Author's Note: I would like to wish Hao and Yoh a rather belated happy birthday...

Like most of Japan's more festive population, Horohoro loved Christmas. Tokyo was alive with lights, snow, noise, and excitement on the eve of the holiday.

Now that things were back like they should have been with Ren, he found himself able to enjoy the event much more.

Ren had managed to convince Keiko and Mikihisa that it was fine for him to return to his old home

As night fell, he and Ren went out together for a walk. They each purchased steaming mugs of cocoa at a nearby street vendor and seated themselves on a bench to watch the hustle and bustle.

Horohoro casually draped his arm around Ren's thin shoulders, watching as he blew on his cocoa to cool it down. His cheeks were red from the cold, so he drew his coat collar higher.

"Are you cold, Ren?"

"I'm fine."

Snow was slowly falling lazily from the sky. Horohoro looked up, smiling. If he hadn't realized his mistake sooner, he wouldn't have been able to spend a moment like this with Ren.

He got up from the bench, flinging himself onto the ground so he was lying in the snow on his back.

"H-Horohoro? What are you doing?" Ren inquired curiously.

"Oh, I don't know," the Ainu replied, laughing. "It's just that I did this a lot when I was a kid, back in Hokkaido." He spread his arms and legs out and began to shift them up and down in the snow. After a few seconds of this, he got up and stepped back to look at his handiwork.

"See, Ren? It's angel!" he laughed. He knelt down next to it, and using his finger, drew a tongari on the "angel's" head. He grinned. "Now it looks so much cuter."

Ren blushed, remembering what Horohoro had said a long time ago.

"You're my angel...I would die for you."

He snapped out of his flashback-like daydream as Horohoro screeched in fury.

"You evil midget! You stomped all over my snow angel Ren!"

Ren stifled his laughter as Horohoro began lecturing a poor toddler who had made the mistake of running over Horohoro's "masterpiece," leaving little footprints all over the markings in the snow.

"Leave him alone, Horohoro," Ren laughed, taking his arm as the child scampered off to make mischief elsewhere. "He's just a kid."

Horohoro chuckled. "I guess you're right, Ren." His amusement turned into concern as Ren began coughing again.

Ren had only coughed up blood one other time after the first fit, and this one didn't seem so threatening, but that didn't stop Horohoro from constantly worrying about Ren. He held him tightly, afraid that he would be unable to support himself. Even worse was the guilt he still carried with him, knowing that he was at fault for all Ren's suffering.

"C'mon, Ren," Horohoro said, slowly guiding him to his feet. "We should be getting home."

Ren nodded, and the two made their way down the snowy street, leaving two trails of footprints in the fresh snow. American holiday music drifted out shop doors and windows. Everything was so peaceful.

They soon arrived back in their apartment, to find that it was bitterly cold inside. Horohoro turned up the thermostat, but that didn't help stop their constant shivers.

Ren changed into his pajamas and crawled under his covers, shivering slightly and pulling the white sheets around himself. "Good night, Horohoro," he said before flicking off the lights in his room.

There was a long silence. Ren was still shivering in the dark, which prevented him from falling asleep.

He felt another chill drift through his bedroom window into the room, bringing with it an ominous feeling. That was strange. He specifically recalled closing the window tightly before going to bed.

Without warning, a dark shape loomed out of the shadows. Ren's eyes grew wide, and before he could utter a single sound, he felt a hand clamping over his mouth.

"Merry Christmas, little Ren. Peace be with you."

Hao.

The last thing he remembered was a searing pain in his head before everything went dark.