Dear Santa

By Eline

Notes: I've been very, very bad . . . I couldn't help it, really. I never intended to have a third part but it just sprang up from nowhere . . .

Watch out for yaoi, shounen ai and the usual stuff . . .

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunlight streamed through an open window . . . onto a very mussed up bed and its two occupants. The light eventually woke one of the sleepers.

"Ugh . . ." Zenon felt as though someone had sand-papered his tongue and stuck it to the roof of his mouth with glue. It was probably that wine. Damn, but it packed a punch . . . he had to remember to cadge more of that stuff from Old Liang again . . .

When he sat up, he accidentally jostled the figure next to him. Which he had not been aware of, but soon would be as the other person was waking up.

The other kami sat up slowly. "Zenon . . . good morning--I think," Shien muttered.

"You okay?"

Shien rubbed at his temples. "I feel a distinct sensation of pain in my head. As though something heavy had ran over it. And my eyeballs feel like they have been washed and pickled in brine."

"Commonly known as a hangover." Zenon hunted around for his cigarettes. They were both trying to avoid each other's eyes. But it was inevitable . . .

Zenon picked his pants, fished around in his pockets, lit up and took a few long drags to compose himself. Then he was ready to face the question of why he was in a very messy bed, naked, with an equally naked Shien.

"Nothing happened . . . right?" he asked tentatively.

"Right . . ." Shien replied in a carefully neutral tone.

"That's all right then," Zenon said, relieved. "It's not like men don't see other men naked all the time. Men go naked in Greek baths for example. And hot springs--"

"Zenon."

"What?"

"You're babbling."

And they got dressed with the speed of people who were not going to discuss it any further. No way. Not now. Not ever. Really.

"It didn't happen," he said at the same time Shien did.

"Good," they said before walking out the door and into a scene of chaos.

In the aftermath of the party, various youkai-turned-kami and renegade Heavenly revolutionaries staggered about, trying to erase evidence of the previous night's antics while nursing murderous hangovers.

Zenon and Shien watched a few soldiers of the revolution hurry past with a couple of bright orange traffic cones.

Shien's closed-eyed look plainly said Do we really want to know?

And Zenon's shrug was equally eloquent. I don't think so. It might bring up even more awkward questions. Like where in this world did they find *traffic cones* of all things?

Ahead of them, the group carrying the traffic cones broke out into frantic excuses. They had just encountered Homura coming the other way. Zenon and Shien heard a familiar and very amused voice asking just where they had found the traffic cones.

Only it was not the coolly amused tone that Homura normally adopted. It was not even sarcastic or sardonic. Hung-over underlings turned to look at their leader as he strode past. He seemed . . . cheerful.

"Good morning, Homura."

"Yo."

"Shien, Zenon."

"I didn't see you last night," Zenon remarked.

"I left early as I had something to see to. You weren't bored, were you?"

"No. Definitely not," Zenon said quickly--a little *too* quickly.

"A good time was had by all then." Homura did not seem to notice how Zenon and Shien were steadfastly not-looking-at-each.

Shien watched Homura as he continued down the hallway. "Did you notice something . . . odd about Homura?"

Zenon crushed his cigarette under his heel and squinted at the Toushin Taishi's back. "What's so odd about him?"

"He smelled of peppermint . . ."

* * * * * * * * * *

When Gojyo woke up, he realised that 1) he was having the mother of all hangovers and 2) there was a heavy weight on his chest. His heart gave a leap as the events of the previous night came back in a rush. Maybe his wish had came true . . . Maybe they had--

But he would have expected it to be a lot more *memorable* for starters . . .

Cautiously, ever so cautiously, he opened one eye. And very nearly yelled his head off.

The reindeer that had laid its antlered head on his chest barely even stirred. It was also drooling on his shirt and smelt strongly of eggnog in addition to the thick musky scent of reindeer fur. All thoughts of what he had been planning all week long went out of the window because there was nothing more disheartening than waking up with a reindeer draped over you.

When he had calmed down enough to get out from under the shaggy beast, he realised that there was another reindeer beside the first one. For one moment, he had a horrible thought that someone had spiked the eggnog with something that turned everyone who drank it into reindeer. He wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. He had been *so* close . . .

Then he looked around the room and realised that a whole herd of reindeer had taken up residence in their rented room. Most of them were snoring loudly. One of them had fallen asleep in the now-empty eggnog bowl. And there was another one with a lampshade perched crookedly on one antler . . .

Gojyo spotted Jipu sleeping atop on reindeer's back and Hakkai just a little way beyond them. He sighed with relief. Yes, Hakkai would know what to do. Hakkai was the rational one here . . .

"Hakkai? Hakkai, you've got to wake up . . . There's a herd of reindeer sleeping in our room . . ."

"Eh?" Hakkai woke up gradually and managed to dredge up a smile. "Gojyo . . ."

"Hakkai--what are we going to do with all this reindeer?"

"Reindeer?" Hakkai looked up at Gojyo quizzically. Then he looked down and finally around the spot he was lying. He fumbled for his monocle but a clearer look at the their uninvited guests did not make the situation any more understandable.

"Reindeer." Gojyo pulled at his shirt, now stained with reindeer spit. "And they drank all the eggnog and the last of the wine too, the hairy bastards."

"Oh dear . . . The landlord won't like this at all," Hakkai said, wading through the mass of reindeer to throw open a window. The smell of damp reindeer was getting a little too much. And he had been expecting to wake up to much more pleasant things too. Hakkai could have ki-blasted the room and the reindeer. He had even put up the mistletoe in a discreet corner for crying out loud!

But it was not in character for him to scream in frustration just because all the effort that had gone into making Extra Special Eggnog had gone down the drain--or rather, down the gullets of a herd of ungrateful reindeer. Or that he had actually got drunk enough to pass out and wake up with a hangover. It should have been impossible--

"And where did Sanzo and Goku go to?" Gojyo asked, picking the lampshade off the dozing reindeer.

"I don't know . . ." Hakkai's look of bewilderment had not faded as he turned back to the room. "And there's a wrecked sleigh outside . . ."

Just then, the door to the room slammed open to reveal Sanzo, fully dressed and nursing a morning cigarette.

The priest stalked past them without a word, the morning paper tucked under one arm.

"Good morning, Sanzo," Hakkai ventured. He received a growl in reply as the priest stepped over several dozing forms on the floor. Sanzo did not seem surprised to see the reindeer at all . . .

"Sanzo? These reindeer--"

Sanzo glared at them. "Shut up, the both of you."

"Ah, I'll get the coffee brewed and breakfast started then . . ."

They all had to move down to the kitchen after that, because Gojyo and Sanzo declared that they were most certainly *not* having breakfast with a bunch of stinking reindeer.

Gojyo did not get the chance to ask any questions at the table. Because Sanzo had brought his revolver down and was pointedly loading it in front of him.

Goku staggered down just as Sanzo got started on the newspaper. "Mou, Sanzo, where were you yesterday--"

No one had even seen Sanzo's hand *move* to his sleeve to get the fan. "Shut up."

"I mean it was just one little k--"

Sanzo's patented glare promised all sorts of inventive ways to die if Goku even mentioned about what happened last night again.

"Ow . . . Oi, what pissed him off this morning?"

"Huh?" Gojyo mumbled. He had been having a bout of self-indulgent pity. His head hurt and he had not made any headway with Hakkai. And he had not got laid either, but that was entirely secondary. Yes, entirely, one hundred percent secondary he lectured the region between his legs.

"I was talking to you, hung-over kappa!"

"Gluttonous ape!" Gojyo retorted out of habit. "You ate all the pudding and ice-cream too. I don't know where you put it away, stupid ape, because none of it ever went into making any grey matter."

"Hah! And who got so drunk that he passed out before midnight last night, eh? Maybe you're getting old!"

"Why you--"

The sound of Hakkai setting the plates and utensils none too gently on the table froze them in their tracks. Even Sanzo looked up.

"Uh, you think Hakkai might be a little out of sorts this morning?" Goku whispered to Gojyo as Hakkai stalked back into the kitchen. A metallic clank indicated that a frying pan had been practically slammed onto the stove.

The thought of Hakkai being a little out of sorts was a lot more frightening than Sanzo being out of sorts because being out of sorts was a ground state that Sanzo had never actually *left*. Hakkai being out of sorts was akin to being savaged by a formerly kind and docile seeing-eye dog.

"It's probably none of your business, saru," Sanzo said, going back to his paper.

"Ah, yeah . . ." Goku was not really stupid, after all. "Do you smell something?"

"Smell what?" Gojyo asked, barely even looking up from the self-contained ball of misery he was building up around him.

Goku sniffed again. "Ne, Sanzo . . . Why do you smell like peppermint candy canes?"

* * * * * * * * * *

*huff* *whuff* (Oh crap--I feel like the damn sleigh ran over my head . . .)

"Kyu . . ." (I don't think I can move . . .)

*wheeze* *snort* (Oh no . . . I knew I shouldn't have had that last beer. It wrecks havoc on my digestive system.)

*whuff* *snort* (Light-weight. You were legless long before I got through the eggnog.)

*snort* (Shut up, nancy boy.)

*snort* *humph* (Nancy boy yourself. What kind of poncy name is "Prancer" anyway?)

*huff* *snort* (That's enough lads . . . We need to get a move on.)

"Kyu . . ." (You mean there is no magical method to get around the world in one day?)

*whuff* ('Fraid not. The magic, it only works on the night of Christmas Eve.)

"Pyuu . . . Kyuuuuuu." (Bugger . . . See you then. Now I have to fix this damn mess . . .)

* * * * * * * * * *

It was not a very cheery morning even though Hakkai brought out presents for everyone. Jipu was too hung-over to transform into his jeep form, which meant that they were stranded there for the day. Which meant that Sanzo was not happy. Not happier than usual as he smoked endlessly and brooded.

The landlord had a fit over the reindeer, but Sanzo's credit card shut him up.

It was also a day of mysterious letters and packages. Jipu had fetched a red envelope from the doorstep for Hakkai. And then another one for Gojyo arrived shortly after. Whatever the contents were, the two of them did not deign to share it with either Sanzo or Goku.

Then a box appeared outside their room that afternoon. It was all wrapped nicely in sliver paper and tied with satin ribbons. And it was addressed to Sanzo.

"Open it!" Goku demanded, more out of boredom than anything else.

"It's none of your business," Sanzo snapped half-heartedly. But he did open the box. The other three craned their necks curiously for a look.

It was a peppermint candy cane. There was a red ribbon tied around it.

Sanzo turned a most interesting shade of red and looked like he would like to shoot someone--*anyone*. But they could not get any information of him on the matter of the mysterious candy cane or the sender. And when Goku had felt like a snack and went looking for the peppermint confection, it was nowhere to be found.

However, Sanzo reverted back to his usual self--that is, ignoring everything instead of brooding at the world at large--and stopped thwaping Goku with his fan for merely opening his mouth for the rest of the day.

Smiling all the while, Hakkai made an effort and cooked dinner. Gojyo avoided the kitchen.

* * * * * * * * * *

"I don't get it . . . But I'm sure *something* is up with Homura."

"He just looks at that candy cane and wears that particular smile all the time."

"And he just left again too. I checked his room."

"Oh, but I think he left us something . . ."

"What's that you've got there, Shien? A cheque?"

"We've each got a holiday bonus . . ."

* * * * * * * * * *

Jipu nursed his poor aching claws. It had not been *hard* to learn to read and write the human language. Any sentient creature could have done it. Oh no, it was the damn pen that always gave him trouble. Why couldn't they have a typewriter or a computer keyboard installed around here?

But his mission was halfway to completion. He hoped that it would be worth all those hours spent practising printing block letters in Arial . . .

* * * * * * * * * *

After dinner, Gojyo slipped out and headed for the roof, the red envelope clutched in one fist that was stuffed into his jacket pocket. He was not the only one who had decided to come up for air.

Hakkai was sitting on the parapet wall with Jipu perched on one shoulder.

"I got your note," Gojyo began and then he saw that Hakkai held a similar envelope. They were not stupid, no matter how hopeful they were.

"You didn't write that note?" they asked simultaneously. "Then who--"

Mutual embarrassment was an awful thing to witness.

"Er . . . I'll just--"

"Kyuuu!" Jipu squeaked determinedly and tugged at Gojyo's jacket until he was forced to sit down or get his clothing torn.

"Kyuu!"

"Owww! Let go!" Gojyo had to move closer otherwise Jipu would had taken his ear off.

"Kyu." Jipu seemed happy with that and flew off after nipping Hakkai's ear encouragingly.

"Well, this is nice," Hakkai said in the bright, brittle voice of someone who was a lot more tense than he let on.

"Um. Yeah." Gojyo could have sworn that he had rehearsed this a thousand times in his head, but his mind was a blank slate. All he could think about was the rather direct message in that mystery note. While it had been honest to the point of rudeness, it did sum things up very succinctly . . . He had a moment's wild fancy that it might have been the dragon, but that was far too ridiculous. This whole situation was ridiculous. And he was fed up with all the planning and sneaking around.

Gojyo took a deep breath and was surprised to find that his declaration came out a lot blunter than expected. "Hakkai--if you haven't noticed it for the past three years and counting, I love you, you idiot and I want to jump your bones in the worst way--"

"Gojyo," Hakkai said gravely, "shut up and kiss me."

* * * * * * * * * *

"Kyuuuu!" (Well, *finally*! The end.)

* * * * * * * * * *