The Christmas Spirit

Chapter 6: Spirit Returned

It was christmas eve, all the kids were excited for the big day to come tomorrow; everyone in the jade palace was ready as well, though Ichi was still thinking if he should join in the fun. Po came in their room and said, "Hey little bro, wanna do something today?"

"I'm still mad at you from yesterday." Ichi replied

"Is that why you gave everyone melon bread except me?" Po asked

Ichi took one out and watched as Po's mouth started to water in hunger, he gave a demonic smile as he moved it left and right with Po following it; he felt satisfied so he handed it to Po, he took one bite and said, "Oh man, no wonder you like these, they're the best!"

"Glad you like them big bro, sorry about yesterday," Ichi said, smiling. "To tell the truth, I actually liked the outfit."

"Does that mean your gonna join in the fun tomorrow?" Po asked

"I don't know, it all depends on how I feel."

"Okay, so you want to do something?"

"I guess so, like what?" Ichi asked

"How about we take a walk around the valley," Po suggested "We can enjoy the snow while we're at it."

"Ok, let's go."

With that the two brothers started walking down to the valley, after that they started walking around; thinking about it, Ichi realized that he never realized how nice the valley looked like in the snow. It was sweet and serene, the snow gave it a beautiful backround that almost looked like something out of a romance novel. Po could tell that Ichi was happy, but he still felt concerned about why he didn't want to enjoy christmas with anyone. Taking a deep breath he said, "Hey Ichi, why don't you want to celebrate with us? I can tell the reason is something big, so tell me."

Ichi was hesitant, he just kept walking until they reached a park; he called Po over to a nearby bench, and as they sat down he said, "The reason why I don't is because I don't want to lose anything."

"Lose what?" Po asked

"My memories, I'm afraid I might lose control of my powers and burn everything I care about," Ichi explained. "And in the end, I'll forget about everything. All the people I met, the people who saved me from solitude, the people I love more than anything, they'd all be gone... just like my parents."

Po's eyes widend at his realization, Ichi never wanted to celebrate because he thought it would cause the samething that happened to his parents; Po really felt upset, he knew that he was the same as his brother but different in so many ways. He smiled and said, "You know Ichi, you might be the luckiest kid I know."

"What do you mean?" Ichi asked

"All the emotions you keep inside of you and you can still do anything, even if it's either fighting monsters or getting the girl," Po answered. "I kinda wish I was you, at least for a day."

"Wait, is that why you bought the mistletoe," Ichi asked. "Po, you don't need to be like me, I couldn't stand to have you feel the pain I kept inside. To tell the truth, I wish I was you."

"Y-You do?" Po stuttered

"Yeah, you get to walk through everything with a smile, without a care in the world," Ichi said, smiling "Besides, I can't do one thing."

"What's that?"

"Change the past."

Po could see the sadness in Ichi's eyes, he gave him a hug in hopes of making him feel better; it looked like it worked a little, so he then said, "Hey, why don't you invite Kaguya to come join? We almost forgot to invite her anyway."

"Alright, lets go then." Ichi answered

The two got up and started walking into the forest, along the way they noticed how the snow made the forest even more beautiful; when they made it to Ichi's friends cafe Po was the first to open the door, but he didn't expect to get kissed by a young silver haired woman. Po nearly fell unconcious when he pulled back, while Ichi said, "Good to see you Saya."

"Hey Ichi, merry christmas eve." Saya greeted

"You too, what's with the kiss?" Ichi asked

"It's for the holidays, for every person that comes in they get one kiss," Saya explained. "Did you come to see Kaguya, gonna ask her out on a date huh?"

"N-No, I'm just gonna ask her if she wanted to come to the palace tomorrow," Ichi answered. "With christmas tomorrow I thought she might wanna come, and you can come to if you want."

"Really, thanks Ichi!"

Kaguya rushed over and kissed him on the lips, when he pulled back he said, "Was that from a mistletoe?"

"Nope, I'm just happy that you came," Kaguya said, smiling. "And don't worry, we'll be there."

"Thanks, come on Po." Ichi replied

"R-Right, see you later." Po said, blushing

The two then left and returned to the jade palace, Ichi could tell that Po was happy from the kiss Saya gave her; he smiled and said, "I'm gonna go back to the room, are you coming?"

"In a little while, I think I need to do something," Po replied. "I'll see you later."

Ichi nodded and walked to the dormitories, when he got to his room he found his stuffed bear Teddie; he had him ever since Jubei fixed it for him, Teddie was his best friend. But thinking about it, Ichi never knew why he was his friend. "If only I could remember, where did I first meet you...!?"

(Flashback)

Ichi suddenly felt a surge go to his head, he found himself in his old house; it looked as if he was in the past, everything looked new. Ichi realized that he was in the living room, but when he saw a small figure on the carpet he said, "No way, that's me as a baby."

He was right, Ichi was looking at his younger self; from the look of it he seemed to be at least one years old, he stood there looking at everything in the room with amazement. Then he heard someone come inside the room, it was his parents Litchi and Reishin. Ichi could see how his dad was holding something in his back and wondered what it was, his mother picked him up and said, "Merry christmas, Kageichi."

"Mama." Ichi said, smiling

"We made something for you son," Reishin said, holding out his gift. "I hope you like it."

What Reishin took out surprised Ichi more than anything, it was a blue bear wearing a red and white jumpsuit with red buttons on it; it was Teddie himself, Ichi's younger self grabbed it and started laughing. His parents were happy, his mom said, "His name is Teddie, we thought it'd be best if you had a best friend."

"Teddie!" Ichi said, hugging him

"Merry christmas son, and may you have more in the future." Reishin said, smiling

(End Flashback)

Ichi could feel the tears in his eyes fall from his face like a river, he held Teddie in his arms for comfort, remembering his past felt painful, but it also felt nice to him as well. He felt happy, "Ichi, are you alright?"

From the sound of the voice, Ichi could tell that was Shifu outside his door; he opened it and instantly hugged him, the tears kept falling from his eyes as he said, "I remember it, I remember it now."

"Remember what?" Shifu asked

"My first chirstmas, when I was one years old my parents made Teddie for me," Ichi answered. "He was my first present ever, and because of that he was my best friend. I think while walking through memory lane... I was able to find my spirit again."

"Really?"

"Yep, how about you and me have some melon bread to celebrate?" Ichi asked

Shifu smiled and said, "Alright, to tell the truth I actually like those anyway."

To be continued

Teddie is more than a toy, he's a special keepsake to remember his parents. Chapter 7 coming soon.