Hoshi sighed as he stood up from his desk. Tears threatened to cascade from his eyes as he absent mindedly placed the framed photo of Khriste and himself face down. Nearly three whole days had passed since the accident that had taken her life and it had affected him more than he thought anything ever could. The seventy-odd hours that passed seemed to have dragged on like years.
Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play
He thought back to the first time he had met her. He had been so angry at the world for the loss of a fellow teacher and some of the anger was directed at her for so quickly filling the vacant teacher's position. But shortly after actually having met her, his outlook on the matter had changed.
My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too
Hoshi remembered the whole scene of the accident as if it was just moments ago.
Khriste had just transformed into Sailor Christmas in order to combat the nefarious Sailor Halloween. Uma, the future daughter of Khriste and Hoshi, had transformed into Sailor Easter, but stayed on the sidelines with Hoshi. The battle raged between the two when a glimmer in Sailor Halloween's eye indicated that she had something extreme up her sleeve. The explosion happened so quickly that the enemy almost didn't have time to escape herself.
"No!!" Sailor Easter and Hoshi exclaimed as they made their way to Sailor Christmas's side.
"Don't die on us, Khriste. Oh, God. Please don't let her die." Hoshi begged just above a whisper as he reached the broken form of Sailor Christmas.
"Hoshi..." Sailor Christmas said before raggedly coughing. "I'll always be here for you, even if you can't see me."
"What? N-no...don't talk like that. Aren't you sailor soldiers able to heal yourselves?" Hoshi exclaimed under barely controlled anxiety.
Shortly there after, the joyful sailor-suited holiday soldier, Sailor Christmas, or Merrie Khriste Massu to those who knew her, passed on.
Sailor Easter attempted to use her only known powers of resurrection, but so far, there hadn't been any response. And time was running out.
"You lied, Khriste. You said you'd always be here for me, but now that I need you, you're gone. You liar..." Hoshi stifled a sob as silent tears fell down his dark cheeks. "Why did you have to fight and get yourself killed?"
Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go
A translucent ghostly shape took on the form of Khriste and hovered in front of Hoshi, who couldn't see her, yet felt her presence. Sudden warmth enveloped him as the ghost kissed a stray tear from his face before the ghost spirited out of his duplex apartment and streaked through the air like a falling star.
Noticing the trailing light out side through the sliding glass door, a sudden urge pulled at Hoshi to follow it. He grabbed his coat and without a moment's hesitation, Hoshi sped off in his car following where the blazing psuedo-starlight led him. Before he knew it, he had reached the small-sized ranch, above which the light hovering like a homing beacon. The light, sensing that he had arrived, passed right through the walls of the ranch house as easily as a fish swims through water.
Christmas is here
Everywhere, oh
Christmas is here
If you care, oh
If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time
Mentally thanking Khriste for having had given him a spare copy of her house key, Hoshi entered the residency with trepidation. Something or someone had entered, and he wanted to know what. The same driving force that brought him to her home, led him down the hallway towards the master bedroom. A weak groan made him freeze right where he stood.
"Who's there?" Hoshi called out in a cautious tone.
"Hoshi..." a weak, raw voice called out from within the master bedroom.
Putting all caution into the wind, Hoshi burst into the room and stared wide eyed at a very much alive Khriste struggling to sit up from her position on the bed. In a matter of moments Hoshi was at the side of her bed and upon sitting on the edge he leaned over and gingerly pulled her up into a long lasting embrace. It took no time at all for the pain and loneliness to dissipate from his heart as they deeply and passionately kissed.
"Don't you ever leave me like that again..." Hoshi said breathlessly after pulling slightly away.
"I could never tear loose from you for long, Kashokuno Hoshi...my star of bright light." Khriste said weakly with a wan smile on her face.
I feel you Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love
Where are you Christmas
Fills your heart with love