Ghost of Christmas Present: Present
Dec. 25th, 2011 01:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
butterflydreamingPrompt 3: Present
Title: “Last Snowfall”
Rating: G
Word Count: 748
Prompt: Present
Canon: manga
Pairings: None, really. EriolxKaho implied? A vague reference to theoretical YuexSakura?
Summary: Eriol contemplates Clow's last snowfall. Eriol, Ruby Moon, Spinel Sun
“Fa la la la la, la la la LA!” sang Ruby Moon, an assault on Spinel Sun’s ears. He was grateful to be in his small form, because the ancient text in front of him served better as a wall. Ruby Moon fluttered on her enormous butterfly wings, literally decking the halls. An abundance of tinsel garland in garish colors festooned every banister, railing, lintel, and mantle in Eriol’s otherwise tasteful London house.
“If only you would ‘sing the Yuletide carols’ somewhere else,” he quipped.
Ruby Moon favored him with a stuck out tongue before pointedly ignoring him. “Eriol, it’s snowing! Let’s play in it!”
“Why don’t you go ahead, Ruby Moon?” suggested the sorcerer. He tipped his staff, allowing his Guardian to change into her human form, the form she took when she went by the Nakuru Akizuki identity.
She tugged at a mini skirt and fluffed her hair.
“Are you going out like that?” Spinel judged.
“Why, do you think I’ll be cold?” responded Nakuru with a voice of sweetened acid. She knew Spinel meant her female clothing. “We’re not human, to worry about the weather.”
“What about your beautiful new winter wear?” Kaho joined the conversation as she entered the room. She still had flakes on fresh snow on her own coat and hat. “Won’t you want to show off your new coat?”
Eriol turned a smile on to Kaho. She so often knew just what was needed. And here she was, already carrying coat, hat, and gloves for Nakuru. She saved him having to remind Ruby Moon not to stand out. Their odd family needed to blend in as much as possible, which was why he carefully pretended to be a child in public, in spite of being four times his apparent age. The same age as the father of his hope for setting things right. When he was done nudging Sakura Kinomoto into changing the captured Clow Cards into her own… He was getting ahead of himself again, which was Clow Reed’s curse. Sakura had not even yet captured all the Cards or been judged their master. Master of the Clow, and of Cerberus and Yue, too.
Outside, the snow drifted down in a steady dusting. The sky was silver and rose. Clow’s memories seized the thought of Cerberus and Yue and turned Eriol’s mind to a day of snow long ago. He heard Cerberus’ gruff accusation of joking. He remembered Yue’s anguish. Imagining how Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon would have reacted to such news, imagining telling them that he had decided to die, gave Eriol a sharp twist in his chest, like his heart breaking.
Lines from an old poem sang to the memory:Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago.
“I know what you’re doing,” purred Nakuru to Kaho. “But I appreciate it all the same.” She let Kaho help her in to the faux leopard fur coat. “Kaho, does it snow in Tomoeda?”
“Yes, sometimes,” answered Kaho. “Don’t worry. Even though you won’t be in England for Christmas next year, we will still celebrate.”
“You won’t be with us for Christmas this year,” Nakuru complained. “I can’t believe you’re leaving again so soon.”
“I’m sorry.” Kaho broadcast her regrets to everyone. “I could only sneak away for the weekend. So let’s make the most of the time we have, right?” she offered with bright cheer. “The falling snow is beautiful. We can build a snowman in the yard.”
“You just came inside,” observed Spinel.
“For the moment. Eriol? Would you join us?”
Her voice, pleasant and joyful, pulled Eriol back from Clow’s painful memories. In the present, this was not his last snowfall. The errors of his previous life would be righted soon enough: his magic split, precognition eased, the artifacts of Clow Reed with a new master, and even Yue’s heart could heal when he bonded with his new Mistress. To assure Sakura’s success in the judgement, Kaho now had the Bell of the Moon to take back with her. That was all as Clow had forseen.
Eriol put aside the solemn weight of Clow Reed, smiled his enigmatic smile, and searched for words to frame his gratitude. There were none large enough, he decided. Instead he kept his peace, and acquiring his own coat, hat, and mittens, followed Nakuru and Kaho outdoors into the gentle falling of snow. They rolled up the snow for their snowman while Spinel Sun, content to remain inside, watched them through the window.
Title: “Last Snowfall”
Rating: G
Word Count: 748
Prompt: Present
Canon: manga
Pairings: None, really. EriolxKaho implied? A vague reference to theoretical YuexSakura?
Summary: Eriol contemplates Clow's last snowfall. Eriol, Ruby Moon, Spinel Sun
“Fa la la la la, la la la LA!” sang Ruby Moon, an assault on Spinel Sun’s ears. He was grateful to be in his small form, because the ancient text in front of him served better as a wall. Ruby Moon fluttered on her enormous butterfly wings, literally decking the halls. An abundance of tinsel garland in garish colors festooned every banister, railing, lintel, and mantle in Eriol’s otherwise tasteful London house.
“If only you would ‘sing the Yuletide carols’ somewhere else,” he quipped.
Ruby Moon favored him with a stuck out tongue before pointedly ignoring him. “Eriol, it’s snowing! Let’s play in it!”
“Why don’t you go ahead, Ruby Moon?” suggested the sorcerer. He tipped his staff, allowing his Guardian to change into her human form, the form she took when she went by the Nakuru Akizuki identity.
She tugged at a mini skirt and fluffed her hair.
“Are you going out like that?” Spinel judged.
“Why, do you think I’ll be cold?” responded Nakuru with a voice of sweetened acid. She knew Spinel meant her female clothing. “We’re not human, to worry about the weather.”
“What about your beautiful new winter wear?” Kaho joined the conversation as she entered the room. She still had flakes on fresh snow on her own coat and hat. “Won’t you want to show off your new coat?”
Eriol turned a smile on to Kaho. She so often knew just what was needed. And here she was, already carrying coat, hat, and gloves for Nakuru. She saved him having to remind Ruby Moon not to stand out. Their odd family needed to blend in as much as possible, which was why he carefully pretended to be a child in public, in spite of being four times his apparent age. The same age as the father of his hope for setting things right. When he was done nudging Sakura Kinomoto into changing the captured Clow Cards into her own… He was getting ahead of himself again, which was Clow Reed’s curse. Sakura had not even yet captured all the Cards or been judged their master. Master of the Clow, and of Cerberus and Yue, too.
Outside, the snow drifted down in a steady dusting. The sky was silver and rose. Clow’s memories seized the thought of Cerberus and Yue and turned Eriol’s mind to a day of snow long ago. He heard Cerberus’ gruff accusation of joking. He remembered Yue’s anguish. Imagining how Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon would have reacted to such news, imagining telling them that he had decided to die, gave Eriol a sharp twist in his chest, like his heart breaking.
Lines from an old poem sang to the memory:Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, in the bleak midwinter, long ago.
“I know what you’re doing,” purred Nakuru to Kaho. “But I appreciate it all the same.” She let Kaho help her in to the faux leopard fur coat. “Kaho, does it snow in Tomoeda?”
“Yes, sometimes,” answered Kaho. “Don’t worry. Even though you won’t be in England for Christmas next year, we will still celebrate.”
“You won’t be with us for Christmas this year,” Nakuru complained. “I can’t believe you’re leaving again so soon.”
“I’m sorry.” Kaho broadcast her regrets to everyone. “I could only sneak away for the weekend. So let’s make the most of the time we have, right?” she offered with bright cheer. “The falling snow is beautiful. We can build a snowman in the yard.”
“You just came inside,” observed Spinel.
“For the moment. Eriol? Would you join us?”
Her voice, pleasant and joyful, pulled Eriol back from Clow’s painful memories. In the present, this was not his last snowfall. The errors of his previous life would be righted soon enough: his magic split, precognition eased, the artifacts of Clow Reed with a new master, and even Yue’s heart could heal when he bonded with his new Mistress. To assure Sakura’s success in the judgement, Kaho now had the Bell of the Moon to take back with her. That was all as Clow had forseen.
Eriol put aside the solemn weight of Clow Reed, smiled his enigmatic smile, and searched for words to frame his gratitude. There were none large enough, he decided. Instead he kept his peace, and acquiring his own coat, hat, and mittens, followed Nakuru and Kaho outdoors into the gentle falling of snow. They rolled up the snow for their snowman while Spinel Sun, content to remain inside, watched them through the window.