Of Life and Love

Theme 39: Smile

Pairing: Hiei x Sha (I swear I’ll take a break from these two after, I have a Kurama x Kitsu one started, but just wanted to do this for Christmas).

Time: After Bonds of Life

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What Christmas is All About

 

Enki had brought many more things than schools, malls, and better job places. He also brought many human customs over, including holidays. Halloween had always been around, though it was always the demon version of Valentine’s day. Christmas, however, was a fairly new custom, and there were a few demons that still didn’t know what it was all about.

A few who had lived among humans for a time were well-learned in the area, and helped spread the holiday customs. TV specials were put on the few channels demons had available to them, and the shopping areas quickly caught up to speed.

There was still one demon, however, who didn’t quite understand the whole “meaning of Christmas” that his wife occasionally mentioned while placing the wrapped parcels under the tree she had managed to find and decorate with odd little figures and glass balls and lights. None of his friends could really tell him either, apart from “If you don’t get someone close to you a gift, you’re considered a bad person. A stupid tradition, really” or “Christmas parties are the best!” or “You gotta be with your family for it”. But none of them could tell him how the traditions really started. Like, where did that green Grinch character come from, and why did he hate the holiday so much? Or why did everyone hate that bald kid so much for getting such a puny tree? Or why do you have to doctorate everything in bright lights and tinsel? Or why everyone scrambled around to get someone that perfect gift, instead of questioning what they were even celebrating in the first place.

The whole thing continued to puzzle him, but he didn’t get any chance to find an answer to his ponderings until the early morning of that confusing human holiday.

Hiei was woken up around midnight by a noise from the other room, but before he could move, his wife had already gotten up to silence their newborn son’s cries. He debated on going back to sleep for awhile, seeing as it was still chilly in their room, but after a half hour, his curiosity won out. He got out of bed and pulled his pants on before going out into their living room, He had to stop short and smile to himself at the sight. The tree was on, giving a light glow to the room, and the TV was on, the beginning of Mickey’s Christmas Carol playing. Sha laid on the couch with Kiete laying on her chest, wrapped in his blanket and sleeping peacefully once again.

She looked up at him and smiled back as the characters played out their lines. “What are you doing up?”

He tapped his forehead beneath his tousled hair. “My head isn’t letting me sleep tonight.”

“Come sit then and watch this with me. It’s one of my favorites.” She carefully moved her legs to let him sit and snuggled back down, still keeping their son securely against her form. She pulled his blanket around him more and placed a kiss to his black and white hair.

He took the blanket from the back of their couch and tossed it over the both of them.

“I’ll tell you what Christmas is. It’s just another work day,” Scrooge said on the TV, making him dwell on his questions again.

“What is Christmas, anyway?” Hiei asked suddenly, not taking his eyes off the screen, watching Scrooge kick Donald out of his counting house.

Sha looked at him curiously. “This is our second Christmas together, and you’re just now wondering this?”

“I didn’t know last year, or the year prior, or even the year before that. Everyone tells me different things, but they don’t seem to make sense.”

She smiled a bit again. “No one really understands the true meaning anymore. Though maybe by the end of this you’ll understand it a bit more.”

“Kurama had said that if you don’t get gifts for someone, you’re considered a horrible person. Yusuke said it’s all about the holiday parties. Kuwabara said it was about family.”

“Hm, well they’re all right, in their own way. But also wrong.” She nudged his clothed leg with her bare foot. “Just watch this and let Walt Disney teach you a few things.”

He rolled his eyes but did as she asked, only getting up once to hold his son while she took a bathroom break.

By the end of the movie, he still had questions, though a few had been answered.

“So what else don’t you understand about it?” Sha asked after she put Kiete back in his room for the rest of the night.

“Where did all of this start?’ he asked, gesturing to the gifts under the tree.

“It’s a Christian holiday, really, but celebrated by near everyone. It’s supposed to be the day they celebrate Jesus’ birthday. You know that whole story I take it.”

“I’ve heard of it, yeah. So the exchanging of gifts comes from the fact he was given gifts from the wise men?”

“Sort of, yeah.”

“What about the colors, and the specific tree?”

“Red was supposed to signify Jesus’ blood, and the green was supposed to represent eternal life.” She nodded towards their tree. “Evergreens were just the perfect tree to use. Evergreen, eternal life. It fits.”

“So then this whole thing isn’t about gifts and spending all your money on useless trinkets?”

She laughed a bit. “Of course not. It’s always the thought that counts. Unless you’re dealing with a materialistic person. Unfortunately those are in abundance nowadays. It’s more about the idea of giving.”

He frowned. “But with giving, someone’s always receiving.”

“True, but giving doesn’t always mean spending money. You can give time, food, love even.” She nodded toward Kiete’s room. “Life too.”

He looked to the door, where his son lay behind it sleeping away the last few hours of Christmas morning, and he let another smile slip. “I think I’m starting to understand now. That it is about a lot of things, big and small.”

She turned off the TV and put the blanket on the back of the couch again. “Let’s try and get some more sleep before it’s time to open gifts.”

“Not like he’ll remember his first Christmas.” He paused. “Though I suppose it is the thought that counts.”

“There, see, now you’ve got it.” She squeaked in surprise as he took hold of her wrist and pulled her into his lap.

“I think I do. Merry Christmas, di’mio.”

She laughed and kissed him. “Merry Christmas, shinamai.”