Chapter Five: Giving in Isn’t so Hard
*Three
days. He had been subjected to this family life for three days. So far it was
driving him up the wall with madness. His house that had once been pristine
white and spotless was the messiest place he had ever lived. It was worse than
Duo’s apartment, and that was saying a lot. For the last three days he
had put up with a bratty little snob of a daughter who neither listened to him
nor paid him any mind at all. For the last three days he had put up with the
worst woman he had ever met. She was rude, she talked-back, opinionative,
brash, and irrational. On a whim she had made cookies especially for him. Oh
yes, that had been the highlight of his week so far, sitting in the bathroom
throwing up because he stomach had rejected her ‘special recipe’.
All in all, the week was hell. He could remember the wonderful events that had
lead him to the conclusion that the week really had been hell. The first had
been the day after Taliesin had arrived.
---Flash---
“You
have truly gone out of your way to create a wonderful atmosphere for us this
year Serena, and I thank you for that.” Taliesin had been speaking with
Serena.
“Hey,
it’s no problem, really. I love Christmas, and if this year we are lucky
enough to be graced with a guest’s presence, I think we should really go
all out for them.” She beamed. Hiiro scowled. Just what did she intend to
do? He had come down slightly later than usual this morning, and when he had
caught up with his ‘wife’, ‘daughter’, and Taliesin, he
had found them talking. Talking and surrounded by boxes. He wasn’t sure
what was in the boxes as of yet, but form the devious looks Serena and Rini
held in their eyes, it could only mean one thing: trouble with a capitol T.
“Morning
Dad.” Rini announced Hiiro’s presence.
“Good
morning Ro.” Serena grinned at him. Had she forgotten their fight so
soon?
“Hello.
The boxes?” He asked.
“Your
wonderful wife was just telling me how every year you go all out in decorating
for Christmas.” Taliesin greeted Hiiro. He had spent the morning speaking
with Serena, and had decided she was a most polite and charming young creature
with a fairly sharp and quick mind. She was also unafraid to voice her opinions
and let people know exactly how she was feeling. He knew she had put Hiiro in
his place the day before, and hoped she would have the guts to keep doing it.
It was good for the Perfect Soldier to learn he wasn’t as perfect as he
thought.
“Dad,”
Rini asked slyly. “You are going to help out the lights on the roof this
year, aren’t you? For Mister Taliesin? Please?” Rini achieved the
brilliant look of pouting and smirking at the same time.
“Please
Ro? It would mean so much to Rini and I again.” Serena joined her
daughter.
“Looks
as if you’ve been suckered into helping Hiiro. May I offer my assistance
as well?” Taliesin asked. Hiiro didn’t like the direction the day
was taking, but what else was he to do?
“I’ll
get the ladder.” He almost sighed.
“Wonderful!
Rini, you and I will decorate the inside. Taliesin, would you be a dear and
help me sort these lights?”
“Of
course.”
Twenty
minutes later Hiiro had found himself on the rook in the snow. A staple gun in
one hand and a sting of colored Christmas lights in the other. He got as far as
the center of the roof before Rini came out.
“Daddy!”
She screamed as loudly as she possibly could. The resounding screech hit
Hiiro’s ears in the wrong note, and he was so shaken he…gracefully
slipped… off the roof. He went sliding down, all the while trying to
ignore the pain of his bum. He landed with a crashing halt in a bush. As if to
top the cake, a clump f hard packed snow fell after him, landing on his head,
and following the snow the staple gun slipped- conveniently hitting his square
in the head. Rini was nowhere to be found. Standing and dusting himself off, he
stomped to the door. Gripping the handle, he yanked- hard. Nothing happened. As
much as he rattled the door, he couldn’t open it. Picking the lock was
out of the question, and he was sure knocking would get him laughed at. Frustrated
to no end, he returned to putting the lights up.
Three
hours of standing on the roof in the heavy snow stapling lights with numb hands
Hiiro officially resigned himself to quitting. He was disappointed in himself
as the soldier he knew he could be, but this had never been in the job description. Just as he was about to
yell out in his aggravation, the front door opened.
“Hiiro?”
A soft voice called. “Hiiro, where are you?”
“Hnn.”
He grunted from sitting on the edge of the roof. Serena looked up to see quite
a sight. There was her ‘husband’, the cold-hearted creep from the
day before, looking dejected and fed up. He almost looked cute. Almost. Then
she saw his red hands and the small trickle of dried blood on his forehead.
“Oh
my goodness! Ro, what happened? Come down and come inside before you hands get
frostbite!” As he jumped off the roof, she rushed him inside. She had
actually sounded worried about him. That was new. No one ever worried about
him, he was perfect, he needed no one to worry over him. Still-
---End Flash---
Ok.
So that ‘event’ had ended on a somewhat better note that he had
thought. And he remembered the house when he had stepped inside too. It had
become beautiful. Holly garlands, manger scenes, angels, poinsettias, and other
Santa memorabilia decorated the house. He had to admit, she had done a
wonderful job.
But
that wasn’t the only time. There were plenty of other examples when these
people had caused him problems. Take the next day for example. Christmas
decorations and lights hadn’t been enough for Rini. She had wanted a tree
as well. One of the real things, no artificial supplement would do. So they had
gone Christmas tree shopping. What an adventure that had been…
---Flash---
“A
tree, a tree, we’re going shopping for a tree!” The little girl
sang and skipped happily with Taliesin’s hand in hers. Behind them
strolled Hiiro and Serena. Hiiro had an indifferent look on his face as usual,
yet his eyes held slight annoyance. Serena’s face, on the other hand, was
lit up like a Christmas tree. Her smile was bright and eyes held merry. The two
were as different as night and day. And yet they were holding hands and walking
down the street like a couple, all so they could get a Christmas tree.
“What
kind of tree shall were get” Taliesin asked the child.
“An
evergreen. That’s the kind in the song you know.” Rini explained to
him all-knowingly.
“Of
course, why didn’t I think of that?” Taliesin laughed and followed
Rini around the tree lot searching for the perfect tree.
“What
about this one?” Hiiro asked them about the first evergreen they came
across. Serena took one look at it and scowled.
“Dear,
you’ve forgotten what makes a tree a tree. That’s not a tree,
it’s a death trap. Dead needles, dried out, it would catch fire easily if
a bulb on the tree bursts. It’s also to thin in the branches. Come on Ro,
we’ll go in this direction!” Serena’s personality matched
that of her daughter as she dragged Hiiro around searching for a tree.
“This
one?” He asked.
“Too
skinny.”
“This
one?”
“too
tall.”
“This
one?”
“To
fat.”
“They’re
identical, just pick one.” His voice held the tone of annoyance.
“Look,
we dragged you out of the house so you could maybe brighten up a bit. Now look,
I know the last thing you want to do is have to spend Christmas with my
daughter and I, but since you do, try to at least not spoil it for her.”
Hiiro felt guilty. Even if the little girl was a brat, she deserved a nicer
Christmas than he ever got. No one deserved the Christmases he had had.
His eyes lightened and Serena could see her request had had
some effect on his empty heart. She couldn’t understand how he could not
be in the holiday spirit. It seemed so natural to her to be this happy about
Christmas, but he seemed so distant form it all. Why was it that he pushed
everything back? What had made such a young and handsome boy so cynical and
harsh? If she could only delve deeper into his missing essence she might be
able to understand better. But she had a feeling that wouldn’t be
happening for quite a while yet.
“Mom! Dad! Will this one work?” Hiiro let Serena
drag him over to where Rini and Taliesin were standing. After he watched Serena
inspect it and nod, he had to grin. One tree was such a task. Well, if it made
them happy.
---End Flash---
He
had to admit it now. They had had fun decorating that tree. He had lifted Rini
up to place the star atop the tree. They had strung popcorn and hung it.
Ornaments with sentimental value to Serena and Rini hung, as well as a few
plain glass balls. A few presents had been stuck under the tree, and the
stockings were hung next to it. There was even one with Taliesin’s name
written across it. Hell, there was one with “Ro” written across it.
He could guess who had been in charge of those. But now, suddenly the nickname
didn’t seem so bad. It was almost growing on him.
He was lying. He was completely openly and foolishly lying. These last few days had been the most fun he had ever had. Ever. The messy home made him feel as if they had been together forever. It was a constant reminder that they were one for the week. They were a family. It felt comfortable, not stiff and too formal. The little girl who he had once thought of as a spoiled rotten little monster had warmed up to him and was actually quite sweet when she wanted to be. Serena too, somehow seemed softer, more receptive to him than before. Maybe the week wasn’t going to be so bad after all.*