Do you know something, Ashita?"
The white-haired Creator shook her head. "Not enough. It will be some time before it happens."
"Before WHAT happens?" Kelsey asked, drinking her own eggnog without hesitation.
Ashita sighed, sprinkling a few fruitcake crumbs into the sea monkey bowl. "If I could, I'd protect you…but the past cannot be changed and feelings cannot be spared."
For a moment, there existed silence. Then…
"Before WHAT happens?" Kelsey said again.
"Oh, you!" Chuckling, Ashita rose. "You'll get nothing else from me, my dear Mirror Holder. Now, back home with you. It's Christmas Eve."
"Aww…" Both girls said petulantly.
"Don't 'aww' me, girls! Shoo!" She hugged them warmly, then sent them off. They rendezvoused with their friends in Ningenkai and headed home just in time to see a bunch of carolers run screaming from a floating Jin in playful spirits.
Thursday, Christmas morning. Rei decided to wake everyone up early. She achieved this by running through the house with Axe, screaming "HO HO HO AND A BOTTLE OF EGGNOG, ME HEARTIES!" at the top of her lungs.
Kia groaned, squinting at the alarm clock on her desk. "She's crazy. 'S only five o'clock…"
"Merry Christmas, grump!" Kelsey, seated on her bed, tossed a Santa cap to her. The other girl muttered sleepily and sat up, unbound brown hair spilling over her shoulders, before she dutifully plunked the hat on her head.
"Merry Christmas!" Jin burst into the room, wearing an ear-to-ear grin. "C'mon, there are PRESENTS!" Before Kia could protest, he had flung her over his shoulder and bounced into the living room, followed by an amused Kelsey.
"Hey!" Suzuki looked up as they approached, decked-out in the entire Santa Clause ensemble, complete with fake white beard and extra padding.
"Morning, Suzuki…" Kia slid down, yawning. "You sure got into the Christmas spirit, didn't you?"
The blonde youkai grinned. "I figure I have to look the part of Sandy Clause."
"That would be SANTA Clause, I believe." Touya walked into the room, still in his gray silk pajamas. Rinku and Chuu followed. "Merry Christmas," he added, casting a wary glance at the tinsel glittering innocently on the tree.
Rei now had a specific target. As Shishiwakamaru opened the door for Kurama, the Kuwabara siblings, Yusuke, Keiko, Yukina, and Botan, Hiei shot past, intent on escaping his pursuer. The priestess gave chase, waving a Santa cap wildly.
"YOU HAVE TO BE FAT AND JOLLY, HIEI! PUT ON THE HAT!"
"Get away from me," the Jaganshi gritted, stepping closer to the Christmas tree.
Kurama had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. No, Hiei…don't do it…
"GOTCHA!" Rei shrieked suddenly, lunging for Hiei.
It happened. The third eye on Hiei's forehead flashed, and the tree branches began to smoke, small flames leaping on the pine.
Everyone froze for a moment, and then they all started to talk at once. (A/N: Who wants to guess who says what? ^^)
"Save the presents!"
"Forget the presents, save ME!!"
"Okay, fine. You can be an elf! You're about the right size, anyway."
"Rei…"
"A reindeer! Here's your red nose!"
"REI…"
"NO, HIEI! NOT THE ELECTRIC LI-"
FOOOOOOOOOM.
"SHIT!"
"Hiei, you BAKA! You're just like the Grinch!"
"Who?"
"Evacuate! EVACUATE!!"
-It never gets boring around here, I'll admit.-
Apart from the tree-burning incident, it was actually a very nice Christmas. The presents were saved and passed around to their recipients. Kage ended up with a pile of bones and a handsome red collar. Botan was thrilled with the jar of oar varnish from Kelsey, and Suzuki had bought some Makai whiskey for Chuu, who celebrated by opening it right then and there and getting drunk. Rinku was already breaking in his new yo-yos, courtesy of Shishiwakamaru and Keiko ran around, showing off her new gold bracelet, courtesy of Yusuke.
Among the more memorable presents were a new katana for Hiei from the Mirror Holders (he always seemed to be breaking his) and purple eye shadow from Yusuke. Once again, the Tantei had to run. Kia, after noticing Jin's sensitivity to cold, had knitted a vivid bright blue scarf for him. It had actually taken her two months to complete the damned thing, but the ecstatic smile on Jin's face when he tried it more than made up for it. Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki had collaborated and made Kelsey a fine sword of blue steel and a handsome hilt. She was thrilled. Kuwabara had gotten Touya a Sno-cone machine. The Ice Master was still puzzling over it.
At one point, Jin led Kia outside and presented her with an intricately-carved wooden whistle, no longer than her hand. "It's a bird whistle," he explained, noting the curious expression on her face. "Try it."
Kia nodded and lifted the whistle to her lips, blowing it carefully. A pure warbling note emerged, high and clear. For a moment, there was absolute silence as the two stood there under the wintry sky. And then the sky was abruptly filled with birds. Sparrows, cardinals, even little hummingbirds hovered, wings beating the air to stay aloft.
The girl's eyes widened. "Oh…"
"Thought it might come in handy, some day, some how." The redheaded Wind Master smiled bashfully. "Like now, for instance." When his companion glanced at him quizzically, he pointed up. A bluebird glided down, chirping softly. And then Kia noticed something.
"What's that attached to its leg?" She blinked as the bird perched on her lifted fingers, raising its leg so she could relieve it of its burden. She did so, lifted the item up, then gasped. "Jin--"
The item she grasped was a simple silver ring, but as the bluebird took flight once more and the girl turned the cool metal in her fingers, she saw a single word etched on the inside. Promise.
"Can't tell you what the promise is yet." Jin hugged her from behind, lowering his head to rest his chin on her shoulder. "That, lass, is somethin' you'll have to wait for."
Kia turned around to face him, flinging her arms around his neck. "I'll wait, then. I'm not going anywhere."
The ensemble of birds above chorused agreement.
******
Kia sat on the roof, the faint light of the stars overhead reflected in her dark eyes. She was still in her flannel pajamas and her hair remained down, but a playful gust of wind had plucked the Santa cap from her head and it now lay in the snow below.
"Mind if I join you?" Kurama hoisted himself onto the roof, cheeks pink from the cold.
"No, go right ahead," the girl replied, scooting over to make room for him. "What brings you here, Kurama?"
The Youko smiled, settling down beside her. "I just felt like stargazing…and Rei's trying to put reindeer antlers on Hiei."
Kia winced. "That can't be good."
He chuckled, then pulled a crumpled photograph from his shirt pocket. He smoothed it down, studying it with a saddened expression. The Mirror Holder recognized the golden-haired girl in the picture, smiling at the camera with shining blue-gray eyes.
"You miss her, don't you?" Kia's voice was soft as she glanced down at the photo, then up at her friend. "Chitsuko?"
Kurama nodded. "It's just been so long…" There was something odd in his keen emerald oculars, and the girl suddenly realized something.
"You…" The brunette hesitated, and then pressed on. "You love her."
The Youko flinched, then attempted to smile. "You're observant."
"No--you're just painfully obvious." Kia grinned, before becoming more serious. "Did you tell her?"
He sighed. "I…um…ah…no, not yet."
"Then do me a favor, Kurama." The girl stared at him solemnly. "The next time you see her, tell her." She closed her eyes and bowed her head, swallowing against a lump that had suddenly sprouted in her throat. "I've seen what it's like…not to tell someone that you care for them…and I never want to see it again." (A/N: Okay, technically, Binetsu TRIED…x.x)
"Binetsu?" The redhead asked gently. When she nodded, he patted her shoulder. "And you, Kia? Have YOU told-"
"OI! KIA! KURAMA! GET DOWN HERE!" That was Kelsey.
The two looked at each other, standing up. "I'll tell her," Kurama promised, ruffling Kia's brown hair. "For now, let's go see what your friend wants."
As it turned out, there had been one last present, labeled for Suzuki. When the two Mirror Holders saw the shape, they immediately knew what it was.
"It doesn't say who it's from," the puzzled inventor remarked, turning to the group. "Did any of you…?" He trailed off as they shook their heads.
"Open it," Shizuru suggested. Suzuki did so, and as the colorful wrapping paper fell away, he gasped. The others peered at it closely.
"It's a funnel," Hiei scoffed. Kelsey cuffed him and he glared at her. "Touch me again and die."
The blonde martial artist ran his fingers over the metal piece. When he turned it, a small white card fluttered to the floor. Touya silently picked it up and handed it to Suzuki.
"What's it say? What's it say??" Rinku jumped up and down, trying to see.
"It says…" Suzuki's voice shook slightly as he read it aloud. "'I'm sorry'."
"Who would've sent you that?" Keiko asked, bewildered.
"Did someone anger you, Suzuki-san?" Yukina added.
"Once, long ago…" And then Suzuki lowered his head. To the surprise of everyone (except for a few), tears rolled down his face.
"Oh, Binetsu…" Kia wiped her own watering eyes.
"I guess sometimes compassion DOES come in handy." Kelsey hugged her friend around the shoulders. "Good job, Cookie Sheet."
"Don't even start," the girl grumbled. "Come on, let's go get tissues for the Weeping Wonder."
A pair of eyes, one brown, one blue, watched the girls run off, before they faded out, leaving only a faint giggle on the wind.
-Owari-
*OOC*
It's done! It's done! Yay! I am very happy…and I really enjoyed writing this one too. Definitely the fastest I've ever done a DnK story. Not as fast as Lexi-chan, but…^^;; Ah, well. Anyway…next…story? *sweatdrops* Oh, wait…my sentimental sappy moment.
Thanks to all of my reviewers for giving me hope that people actually enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. Much love to you all and…cookies for all!
An extra-special thank you to Celebrindae, kimpfn, and Kelsey for being there! And for introducing me to some pretty strange stuff…yes, Bara-chan, that means Toey and the freaky legged bread…
And lastly, an extra-extra-special thank you to Lexi-chan! You've been with me through all of Densenbyou and I'm extremely grateful! Your mad updating skillz have inspired me, and it's you I have to thank for this story getting done so quickly. I can't wait to do the co-write for you…it definitely promises to be interesting, and excellent character use of Kaeru! You did my Koorime justice! Them Orcs will never get YOU down! ^.~
Please review. Kikyoku will be up…soon. I think. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe maybe. Just a warning, it's a bit darker than the other three stories. All I WILL say is that there are three very important deaths, but I can't say who, what, how, and why. Only a few know anyway. ^^ Please stick with me while I muddle through Kikyoku! Thanks again! As for a preview thingy…
* Something horrible happens to Kelsey! Once again, Kia is faced with a time limit as she races to save her friend.
* In order to save Kelsey, Kia has to journey to the past! (A/N: Damn you, Anastasia!) Which means meeting her mother, her grandmother, and a certain vain Youko…uh-oh!
* Anyone who ever took the personality quiz will finally meet Osore…
*cough* Anyway, this is the last chapter of Densenbyou. It was a real pleasure doing this and I hope I'm just as lucky with Kikyoku. I will get all sappy and sentimental at the end, as usual. But if you think THAT'S bad, wait until I finish Kikyoku. I'll have to keep a tissue box handy. But good things come with the bad! Co-write with Lexi-chan comes soon after! And Touketsu comes whenever I'm not preoccupied. Whew…
I'm getting off track again. Well, here you go. The last chapter of Densenbyou!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There remained only five days until Christmas, and everybody feverishly dove into preparations for the holiday. Kia and Kurama occupied the kitchen, cooking up a storm. Once, Chuu and Yusuke had made the error of entering and sampling a few of the cookies. Kia hadn't said anything, merely picked up the greased cookie sheet, slid the remaining cookies off onto a piece of tinfoil, and closed her eyes. And then she proceeded to chase the two cookie thieves out of the kitchen while Kurama stood by, watching mildly.
Yusuke finally made it up to the irate Mirror Holder by taking her outside and teaching her the Rei Gun technique. Hiei and Kelsey sat in a tree to observe and the others stayed inside, content to view the proceedings from the windows.
After about forty-five minutes, the tip of Kia's right index finger began to glow. A small blue light, laced through with silver, formed.
"Now yell 'Rei Gun!' and release it," Yusuke instructed her.
The girl blinked, looking at him. "Does it matter what you actually call out?"
Yusuke also blinked, wondering where this was going…and not sure if he wanted to know. "I…I guess not, but…"
"Let's try it." Kia carefully aimed her glowing finger at a nearby tree, frowned in concentration, then yelled "TOOTHPICK!"
The light sped away from her in a large blast, hit the tree, and sliced it neatly in half. Yusuke's jaw dropped.
"Guess it works!" Kelsey called down to her friend. "Nice choice of words…word."
The brunette smiled modestly. "Just testing. I probably wouldn't do that in battle."
"It'd confuse them," Hiei pointed out. Privately, he was amused, but you'd never guess it from the flatness of his tone.
"Uh…Kia…" Yusuke tapped his "student" on the shoulder. When she turned, he pointed. "Did you forget something?"
The blast from the Rei Gun was still going strong, continuing to break down snow-covered trees and leaving a fiery mess in its wake.
"…Oh, bloody CRAP." Kia ran after it, waving her arms frantically. "Come back! Heel! Stop! Halt! Desist! P?relo! SIT! Touyaaaaaa, I need you!!"
Of course, that was on Saturday. On Sunday, Touya got into a tussle with the tinsel when he tried to hang it on the tree and almost strangled himself. It took Kelsey and Kia three hours to untangle him, and they were laughing too hard to concentrate properly.
On Monday, Rinku tricked Kelsey into standing under the mistletoe with him. Shishiwakamaru grew so jealous that he shoved the boy out of the way and kissed Kelsey instead…which was what Rinku had intended all along. Suzuki admiringly called him a "devious little matchmaker" and told him that he had a promising future ahead of him.
Chuu, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru, Suzuki, Jin, Touya, and the Mirror Holders went to Makai from Tuesday to Wednesday, for their own reasons. Kelsey had her doubts when she saw the others headed off in the same direction, but they refused to say where they were going. Shishiwakamaru, after Kelsey had turned the "puppy dog eyes" on him, had muttered that they were going to see a friend, and left it at that.
As for the Mirror Holders, they had their own agenda. They'd dressed for the season, both wearing skirts and long-sleeved tops of red velvet, trimmed in glistening fake white fur. Kelsey sported a Santa cap and Kia had tucked a poinsettia behind her right ear. And now they were ready to spread Christmas cheer.
Their first stop was Mukuro's fortress, where they surprised the demon lord with a Santa cap for her and candy canes for her entire army. Kelsey produced a camera and actually convinced Mukuro to take a picture with them. If anyone ever entered the woman's bedroom, one of the first things you'd see would be a color photograph tacked to the wall. In it, Mukuro was being hugged by two teenaged girls, a blonde and a brunette in Christmas outfits. A young man with gray cat ears was giving the brunette bunny ears, and everyone was laughing.
Tsukai stopped by to drop off the finished cure and to give the girls a ride to Ashita's. The Creator was delighted to see them again, after so long, and they patiently endured her exclamations of how much they'd grown. She'd gotten into the spirit of the holidays as well, changing her eye color to match. The left iris was green, the right was red.
"You've been given an enormous burden," Ashita said at one point, as they sat down in different-sized armchairs. "And I'm afraid it will only get worse before it gets better."
Kia sniffed warily at her cup of eggnog, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Do you know something, Ashita?"
The white-haired Creator shook her head. "Not enough. It will be some time before it happens."
"Before WHAT happens?" Kelsey asked, drinking her own eggnog without hesitation.
Ashita sighed, sprinkling a few fruitcake crumbs into the sea monkey bowl. "If I could, I'd protect you…but the past cannot be changed and feelings cannot be spared."
For a moment, there existed silence. Then…
"Before WHAT happens?" Kelsey said again.
"Oh, you!" Chuckling, Ashita rose. "You'll get nothing else from me, my dear Mirror Holder. Now, back home with you. It's Christmas Eve."
"Aww…" Both girls said petulantly.
"Don't 'aww' me, girls! Shoo!" She hugged them warmly, then sent them off. They rendezvoused with their friends in Ningenkai and headed home just in time to see a bunch of carolers run screaming from a floating Jin in playful spirits.
Thursday, Christmas morning. Rei decided to wake everyone up early. She achieved this by running through the house with Axe, screaming "HO HO HO AND A BOTTLE OF EGGNOG, ME HEARTIES!" at the top of her lungs.
Kia groaned, squinting at the alarm clock on her desk. "She's crazy. 'S only five o'clock…"
"Merry Christmas, grump!" Kelsey, seated on her bed, tossed a Santa cap to her. The other girl muttered sleepily and sat up, unbound brown hair spilling over her shoulders, before she dutifully plunked the hat on her head.
"Merry Christmas!" Jin burst into the room, wearing an ear-to-ear grin. "C'mon, there are PRESENTS!" Before Kia could protest, he had flung her over his shoulder and bounced into the living room, followed by an amused Kelsey.
"Hey!" Suzuki looked up as they approached, decked-out in the entire Santa Clause ensemble, complete with fake white beard and extra padding.
"Morning, Suzuki…" Kia slid down, yawning. "You sure got into the Christmas spirit, didn't you?"
The blonde youkai grinned. "I figure I have to look the part of Sandy Clause."
"That would be SANTA Clause, I believe." Touya walked into the room, still in his gray silk pajamas. Rinku and Chuu followed. "Merry Christmas," he added, casting a wary glance at the tinsel glittering innocently on the tree.
Rei now had a specific target. As Shishiwakamaru opened the door for Kurama, the Kuwabara siblings, Yusuke, Keiko, Yukina, and Botan, Hiei shot past, intent on escaping his pursuer. The priestess gave chase, waving a Santa cap wildly.
"YOU HAVE TO BE FAT AND JOLLY, HIEI! PUT ON THE HAT!"
"Get away from me," the Jaganshi gritted, stepping closer to the Christmas tree.
Kurama had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. No, Hiei…don't do it…
"GOTCHA!" Rei shrieked suddenly, lunging for Hiei.
It happened. The third eye on Hiei's forehead flashed, and the tree branches began to smoke, small flames leaping on the pine.
Everyone froze for a moment, and then they all started to talk at once. (A/N: Who wants to guess who says what? ^^)
"Save the presents!"
"Forget the presents, save ME!!"
"Okay, fine. You can be an elf! You're about the right size, anyway."
"Rei…"
"A reindeer! Here's your red nose!"
"REI…"
"NO, HIEI! NOT THE ELECTRIC LI-"
FOOOOOOOOOM.
"SHIT!"
"Hiei, you BAKA! You're just like the Grinch!"
"Who?"
"Evacuate! EVACUATE!!"
-It never gets boring around here, I'll admit.-
Apart from the tree-burning incident, it was actually a very nice Christmas. The presents were saved and passed around to their recipients. Kage ended up with a pile of bones and a handsome red collar. Botan was thrilled with the jar of oar varnish from Kelsey, and Suzuki had bought some Makai whiskey for Chuu, who celebrated by opening it right then and there and getting drunk. Rinku was already breaking in his new yo-yos, courtesy of Shishiwakamaru and Keiko ran around, showing off her new gold bracelet, courtesy of Yusuke.
Among the more memorable presents were a new katana for Hiei from the Mirror Holders (he always seemed to be breaking his) and purple eye shadow from Yusuke. Once again, the Tantei had to run. Kia, after noticing Jin's sensitivity to cold, had knitted a vivid bright blue scarf for him. It had actually taken her two months to complete the damned thing, but the ecstatic smile on Jin's face when he tried it more than made up for it. Shishiwakamaru and Suzuki had collaborated and made Kelsey a fine sword of blue steel and a handsome hilt. She was thrilled. Kuwabara had gotten Touya a Sno-cone machine. The Ice Master was still puzzling over it.
At one point, Jin led Kia outside and presented her with an intricately-carved wooden whistle, no longer than her hand. "It's a bird whistle," he explained, noting the curious expression on her face. "Try it."
Kia nodded and lifted the whistle to her lips, blowing it carefully. A pure warbling note emerged, high and clear. For a moment, there was absolute silence as the two stood there under the wintry sky. And then the sky was abruptly filled with birds. Sparrows, cardinals, even little hummingbirds hovered, wings beating the air to stay aloft.
The girl's eyes widened. "Oh…"
"Thought it might come in handy, some day, some how." The redheaded Wind Master smiled bashfully. "Like now, for instance." When his companion glanced at him quizzically, he pointed up. A bluebird glided down, chirping softly. And then Kia noticed something.
"What's that attached to its leg?" She blinked as the bird perched on her lifted fingers, raising its leg so she could relieve it of its burden. She did so, lifted the item up, then gasped. "Jin--"
The item she grasped was a simple silver ring, but as the bluebird took flight once more and the girl turned the cool metal in her fingers, she saw a single word etched on the inside. Promise.
"Can't tell you what the promise is yet." Jin hugged her from behind, lowering his head to rest his chin on her shoulder. "That, lass, is somethin' you'll have to wait for."
Kia turned around to face him, flinging her arms around his neck. "I'll wait, then. I'm not going anywhere."
The ensemble of birds above chorused agreement.
******
Kia sat on the roof, the faint light of the stars overhead reflected in her dark eyes. She was still in her flannel pajamas and her hair remained down, but a playful gust of wind had plucked the Santa cap from her head and it now lay in the snow below.
"Mind if I join you?" Kurama hoisted himself onto the roof, cheeks pink from the cold.
"No, go right ahead," the girl replied, scooting over to make room for him. "What brings you here, Kurama?"
The Youko smiled, settling down beside her. "I just felt like stargazing…and Rei's trying to put reindeer antlers on Hiei."
Kia winced. "That can't be good."
He chuckled, then pulled a crumpled photograph from his shirt pocket. He smoothed it down, studying it with a saddened expression. The Mirror Holder recognized the golden-haired girl in the picture, smiling at the camera with shining blue-gray eyes.
"You miss her, don't you?" Kia's voice was soft as she glanced down at the photo, then up at her friend. "Chitsuko?"
Kurama nodded. "It's just been so long…" There was something odd in his keen emerald oculars, and the girl suddenly realized something.
"You…" The brunette hesitated, and then pressed on. "You love her."
The Youko flinched, then attempted to smile. "You're observant."
"No--you're just painfully obvious." Kia grinned, before becoming more serious. "Did you tell her?"
He sighed. "I…um…ah…no, not yet."
"Then do me a favor, Kurama." The girl stared at him solemnly. "The next time you see her, tell her." She closed her eyes and bowed her head, swallowing against a lump that had suddenly sprouted in her throat. "I've seen what it's like…not to tell someone that you care for them…and I never want to see it again." (A/N: Okay, technically, Binetsu TRIED…x.x)
"Binetsu?" The redhead asked gently. When she nodded, he patted her shoulder. "And you, Kia? Have YOU told-"
"OI! KIA! KURAMA! GET DOWN HERE!" That was Kelsey.
The two looked at each other, standing up. "I'll tell her," Kurama promised, ruffling Kia's brown hair. "For now, let's go see what your friend wants."
As it turned out, there had been one last present, labeled for Suzuki. When the two Mirror Holders saw the shape, they immediately knew what it was.
"It doesn't say who it's from," the puzzled inventor remarked, turning to the group. "Did any of you…?" He trailed off as they shook their heads.
"Open it," Shizuru suggested. Suzuki did so, and as the colorful wrapping paper fell away, he gasped. The others peered at it closely.
"It's a funnel," Hiei scoffed. Kelsey cuffed him and he glared at her. "Touch me again and die."
The blonde martial artist ran his fingers over the metal piece. When he turned it, a small white card fluttered to the floor. Touya silently picked it up and handed it to Suzuki.
"What's it say? What's it say??" Rinku jumped up and down, trying to see.
"It says…" Suzuki's voice shook slightly as he read it aloud. "'I'm sorry'."
"Who would've sent you that?" Keiko asked, bewildered.
"Did someone anger you, Suzuki-san?" Yukina added.
"Once, long ago…" And then Suzuki lowered his head. To the surprise of everyone (except for a few), tears rolled down his face.
"Oh, Binetsu…" Kia wiped her own watering eyes.
"I guess sometimes compassion DOES come in handy." Kelsey hugged her friend around the shoulders. "Good job, Cookie Sheet."
"Don't even start," the girl grumbled. "Come on, let's go get tissues for the Weeping Wonder."
A pair of eyes, one brown, one blue, watched the girls run off, before they faded out, leaving only a faint giggle on the wind.
-Owari-
*OOC*
It's done! It's done! Yay! I am very happy…and I really enjoyed writing this one too. Definitely the fastest I've ever done a DnK story. Not as fast as Lexi-chan, but…^^;; Ah, well. Anyway…next…story? *sweatdrops* Oh, wait…my sentimental sappy moment.
Thanks to all of my reviewers for giving me hope that people actually enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. Much love to you all and…cookies for all!
An extra-special thank you to Celebrindae, kimpfn, and Kelsey for being there! And for introducing me to some pretty strange stuff…yes, Bara-chan, that means Toey and the freaky legged bread…
And lastly, an extra-extra-special thank you to Lexi-chan! You've been with me through all of Densenbyou and I'm extremely grateful! Your mad updating skillz have inspired me, and it's you I have to thank for this story getting done so quickly. I can't wait to do the co-write for you…it definitely promises to be interesting, and excellent character use of Kaeru! You did my Koorime justice! Them Orcs will never get YOU down! ^.~
Please review. Kikyoku will be up…soon. I think. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe maybe. Just a warning, it's a bit darker than the other three stories. All I WILL say is that there are three very important deaths, but I can't say who, what, how, and why. Only a few know anyway. ^^ Please stick with me while I muddle through Kikyoku! Thanks again! As for a preview thingy…
* Something horrible happens to Kelsey! Once again, Kia is faced with a time limit as she races to save her friend.
* In order to save Kelsey, Kia has to journey to the past! (A/N: Damn you, Anastasia!) Which means meeting her mother, her grandmother, and a certain vain Youko…uh-oh!
* Anyone who ever took the personality quiz will finally meet Osore…