Disclaimer: I didn’t own FY at the beginning of this story, and I don’t at the end. **sniff** Even after all that hard work…. ^_^

Warnings: Language, sap, shounen ai, time jump, give-away chapter title. :P Dancing shrimp. O.O

Notes: Last chapter. **sniff** I hope you guys like it.

"Ryuuen! Ryuuen, they’re starting to arrive; are you ready?"

I was not ready. At the moment, in fact, I was attempting to remove my head from the sleeve of my sweater. Who knows how that happened. But I let out a muffled "Ahhhh…Yeah!! I’m…I’m coming!!" as I hopped around Saihitei’s bedroom, hoping I wouldn’t run into anything and break it, or…knock myself out, or anything. When I’d finally freed my head and stuck it through the correct hole, imagine my horror at the sight of my hair sticking almost straight up with static.

"GAHHH!!!" I cried, clutching it desperately, and flew to the bathroom to wet it down.

But Sai had given me the sweater, and I loved Sai. Even though the sweater wasn’t exciting—just green and red stripes, with no reindeer or holly or anything of which to speak—it was comfortable, and it smelled like Sai’s house, all cinnamonny and stuff. I suppose it couldn’t help it if it made my hair stick up, or if it was boring.

I kinda managed to fix my hair so I didn’t look like a dandelion, and rushed back out into the bedroom to find some socks that would make up for the stripes.

"Ack!" I squeaked as I ran smack into Sai, bouncing off of his chest and stumbling backward. He caught my arms to keep me from falling on my butt, and smiled, sparkly-eyed.

"Careful. Miaka and Taka just got here; do you need any help?"

"Nope." I shook my head. "Just finding socks. Did they bring food? Do you think we have enough to…"

"Stop worrying." He tapped a finger to my nose. "We have enough food to feed a small army."

"Okay, so that takes care of Miaka…how about the rest of us, though?"

Leaning down, he brushed his lips against mine. "I’ve got things under control. If a food crisis should arise, we could always order pizza, or something."

"Sai, no!" I gasped. "Not pizza!!! It’s Christmas!!! We can’t have pizza on Christmas, it’s…it’s…Christmas!!!!"

He laughed, and ruffled my hair. "All right, all right! No pizza. But believe me, we have plenty. And why’s your hair damp?"

"Static," I pouted.

"Do you want some hairspray? That might make it better."

"Are you kidding?! I’m not going anywhere near Gen-chan with something flammable in my hair! You can’t be too careful with him, even if his tessen is still MIA."

"Point taken."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Poor Gen-chan. It’s been almost two months. I wonder what could’ve happened to the thing?"

"He’ll find it. Or, it will find us. It did before, didn’t it?"

The doorbell rang, and I heard Miaka’s voice yell, "I GOT IT!!!!!!!!" Jerking out of my state of calm, I skidded into the chest of drawers in search of socks.

White…white…white…black…brown…stripe…AAAAAHHHHH!!! WHERE DID ALL OF MYYYYY SOCKS GO????!!!!!! "Sai? Where’re all my spiffy socks? Did you move them to another drawer??" Don’t panic. Don’t panic…

Something tapped me gently on the shoulder, and I looked up quickly to see Saihitei, his head turned away as if not paying attention, humming quietly. In his outstretched hand, he held a small box, wrapped in green and silver paper.

I blinked. "Uh?"

His eyes wandered over to me, eyebrows lifting, as I accepted the proffered item and stared at it dumbly. "It’s a gift," he prompted.

"Do…you want me to open it now?"

He tossed me a Look. "No, I just thought I’d taunt you. Yes, please; open it, it might help."

"You shouldn’t’ve b…"

"For the sake of the Four Gods, it’s Christmas," he stated firmly. "You make such a big deal if I ever buy you presents, but it’s Christmas, so I can give you anything I want."

I felt my cheeks flush slightly. "I just don’t want you to think I only love you for your money, I guess," I admitted softly. "You’re too nice to me. I don’t deserve…"

When he’d…er…finished, he hugged me hard. "You deserve every bit of it. And more. And if I have to keep drilling that into your head, well, so be it. Now open the box so Miaka doesn’t eat the furniture in our absence."

With his arm still around me, I picked carefully at the metallic wrapping paper. "Helping me out," Saihitei removed the green bow and stuck it on my head. "Ah!" he exclaimed, teasing. "Now, there’s the Nuriko I remember from my ancient days in Konan!" I giggled, succeeding in removing the wrapping and lifting the lid on the white cardboard box to reveal…

"SOCKS!!!!" I squealed, throwing my arms around his waist. And cool socks, at that! They were red, with green wreaths on them, but the center of each wreath was shaped like a heart. A heart!!! He loves me enough to buy me stuff with hearts!! "Ohhh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!"

He laughed. "If this is the reaction I get from getting you a pair of socks…"

"They’re heart socks!!"

"Well, I’m glad you like them. Now, put them on and come see everyone, okay?"

"Okay." I tightened my grip on him, not wanting to leave the protective warmth of his arms. He let me hug him for a little longer before smooching my forehead and pulling away, assuring me that he’d just be downstairs.

Quick as a flash, I donned my new favorite socks, slipped my feet into my semi-nice shoes, did the little cologne thing, and skipped downstairs to see my friends…my family.

~*~

Miaka, Taka, Myojuan, Shouka, and Doukun were already there in the den when I bounced in, sitting around the fire and laughing. I was glad Doukun was able to be with us; his parents had only let him stay here for Christmas Eve because his family’s big Christmas Thing was on Christmas Day, so he was gonna drive back home the next morning. My own parents were visiting Kourin in Austria, so I was safe for the season.

"Ryuu-chaaaaaannnnnn!!!" everyone—and I mean everyone—exclaimed upon my entrance. Coming to a screeching halt, I regarded them with big, mock-frightened eyes, and they laughed.

"C’mon, come sit by me!" Miaka said, beckoning wildly with her hand. "At least until Saihitei gets back. He’s getting snacks!"

But just as I was heading over to the big gray couch, the doorbell rang again, and I elected myself Official Christmas Door Opener, running excitedly into the hall and flinging the door open.

I was greeted by an armful of brightly-wrapped boxes.

"Well?" came a voice from behind the Present Wall. "Ya gonna fuckin help me, or what?"

"Gen-chan!" I exclaimed. "What did you bring??!!"

"Just take the damn presents before I fuckin drop em," he growled loudly. "I gotta get the rest from the fuckin car."

"The…rest?" Propping the door open with my foot, I leaned forward to take his burden from him, turning slowly back to the house to deposit them by the stairs. As I set them down, I noticed the name on the tags.

"To Ryuuen." "To Ryuuen, from Gen-chan." "To Ryuuen…" "Ryuuen." "Ryuuen…"

"Gen-chaaannnnnnn!!" I spun to face him, fists clenched. "It’s been a month!!!! I’ve forgiven you five thousand times, what more d’ya want me to do???!!!"

"What the fuck are ya talkin about?" he called from his car. "I just gotcha lotsa cheap shit; everyone else’s stuff cost more, so I had ta fuckin make up for it!"

"I don’t believe you! You’re still feeling guilty for that van thing!"

"Look, Willow Boy, I wouldn’t fuckin talk about feelin guilty," he shot back, slamming the car door and returning with another armload of gifts that nearly obscured his face. "You’re the one with the permanent fuckin guilt trip…"

"Er…what’s wrong?" said Saihitei, popping his head out the door.

"Gen-chan got me too many presents because of the name he called me a month ago," I explained, gesturing to the pile at the foot of the stairs.

"Look, I told you, I…"

"You two. It’s Christmas," Sai interrupted, like a Seasonal Cliché Incarnate. "Can we try not to fight?"

"Yeah, Ryuuen, what’s yer fuckin problem?" Genrou stuck out his tongue as he sidestepped through the door. I thumbed my nose at him in return, secretly vowing that I’d return some of the stuff he’d got me and slip the money back in his coat pocket, or something.

"Can we help you with any of that?"

Startled, I turned back to the door. There, coming up the walk, were Houjun and Kouran, each toting a bag full of packages. Forgetting my previous Genrou-induced snapping, my face split into a huge smile and I bopped down to meet them.

"Houjun!!" I exclaimed, hugging his arm as he walked. "How are you? How was the move?"

"Gahhhhhh," groaned Kouran, rolling her eyes. "I never want to see another cardboard box again!"

"Well, you picked the right season for that declaration," Houjun chuckled, and she laughed.

"Do you think you’ll miss New York, Kouran? It’s gotta be tough, living in a big city for so long and then moving to…Indiana." I wrinkled my nose.

She shrugged, and smiled at Houjun as he held the door open for us. "Between you and me," she leaned in and whispered to me, "it’s worth it."

My heart was so happy that I almost cried.

We had a kind of buffet-type meal, with shrimp and a veggie tray and cheese and crackers and cookies and fun finger food like that, taking our plates from the kitchen into the den so we could eat around the fire. Saihitei was right; we did have about five truckloads of food, and surprisingly enough, Miaka managed to control herself more than normal. Maybe she and Taka had had a Talk before coming, heehee. I sat between Sai and Genrou—somehow, I always seemed to get crammed between those two!—and ate my shrimp, and laughed at Kouran and Houjun as they related disastrous moving stories.

I liked Kouran. She was funny and smart, and she made Houjun so happy. They’d said a while ago that Hikou had been out of touch with both of them for years, which was really too bad, but it made it much easier for Houjun to begin a relationship with Kouran. I hoped they’d reunite with Hikou soon, though. A friend is a friend, after all.

It was perfect. It was completely perfect in every way. My friends were all happy. I was happy. And we were together, laughing and telling stories in fuzzy sweaters and cool socks, with a big Christmas tree in the background. We had to keep our Seishi Past on the low-down, since Kouran and Shouka didn’t know anything yet. But maybe they would soon. Maybe they would.

Somewhere along the line, Gen-chan started making his shrimp dance. I think I laughed harder at that than I had at anything in a long time. What made matters worse was when he decided to "kill" the poor shrimp by dipping it in the cocktail sauce that Myojuan had made and putting it through an entire high-pitched death soliloquy.

"GAAHHHH, I’m fuckin dyin!! GAAAHHHHH!!!!"

"S…S…." I managed, trying to beg him to stop, but laughing too hard.

"WAAHHHHAAAAA!!!" screamed "The Shrimp" as it took a flying leap from Gen-chan’s hand and into my hair.

"G…G…" I squeaked with the same success I’d had with "Stop." Beside me, Sai was giggling, which was weird, and the ensuing laughter made my stomach hurt. When we’d calmed down a bit, and Sai had picked the suicidal shrimp from my hair, I was sent gently off to the downstairs bathroom to clean myself up. Aiming a light swat at Genrou, somehow managing not to punch him into the next millennium, I stumbled off to the sink.

Still giggling, I scooped some water onto the cocktail-sauce-covered part of my hair, cleaning it off pretty easily with a tiny bit of mulberry-scented soap. I felt bad using one of the decorative Christmas towels to dry off, but we’d put the normal towels away, so I didn’t have a choice. By the time my laughter had stopped, my hair was decently dry, and I’d washed my eyes to clear them of mirthful tears. I wiped my face off with the same towel so I wouldn’t waste another one.

And when I lowered it, came face to face with myself in the mirror, I froze.

There were two eyes staring back at me, large and clear and bright. Slowly, I brought my hands down, setting the towel back on the counter…but my right hand came immediately back up again, habitually going to rest against my cheek.

My hair was damp in spots, and my bangs were sticking up strangely because I’d just washed my face. I was still skinny, still girly and pale…but…

I could feel it in my heart.

I gave myself a tiny smile that soon flickered and grew into a grin. It was just a little feeling, but it was something. It was more than I’d ever felt before. Mesmerized, I could only stare at myself for a whole two minutes; when I finally made my way slowly back into the den, I stood in the open doorway and looked across at Sai.

He was laughing, one hand to his brow, shaking his head. He was the most wonderful person I knew; kind, considerate, gentle, understanding. He held my hand at the movies. He stayed up with me and held me on those nights when my nightmare kept coming back.

And he loved me. He loved me for me.

When he realized I was standing there, he straightened in his seat, meeting my eyes, smile fading a bit in worry. "Ryuuen? Are you all right?"

I crossed the room in a number of timid steps, my lower lip trembling despite my smile. Before he could worry any more, I dropped down onto the soft leather of the couch, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him. Everyone else whooped and started applauding, which made me giggle and drop my head to his shoulder.

"I love you," I whispered, sappy tears in my eyes.

He was surprised, understandably…but lay his head against mine, and I could feel him smiling. "I love you, too."

As Genrou was complaining that Miaka had eaten all the fudge squares, Shouka was gently teasing Myojuan about his sudden desire to get a cat, and Doukun was trying to explain something to the effect that if you leave a cat in a box with rat poison it was both dead and alive at the same time (????!!!), I sighed happily. With these people in my life, I was the luckiest person in the world.

And the best part was, our story was only beginning.

Notes: Ahhhhhhh, it’s over!!! I finished it!!!! **bursts into tears** I miss it!! I apologize for the sap, though Kei-chan says it’s okay. And for anybody who was wondering, I do have plans for a sequel. ^^;;; Eheh. It’ll probably have more action than this one, and some of the bad guys’re gonna come back and stuff like that, and certain questions will be answered, like what the heck is up with the tessen…well, anyway. ^^

The thing with the cat in the box is seriously a theory. ~.^ Someone tried to explain it to me the other night, but I don’t remember the name of the thing, or who came up with it. **shrug** The theory is that, if you leave a cat in a box with rat poison and you don’t go back and check on it, there’s as much of a chance that it’d be dead as alive, so therefore, it’s dead and alive at the same time. It makes NO SENSE to me, because the fact is, that cat is either gonna be dead or alive, whether you look under the damn box or not. Crazy drugged-up philosophers. ^_~

And all you guys who thought I was gonna trick ya and not have a happy ending. Tsk, tsk, tsk. ^___~ Happy endings are what fanfiction is for!!! ^__^ Woohoo!!!!

Shameless Plug: If you guys liked this fic and you think Nuriko and Hotohori are kinda cute together, you might wanna check out www.oocities.org/willowstarknights/ ^_^ You can become a member of our Nuri/Hori Knighthood (Knights of the Willow and Star, or "Kotwas," which sounds German. **nod**) and get a title and everything!!

Thanks: Okay, there are a TON of thanks that have to go out for this fic.

Kaze-chan and Ryuen: You guys are the best editors a purple mouse could ask for. ^____^ Love ya lots.

Red-chan: Thank you so much for the Chichiri help! I’m glad he was satisfactory. ^_~

Kei-chan: You’ve been nothing but encouraging for this entire story, and I really thank you for that. **sniffle** **hugs**

Schwencky: Thanks for being my Real Life Reader. ^_^ It’s cool that you care, even if you can’t tell the difference between monkeys and hawks. :P L.Y.L.A.S.!!

RAVEN: (being Rye, Anu, Vero, and…hey, I can’t thank myself! So let’s make it…)

RAV: (heehee) You guys are my bestest buds, and it really meant a lot to me that you enjoyed this so much. Anu, you’re the best Out Loud Reader I know. May Ewan McGregor sing to you in your sleep. ^_~ Vero, I’m glad you didn’t mind the sap. And Rye, I’m glad you don’t mind shounen ai as long as you’re not a part of it. ^_~

Reviewy People: You guys are the reason I kept writing this story!! I can’t tell you how much you’ve helped me out, and I’m really really happy you all seemed to like it so much. ^^;;

Reader People: Thank you so much for reading my story, and I hope you all liked it, too. ^___^

Well, believe it or not, this is the longest story I have ever finished in my liiiiiife. ^_^() Just wanna say that it’s been a whole ton of fun, and that I’m wearing my cool rainbow-striped toe socks right now. ^________^

Ryuuen: **narrating** By the time my laughter had stopped, my hair was decently dry, and I’d washed my eyes to clear them of mirthful tears. I wiped my face off with the same towel so I wouldn’t waste another one. And when I lowered it, came face to face with myself in the mirror, I froze.

Ryuuen: OH MY GOD, I’VE TURNED INTO A PINEAPPLE!!!!!!!