Note: This is basically a Ray and Kai friendship fic so if you are a non-yaoi person you can read it too. As for yaoi lovers I am a devout yaoi lover myself however in this fic friendship seems more apt than romance so you can give it a shot too. Please read it through!

This fic is in Kai's POV

Disclaimer: you know the drill

A gift for Ray

I was walking down the streets of Japan towards Tyson's house. Don't ask me why I'd rather spend the night by myself like I usually do and maybe treat myself to some vodka. Well, the reason I'm going? Let's just say Tyson invited me for a before Christmas party, it isn't Christmas yet this is just the twentieth of December but he said that he isn't going to be here on Christmas so he wanted to host a party to celebrate with his friends before he went off to spend Christmas with his family away from Japan. He had decided to call all his friends and Tyson being the kind of guy he is decided to include me in that category as well.

I'm seriously beginning to wonder why I'm going, I don't usually like being around too many people, but Tyson had insisted that I come and when Tyson gets insistent it is just better to give in than go through the whole painful procedure of listening to his pages-long friend speech.

It's getting colder here now but having been born and brought up in Russia I don't feel it much. In fact I like the crisp night breeze which is why I've decided to walk to Tyson's place. I hope he has some drinks there and at least some decent people. In my standards decent people are those who live and let live, who allow me my space and privacy and not the talkative kind who just don't take subtle hints of 'leave me alone'.

I'm now just two streets away from Tyson's place. This one street has a particularly nasty bend, and if you are not too careful it can lead to certain accidents. I noticed a young boy standing under a tree just near the bend. He was alone and being human I was naturally curious. Though I don't register too many emotions on my face I am capable of them.

The boy appeared to be a few years younger than me, me being twenty I guess that would make him around seventeen or eighteen. He had long ebony black hair which was tied in a wrap and extended up to knees, he had golden eyes which reminded me of a feline and he wore a red ying and yang bandanna on his forehead. I must admit he was quite exotic looking and from his clothes I deduced that his nationality must be Chinese.

I hadn't noticed that I'd come to a stop in front of him. He walked over to me and said in a serious voice, "be careful when you walk down this street it can get dangerous sometimes, there are these drunk drivers that go about that don't care a hoot for people's lives. Bastards" the last part he added with a bit of venom. I was wondering what that was about, is that what he had been standing there to tell me? That was even stranger since I didn't even know him. But somehow when he said that despite my initial surprise I bristled slightly what did this guy think? that I didn't know how to take care of myself?

As if sensing my thoughts he gave a small smile and said, "sorry I didn't mean to sound like your mother or anything I just want people to be careful" somehow I felt my anger ebbing away at his sincere words.

"Where are you going?" he asked as if he were lonely and just wanted to pass time with someone.

I gave an inaudible sigh as I remembered where I was headed, "I'm going to a friends place, he's giving a Christmas party beforehand since he isn't going to be here then" he nodded looking a little wistful.

I don't know what made me do it but, "you want to come along? I'm sure he wouldn't mind" suddenly he seemed to perk up slightly "can I?" he asked and I nodded so he fell into step with me. On asking I told him my name was Kai Hiwatari.

"And yours?" I asked, normally with anyone else I would have just asked it as an obligatory question but with him I really wanted to know.

"Ray Kon" he said almost shyly, I liked the name, another first for me. Soon we reached Tyson's place, it seemed as though he had invited the whole of Tokyo to the party. We went in and I went to sit in a quiet corner by myself as I usually do. Ray I noticed was mingling with everyone, he seemed really friendly and I overheard snatches of conversation with other people most of whom were only just getting acquainted with him, it seemed as though nobody really knew him. I guessed that he had probably moved into town recently just as I had, maybe that was why he was standing all by himself there hoping to make friends.

In another snippet of conversation I overheard he was giving some other people the same advice he had given me. I supposed that maybe he had lost a dear one that way or something, I remembered one guy in Russia who used to keep people away from a small hill where his sister had lost her life skiing. I didn't give it much more thought than that as I saw Ray enjoying with the others.

We left after sometime and we spoke a little about ourselves on the way back Ray telling me about his life in China and me sharing my past in Russia with him. For some reason sharing with him was easy. He knew when to speak and just how much to speak, I'd never felt so comfortable with anyone, even if I was it would take me a very long time.

We reached the place where I'd met him "it was really nice being with you Kai I guess I'll head home now, it's up there" he said pointing up the small road opposite the path that I would take home.

"It was nice being with you too Ray," I meant it; "can we meet some other time?"

He thought for a moment before giving another small smile and nodded, "same time same place?" he asked and I nodded and then we went our separate paths towards our respective homes.

I met Ray continuously for the next three days at the same place and we just spoke or sat in comfortable silence looking at the stars, I found out he was very knowledgeable about stars and loved to stargaze. He smiled a lot but somehow there was a melancholy air about him despite that smile.

It was on the twenty fourth of December - on Christmas Eve - that it happened. I was waiting for Ray at the usual place and he didn't show up. I thought that perhaps I was a little too early and decided to take a stroll a little further along the road. Maybe he was waiting for me at the other end of the road. I was making the turn on that treacherous road when headlights of a car caught me unawares, the driver was making his way straight at me and by the way the car was moving he was obviously drunk, I just didn't have time to react, I thought I was a goner when something knocked into me and I rolled off towards the side of the street. I looked up to see Ray standing over me waving a fist at the offending car and using some very colourful language indeed.

He then rounded on me, "what the hell were you thinking? Didn't I warn you before?" he shouted his eyes slitting and I'd never seen him so angry.

I just remained silent not knowing what to say when he seemed to calm down before me "sorry Kai I didn't mean to yell at you, it wasn't your fault" he sat down beside me and looked at me "tomorrow is christmas Kai" he said softly.

I nodded "what do you want for Christmas Ray?" I asked I had been meaning to, he had become a close friend now even in that short space of time.

"You want to know what I really want?" Ray questioned and I nodded. He looked at the road a far-away look in his eyes then he turned to me again, "Kai, do you think you could get this road straightened out for me? What I mean is if you alert the government they could hire a construction crew to straighten it out and that way it'd be less dangerous."

I looked at him for a moment somehow touched by his selfless wish and then nodded, it was quite easy to grant, I had a bit of influence I could say that. But his obsession with it was finally making me feel a little unsettled and I decided that it was high time I asked. But before I got the chance Ray got up and left without further ado leaving me quite puzzled.

However with nothing more to do there I returned to my home and immediately placed a call. Five minutes later I replaced the phone having accomplished what I wanted. Then I returned to bed, I was a little tired after the turn of events that night. Tomorrow I decided I would meet Ray and finally have a talk with him about everything.

The next morning being Christmas I woke up early and deciding that I couldn't wait the entire day to meet Ray. It was a pleasant day and I decided to walk. Nearing the place I'd first met him I thought I'd visit Ray at his house and give him the good news that I had got his wish granted, he had after all said that that would be his Christmas gift.

I walked up the small road and remembering the address Ray had given me made my way along the neat row of houses towards the house at the very end. It was small but modest looking. I reached the door and rang the bell there was no answer. I rang it again before wondering if anyone was home. I had only just realised that I had no idea what Ray did during the day.

"Watcha lookin' for there sonny?" the voice made me turn to look at the speaker, an old man who was peering at me over the hedge of the adjoining house.

"I'm looking for my friend Ray" I replied, the man was looking at me strangely so I decided to elaborate, "He gave me the address of this house"

"You sure? Cos this here house belonged to the Kons" the old man said still looking at me strangely.

"That's right, his name is Ray Kon" I said wondering if this old man was slightly unhinged.

"They don't live here no more. They moved away 'bout two years ago after their son died. As far's I know it was the same time of year round about Christmas, he was walking down by the road down the hill and was hit by a drunk driver. There aint nothin' that could be done about it cos he died on the spot. His folks couldn't bear with it they felt and this house aint been used since. His name was Ray far's I can remember but that can't be the same Ray yer lookin' for."

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It's now the twenty eighth of December. I'm walking down the same road and I stopped to look at the construction workers who had begun work the previous day on getting the road straightened, after they were done the road would no longer be a threat to innocent pedestrians. As for the revelation about Ray, it's still quite disconcerting, but I knew it was no imagination, call it what you may. However I came to terms with it and now I know his mystery.

I looked across the road from where I was standing to look at the same tree where I'd first met Ray. My eyes widened in surprise initially as I saw Ray again, he was smiling looking at the work that was being done, a contented smile at a mission being complete, a smile of pure joy with no trace of melancholy.

He caught my eye and he seemed to be silently thanking me and it caused me to smile as I quietly welcomed him. I realised that that would be the last time I would be seeing him. I'll miss you Ray, my friend, I'm glad I could help you get your wish for Christmas.

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In all good Christmas spirit please review!