'Twas the Year Before on Christmas
Act 2-If Wishes Were Horses
Chapter 2
James
Somewhere, Somewhen
James was walking through a dense fog. He didn't know what he was bloody doing. Where he was bloody walking.
He didn't know how he got into this predicament. He had fallen asleep after having an argument with his brother Daniel…but he didn't know how he got here.
He was looking around, trying to see something through the fog. He was better off just standing there.
But he decided to move forward. He knew there was a path… He just didn't know where it sodding led.
Then he bumped into another boy. "OW! Bloody Hell!" He said. Then he was brought up short by the fact that the other boy said it at the same time. "Who the hell are you?"
"Who the hell are you?" Responded the other lad at the same time.
James's blood ran cold. "William?" He asked, hoping the other answer was not what he thought it was.
"No…you're bloody William, I'm James…" The other lad responded.
"Funny…But I'm James…" James replied.
"If this is a bloody joke.., then I'm not laughing…" "James" said.
"Feeling's mutual…" James said. "Why the hell were you walking in my way…?"
"I wasn't…you were walking in my way…" "James" replied.
James sighed. "Look I don't believe you're me…"
"Second Verse, Same as the First," "James" replied.
"Well, at least we've got the same secret taste for the old stuff… All Right…A test then…If you're me…what number am I thinking of…
"69!" They said at the same time. "Bloody Hell!"
"Look, lad, Quo Vadis…?" James said.
"Damned if I know…I woke up in here."
"Same as I…Bugger…I wish William and My cousin Chuck were here…"
"Chuck…who's Chuck?"
"Eh? I thought you were me, lad…" James somehow knew his twin guns were holstered with him and he pulled them out.
"Steady, lad…" "James" said. He was pointing the exact same guns too. "I'm thinking we may be similar, but not the same…"
"Alternate Uni…?"
"Got it in one…You are as bright as me…"
They still pointed the guns. Making sure they did not take their eyes off the other as they moved in a clockwise circle. "Very well, if that's the way this whacked out dream wants to play it. Chuck's my American cousin…you got any foreign relatives?"
"My Uncle, Ryotaro Dojima…He's a detective."
"I see…My only Relative who's Japanese is my Aunt Liz Yamata…and she's just a half on the Japanese…" James said.
"Don't know any Liz Yamata…Are our parents dead?"
"Killed by Simone…" James started.
"Where she used arson…" "James" finished.
"So there are differences…but not many…"
They kept up their footwork. Just moving clockwise.
"Did you do it with Camille?" "James" asked.
"That bird from Cardiff? Yeah…Regretted it though," James said, shaking his head.
"My instincts told me right off she was bad news…seems your hormones are more intense, lad…"
The two of them kept up their Mexican stand-off… "Look, we don't have to fight…you go your way…I go mine…"
"You know as well as I do this isn't a dream…"
"Probably something in Daniel's brownie I ate, then… Tsk and he has a match coming up…"
"James" just looked at James. "Very well, I've kept track. Your way is behind me…my way is behind you…"
They both stopped. "Very well…Let's drop the guns slowly and holster them and have a hand shake…" James said.
"I couldn't agree with myself more…" "James" said with a chuckle.
Both of them holstered their guns and then shook hands and then went on their separate ways.
"Will we see each other again?" James asked.
"Doubtful…" "James" replied.
"Well…It was nice meeting me…you pot-induced hallucination…" James said.
"Pleasure was all mine," "James" answered.
James was walking when suddenly he heard a loud bang and then he felt something enter his back and exit his torso…
He turned around and saw James's gun, smoke coming from the barrel. "Oh yes, there was another difference…William isn't only my twin…I have another William in my head…And he doesn't like other James'" "James" said before he fired another shot. This one struck James in the gut and he fell backwards.
James landed on his back and heard his doppelganger run off…
"Well…I didn't trust my instincts…either with Camille or my other self…Lovely…"
James felt himself bleed out. As everything turned white he heard a voice.
"James…" A female voice said.
"?" James said.
"James…why are you lying there?" A male voice said.
James saw two forms that appeared to be walking toward him in the whiteness. He had a hard time seeing them at first.
But as they got closer…it was as if the fog wasn't there and the whiteness was all he could see.
They finally reached him. He recognized them, plain as day.
…
"Mum? Dad?" James asked.
Rise
Marukyu Tofu
Rise had woken up because nature called. But as she got up, she felt a little disoriented. This wasn't the stadium and it was all dark. Instead this seemed to be her Grandmother's place in Inaba.
She found some stairs and went down them.
"Merry Christmas, Little Pixie…" A male voice said.
"!" Rise gasped. Sitting at the able was an elderly man. He had a thin mustache but a very warm smile. He was wearing a red pullover sweater and pajama pants, but he seemed very happy to see Rise.
"Who…Who are you? Why are you here? Why am I here?"
"Have you forgotten so soon, Little Pixie?" The man said.
"Don't call me that!" She snapped
The man, for his part, looked amused rather than insulted. "Well, what would you like me to call you then? Rise-chan? Little One? I have many more in my back pocket."
"Who are you?" She asked again.
"Ah…you have forgotten me…" He said, the smile turning sadder. "Perhaps, you would remember if I sang you a song…"
"What…What song?"
He started singing softly and slowly.
Song- Sakura Sakura- Japanese Traditional
Sakura, sakura
(Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms)
Noyama mo sato mo
(In fields and villages)
Mi-watasu kagiri
(As far as you can see)
Kasumi ka kumo ka
(Is it a mist, or is it clouds?)
Asahi ni niou
(Fragrant in the morning sun)
Sakura, sakura
(Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms)
Hana zakari
(Flowers in full bloom)
Rise had listened to him singing. But then she felt a stirring in her heart. And she joined in.
Sakura, sakura
(Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms)
Yayoi no sora wa
(Across the spring sky)
Mi-watasu Kagiri
(As far as you can see)
Kasumi ka kumo ka
(Is it a mist, or is it clouds?)
Nioi zo izuru
(Fragrant in the air)
Izaya, izaya
(Come now, come now)
Mini Yukan!
(Let's look, at last!)
"I haven't…I haven't heard that…or sang that since…Since…" Rise said.
"Yes?" The man asked in amusement.
…
…
"Grampa?" Rise asked.
Despite the unusualness of the situation, seeing a man she had thought passed on, she hugged him and sobbed.
"You remember me now, Little Pixie…"
"Grampa…Why are you here?" Rise asked. "You…you passed away…"
"And so I did…I wanted to thank you for singing at my funeral what I just sang to you. I enjoyed that."
"But…this can't be real…this has to be a dream…"
"Or a Christmas wish come true, Little Pixie…"
"We should tell Gramma…" Rise said, but he held onto Rise's hand.
"I'm sorry, little one…we cannot…"
"Why not…?"
"Two reasons…one this would kill her and as much as I like heaven I doubt they're ready for a remarkable and marvelous woman such as her yet…"
"And…and the other…"
"Condition of your wish…I'm only meant to appear to you…"
"But why…Why here? Why not at the stadium?"
"Because Stadiums and Arenas, and venues are not your home…neither is that place where your parents are…You know that and it's saddened me to see from Heaven for me to know that. This has been your home…Here, In Inaba…"
"But Grampa… This is only temporary right…I just know that you'll leave again…"
"Yes…But we need to make the most of the time we have together…"
"I… I don't know what to say…I can't bear to lose you again…"
"Rise…"
"NO! I don't want you to leave!" She said, sobbing.
Rise's grandfather held her and muttered, "Well, Kujikawa Shingen…Now what do you do…?
Rise kept sobbing.
Yu
Narukami Residence
Yu woke up because nature was calling and so he went to the bathroom…but he was disoriented. For some reason this didn't feel like his apartment in Kyoto…It felt like the family home in Tokyo…but he wasn't sure because he was tired.
Until he realized that in Tokyo there were stairs and so he slightly tripped but managed to right himself.
"Tripping again, Yu…?" A female voice said. It sounded slightly older than him.
"What…What's going on?" He said.
"And you're sleepwalking a little, too… Tch. What am I gonna do with Yu…"
He recognized the voice. He didn't know how or why. But she was here.
"Ane…Ane-onee-chan?" He asked.
A girl came out of the kitchen. She was wearing a sleeping Yukata and her brown hair was down at her shoulders. But behind those piercing Silver eyes of hers was a wide smile. "Yes, Yu...UHF"
This last was because Yu was hugging the girl in front of him tightly. "It's you…It's you…" He said.
"Yu…? You're crying…" His sister said.
"You're here and you're alive!" He said. Yu was normally not one given to tears…or open emotion. He hadn't been like that since…
Since when…? Ane-onee-chan has always been here… Yu thought.
"Alive? Of course I'm alive, Little Bro… Why wouldn't I be?"
Then Yu had felt dizzy for a second. Then he said, "I fell asleep and had a nightmare you were dead."
"From what, the Leukemia? That's been in remission for a long time. I'm always going to be around, Yu. I'm never going to leave you…"
"Please…Please don't…I missed you so much… In that dream…it was terrible…"
"Well…Then that means I'm not going to give you a present…since apparently you got yours already and it's not fair I get one and you two."
"What…you got me a gift? No fair…"
"Ah ah ah…that's what I'm saying…" His sister said.
"Aneko-chan… You don't know how awful I felt…It felt like you had been gone for 10 years…"
"You went to bed 3 hours ago…are you sure you didn't hit your head coming down the stairs?"
"No...We Narukami men are a hardy breed…" He smirked.
"Yes…but you're not good with the romance… C'mon…Mom and Dad will be home soon and we have to have Christmas together…as a family."
"Why do you get to be in charge…? I've managed to take care of myself!"
She grinned and smacked him upside the forehead with her palm. "Because I'm 3 years older, dummy…Now let's make breakfast for them because they're going to be exhausted."
"You don't think they'll doze off during breakfast…?"
"They'd better not… I work hard at the pancakes, the least they can do is eat them…"
Yu looked out the Window. It was snowing, but he felt happy. It was going to be a good Christmas.
Though he looked up…and saw a blonde woman in a blue outfit. She was carrying a book and frowning…
"Who's that woman?" Yu asked.
"What woman?" Aneko asked.
"That one. The blond in the blue outfit…She looked like an attendant of some kind…"
"I don't see anything…" Aneko said.
Yu looked again. His sister was right…the woman was gone…as if she had never been there…
"That's odd…" He said. "I could have sworn…"
"Are you sure it wasn't another girlfriend…I mean you already have three, playa…"
"Don't be hatin'…" He replied with a smirk.
The two continued to make breakfast and talked to each other. Aneko arched an eyebrow a few times because Yu was telling her about his weird dream.
But Yu didn't care about the funny looks he was receiving…He was with his "Big Sis" now…
Outside the Woman in Blue looked on… She felt terrible. But things weren't supposed to happen this way.
"They weren't supposed to happen like this…Damn you, my dear sibling…What have you done?"