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Silver Bells
By Lily-dono
Note: a double space denotes a change in time
'...' denotes thought
"One more and that'll be enough," Aya murmured to no one in particular.
He stepped back to examine his handiwork. The screen in the basement where Persia briefed them on missions had a white embroidered doily resembling snowflakes on top. It reminded Aya of a tablecloth his mother used to put out on Christmas Day. Although it wasn't a typical Japanese holiday, his family still celebrated it. He used to secretly relish the moments when he watched his sister rip off the colorful wrapping paper to reveal the surprise within. It was worth all the time and effort to see her eyes light up brighter than the stars on Christmas night when she opened her gift. And he'd smile when she enveloped him in a tight embrace with whispered thanks.
The wall behind and above the screen was adorned with garlands of dark green holly leaves specked with red berries. Hung at a jaunty angle in a neat row were four red and white stockings. He had printed, with a glitter pen borrowed from Sakura, each one of his teammate's names on the white border of the stocking along with one for Manx. Even though she never killed with them, she was still a vital part of their team, not to be forgotten. He had resisted the glitter pen at first, but Sakura assured him that it would be proper. That and she threatened to reveal the surprise to his teammates prematurely. Each stocking was filled to the brim with little gifts, individually gift wrapped.
Aya sighed as he picked up the cardboard box, once filled with Christmas things and now empty, and made his way upstairs to toss the box in the dumpster outside. He passed by rooms of his three teammates. Each door frame was festively decorated, but different. Sighing again, he hoped that they would appreciate this.
"Mou, Sakura. You dragged us all through town for that? You could have found that at the store just down the block!" Ken whined.
"I wanted to do some comparison shopping!" Sakura answered.
"Hmph, women!" Ken rolled his eyes.
Sakura shot Ken her best imitation of Aya's glare, which left Ken unfazed.
"I'm thirsty from running around town all day!" Ken continued and made his way to the kitchen.
Opening the refrigerator door, he found a clear bottle filled to the brim with a liquid with a beige color, somewhat resembling soy milk.
"Is that all we have? We should have picked up some groceries while we were out."
Sakura smiled knowingly as Ken took the bottle out. She quickly snatched it from his hands and returned it to its place in the refrigerator.
"Not yet. Get yourself a glass of water," she scolded and closed the door.
Ken frowned and grabbed a glass of water which he downed in a single gulp and placed in the sink before retreating to his room like the others. Sakura waited at the bottom of the stairs.
"One...two...three..."
"AHHH! What the heck happened to my door?!?" chorused three voices.
"What's this green and red stuff? Holly? All over my door?!?" Yoji immediately started tearing off the carefully woven garlands of the plant and tossing it in a heap by his door. He stopped when he reached a single sprig of mistletoe dangling from the top of his door frame.
"This...I'll keep," he smirked.
Omi gaped at the fuzzy white streamers strewn all over his door frame. There was even a smiling snowman taped to the center of his door. He ran a finger over the shiny substance on his door. It left a white smear on his finger at which he sniffed.
"What is this?" he demanded and searched his room for a washcloth.
Finding only an old towel, he immediately began wiping the white gunk off his door. Then, he moved on to the white streamers on his door frame which suspiciously looked like white boas except for the large paper snowflakes hanging off.
He gave it a look of disgust and tossed it on the pile of holly garlands, before disappearing into his room.
Ken stared at the miniature red and white striped canes on his door. They were linked together and taped.
"Candy canes?" he wondered aloud as he removed one of the links.
This caused the remaining to fall apart and Ken was soon standing before a pile of candy canes and tape. A few were still attached to his door frame.
"Nice going Ken," Yoji teased, "Great way to get the stuff off. You're lucky your stuff is edible and not prickly."
"No, Aya's lucky," he gestured to the only door that stood plain and bare, "Nothing on his door."
"Yeah, I guess. Wonder who did this?" Yoji mused.
"Probably Sakura and some girls conspired this. How they got up here is beyond me though," then glancing around, "Where's Aya?"
"He's probably scared the girls off with his 'If you're not going to buy anything, go home!' and glares," Ken joked.
"Yeah. They probably thought he was...the Grinch in disguise!"
The two laughed for a moment before entering into their rooms and shutting the door behind them, leaving behind a pile of mangled decorations. None of the three ever noticed a shadow lurking behind them that disappeared at the last remark.
"Shoot at me! Break my bones! Sick Farfarello after me! Anything, except going shopping again!" Ken exclaimed as he plopped down on a chair in the kitchen.
Omi and Yoji had come down earlier and were sitting and resting their feet as Aya watched a pot of boiling water and ramen noodles, their dinner.
"And to come back to find my door with junk strewn all over it!"
Aya got up from his chair upon hearing the latter and started to walk out of the kitchen.
"Oi! Aya! What are you doing?"
"Omi, you make the ramen. I'm going out," he answered in tone that chilled the three to their bones. The three let the redhead walk out in silence, each knowing better than to mess with him when he used that tone.
"What's wrong with him? Mad because the girls forgot his door? I didn't know Aya would get so touchy over a frivolous thing as that!" Yoji remarked when he was sure Aya was gone.
The other two just shrugged.
"You really don't get it do you?"
They turned towards the speaker to come face to face with Sakura wearing an angry expression on her face.
"Get what, Sakura-san?" Omi asked.
She sighed and pulled up a seat.
"I promised I wouldn't tell, but considering the circumstances, I think he'll forgive me."
"He? What are you talking about?" Yoji inquired.
"It all started when Aya came to me asking what I knew about this holiday called Christmas..."
Aya roamed the streets with his hands stuffed in his pockets and a scowl on his face. He had no particular destination in mind, just wanted to get away from the others.
'You should have expected something like that. They're not children. They're not girls. They're not Aya.'
It was snowing lightly. Small children dressed in layers of coats, jackets, and other warm things ran about chasing the drifting flakes, giggling and laughing. Carefree, they danced about, bright eyes gazing at the sky in wonder and amazement. Aya watched them with a wistful smile. He remembered times like that where he was Ran and, along with his family, lived ordinary lives with few worries. Then Takatori came and turned his world upside down.
A single snowflake drifted down right in front of him. Stretching out an ungloved hand, he watched it land on his palm. He felt the cold snow kiss his warm palm and melt into a droplet of water. Tilting his hand slightly, he let it drip off.
'Such a fragile thing, snowflakes. Like our lives. One simple move and it's all over, like a snowflake on my palm.'
He looked up at the destination he had wandered to. A looming building covered with small windows and balconies in neat rows stood before him. In front, a large slab of rock had been made into a sign that read: "Magic Bus Hospital"
He looked up and found a certain balcony with several pots of flowers, covered in a thin layer of snow, and a special patient within. Sighing, he stared for a moment before walking away.
Night was descending on the city when Aya returned to "Kitty in the House". He trudged in from the backdoor, dripping wet from the snow that had gone from a light flurry to almost blizzardy. A scowl still on his face, he headed for the stairs to spend the rest of the day, Christmas Eve, brooding in his room.
"Aya-kun!" Omi's voice chimed from the basement.
Did they have a mission? Did something happen?
Aya's mind was teeming with questions as he descended down the spiral stairs.
The first thing he saw was Omi with his usual nightcap, wearing red and white clothing. A small bit of woven holly from Yoji's door was wrapped around his nightcap.
"Hello Aya-kun!" he greeted cheerfully.
Aya raised an eyebrow.
"We...wanted to apologize," Ken said sheepishly, emerging from the shadows decked in green, "For the door things. So we'll make it up to you."
He held out a gift wrapped box.
"We saw the gifts you had for us so we thought we'd return your favor," then smiling, "And we even got a Christmas tree."
"Well, sort of," Omi added, "Ken and I couldn't find a pine tree on such short notice and neither of us would want to sweep up the pine needles so we got the next best thing. Oh Yoji-kun!~"
Ken disappeared only to reappear momentarily with a very angry Yoji tow.
Aya raised his other eyebrow.
Yoji was wrapped in the remainder of the holly garlands he had woven. There were little red lines all over his exposed skin where the holly leaves had scratched him. It was bound so tight around him, Yoji could barely move. He tried to waddle away, but Ken pushed him back. Along with the holly, strings of Christmas lights were tied around the holly. Omi happily plugged the lights in and beamed when Yoji lit up. It had taken him forever to untangle the lights Sakura gave him and to find the broken lights. A couple of glass balls dangled here and there complete with a golden star perched at the top of his head, all courtesy of Sakura.
"This is our Christmas tree, Aya," Ken stated proudly.
Aya's lips curved up slightly at the sight before him. Omi dressed like an anorexic Santa, Ken in green, and Yoji the Christmas tree. He closed his eyes and shook his head, the tiny smile still on his face.
"You are...idiots."
He turned to leave, but paused for a moment.
"Merry Christmas minna."
Like a metronome, the machine beeped in a steadily and even. The sheets were clean and pristine with a fresh scent from the detergent. A dripping IV bag stood like a sentinel guarding the sleeping figure to which its contents flowed. Several pots of plants, irises and roses, her favorites, stood along the wall with a miniature Christmas tree set up a week before.
The door quietly opened to reveal a tall redhead who straightened the wreath on the door before shutting it behind him. He pulled up a chair and positioned it by her bed before sitting down.
"Hello Aya-chan. It's the night before Christmas, your favorite holiday. I put up a tree here; thought you'd like that and your present is under it, waiting for you to wake up and unwrap it, just like the old times. I even put up a wreath on your door, complete with a silver bell. You always loved hearing the bell jingle when the door opens. Did you hear it ring when I came in?"
He paused for a response that never came.
"I hope you did. You'll never guess what happened today. After they guys tore down my decorations on their rooms in disgust; I guess they don't appreciate those things like you do; they tried to make it up to me by dressing up in festive colors and turning Yoji into a Christmas tree. I wish you could have seen it; it was such a sight! So silly, but they meant well. I bet Yoji's complaining about all the scratches from the holly right now..."
A sigh escaped his lips as he trailed off.
"Aya, I hope this is the last Christmas we'll spend like this. Yes, that's my Christmas wish. Wake up and see all the things that you've been missing. Wake up and open your present and let me see the light in your eyes again. Wake up from this half-dead state and reclaim the smile Takatori stole from you that fateful day."
He bent down and laid a feather light kiss on her forehead before getting up to leave. Pausing halfway through the door, he stopped to ring the bell once before shutting it behind him.