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It was the early hours of December 25th, Christmas morning. The sun still had yet to peek above the horizon, and all was dark as could be. The only one awake at this time of day was the water buffalo captain of the ship, Captain Ahab. He stood in the glow of the moon, feeling the cool breeze course through his fur. Were he not a beastman, he had no doubts that he would think the night quite chilly. Staring out into the dark ocean, he relaxed as the gentle whisper of the water parting around his ship passed his ears.
He hadn’t originally planned on having anyone over for Christmas. Instead, he just assumed he would spend the day in varying states of drunk or passed out. Things had changed when Ryusei and Benten came to talk to him one day.
//
Ahab turned the page of his book. It was almost the end of the school day- just a few more minutes left until he could pack it up and head back to the ship. With Christmas soon approaching it was just a matter of time until he got a well-needed break. He reached out to turn the page, and at that very moment, the door slammed open, causing Ahab to jump.
“Hey, Captain! How you- oh hey, this is a kinda nice pad you have here!”
A young, blue-haired girl holding a Biwa marched in through the door and threw herself into one of the chairs in front of his desk. She grabbed one of the pieces of salt water taffy from the bowl on his desk, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth.
“Oh damn, this is pretty good stuff,” Benten said, then reached out and grabbed a handful of them.
Ahab turned his eye to Ryusei, who had just walked in. Benten must have run ahead, considering he was out of breath. He flashed Ahab a sheepish grin then sat down in the seat next to Benten. Ahab glared at the two of them.
“What’re ye brats doin’ here? School ain’t over yet.”
Benten grinned and started fingering something on her biwa. “We got out early! I forget why, but don’t look a gift bird in the mouth!”
“Horse.”
“Whatever, same thing.”
Ryusei rolled his eyes. “There was some accident nearby, so we got out early. I guess that was just for us though.”
“...Hmph. If yer classes let out early, what’re ye doin’ here? And knock that off!” He smacked away Benten’s hand, which was reaching out for another handful of taffy.
“Psh, fine.” She sat back and kept absentmindedly playing with her instrument. “Ryusei, you tell him.”
“Huh, me?” Ryusei looked startled, then looked at Ahab. “Ah, alright then. Benten and I were wondering if you’d be ok with holding a sorta ‘oceanside Christmas’ thing on your ship.”
Ahab stared at the two of them before shutting his book and setting it to the side. “Come again?”
Benten glared at Ahab. “What could be better than a Christmas spent with friends, and what greater friends are those that you went on a life-changing, death-defying adventure with- twice?!”
Ahab rolled his eye. “So if I were to agree ta this, how many of me sailors would there be? Can’t imagine everyone…”
“Well,” Ryusei spoke up, “you’re right about that. We went ahead and asked everyone-”
“Ye already asked. Before seein’ if I was busy or-”
Benten unwrapped another piece of taffy and stuck it in her mouth. Ahab looked over where his bowl used to be, but there was nothing there but a couple empty wrappers. Ahab sighed and leaned back in his chair.
Benten swallowed the piece she was eating. “Aw Captain, don’t be like that! It’s not like you were planning on doing anything anyway.”
“...Hmph.”
“Told you,” Benten said, poking Ryusei. He just laughed and shooed away her prodding fingers as he picked up where he left off.
“Anyhow, I asked everyone from both of our, ah, adventures. Ganglie said he’d come, I guess he still hasn’t found anyone to spend the holidays with. Makara and Typhon are both busy, though I don’t know with what. Ganglie thinks Makara is dating some girl, but that’s probably just his imagination. Eita is spending the Christmas with his family. Fenrir- well, actually I’m not sure about him. I think he was trying to say no, but it was all dramatic and stuff so I could be wrong. I don’t think he’s coming though. Ifrit also can’t come since he somehow wound up in even more debt and has to work as a mall Santa. Go figure, right?”
Ahab grunted. “Me sailors sure are interestin’, if nothin’ else…”
“Well, aside from Ganglie, there’s me, Benten, Ebisu, and-”
The door burst open, and in strode Aegir. “Ahoy there, Ahab! Oh? What are you two doing in here?” Ahab just glared at the three of them, and Aegir flashed him a pearly grin. “I’m surprised, Ahab! After that school Christmas party, I was convinced that Christmas wasn’t really your ‘thing.’”
Benten jumped on this. “There was a Christmas party here? Did you get any pictures?”
Aegir’s laugh echoed in the small office. “Of course, of course! I had one of my students take a picture of us. It’s a good picture, even by my own standards! Our treasure of a captain here doesn’t look very comfortable though.”
“Oh, shut yer trap. I don’t know why I let ye drag me there.”
Aegir laughed once again. “I’m sure you had a great time, I know I did! Speaking of a great time, I am looking forward to this Christmas at sea! When will we set off?”
Ahab rolled his eye and stood up, packing his stuff into a bag. He took the bowl back from Benten and put it down where it belonged, then gestured for the two sitting down to get up.
“Well?” Benten asked, slinging her biwa behind her back.
Ahab sighed and glanced at the three of them, his gaze landing on Ryusei. Then, he smiled begrudgingly. “Ah, alright. Fine. We’ll set sail on the mornin’ of the 24th, we don’t need ta go far. Meet me on the ship then. Benten, I’ll leave it to ye to tell Ebisu and Ganglie.”
Benten grinned. “Aye aye, Captain!”
//
Ahab let out a soft chuckle and his tail swished in the wind. True to their word, they had shown up the morning of the 24th and loaded up onto the ship. Once Ahab was sure that everyone was here, they sailed into the open sea.
//
“Hey Captain, where should we put presents and stuff?” Ganglie asked him after they pulled away from the port. He lifted up a bag he was carrying. The rest of them were holding moderately sized bags, though while Aegir had a giant bag strapped to his back, Benten only had a small sack.
“...I put a Christmas tree and some other stuff in one of the bigger empty cabins. There be a wreath on the door. Try not ta make a mess, ye hear?”
“Alright then.” With that, Ganglie headed toward the direction of the cabins. The rest of them waved at Ahab as they followed Ganglie toward the Christmas cabin. Ahab watched them go and saw them turn into the room. Once he finished with everything he needed to do, he followed after them. As he stepped into the room clad in Christmas decor, the 5 of them turned to see him.
“I like the decorations, Captain!” Ebisu said, looking around the room. There was a Christmas tree in the corner, complete with ornaments and electric lights. The window had red and green drapes, and paper snowflakes hung down from the ceiling. Six stockings hung on the wall opposite of the door, each of them embroidered with a name belonging to each of the people there.
Benten spun around, grinning. “Did you do all this, Captain?”
Ahab coughed and averted his eyes. “...Yeah. Is it alright?” It had been a long time since he had properly celebrated Christmas.
Ganglie grinned. “Buhehehe~ It’s kinda cheesy-”
THWONK
“Get out the waaay~!”
Ganglie slammed to the ground instantly and started rambling something about girls as Benten set down her biwa, which she had just used to bludgeon the boar.
“Geeze, Benten, that thing sure is resilient,” Ryusei managed to get out, holding his sides from laughing at the sheer speed at which Ganglie collided with the floor.
“Of course it is, or it wouldn’t be able to take my rockin’ vibes!”
Ebisu rolled his eyes. “If it weren’t so sturdy I’m pretty sure you’d have broken it on someone’s back.”
“What! That’s ridiculous. Besides, if it did somehow break on someone’s back, it’s their fault. Their back shouldn’t have gotten in the way!”
“Gahaha! Oh, you all are incredible,” Aegir laughed, his voice as loud as ever. “This is going to be fun, I can tell already. Now!” Aegir pulled a large cooler out of the bag he was carrying. “Where do we make the food?”
“Ah. I knew I was forgettin’ somethin’.”
Benten’s mouth opened in shock. “You forgot the food? On Christmas??”
“...Aye. I didn’t have the time ta deal with it.”
Aegir stepped over Ganglie and clapped his arm around Ahab's shoulder, causing him to flinch. “No worries, no worries! I figured this was a lot to put on you, so I took the liberty of bringing food to cook.” He whipped off the top of the cooler and flourished. “No thanks necessary, and you are welcome!”
Inside the cooler were four hams.
Ganglie got up, rubbing the back of his head. He got up and stared at the open cooler, then looked at Ahab and Aegir in turn.
“Is this… dinner?”
“Apparently so,” said Ebisu, scratching the back of his head. “I mean, I’d guess there’s probably fruit on board, and I could always get us some fish.”
Aegir barked out a laugh. “What’s wrong with ham? All the finest parties have nothing but meat and drink- and I assume the captain here has plenty of the latter. This is going to be a party for the ages!”
Ganglie stared at Aegir. “It’s… still a dinner. You don’t usually have just one thing to eat, right?”
Aegir looked ever so slightly abashed. “Well, I suppose that makes sense. My bad, my bad! I should have brought some beef too or something. At the very least, I assumed our captain here would be able to provide us with drinks. Isn’t that right, Ahab?”
Ahab smirked. “...Whatever. Ebisu is right about there bein’ fruit on board, and I do have a few bottles of cider layin’ around somewhere. None o’ ye are drinkin' anythin' harder than that. Ryusei! Take Aegir down ta the kitchen, start cookin’ those hams and gettin’ things ready.”
“Aye, Captain!” Ryusei said, and Aegir gave Ahab a thumbs up. He then followed Ryusei out of the room.
“Ebisu, Ganglie, go put yerselves to use and get some fish. Hop to it!”
Ganglie lifted his rake and gave a half-hearted wave as they walked out the door. Benten looked quizzically at Ahab.
“Hey, what about me?”
“Ye can go help whoever ye want, but I wanted to see if ye brought what I asked ye fer.”
Benten snapped and reached into her bag, pulling out a thin manila envelope. She handed it to Ahab with a grin.
“Wanna give me a hint what you’re going to do with those?”
Ahab smirked and walked out of the room, Benten following behind him.
“Ye’ll just have to see tomorrow mornin’. For now, it be time to get ta work, sailor!”
Benten gave him a lazy salute and walked off to the kitchen. Ahab chuckled and went to find some of that apple cider.
///
Despite the ingredients problem they had earlier, the food was pretty good. None of them were hungry after it, and the fruit was only slightly burnt. Somehow, none of them could find the words to explain how, exactly, they had managed to burn the fruit. He’d be impressed if it weren’t so absurd. They chatted for the entire meal and didn’t stop until they noticed just how dark it was outside. They eventually headed off to sleep in preparation for Christmas morning, though Ahab had no plans on sleeping that soon. He still had gifts to prepare. Now that he had finished them, wrapped them, and added labels saying “from Santa,” he was finally ready to get some rest of his own.
Having properly stretched his leg and gotten some fresh air, he turned his back on the sea and headed off to bed.
///
Fwump
Ahab’s eye shot open as something- or someone- landed on him. Ahab looked down and saw Ryusei, although for the briefest moment he could have sworn he saw a girl with a blue flower decorating her long dark hair. He blinked and his vision cleared up. He sighed and pulled Ryusei off of him.
“Ugh. It be mornin’ already?” Ahab sat up and sidled over to the side of his bed. He turned and looked at Ryusei. “Go get everyone up and bring ‘em to the Christmas cabin. I’ll be there soon, just let me get more decent.”
“Aw, do you reaaally need to?”
Ahab glared at him.
“Fiiine,” Ryusei said, then left the captain to his own devices. Ahab sighed and got dressed in his usual outfit, though he left the coat behind this time. When he was convinced of his decency, Ahab picked up his hat and walked out.
Snow fell gently down from the sky, landing on the surface of the ocean where it vanished without a trace. It was starting to feel a little cold, even for him, so he hurried on over to where the others were. He opened the door with a wreath hanging on it and walked inside. It was much warmer in here.
“Merry Christmas, Captain!” Ebisu called from the corner where he was sitting underneath a blanket, holding a mug of hot chocolate. Ahab shut the door and looked around the room. The five of them were sitting down on the floor next to small piles of presents, each one having five.
“Heh. Guess ye brats couldn’t wait for me, huh?” Ahab chuckled. He walked over to where Aegir was patting the ground next to him, where a small pile of 4 presents was stacked. He sat down and picked up the stocking labeled “Ahab” that was leaning against the pile.
“Yo, who stuffed these?” said Ganglie, munching away on some chocolate he had pulled out of the stocking. “Captain Ahab, maybe?”
“I ain’t got anythin’ to do with what’s inside of it,” Ahab grunted as he unlodged a bottle from the sock, knocking a few pieces of candy off to the side. He saw Benten reach out and grab a piece out of the corner of his eye and absentmindedly waved her off. It was a bottle of some drink labeled Nonary in a fancy font. Ahab stopped and felt a chill pass through him, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came.
Benten looked concerned, watching Ahab stare at the bottle. “Have you had that before?”
“...No,” He grumbled, then muttered, “...at least, I don’t think so. Name sounds familiar, that’s all.”
Ebisu leaned back. “Well, if it wasn’t you, then who?”
Ryusei smiled as he pulled out a small buffalo stuffie from the stocking. “I’d guess it’s probably Ded Moroz.” He paused, seeing the blank expressions on their faces. “Ded? You know, Santa Claus? He’s the principal of a school in Tokyo.”
Benten smacked her fist into her hand. “Ah, that geezer I beat up last Christmas!”
“You beat up Santa Claus?!” Ebisu leaned away from Benten and pulled his stuff closer to him.
“Yeah, he tried to give me some coal! What an ass!” Benten glared at her stocking, which was filled with small bags. “I guess Santa has a sense of humor. He filled my stocking with nothing but bags of coal gum.”
“You know, coal can be quite the valuable treasure in itself. They say if you squeeze it hard enough, it becomes a diamond!” Aegir said as he pulled out one of those chocolate balls with a toy inside. “Fascinating!” he exclaimed.
“I, uh, don’t think that’s how it works,” said Ebisu, pulling a small set of knives from his stocking.
Ganglie reached over and picked up one of the bags that had fallen out of her stocking. “Gum that looks like coal? Huh.” He grinned at Benten, undid the strings holding it closed, and promptly poured the entire contents of it into his mouth.
“Hey! That’s mine!” Benten tackled Ganglie and sent the rest of the bags flying.
Ahab snorted at them. “Benten! Ganglie! Can’t ye brats do this some other time-”
There was a small crunching noise and Benten and Ganglie stopped, turning their heads slowly toward Ryusei. In his hand was one of Benten’s coal gum bags. His chewing slowed to a halt as Benten and Ganglie stared at him.
“That’s mine!” Benten roared and stepped off of the boar man. “Ganglie!”
“Right!” Ganglie got up and threw himself into the air, his arms outstretched. Benten grabbed hold of his open hands, swung him around using herself as a pivot, and launched him directly into Ryusei. The two of them kept going until they slammed into the wall and, still stuck together, fell to the floor. They were out cold.
Ahab put his head into his hands as Aegir clapped and guffawed, his laughs booming in the room. Benten gave a little bow and picked up the bag of gum that Ryusei had dropped when he and Ganglie had collided. Ebisu got up and checked the pulses of Benten’s victims. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Benten.
“Not to be a spoilsport or anything, but I think you should really try not to kill anyone on Christmas.”
“What? I have no idea what you’re talking about. That was a perfectly non-lethal attack.”
Ebisu rolled his eyes and sat back down on the floor. “Well, regardless of what it was, we can’t exactly open presents with two of us unconscious.”
Ahab got up and walked over to the two passed out in front of him. He sighed and picked Ryusei up off of Ganglie and laid him down, then fixed Ganglie’s position so that he won’t be too uncomfortable when he wakes up. Once he was done, Ahab got back up and stretched.
Aegir stood up as well. “How about we get some food ready? I don’t know about you, but I am famished!”
“What food do we have…? I don’t think me usual rations make fer a tasty Christmas breakfast…”
“I got a little slip of paper in my stocking, and if my suspicions are correct…” Aegir walked over to the cooler he had brought and opened it. Inside was an assortment of breads, sweets, drinks, and those little hot dogs in rolls. He picked up one of the containers filled with rolls and handed it to Ahab. It was still pleasantly warm.
“Hmph. I guess this be that ‘Ded’ landlubber again,” Ahab said with a smirk.
Aegir laughed and pulled Ahab close, much to the captain’s disapproval. “Perhaps, but I believe he flies through the sky! Let’s go bring a table into here so we can set this stuff out.”
They left Benten and Ebisu to keep watch on Ryusei and Ganglie as they got a table, just like Aegir had suggested. They returned and set up the table with food and drink, all the while chatting about mundane things like school or the time Benten had bested Ded in hand-to-hand combat. By the time they had all the food and drinks set out, Ryusei and Ganglie were starting to come to.
“Bueeeeh… Did you have to do it so hard?” Ganglie got up and rubbed the back of his head. “Knocked out twice within less than 24 hours. That hasn’t happened since…” He grinned like he was remembering something. “A few days ago... buhehe~”
Ryusei grinned. “Jeeze, at least give me some warning next time. I didn’t even know you and Gangle could do something like that.”
“Ah, yeah. Benten saw it on some tv show or something and wanted to try it out.”
Aegir laughed again, putting a few pigs-in-blankets onto a plate. “It was spectacular! You will need to show me this show this show you got it from!”
Benten grinned. “If you insist, I guess I could do that- oh, shut up, pig.” She said, painfully swatting at Ganglie, who was still chortling.
“Oh hey, where’d all this food come from?”
Ryusei picked up a roll and bit into it, watching the rest of them. They explained where the food had come from. Ryusei nodded and finished the roll, then sat back down in his original spot on the floor.
“Now that Ganglie and I aren’t unconscious anymore, how about we open up these presents?” Ryusei patted the ground next to him, and Ganglie took a seat as well. Aegir grabbed a few more pigs-in-blankets and sat down, then Benten and Ebisu followed suit. Ahab got a drink and sat down in his spot next to Aegir.
“Alright, ye all have horsed around enough. We be takin’ turns, and we’re goin’ around clockwise, startin’ with Benten and endin’ with me.” He thought for a bit, then added, “...Take yer time, brat.”
“No promises, Captain!” Benten grinned and picked up the present sitting on top of the pile. It was soft and floppy. She set it aside.
“H-hey wait!” Ebisu cried out. “Why did you put that one aside?”
Benten averted her gaze. “It’s, uh, I’m saving the best for last!”
Ebisu looked apprehensive, but he backed down.
Benten coughed and picked up the next present, labeled from Aegir. She tore off the wrapping paper to reveal a small box.
“Woah, a box! This is just what I wanted!”
Aegir smirked. “Open it up.”
Benten gave a short laugh and opened it up, and the laugh died off. She reached into the box and pulled out a silver necklace engraved with flowers. She smiled and put it around her neck.
“Like it? I found that treasure on a recent expedition I made with some of my students. Reminded me of your hat!”
Benten grinned and said, “Thanks, old man.” She then opened up the next presents. From Ryusei she got a new pair of headphones, and Ganglie gave her a box set of the show she had mentioned earlier. Ebisu gave her a hand-knitted sweater, which she thanked him for while putting it in her stocking. Finally, she got to Ahab’s gift, which he had labeled as from Santa. He watched her attentively as she unwrapped a small wooden box.
“Another box!? Damn, you shouldn’t have!”
“Just open it, ye brat.”
Benten opened it up and everyone got quiet. The sound of tinny notes was coming from the box cradled in Benten’s hands. For a couple minutes they sat there listening to the song. It sounded very sad, as if it were filled with regret. As the song came to a close, Ryusei tried to brush away his tears, only to find that his face was covered in them. Benten looked at the music box, and then back to Ahab.
“What song is this? It sounds nice but…” She trailed off at Ahab’s expression.
Before Ahab could say anything, Ryusei muttered, “...Morphogenetic Sorrow.”
Ahab’s eye widened in shock. “Ye know its name?”
Benten looked from Ryusei to Ahab in confusion. “Hold on, do you not know what it’s called?”
Ahab sighed and ran his hand behind his neck. “No. I went to get a custom music box done ‘cause I thought ye’d like somethin’ like that, but I didn’t have anythin’ specific picked out. They had some empty sheet music pages there and I just… wrote it down. It was like I’d... seen it before.” After Ahab finished, Benten looked at Ryusei, as if asking him why he knew.
Ryusei looked down at the floor, where a few of his tears had fallen. “Er, I… don’t know. It felt very sad I guess. It feels like I’ve heard it before, but I can’t actually remember hearing it. Heck, I don’t even know where that name came from. I just kinda… knew.”
Benten waited for him to finish, then glared at him when he didn’t say anything. “Well then, that sure was vague.” She sighed, then added, “Thank you, Captain.”
Ahab smiled, then waved to Ryusei for him to open his gifts. Benten nudged him and he practically jumped. he looked right at Ahab, who then rolled his eye and waved again. All the while, Aegir was looking from the two of them, clearly thinking about something serious.
“Ah, haha… Sorry, sorry,” Ryusei laughed, though his heart didn’t seem to be in it. He reached out and picked up the present on top of the pile that was labeled from Benten. Ryusei shook his head and smiled again, having evidently shaken off whatever funk he was in. Upon opening it, he found a featureless CD inside a case that had a chibi version of Benten on it.
“Merry Christmas, everyone! Inside that rocking case is a CD with all the songs that the Viral Dreamers played! If any of you want an autograph, I’d be happy-”
“Ah, Benten,” Ganglie interrupted while staring placidly Benten’s gift to him, “did you give us each a copy of that?”
“You got a problem with that?”
“Not really. Can’t say I’m surprised.”
Ryusei laughed and picked up the present from Ganglie. Unwrapping it, he found a large bottle of something called “Blue Bird.” The bottle was entirely transparent so they could see the contents. The easiest description would be that it was blue, but in the sense that at the top of the bottle the drink was almost transparent, at the bottom it was practically pitch black, and the middle was a gradient of the lightest light blue to the darkest dark blue. Ahab thought it looked familiar, though, just as many things had been recently, he wasn’t quite sure why.
“...What’s that?” Ahab asked Ganglie.
“Dunno. A drink? Probably alcoholic, I guess. Got it from some white-haired boy who called himself Santa.” He grinned then added saucily, “Said to give it to a couple lovebirds.”
Ahab’s face went red. “Er, Ryusei, why don’t ye keep goin’.”
“Buhehehe~”
Blushing himself, he reached into a bag that was from Ebisu. Moving aside the filler paper, Ryusei pulled out two fuzzy things and put them on the floor in front of him.
No one said anything. Instead, they just stared at the things sitting in front of them.
“...Ebisu…” Benten started.
“Yeah?”
“Did you make Ryusei Ahab slippers?”
Sitting on the floor in front of Ryusei, in plain view for everyone to see, was a fuzzy set of slippers with little Ahab heads on the ends of them. They sat like that for several minutes. Everyone looked back and forth from Ryusei to Ahab who were both just staring at the slippers on the floor, their faces flushed.
“Buhehehe~ I knew there was something between you two,” Ganglie laughed, grinning slyly at the two of them.
Aegir laughed, pulling Ahab close once again- though it was a marvel that he didn't burn up from how red Ahab's face was. "Seems to me like you have made quite the catch, Ahab!"
Ebisu flushed and waved his arms in front of him like he was trying to blow the tension away. “Ah… I’m sorry, Ganglie suggested it, and I just kinda assumed-”
“Calm your tits, Ebs. This is hilarious,” said Benten, munching on some of the coal gum she got earlier.
“Calm my what now?”
Ryusei picked up the slippers and put them on his feet, where they fit like a glove. “It’s so soft! It’s like Ahab’s fur after he dries off-” Ryusei cut off seeing Ahab frantically wave his hand around his neck, then lower his head into his hand.
“Ooooh?” Ganglie nudged Ryusei, grinning at him like the pervert he was. “I didn’t realize you two already went that far~”
Benten was on the floor now holding her sides from laughing too much, and Aegir was chortling and rubbing Ahab’s back apologetically. Ahab felt the strong desire to go outside and cool off in the snow that was building up, but running now wouldn’t fix anything. Even Ebisu had a flushed grin on his face.
Ahab grumbled. “Ye could’ve just said it’s soft like a kitten or somethin’, why would ye jump straight to after the shower?”
“Eeh!?” gasped Benten. “Whaddya mean shower !? What the hell? Have you two actually-” She looked from Ryusei to Ahab as if she were running some numbers in her head. “How does that even work?”
Ryusei coughed and rubbed the tuft of fur on one of the heads. His humorous expression turned wistful in the blink of an eye, and he stared forward like he was seeing something that wasn't there.
“I’ve... always wanted to do that,” muttered Ryusei, then he froze.
A girl with a blue flower in her hair smiled happily at him, white flower petals descending all around her. She reached up and plucked something off his head- a single pink petal, then rubbed the fur on the top of his head. She drew back, grinning sheepishly.
“Aha, sorry Captain, I’ve just always wanted to do that.”
Ahab came back to the present and looked at Ryusei, who was just staring blankly at him.
The captain sighed and got up to get some more apple cider. Benten was up now and was rather confused about what was going on. She clapped Ryusei on the back.
“Hey, there’s no reason to get bummed. It’s totally fine if you and Ahab are a thing! Well, maybe it feels a little weird since he feels like my dad or something, but still! I’m totally ok with it. Kinda.”
Ryusei snapped out of it and smiled sheepishly at her. “Ah, thanks Benten. It’s not that though, or at least, I don’t think it is. It’s just… I don’t know. Just forget about it, it’s probably not important.”
She studied Ryusei for a second, then leaned back and popped another piece of coal gum into her mouth. “So… this isn’t my fault you say? Ok, then I retract everything I said. That’s totally weird.”
Ebisu looked at the two in shock. “Eeh?? Come on, Benten, something is clearly up with him.”
“Pfft.” Benten chugged a class of cider. “If he’s fine, he’s fine.”
Ryusei picked up the gift from Aegir and said, “Yeah, don’t worry about it. I can deal with it later.” He unwrapped a box similar to the one Benten got. Ahab turned around from getting another drink just in time to see Ryusei shut it tight, his face flushed. Just before it closed, he could see two rings- one significantly larger than the other. It appeared that Aegir was more observant than he looked. Though, at the moment, he was watching Ryusei’s face with a look of intrigue.
In a split second, Aegir fixed his expression into his usual, jovial, confident self and belted out another laugh. “Hah! In retrospect, that gift might be best kept to yourself for now! I’ll just assume you appreciate the treasure and move on if that’s what you want.”
“Er, yeah I’d be good with that… heh.”
Ahab chuckled at Ryusei’s reaction and sat back down at his seat just as Ryusei tore the wrapping paper off of the gift that Ahab had given him. He was left holding a scrapbook bearing the same insignia that was on Ahab’s shirt. Even before he opened it, Ahab knew that Ryusei would see pictures of all their adventures together, from back when they had first met, to the time they had gone to karaoke as a group, and then to the time they had fought against the boisterous man sitting beside him.
“Captain, where’d all these pictures come from?” Ryusei asked in awe, flipping through the pages.
“I asked Benten to bring me some o’ the pictures she’d taken of our time at sea. I figured if ye still don’t have any memories of who ye were before losing them, then we’ll just make some new ones.” He blushed, then added, “...ye and I. Together.”
Ahab smiled at Ryusei, who looked up and down from the book to him. He got up and walked over the small pile of presents, then fell down onto the seated captain, causing the two to fall backward. Ryusei looked into Ahab’s eye then, without a moment’s hesitation, swooped down and locked lips with him. The two stayed like that for a few seconds, or perhaps a few minutes, then Ahab pushed Ryusei off of him and sat back up, his hat now gone and his cheeks burning. Ryusei grinned and stumbled back over to where he was sitting, his face looking as if it could melt all the snow outside in a second.
Aegir was grinning like a schoolboy, while Benten and Ebisu’s faces were bright red and shocked. Ganglie, on the other hand, looked a little sad.
“Buuueh… Why don’t I have anyone like that? It’s not fair! Makara gave you hints, didn’t he! That jerk, he hasn’t even told me any of his tricks yet.”
Aegir just laughed again and folded his arms. “I am sure you’ll get your chance, my portly friend. Anyway, I do think Ryusei has shown his thanks. How about we move on before he these two get any more embarrassed?”
“If you insist. I guess it’s my turn then!” Ganglie grabbed the top present off the stack while Aegir clapped Ahab’s shoulder and gave him a thumbs up. Ahab breathed a relieved sigh and watched Ganglie reached into the bag Ryusei had given him. He pulled out a couple slips of paper.
Ryusei grinned and proudly exclaimed, “Front row tickets to Gabriel’s next show! I figure you could probably convince someone to go on a date with you if you have something like that.”
“For real?” Ganglie’s face lit up, and he tucked the tickets into his pocket. “Thanks, Ryusei! Now I’ll really be able to show Typhon up… buhehe~” Without any further delay, he unwrapped the rest of his gifts. From Ebisu he got a sweater like the one Benten got, though this one had the words “Smokin’ hot” embroidered on the front. From Aegir he got a small statue of a lady, which he claimed to be a “fertility goddess,” and from Benten he got the same Viral Dreamers CD that Ryusei had gotten. Finally, he opened up Ahab’s gift and pulled out a large bottle of some shower product.
Ganglie looked up at Ahab. “Conditioner?”
Ahab smirked and waved toward the bottle. “Ryusei got me a bottle a while ago, it makes yer fur real soft. Lasts a while. It’ll probably help ye in yer… quest.”
Ganglie contemplated this for a second, then got a dirty grin on his face. “So that’s what Ryusei meant. I see, I see… buhehehe~” He sat like that, chortling to himself, evidently imagining something that the others couldn’t see.
“Looks like he’s in a world of his own,” Aegir remarked. “How about you go ahead, my good fisherman?”
“Oh, right,” Ebisu perked up and picked up the present from Aegir. It was much larger than the other gifts Aegir had given. Unwrapping it and opening up the box underneath the paper, Ebisu reached in a pulled out a stone statue of a whale.
Aegir put his hand around Ahab’s shoulders and chuckled, pointing with his other, hand at the statue. “Now Captain, don’t you worry- that’s not the whale you’re hunting down!”
“I’m not an idiot, ye brat,” Ahab retorted, but Aegir ignored him.
“I found that beauty not too long ago, got it fixed up and inspected. Apparently that right there is a representation of Ebisu himself!”
Ebisu and Benten’s mouths dropped open. Ebisu looked down at the whale and tilted his head. “You sure? That’s kinda cool, I guess.”
Benten tried (and failed) to suppress a laugh.
“Huh? Why are you laughing?”
Benten managed to get ahold of herself and said, almost professionally, “You have to admit, the resemblance is striking!”
Ebisu glared at her in exasperation, thanked Aegir for the gift, then turned his attention to the next on the pile. This one was a rather bulky present from Captain Ahab. After tearing off the paper surrounding it, he pulled away holding a couple articles of clothing. He held it up to see that it was a sailor’s outfit. He held it up to his chest. It looked as if it would fit him perfectly.
Ahab looked at Ebisu and smirked. “I wasn’t really sure what to get ye, so I thought I’d give ye something to say that ye’re… always welcome here. As a part o’ me crew. If ye want to stick around.”
Ebisu stared in awe at Ahab, a smile growing across his face. “Captain… I don’t know what to say-” He cut himself off and set down the clothing. “Thank you, Ahab. I’d love to come along if you want me to.” Ebisu brushed his eyes and picked up the next presents. From Ganglie he got a set of hot chocolate mixes, and from Ryusei he got a stuffed whale shark, which Ebisu thought was very cute. Benten gave him a Viral Dreamers CD. He held up the CD, lost in thought.
Benten popped the rest of a cupcake into her mouth then said, “Yeah, that art sure is good, isn’t it? I made it myself-”
“Benten?”
“What?”
“Didn’t the, er, ‘Viral Dreamers’ only play like two songs?”
“So what if we did?”
The five of them looked at each other, then at Benten. Ebisu sighed. “Nevermind. Aegir, it’s your turn now.”
“Finally! Let me tell you, I was a little disappointed when you said we’d be going around clockwise. But! It’s Christmas, and I hear we’re supposed to be kind and generous-”
“Just go, ye’ll ruin the food if ye keep yellin’ like that,” grumbled Ahab.
“Oh yes, of course! Now, where to begin…” He picked out a random present from the pile, a bag from Ryusei. Reaching inside, he pulled out an assortment of various chocolate covered fruits. Without missing a beat, he flipped the top off of the bin holding some chocolate covered raisins and popped a couple into his mouth.
“Delicious!” Aegir proclaimed, then sealed the container again and set them off to the side. He then picked up the present from Ganglie. It was a very, very small package, and thus only took a moment to unwrap. Aegir studied it for a moment then shouted, “Fascinating! What is it?”
Ganglie absentmindedly scratched his head. “Uhh... it’s called a ring pop, I think. It’s like a ring that has a candy sucker sticking out of it.”
“I love it! Quite literally a tasty treasure! Just how are people so ingenious sometimes?”
“Heh, whatever you say.”
“Let’s see if you can beat that!” He said to Ebisu and picked up his gift. Inside was a large bag of Swedish Fish. “Ah, I’ve heard of these! One of the sailors who fell in my sea was quite fond of these! Thank you!”
“Ah, heh. No problem.”
“Thanks for the CD, Benten,” Aegir said while picking up the gift from Ahab.
“Psh- hey! You didn’t even unwrap it!”
Aegir ignored her and unwrapped Ahab’s present. It didn’t take long for him to remove all the paper surrounding it, and, when he did, he lifted up a golden locket. The light of day glinted off the shining metal. Curious, he undid the latch and looked at the picture inside. His boisterous rambling died away, and a melancholic expression overtook his face as he stared down at the open locket. Without turning his focus away from the locket, he opened his mouth. When he spoke, it was without the usual bravado.
“Where… where did you get a picture of…?”
Ahab looked at the glinting gold in the sea god’s hand. The portrait in the middle was that of his daughters. “I asked Benten ta let me see the photos she’d taken back when we were fighting ye. I... I know how hard it can be ta lose the people ye care about. I thought I’d give this to ye, to remember them by.”
Aegir sniffed and wiped away a tear making its way down his cheek. After another moment, he turned and looked directly at Ahab. His eyes were wet, but gratitude shone through them all the same.
“I… Thank you.”
Ahab nodded and Aegir closed the locket. After briefly looking at the closed locket, he put the locket around his neck, where it rest on his chest. He took a deep breath, and a smile once again formed across his face.
“I would pull you into a great embrace, but I doubt you would like that! Well, if that’s it for me, that means it’s finally your turn, Captain!”
Ahab looked at the four presents in front of him. One of them was obviously the same CD Benten had given each of them. He set that aside.
“Hey!”
“Good grief,” Ahab muttered, but he picked it back up and unwrapped the CD. It was exactly what he had expected. “Ye happy?”
“Hmph. A little.”
Ahab rolled his eye and picked up the next gift, a tall box from Ganglie. Unwrapping it, he found a bottle of a drink called “Virtue’s Last Reward.” Ahab’s face grew hot and he set it down, trying his best not to meet Ryusei’s eyes. This was the same rainbow-colored drink he and Ryusei had shared a while ago.
“Bueh? What’s with that reaction…?” He looked from Ryusei to Ahab suspiciously, then shrugged. “I musta forgot to mention that the Santa guy gave me two bottles.”
“Right. Thanks.” Ahab said stiffly, setting the bottle away and out of sight. Out of the two presents that were left, one was labeled from Aegir, and the other had both Ryusei and Ebisu’s names on it. Figuring he’d save the best (or perhaps the most embarrassing) for last, Ahab opened up Aegir’s gift. Inside a box was a shiny golden compass. Ahab picked it up and turned it around, seeing that it worked flawlessly.
“Yet another treasure from my expeditions! I thought of you when I saw it, so I decided to get it working good as new! You won’t find a better working compass anywhere in Tokyo. Merry Christmas, you grumpy old treasure of a man.”
Ahab smirked and muttered, “I’m pretty sure ye’re older than me.” Aegir just laughed and patted Ahab on the shoulder.
Ryusei turned from Ahab to Ebisu, his face lit up. “This is the last gift! C’mon Captain!”
Benten stopped loading snacks onto her plate and turned around. “Hold on, the last gift? Why’d Ahab only get four presents?”
“Ryusei helped me make this, so we’re treating it like a present from both of us,” Ebisu explained. “He said that he would give Captain Ahab another present in private, though he didn’t ever answer what.”
“Buhehehe~”
“Oh, get your head out of the gutter, you dirty pig,” Benten snapped.
Ganglie leaned back in shock. "Eh!? But that wasn't me!"
“Good grief,” Ahab muttered, then reached out and grabbed the bulky package before him. He tried his best to remove the wrapping as carefully as he could, but before he even finished unwrapping it, things started falling out. Benten took the liberty of picking them up and holding them up for everyone to see.
“Let’s see… we have a Santa hat, a Santa belt, a Santa coat… This is just an entire Santa Claus outfit!”
Ahab stood up and grabbed the clothes from Benten. He looked at the 5 of them and sighed. “I’m not getting out of this without wearing this, am I.” The statement was worded like a question, but each and every one of them already knew the answer. Ahab rolled his eye and headed toward the door.
“Hey, where you going?” Ebisu called after him.
Ahab stopped and smirked. “I can’t change in front of all o’ ye now, can I?” Ryusei pumped his fist in the air as Ahab stepped out into the cold wintry air with a smirk.
The snow was coming down harder than before now, though Ahab didn’t feel that was anything to worry about. The snow was collecting on the deck now, creating a thin layer that crunched under Ahab’s metal leg. After all the embarrassment he had felt earlier, the cold wind was a welcome change. As relaxing as it was, they were waiting for him. Ahab chuckled and returned to his cabin.
Several minutes later, Ahab opened the door to the Christmas cabin.
“No, Ebisu, I’m telling you! Ants should be held accountable- Oh hey Captain-” Whatever Benten was about to say, it was cut off by her giggling.
Ganglie grinned jovially. “Looks good on you, Captain! Buhehee~”
Ahab sat back down next to Aegir. Ebisu and Ryusei were grinning at each other.
Ryusei finger gunned at Ebisu and said, “See? What’d I tell you? Fits perfectly!”
“Heh, I guess you’re right. You know, it’s a little weird that you knew all those measurements off the top of your head. Although... I don't think most of those measurements were needed...”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” denied Ryusei while Ganglie snorted.
“Good grief, brat…” Ahab muttered, then felt his hat come off. “What’re ye-?” Aegir had swiped the hat off his head and was now wearing it on his own. He flashed the captain a toothy grin.
Before things got any further, Benten stood up holding her phone. “Ok everyone, gather in nice and tight! I need a good picture so I can get as much clout as possible!”
Ahab, assuming Benten was referring to something other than violence, was confused. “...Clout?”
Benten made a pose, holding her phone up high. “Influence! Power! Followers! I need to take a good picture and say something like ‘Christmas Party with the boys’ and get it shared all over the internet!”
“Ye want to take a picture of us. While I’m dressed like this,” Ahab muttered, looking down at his jolly red suit.
“Duh! It’s cute, they’ll lap it up.”
“But Benten,” Ryusei started, “How are you gonna be in the picture?”
“Ah, well, I wasn’t.” She elaborated when they all looked at her strangely, “Christmas is all about sharing or selflessness or whatever, so if I take a picture without me in it, I’ll seem that much less selfless! You get it?”
“Well if there’s anyone who’s selfless, it’s definitely you,” Ganglie chuckled while glancing at the Viral Dreamers CD.
“Right! Now no more whining, all of you bunch up close now.”
They did as they were told, though a certain water buffalo was more reluctant than others. They bunched up close to each other and waited for Benten to take the shot. Benten carefully studied the scene, then pointed at Ahab.
“Leg.”
“...No.”
“I need you to take off your leg, the metal is reflecting the light too much.”
“No.”
“Come onnnnn, Captain. Just one picture! Pleeeease-”
“Good grief, ye sound like that brat over there…” Ahab muttered, glancing at Ryusei. He sighed and undid the strap holding his prosthetic to what was left of his left leg. He set it off to the side, out of the picture. “Happy now? Ye’re gonna be workin’ the whole way back ‘cause o’ this, I’ll have ye know.”
“Gah, fine! Now, let’s see…” Benten centered the shot then said, “Ok everyone, let’s all thank our grumpy old Santa here!”
“...Hm?” Everyone was smiling at Ahab now. “What?”
“We couldn’t have done this without you, Captain,” Ryusei said, clutching his scrapbook.
“This was pretty fun,” said Ganglie, “Pretty thoughtful presents, too.”
Aegir touched the locket sitting on his chest. “You certainly do have a way with gifts! Heh, Ryusei is quite the lucky man!”
Benten looked shocked. “I mean, they were nice presents I guess. I’m pretty sure my gifts were the best though.”
Ebisu rolled his eyes. “Right. But seriously, thank you, Captain. If it weren’t for your hard work, Benten probably would have ruined everything again-”
“Hey!”
Ahab chuckled and averted his eyes. “Well, if ye all had fun, maybe we could do this again next year.”
“I’d be down for that,” replied Ganglie.
“I’m sure Benten would drag me along even if I didn’t want to go,” said Ebisu, smiling.
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Aegir laughed, pulling Ahab in tight (much to his discomfort).
Ryusei shot an admiring look at Ahab. “I can hardly wait!”
Benten sniffed and they all looked at her. She brushed her eye then held up her phone again. “Alright! Everyone say ‘Merry Christmas, Captain!’”
Each of them but Ahab himself looked at the camera. Ahab felt embarrassed, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
It felt nice to be able to spend the holidays with others again.
“Merry Christmas, Captain!”
Click.
//
A few hours later, Ahab was standing out in the cold, watching the snow dissipate into the sea. The silence was soothing, especially after partying with Aegir of all people. The cold was just as refreshing as it had been when he had left to change into the suit he was currently wearing. From the sound of snow crunching underneath someone’s feet, he could tell someone was coming to talk to him.
Ryusei settled down next to him and watched the snow fall as well. For a couple minutes, they just stood there in silence. Then, Ryusei pulled out a box and opened it. It started to play that song that had caused such a dramatic shift in them both- Morphogenetic Sorrow. Ahab raised an eyebrow at him.
“Benten let me borrow it,” Ryusei explained, then hesitated. “Captain… I’m just…” Ryusei paused, not being able to find the words. “I don’t know what’s happening. It feels like I’m remembering or recognizing things that… I know I’ve never seen. Back when this song started playing, I could have sworn I’d heard it before, but I know I haven’t. And then when I rubbed the fur on the top of those slippers I swore I saw something. I don’t know where it was but-”
“It was bright. Wasn’t it. Some flower petals in the air?”
Ryusei was taken aback. “Huh? You… you saw the same thing?”
“...I doubt it. Ye saw me, didn’t ye.” Ahab watched as Ryusei nodded, then sighed. “I saw... a girl. She looked so happy, but…” He gently placed his hand over his heart, and Ryusei understood. Ryusei put his hand on Ahab’s and intertwined his fingers with the large furry man’s.
“It feels like you’re so close to remembering something about her, something important, doesn’t it?” Ryusei said softly, his words almost muted entirely by the snow.
“...Ye’re right.”
Ryusei looked out into the overcast ocean, flakes of snow falling like powder. The music box slowed down as it neared the conclusion.
Ahab’s deep voice sounded as the music came to an end. “Ye ever hear the tale of the bluebird?”
“Huh? Like, that bottle I got from Ganglie?”
“...Hm. Maybe so. In the story, there are these two siblings who go searchin’ the world fer a bluebird, somethin’ that embodies happiness. Adventure after adventure, they can’t find it. Eventually, they wind up back at home, only to find the blue bird right there in their backyard.”
Ryusei thought for a moment then said, “‘happiness is closer than you think,’ huh?”
Ahab looked down at their hands, fingers wrapped around each other. “That’s somethin’ to take from it. But… it’s not the only thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“When the two brats go to feed the bluebird, it up and flies away. Ye could say… as soon as ye think ye’ve found happiness, ye lose it again.”
They stood there for a minute in silence, then Ryusei spoke up. “Do you think that’s true?”
The captain’s brow furrowed, and he let go of Ryusei’s hand, not giving an answer.
Ryusei lifted a hand to his face, then pulled it away to see a tear glistening on the end of his finger. “I want to say that’s stupid and pessimistic, but…” He trailed off.
“...There’s a part of ye that feels like that’s happened before. That ye’ve lost the bluebird already.” Ahab finished.
Ryusei nodded, and leaned against the side of the ship, staring into the gray sky. Ryusei already knew the part of him that felt this way. That felt as if she could hold nothing but sorrow.
“Just who are you, Asuka?”