As December rolled in, everyone in the Imperial Theater was feeling the Christmas spirit. One week before the grand holiday, everybody was helping to cover each square foot of the building with decorations. Of course some people weren't very productive, like Sumire and Kanna arguing over where the giant tree should be placed, which lead to pine needles getting everywhere… And also the Baragumi, already in the spirit with their modified Santa outfits, weren't even trying to look like they were helping. They chased Ogami around with a bundle of mistletoe, every once in a while getting a kiss.
Picking out pine needles from their hair, Reni and Maria continued to hang garlands.
"Reni, can you get the gold colored one from the box? It's in the lobby"
"Sure, I'll be right back." Reni smiled as she hummed a Christmas tune out of the room.
Iris smiled up at Maria.
"Iris loves how Reni gets into the Christmas spirit! I remember when it wasn't like that."
A small smile appeared on the Russian's face.
"Yes, I remember that time too. But now she truly has changed. I believe we all have, even if it doesn't look it." Maria glanced over at Kanna and Sumire, who were still arguing.
Reni walked back into the room, arms full with the gold garlands. She came up to Maria.
"Where shall we put these?"
Pausing for a second, Maria looked around the giant room, trying to see where the décor needed to go.
"Ah! I believe the stair banisters need some sort of decoration. How about it Reni, will you help me?"
The two climbed to the top and began to weave the gold through the wooden rods. Iris followed them, putting little teddy bear ornaments every four or five feet.
"Iris does a good job, right?"
Reni patted Iris on the head and smiled, "You always do."
A loud bang in the lobby ceased all activity, and Sumire and Kanna finally stopped their bickering. Having found an opportunity to leave the Baragumi, Ogami went to see what caused the noise. Reni and Maria glanced over at Kaede and saw that she looked worried.
"What's the matter Kaede?"
"I don't really know Maria; I just have this weird feeling something not good is going to occur."
Maria looked at Reni, both ready for anything.
Pausing to listen, silence filled the room. Then like a wave, harsh yelling came to the ears of the listeners.
"Was versucht er, zu tun?"
"Ich denke, daß er versucht, uns zu stoppen. "
"Dummkopf."
"What is going on in there?"
"If we knew, Kanna, would we be this confused right now?"
Reni dropped the gold garlands from her hands. Crackling and rustling, the garlands made their way to the bottom of the stairs, forming a glistening, gold puddle. Curious as to what caused the noise, the Hanagumi looked to the top of the staircase.
Climbing up the stairs, Sakura went over to Reni and touched her shoulder, "Reni what's wrong?"
Still as a statue, Reni did not respond. Now slightly worried, Maria stood closer to the silver-haired girl; all the while the thumps and yelling were getting closer. Ogami was suddenly thrown into the room, and fell to the floor with an, 'oomph', the wind having been knocked out of him. Following Ogami were two men, one taller than the other, dressed in black. They were still yelling as they entered the half decorated room.
"Wo ist sie?"
The shorter of the two men walked a few feet forward and shouted at the room.
"WO IST RENI MILCHSTRAßE?"
Shocked, Maria looked down at Reni. She may have not known what they said, but she and everyone else in the room knew a name when they heard it. Maria shook the dazed girl.
"Reni, do you know these men?"
Ignoring Maria, Reni began to shake her head and mumble. Frustrated, Maria shook the girl a little harder, as the men continued to scream.
"Reni, what's…"
Before Maria could finish, Reni stiffened and looked up, her eyes glazed over, cold and angry. Fast as lighting Reni released herself from the grasp of Maria and Sakura and ran down the stairs, speaking rapid German back to the two men.
"Who are you?"
The shorter man looked at Reni. "Are you Reni Milchstraße?"
Reni just glared at him and his accomplice.
"Why are you here disturbing me and my friends?"
The short man looked back at his accomplice at the door, who nodded. Smirking, he turned back towards Reni.
"All you need to know is that I'm Volker and he is Ancel. And we're here to get you."
Reni paused as she absorbed the last part of his short explanation. "What do you want with me?"
The man named Ancel finally broke his silence by laughing at her statement. He pulled out a paper and walked up to Reni. "Read this."
Reni took the paper and began to read it.
"Does anyone have any idea what's going on?"
"Kohran, I believe we all want to know what's happening," said Kaede.
"Iris wants to know how Reni knows such bad men!"
"I don't think she knows them Iris. Reni hasn't been in contact with anyone from Germany in a while. The last time was when we were still in the Hoshigumi," Orihime said as she watched the scene.
Suddenly, Reni dropped the paper and fell to her knees. Shocked, the Hanagumi rushed to Reni's side. Ogami, Kaede, and the Baragumi stood a few feet away from the group. Leaning over, Kanna and Maria picked Reni up from the floor.
"Reni, what's going on?"
Reni turned to face her comrades, "Kanna, everyone, I have…"
"Hurry it up! We are happy to drag you out of here," interrupted Volker.
"Don't you see I'm trying to talk to them?"
"How dare you talk to me with that tone you little wretch!" Volker said,raising his arm to slap Reni.
In a second, Kanna and Maria had Volker and Ancel in headlocks.
Infuriated, Kaede walked up to the men. "You have no right to come into this theater and attempt to slap a young lady who hasn't done anything! Who do you think you are?"
Ancel looked down at Kaede and spoke slowly, trying to find the foreign words. "We…came…to this…place…with orders…to get…Reni Milchstraße."
"What?" Confused, Kaede picked up the letter, trying to read the contents. It was written in German, and she could only understand a few words. Sighing, she looked to Reni for help. "Reni, what does this say exactly?"
Eyes to the floor, Reni took a deep breath.
"It's a letter from the German government. Basically, what it is says is, that I'm still a ward to Germany, being held illegally in Japan. And since I have been working in Japan, they will be charging me with treason if I return."
"But don't they know that you have been changed to a ward of Japan? I mean… Yoneda must have done something before you got here."
"I have Kaede," said Yoneda as he descended the stairs, fingers pressed to his forehead.
"Manager Yoneda, do you know what's going on?" Iris asked as she looked up with pleading eyes.
"My only guess is that some sort of mistake has been made by the German government. I will check to see what happened. But for now, Reni, go with the men."
"Yoneda! We just can't have them take her!"
"Calm down Kanna! There is nothing we can do now, since they brought an official letter from their government."
The man who had attempted to slap Reni was starting to tap his foot loudly on the floor.
"Are you done yet?"
Yoneda made eye contact with the complaining man, causing him to step back.
"She will be ready to go in a few minutes"
"Iris doesn't want Reni to go!" Tears began to trickle down Iris's cheeks.
Reni went up to Iris and gave her a big hug. "I'll be fine, just make sure not to ruin your smile with tears."
Kanna clapped her on the back and said, "Stay strong, we'll get you back in no time."
Sumire stepped up and gave Reni a quick hug.
"Eh, Saboten Sumire, I hope you don't tell Reni that she'll destroy the play if she's not there."
"Oh, I know that it isn't Reni's fault. It will be Yoneda's problem if he doesn't fix this problem before Christmas day." She narrowed her eyes, glaring at Yoneda. "Today's the twenty-first; you have four days."
"I'll try my best," he said, gulping
Finished with the goodbyes, Reni walked up to the two men.
"Good, we're finally off the German Embassy"
As she got into the car, Reni took one last look at the theater and her comrades on the stairs before it sped away.
Sighing, she looked out the window, ignoring the two men's conversation. Buildings and trees sped by. Upon passing Ueno Park, Reni thought about the picnics with everyone during the summer. She grinned to herself as she remembered the time when Kohran accidentally spilled water all over Sumire, which led to water getting on everyone else. While thinking about those times, the car began to slow down in front of a solitary, huge, stone building. Volker opened the door and gestured for Reni to get out.
"Welcome to your new home. That is, until you're brought back to Germany."
Reni climbed to the top of a flight of stairs and waited on the landing. Suddenly, the door in front of her swung open to reveal a stern looking woman. Reni guessed she was around sixty years old.
"Come inside, please."
Reni followed her into the building and began to look around at the entry hall. To her left was a staircase, and looking up at the ceiling she saw a giant metal chandelier. Before she could look at anything else, the woman cleared her throat.
"My name is Alberta Diefendorf. I'm the ambassador's wife, and I shall be looking after you while you are here."
Pausing, she looked over Reni. "I assume you would like to freshen up before joining me for dinner."
Shocked at the hospitality, Reni nodded.
"Please follow me."
Reni ascended the stairs after Alberta Diefendorf, still looking around at the house. Grasping the wooden railing, she noticed the intricate carvings of a hunt. Deer, dogs, and huntsmen on horses were weaving in and out of a forest. However, before Reni could examine the craftsmanship anymore, they had arrived at the top of the stairs. They turned right and began to walk down a long hallway. They finally stopped at a door at the very end of the hall, and Alberta opened it. The door revealed a simple bedroom, painted white and containing a bed, bureau, and a giant armoire.
"There's a bathroom through that door," saidAlberta as she pointed to the door in the back of the room. "There are clothes in the armoire. Please join me for dinner in at six o'clock. That's in an hour. I shall leave you now. Please don't leave this room yet; a maid shall come up to retrieve you."
And with that, she left Reni alone.
December 22
Assembled at the breakfast table the seven remaining members of the Hanagumi sighed. Once Reni left the day before no one could think straight, everything was canceled, including the decorating. Also right after Reni left Ogami was called away from Japan to get to Paris immediately. Nonstop, Iris had been crying and even now continued to sniffle into Jean-Paul.
"ARGH! I can't take this anymore. I want to do something to help our friend!"
All heads turned towards Kanna, her outburst finally stopping Iris from crying.
"I agree with Kanna! We should storm in the German Embassy, kick the guard's butts, and take Reni. If anyone tries to stop us Maria can just shoot them with her gun. BANG BANG BANG!" Orihime proceeded to fire a pretend gun while shouting 'Bang'
"Orihime, think seriously for this is a very serious matter."
"I'm sorry Maria-san" Orihime hid her head behind her hands in embarrassment
"This is a very tricky situation, and the best thing we came do for Reni is not getting involved. Anything we may do could cause a backlash on her. It's best to leave this situation to Yoneda."
Shocked, everyone looked at Sumire.
"What? I'm more afraid of an international scandal than you think."
"Sumire is right, we'll check with Yoneda later to see if the situation changed. I believe the best thing we can do right now is finish what we started yesterday."
With those words Kohran got up, determined to finish the decorating. Following the inventors lead everyone put away their sadness and went to finish what they started the day before.
Lying on disheveled white sheets, Reni had been in the room since dinner ended last night. Glancing at the clock she groaned. 1:34 pm and nothing had been accomplished. Even though her body was immobile, thoughts ran through the Wunderkind's mind. Oh, how much she wanted to get away from the German Embassy. Why now did the government want her back?
Getting off the bed, she began to make it. It was chores like that, which kept Reni from being overcome by the sadness of not seeing her Hanagumi family. Finished with the bed Reni decided to explore the rest of the house.
Opening the armoire she looked for her clothes which the maid took sometime during the night. Assuming it is still in the wash Reni gave up on finding her blue jacket and pants. She settled for trying the clothes Frua Diefendorf supplied in the closet. Pulling out a white turtleneck and sky blue silk vest Reni looked for a pair of pants. A tan pair suited her needs. Dressing quickly she left the room.
Walking down the hall a smell met her nose. Memories came flooding into her mind as she recognized the scent, German sausages. Salivating, Reni found her way down into the kitchen where the chef was at the stove. Jumping at Reni's presence the chef accidentally got some contents of the pot on himself. Recovering from the shock of getting hot liquid on himself, he smiled brightly at Reni.
"So! It seems our little visitor has finally come down for some good German food!" He said beaming
Before saying anything the chef got out a plate and piled it high with bratwurst and sauerkraut.
"This was made by the best German chef in existence, enjoy!"
"Thank you" Reni took a seat at the table, and began to eat the warm food. If there was one thing she missed from Germany it had to be the food.
While the chef was getting some warm apple cider the door opened to reveal the two men who brought Reni to the embassy. As they came in they laughed at a secret joke. Eying Reni they stopped all laughter and whispered to each other. Taking the steaming mug from the chef's hands they apparently decided to give it to Reni themselves. At this point Reni turned her head away from the men, ignoring them completely. With a smack on the table her cider had been sloppily delivered, proof was the stain on the white tablecloth.
"Enjoy."
Ancel said the word obviously caring less if Reni enjoyed the beverage or not. Joining Volker at the door they continued their conversation as they left the kitchen. Bustling back over to Reni the chef gave her another smile.
"Don't mind them, just enjoy your meal and drink"
Sipping her cider, Reni picked up her fork and knife and began to cut into the sausages.
Halfway through the plate she began to feel extremely drowsy. Thinking the cider may help wake herself up, Reni took another sip. Still tired, she downed the glass. Now black spots flashed before her eyes and with a 'thunk' on the table Reni was unconscious.
December 23
Props and costumes were everywhere on stage as Sumire and Kohran were rummaging through what they had stored in the costume room. Preparation for their special Christmas show was always a little stressful but this year everyone was on the top of their nerves for the absence of their archangel, Reni.
Pulling out huge, gorgeous wings Kohran began to brush the soft silver and white feathers with her hand. Looking over her shoulder Sumire watched Kohran absentmindedly stroke the wings.
"Reni is going to look beautiful in those, like a real angel."
Kohran stopped petting the wings turning to Sumire.
"I still can't believe what happened. I know I may be sounding selfish but it somewhat reminds me of when I was all alone in China, before Ayame came and brought me here. I was so lonely … but then she came and brought me to Japan. I was just so happy to meet You, Maria, Kanna, Iris, and Sakura. It was as if I was reborn, I had a family again. Then when Orihime and Reni joined us I was even happier." Closing her eyes Kohran smiled to herself, but then it disappeared quickly. "But now I feel as if my new life and family are being destroyed, and I won't stand for it."
Kohran started shaking from anger and sadness, but felt a soft touch on her shoulder. Looking up she saw Sumire giving her a soft yet sad smile.
I feel the same way Kohran. This is the first group of people I have ever felt were truly my family. They cared and loved me, and seeing people interfere with it just hurts." Sumire stared at the ceiling stuttering her words "I – it h – h – hurts so much I can't stand it."
Dropping to the floor Sumire and Kohran comforted each other in an embrace, both knowing how much a family the Hanagumi were.
"But, Kaede, hasn't Yoneda done anything?"
"Maria, calm down, he's trying his best to resolve the problem without angering either side."
Maria's head dropped as she held her hand in a fist. She knew that just complaining to Kaede wasn't going to help the situation. Quickly standing back up she saluted.
"Please tell me as soon as the situation is resolved."
Closing the door to the office Maria bumped into Sakura as she was going down the hall.
"Oh, Maria-san, I'm sorry I didn't see you there." Sakura said while bowing
All Maria did was gruff and walk past her.
Sakura, a little baffled at Maria's behavior, ran next to the tall woman.
"Maria, what's wrong?"
Finally stopping in the hall Maria sighed.
"I've been trying to find away of getting Reni out without upsetting Germany. But so far all I have been told is that I have to wait for Yoneda to come back with his news before any action can be taken on our front."
Sakura watched Maria put her hand on her chin.
"I really wish this was as easy as picking up a petty thief, and getting you out of jail, Sakura."
"I know what you mean, Maria-san, it seems as if everything is getting more and more complicated as the world goes on." Sakura paused, but when she spoke again their was a presence of hopefulness in her voice "But I have a feeling that everything will work out, and not only will it work out but we will resolve this issue very quickly."
"Sakura you make it sound like a miracle is going to happen."
"Well you never know Christmas is just around the corner!"
Inside the Music Room, a violent concerto was played; the piece obviously reflected the feelings of the pianist. The piano whined and pounded, causing anyone to walk past to feel a sudden sadness come over them. Sitting quietly, Kanna watched the Italian girl play her piece. It ended suddenly when Orihime just let her hands drop, hitting several keys at once.
"Ouch, you could've warned me." Kanna said rubbing her ears
"Sorry Kanna-san, it's just I'm not in the greatest of moods right now."
"Well whenever I feel down I always like to eat something, how about I cook us both something to eat."
"I appreciate the gesture Kanna but whenever I feel like this I need to have some homemade pasta."
Kanna frowned
"If I knew how to make that I would." Kanna then jumped up with a grin "Hey! Orihime, could you teach me how?"
Orihime bewildered looked at Kanna
"How can you think of cooking with all that's gone on the past couple of days?"
"The way I see it, Orihime, is that when everyone is down something should be done to cheer everyone up and I find food is the best way to do that." Kanna then smirked "Also I find food can cause good things to happen."
"Well since you put it that way ..."
"Come on I hate to see everyone down in the dumps, it's just not right for this theater!"
"You're right Kanna! It would really cheer up everyone if we had a big Italian dinner."
And before Kanna knew it Orihime has grabbed her hand and they both dashed off to the kitchen. Putting on an apron Orihime began to explain the process to Kanna.
"First, we should start with the sauce, since it will take the longest."
Getting the tomatoes, garlic, and oregano Kanna plopped all the ingredients for a simple sauce onto the counter. Taking out a knife Orihime demonstrated to Kanna how to get the seeds out. Busy at their task they didn't notice the arrival of Sumire and Kohran.
"Ah! What's this? Seems we shall be eating Italian tonight"
Kanna, used to interruptions while using sharp objects just glanced at Sumire after her comment, but Orihime on the other hand almost cut her hand.
"Oh! Sumire-san, you almost made me lose my hand!"
"Sorry, but I was just observing what you are doing."
"You can help if you want the more people the easier it is to finish." Orihime gestured to the cut tomatoes
"Well, I prefer to watch you work; since I am a Top Star I shouldn't be doing such manual labor, but since it's almost Christmas I think I'll join you."
Getting knives Kohran and Sumire joined in cutting tomatoes.
"This is so exciting! My first time eating pasta"
"Hopefully Kohran it won't be your last, not as long as I'm still here" Orihime smirked
Dumping all the chopped tomatoes in the big pot Orihime added the herbs. She then took a bottle of red wine adding some of it into the pot. Kanna looked at the Italian as if she was crazy for adding wine.
"Oi! Why did ya add that!"
"It's for flavor, and don't worry Kanna the alcohol in the wine will burn off."
"So, what do we do now?" Kohran had a giant grin on her face
Before Orihime could open her mouth Sakura stumbled into the kitchen. Just as she was to have a face plant with the floor, Maria rescued her by grabbing her shoulder.
"Sorry everyone, Maria and I were wondering where you all were." She then eyed the pot on the stove "What are you cooking?"
"Well that's the sauce; we're just about to start on the pasta dough."
"Wow! Can we help Orihime?"
"Of course Sakura! You two came at the right time. Kneading the dough is the hardest part."
In the pantry Orihime got a bag of flour, and then she measured out 1.5 kg (around 3 lbs).
"Orihime, that's a lot, are you sure we're going to eat all that?"
Sumire took the liberty of answering Sakura's question.
"Sakura, you must remember that Kanna is with us, and if we have any hope of eating ourselves we must make sure there is enough."
Working as a group they made the dough, kneaded it, and rolled it thin. Working well into the afternoon they were ready to boil the freshly made strips. As Maria put the pasta into the rolling water a thought came over her.
"You know, I find it very strange that Iris has not jointed us yet."
"I checked on her earlier today Maria, for some reason she hasn't been feeling well." Kanna said with a small frown
"It's a shame I'm sure Iris-han would've loved to work with us." Kohran said while going to the cabinet to get a bowl.
Placing the giant bowl on the counter Kohran watched as Orihime scooped out the hot pasta. Drizzling olive oil on top she then stirred it, coating each piece. Satisfied that the pasta wouldn't stick to each other Orihime put some of the homemade sauce on top.
"Brava! Homemade pasta and sauce made with love."
"Excellent let's eat!"
Kanna was just about to scoop out some of the food on her plate when a door slammed upstairs. Leaving the kitchen they went out into the dining room to see what happened. In a bright, yellow flash Iris teleported into the room. It took everyone a second to see tears streaming down her face in a never ending waterfall. Sakura ran up to Iris hugging the French girl.
"Iris, what's wrong?" Sakura asked gently
Hiccupping with tears still rolling down her face Iris managed one sentence that made the Hanagumi sick to their stomachs and Kanna drop her plate, which shattered to the floor.
"They did something to Reni."
December 24
Faint voices … they seemed so far away … for some reason they were getting closer, no, louder … much louder … yelling … What disaster? Who did what? What's going on?
A door nearby was slammed shut; the sound was like a million bombs going off next to Reni's ear. Wincing, she tried to open her tired eyes. It seemed like tons of weight had been added to her lids. Finally getting her eyes open she was greeted by bright, bright light. Blocking the rays with her hand she quickly woke up from her sleep. It only took a second to realize what had happened to her.
"Those damn bastards" Reni said to herself knowing they had drugged her
Hearing the yelling still going on, she left her room quickly. Now used to the brilliant light Reni ran down the hall quickly and grabbing hold of the carved banister almost flew down the stairs. Quietly entering the living room she saw Frau Diefendorf on the telephone and very upset. Looking up she saw Reni, gasping she quickly hung up the phone.
"Well look who finally got up after being asleep for almost two days."
It was now Reni's turn to gasp. It was December 24th. It was the first time since coming to Japan that she had not been with the Hanagumi for her birthday, but before Reni could think any more about that Frau Diefendorf began to speak.
"I fired the two guards who drugged you after I found out this morning that they were the ones who did it. They caused quite a ruckus leaving."
Reni now understood why she heard yelling.
"But currently I have a more pressing matter. I'm having a Christmas Eve party tonight, but my entertainer cancelled on me last minute. I have been trying to get in contact with someone to fill in. But now that you have woken up I shall be using you for tonight's entertainment. You should be honored I was initially not going to have you come."
Before Reni could say anything a maid came in.
"Please Armina make sure she has an appropriate outfit for tonight."
"Yes Mistress." The maid said bowing
And before Reni knew it she was out of the room and off in the shopping district with Armina.
"Since I have been informed you shall be playing the violin you will need an appropriate dress."
Even though Armina was trying to be nice Reni was just too depressed. Not only was she being forced into playing for some silly party, she missed her theater. Most of all she longed for her friends and being with them. Stepping out of the car they walked into the store. As they neared the entrance a single tear left Reni's eye.
A twinkle of bells announced their entrance into the shop. Looking around all that could be seen were dresses. Every shade and style imaginable was in the store which was just full to the brim with the dresses. An assistant practically came running over to help Armina and Reni.
"What shall I do for you today?" She said with a smile
"We need a dress for her." Armina pointed to Reni
"Come right this way we have just what you need."
Measuring Reni's sizes the assistant began to pull dress after dress from the racks. Each time Reni put them on and Armina decided if it was appropriate or not. Reni was just fine with that approach for she really didn't care what she ended up wearing.
After forty minutes of Armina's no's, the assistant's frustration, and Reni not paying attention to the entire process a dress seemed to have been picked. At the check out as Armina was receiving her change, the bell rang signaling a new customer.
"I'm sure going dress shopping will cheer you up, it always does for me."
Reni's ears picked up at the voice. Turning around Reni looked through the dresses. "No it couldn't be …" Moving closer to the two people Reni almost fainted. There stood Sumire and Iris. Upon looking closer at Iris she saw stains on her face from crying. Uncharacteristically, Reni jumped out from behind the dresses and hugged Iris.
"RENI!" Sumire almost fell over from shock
Released from the hug Iris touched Reni's disheveled hair which had not been combed.
"You're okay! Iris was so worried." This time Iris sprang upon Reni in a giant hug.
Before anything else was said between the three friends Reni was dragged out of the store and put in the waiting car, which screeched away from the dress shop.
"I will be in so much trouble if Frau Diefendorf finds out about that." Armina muttered to herself
Staring out the window Reni couldn't believe how quickly she was taken away from her life, again. Now more than ever she was afraid of being sent away from Japan to go back to a cold and unforgiving Germany.
Back at the theater Sumire explained what had just happened to Yoneda and Kaede. Yoneda hand was clenched as the story came to a conclusion. Pushing back his chair he got up and grabbed his coat.
"Where are you going?"
In one word Yoneda answered Kaede "Out"
And with that he left.
Leaving the office Sumire left Kaede to herself. Going down the stairs she entered the dining room where everyone was listening on ear to Iris.
"She looked really, really tired. But Iris was still happy to see Reni was okay."
"Geez, I can't believe after three days of hearing nothing then we have this." Kanna said leaning back into her chair.
Sakura sighed "All I hope is that we get Reni back as soon as we can, not only for her sake but for ours as well."
Standing in front of a mirror Reni saw how she had been dressed and pampered into perfection. As she looked at her reflection she noticed the ice blue floor length dress which was chosen, she assumed because it matched her eyes. The straps were off the shoulder and were decorated with shimmering rhinestones. The thing Reni regretted about not getting involved in the selection of the dress was the fact that the front was low, exposing a little more than she was comfortable with. Blushing Reni saw that a heart shaped necklace was put on her. Little sapphires made up the actual heart shape. Her bangs were clipped back with a matching sapphire barrette. Satisfied with her appearance, Reni walked away from the mirror with some difficultly (they had placed high heels on her feet). Sitting down on her bed she waited to be called to the party.
Finally, at nine thirty pm Armina came into Reni's room with a brand new violin. Handing the violin to Reni, Armina gestured for her to follow her down stairs. Walking past the front door Reni saw a package hidden in a corner.
"What is in that package?"
"Those would be your clothes, Frau Diefendorf had them sent out to be cleaned. We'll put them into your room later."
Outside a pair of magnificent doors Reni heard laughter and people chatting.
"They have already finished their meal, so now is the time for the entertainment to begin. Wait here while I tell the Mistress that you are ready."
Within a minute Armina was back. Opening the doors Reni was guided to a corner of the room where a music stand was filled with sheet music. Picking up her bow she quickly read the notes. Confident that she knew the song, she began to play.
At first no one noticed but slowly the occupants of the room became aware of the young lady playing the violin. Couples began to dance as the songs kept playing well into the night. For one and a half hours Reni played straight. Then a servant came over carrying a gramophone obviously to give Reni a break. Finishing the piece with a quick note she took a quick bow as the audience gave her an applause.
Twelve chimes rang through the theater as the clock told everyone Christmas had arrived. Still seating in the dining room the Hanagumi were waiting for Yoneda to return. They tried to pass the time with funny stories and card games. Just as Kohran won another game the front door was heard opening.
Feet pounded closer to the dining room. Breathing hard Yoneda held up a letter.
"We now … have permission … to get her …back." He gasped
In an instant Maria grabbed the letter and ran out of the door full speed, trailing her closely was everyone else.
Hearing the door slam shut Yoneda was surprised at how fast they left to get their friend and teammate.
"They didn't even wait long enough to get their coats." He chuckled to himself.
Gramophone put away Reni played Christmas songs for the party guests. Sighing, she was definitely not in the mood for such jolly songs. As the guests continued to sing, snow began to fall outside. It was a pure, cleansing Christmas snow that made Reni feel much better.
Finishing "O Holy Night" one of the guests approached her
"I was wondering, young lady, if you knew the Teikoku Kagekidan Christmas song "Kiseki No Kane"?"
Shocked at the song request Reni nodded making the guest smile. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and began to play. By doing so Reni became to really feel the soul and meaning of the song. She ignored everything but her playing and by doing so she began to imagine Sumire sing the first lines of the song. A weird feeling came over Reni as she continued to play. Curious as to why she opened her eyes. What her eyes revealed caused Reni to put down her violin. Sakura, Sumire, Maria, Iris, Kanna, Kohran, and Orihime were all gathered around her singing "Kiseki No Kane".
Grabbing Reni's hand Iris guided her out of the room. On the way out Maria handed the letter to Frau Diefendorf, who didn't look happy that her party had been crashed. Grudgingly she nodded allowing Reni to go.
Picking up her package of clothes, Reni said goodbye to the German embassy forever.
December 25
Christmas Evening
"What a fabulous performance! One of the best Christmas plays we have ever held."
"Don't get too cocky about that Kohran theirs always next Christmas to beat this one." Sumire chuckled
"Hopefully next year we won't have the same thing happen."
"I agree with you Maria, I couldn't stand another close call Christmas like this one." Iris said hugging Reni's arm
After returning the night before Reni went to bed knowing full well a performance was needed of her in a few hours time. As soon as she got up Reni had so much energy to give into the role of the Archangel. The performance did go wonderfully and with the addition of Iris's telekinesis it seemed a real miracle occurred on the stage. At least that's what the audience thought the miracle was.
"I'm still happy Yoneda got this problem solved before today." Sumire smirked "But I did have some great ideas for what to do to him if he didn't make the deadline."
Laughing they noticed Kaede enter the dressing with a cake full of candles. Taking a breath they began to sing.
"Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday Dear Reni
Happy Birthday to you!"
In one puff Reni blew out her candles. Saving the cake for later Reni's gifts were brought over to her, everyone urged her to open them. Soon a wrapping paper was scattered around the room.
"So Reni, Iris wants to know which gift was your favorite."
Everyone waited for the answer of the best gift that she received this year. A smile spread across her face as she told them.
"Getting back my family, you, the Hanagumi"
Translations for the crappy German
Was versucht er, zu tun : What does he think he's doing
Ich denke, daß er versucht, uns zu stoppen : I think he's trying to stop us
Dummkopf : Idiot
Wo ist sie : Where is she
Wo ist Reni Milchstraße: Where is Reni Milchstraße
Italics represent them speaking German
SPECIAL THANKS:
To Maria-kun for helping and motivating me
I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!