(no subject)
Last week when Kia was buried in finals, I offered to write something for her. She asked for "the roomies on the topic of Christmas". Somehow this ended up being from Naoto's point of view, so I hope I haven't mangled her character too much. Or Ky's either, for that matter. D:
Christmas in the Cave of Stubbornness
The tree was the first thing she noticed when she walked into the main cavern. It was hard to miss, since the huge fir tree was taking up a large part of the cave. Naoto stopped in her tracks and stared.
Once she managed to take in the tree, she noticed Ky, busily stringing lights on it. There was a pile of the island's magic light strands next to him, obviously gathered from all over their cave. Possibly from the area surrounding their cave too, judging by the size of the pile. To one side was a bemusedKougaiji, sitting on one of those ridiculous couches and watching Ky work.
Naoto finally found her voice. "How did that get in here?"
"We carried it," Ky replied enthusiastically. "Isn't it beautiful?"
She didn't answer, just glared accusingly at Kougaiji. "We? You helped him?"
The youkai just shrugged. "He was very persuasive."
"Normally I wouldn't use Thunderseal for something so mundane as cutting down a tree, but I decided this was a special case. I found the fir trees when I was lo... exploring, and it was perfect for Christmas." Ky continued stringing lights as he spoke.
Naoto shook her head in tired amusement and collapsed onto the couch at the other end from Kougaiji. "At least he hasn't started sing..." She cut herself off as she realized that Ky was now humming softly. She was pretty sure that was the tune for 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'.
Kougaiji gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
"Fine. Just tired...and not really in the mood for holiday stuff."
"But that's the best time to celebrate," Ky cut in. "It always makes me feel better anyway."
Naoto just looked at him. Ky went back to his decorating, apparently deciding to ignore her mood. Kougaiji was still watching her though.
"Why don't you like Christmas?" he asked.
Naoto shrugged. "It's either a religious holiday that I don't care about, or it's a family holiday that I don't need."
Kougaiji looked thoughtful as he turned back to watch Ky again. Naoto belatedly realized that while she and Ky might not have any family to celebrate with, Kougaiji did. But he hadn't seemed to know about the holiday. "You don't celebrate Christmas, do you?" she asked.
Kougaiji shook his head. "No, Ky's religion isn't that well-known in our part of the world." But he still looked thoughtful.
Ky stepped back to assess the tree, and frowned. The top third of the tree was still bare, probably because it was well over Ky's head. He turned and looked atNaoto with a hopeful expression. "Naoto, would you mind..."
"Don't even think about it."
"...You don't even know what I was going to ask," Ky protested.
Naoto frowned at him, ignoring Kougaiji's cough that sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh. "I'm not going to let you lift me up to finish putting up lights."
Ky's face fell, and Naoto abruptly felt like she had kicked a puppy. "Oh, all right," she said, and Ky's face lit up again. She firmly refused to evaluate her reasons for giving in, and got up off the couch. "How are we going to do this?"
"You can get up on my shoulders," Ky offered, crouching down with his back to her. Naoto hesitated, and then awkwardly climbed on, feeling completely ridiculous. Ky stood up, balancing her carefully, and then walked over to the tree. Realizing they didn't have any lights, he turned back toKougaiji. "Would you mind...?"
"Not at all," Kougaiji replied, getting up and going to the pile of lights. He pulled one strand from the pile, and handed the end up to Naoto.
With the three of them working together, it didn't take long to finish the tree to Ky's satisfaction. There had been one close call, when they had almost tangled each other up in one of the strands of lights, but somehow they had managed to avoid knocking down either themselves or the tree. Ky had tried to get them to sing with him, butNaoto refused, and of course Kougaiji didn't know any of the songs.
"Happy now?" Naoto asked Ky once they had finished and she was back on the ground again. Somehow it didn't come out quite as sarcastically as she had intended.
"Yes," Ky answered, without a trace of self-consciousness. "There should really be ornaments, and maybe a garland of some kind, but since the island hasn't provided any, this will do."
"Don't give it any ideas," Kougaiji commented. "We could end up buried in decorations." As if in answer, small ornaments started appearing in the air and dropping onto the couches, like a bizarre sort of rain. Fortunately it wasn't a downpour.
Ky laughed and then turned to look at them. "Thank you both for helping. I know neither of you celebrate Christmas, but I've always liked the spirit of the holiday." He turned back to the tree, still smiling. "Really though, peace on Earth and goodwill towards men is a worthy goal for any time of year."
"I can't argue with that, but I thought the holiday was about the birth of your god. Why peace and goodwill?" Kougaiji asked.
"Well you see," Ky began, but Naoto wasn't about to let him get into lecture mode.
"Oh, don't get him started," she protested.
Kougaiji and Ky laughed, and Naoto found she had to hide a smile. She must be getting soft if she was thinking it was nice to hear them laugh for once.
They helped Ky gather up decorations and arrange them on the tree. Naoto agreed to let Ky lift her up again to do the top. Kougaiji was handing ornaments to her until they heard Yukina's voice calling his name. He abruptly dropped his handful of decorations on the couch and headed to the entrance of the cave.
Naoto shook her head. "He's hopeless."
Ky just laughed. "That's okay, I think we're pretty much done anyway." He handed a star up to her. "For the top of the tree." It was a stretch, but she managed to get the star on without losing her balance. Once that was done, Ky knelt down again soNaoto could slide off his shoulders.
They gazed at the tree in companionable silence for a minute or two, then Ky spoke quietly. "I think you're wrong about Christmas."
Naoto raised an eyebrow at him. "Ky, I realize it's an important holiday in your religion..." she began, before he gently cut her off.
"No, I mean about not celebrating it because it's a holiday for family. You do have family to celebrate with, in a way." He turned away slightly, as if unwilling to see her reaction. "We're a little like a family, the three of us. And the others we've met here are part of it too."
She didn't answer for a long moment, surprised by his words. The ducklings had come out to inspect the tree, and Ky went over to rescue Teacup from the branches. In the background, she could hearKougaiji saying something and Yukina's laughter. It was perilously close to a scene from a Christmas card, but for once Naoto found she didn't mind.
"You might be right about that," she finally said. Ky turned to smile at her, and she quickly added "I'm still not going to sing." But she was smiling as she said it. It might not be that bad to have just a little bit of Christmas cheer.
And then the mistletoe appeared over their heads.
Christmas in the Cave of Stubbornness
The tree was the first thing she noticed when she walked into the main cavern. It was hard to miss, since the huge fir tree was taking up a large part of the cave. Naoto stopped in her tracks and stared.
Once she managed to take in the tree, she noticed Ky, busily stringing lights on it. There was a pile of the island's magic light strands next to him, obviously gathered from all over their cave. Possibly from the area surrounding their cave too, judging by the size of the pile. To one side was a bemusedKougaiji, sitting on one of those ridiculous couches and watching Ky work.
Naoto finally found her voice. "How did that get in here?"
"We carried it," Ky replied enthusiastically. "Isn't it beautiful?"
She didn't answer, just glared accusingly at Kougaiji. "We? You helped him?"
The youkai just shrugged. "He was very persuasive."
"Normally I wouldn't use Thunderseal for something so mundane as cutting down a tree, but I decided this was a special case. I found the fir trees when I was lo... exploring, and it was perfect for Christmas." Ky continued stringing lights as he spoke.
Naoto shook her head in tired amusement and collapsed onto the couch at the other end from Kougaiji. "At least he hasn't started sing..." She cut herself off as she realized that Ky was now humming softly. She was pretty sure that was the tune for 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'.
Kougaiji gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
"Fine. Just tired...and not really in the mood for holiday stuff."
"But that's the best time to celebrate," Ky cut in. "It always makes me feel better anyway."
Naoto just looked at him. Ky went back to his decorating, apparently deciding to ignore her mood. Kougaiji was still watching her though.
"Why don't you like Christmas?" he asked.
Naoto shrugged. "It's either a religious holiday that I don't care about, or it's a family holiday that I don't need."
Kougaiji looked thoughtful as he turned back to watch Ky again. Naoto belatedly realized that while she and Ky might not have any family to celebrate with, Kougaiji did. But he hadn't seemed to know about the holiday. "You don't celebrate Christmas, do you?" she asked.
Kougaiji shook his head. "No, Ky's religion isn't that well-known in our part of the world." But he still looked thoughtful.
Ky stepped back to assess the tree, and frowned. The top third of the tree was still bare, probably because it was well over Ky's head. He turned and looked atNaoto with a hopeful expression. "Naoto, would you mind..."
"Don't even think about it."
"...You don't even know what I was going to ask," Ky protested.
Naoto frowned at him, ignoring Kougaiji's cough that sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh. "I'm not going to let you lift me up to finish putting up lights."
Ky's face fell, and Naoto abruptly felt like she had kicked a puppy. "Oh, all right," she said, and Ky's face lit up again. She firmly refused to evaluate her reasons for giving in, and got up off the couch. "How are we going to do this?"
"You can get up on my shoulders," Ky offered, crouching down with his back to her. Naoto hesitated, and then awkwardly climbed on, feeling completely ridiculous. Ky stood up, balancing her carefully, and then walked over to the tree. Realizing they didn't have any lights, he turned back toKougaiji. "Would you mind...?"
"Not at all," Kougaiji replied, getting up and going to the pile of lights. He pulled one strand from the pile, and handed the end up to Naoto.
With the three of them working together, it didn't take long to finish the tree to Ky's satisfaction. There had been one close call, when they had almost tangled each other up in one of the strands of lights, but somehow they had managed to avoid knocking down either themselves or the tree. Ky had tried to get them to sing with him, butNaoto refused, and of course Kougaiji didn't know any of the songs.
"Happy now?" Naoto asked Ky once they had finished and she was back on the ground again. Somehow it didn't come out quite as sarcastically as she had intended.
"Yes," Ky answered, without a trace of self-consciousness. "There should really be ornaments, and maybe a garland of some kind, but since the island hasn't provided any, this will do."
"Don't give it any ideas," Kougaiji commented. "We could end up buried in decorations." As if in answer, small ornaments started appearing in the air and dropping onto the couches, like a bizarre sort of rain. Fortunately it wasn't a downpour.
Ky laughed and then turned to look at them. "Thank you both for helping. I know neither of you celebrate Christmas, but I've always liked the spirit of the holiday." He turned back to the tree, still smiling. "Really though, peace on Earth and goodwill towards men is a worthy goal for any time of year."
"I can't argue with that, but I thought the holiday was about the birth of your god. Why peace and goodwill?" Kougaiji asked.
"Well you see," Ky began, but Naoto wasn't about to let him get into lecture mode.
"Oh, don't get him started," she protested.
Kougaiji and Ky laughed, and Naoto found she had to hide a smile. She must be getting soft if she was thinking it was nice to hear them laugh for once.
They helped Ky gather up decorations and arrange them on the tree. Naoto agreed to let Ky lift her up again to do the top. Kougaiji was handing ornaments to her until they heard Yukina's voice calling his name. He abruptly dropped his handful of decorations on the couch and headed to the entrance of the cave.
Naoto shook her head. "He's hopeless."
Ky just laughed. "That's okay, I think we're pretty much done anyway." He handed a star up to her. "For the top of the tree." It was a stretch, but she managed to get the star on without losing her balance. Once that was done, Ky knelt down again soNaoto could slide off his shoulders.
They gazed at the tree in companionable silence for a minute or two, then Ky spoke quietly. "I think you're wrong about Christmas."
Naoto raised an eyebrow at him. "Ky, I realize it's an important holiday in your religion..." she began, before he gently cut her off.
"No, I mean about not celebrating it because it's a holiday for family. You do have family to celebrate with, in a way." He turned away slightly, as if unwilling to see her reaction. "We're a little like a family, the three of us. And the others we've met here are part of it too."
She didn't answer for a long moment, surprised by his words. The ducklings had come out to inspect the tree, and Ky went over to rescue Teacup from the branches. In the background, she could hearKougaiji saying something and Yukina's laughter. It was perilously close to a scene from a Christmas card, but for once Naoto found she didn't mind.
"You might be right about that," she finally said. Ky turned to smile at her, and she quickly added "I'm still not going to sing." But she was smiling as she said it. It might not be that bad to have just a little bit of Christmas cheer.
And then the mistletoe appeared over their heads.