Kitsune Santa

To commemorate the season, I've decided to post one of my early, hormone fueled, very Japan-o-phile-centric works. If you like it, let me know in the comments!

 On a blustery winter night, a young woman walked down Japan's paradise for the 1%, the Ginza, as she juggled the armful of dolls and electronics. Her breaths like smoker's puffs, she thought to herself "Wow, I got lucky today. I know the kids'll love the WiiU, but if my hubby can't be happy about the new Camera I got him, I swear I'll slap the taste out of his mouth" The sound of boots crushing the powdery snow approached from all around, a cocky voice calling out, "Yo, that's some nice stuff you got there, gook. Why don't you let the natives have it?"

"I might, if you know what the square root of 484 is." Stopped in their tracks for a moment, the young punks scratched their heads, with the spiky, green haired leader finally saying, "That doesn't matter! The only math that does matter is that there's 5 of us, one of you, and a lot of goodies to be gained..." As those behind her rushed headlong, a cane decked in white and spiraling red hooked their reaching hands away. A mighty blow sent the hoodlums flying and both the remaining kids, and the mother looked, to see a Santa suit clad woman standing before them, her silver mane flowing in the breeze, as she addled towards the group's lead. Her ember eyes peered at him, as she said, "Stealing from a mom on a Christmas shopping run? That's is l-o-w, low."

"So? You do what you gotta do, when you don't got nothing." Her fox tail swaying underneath her skirt, the girl brushed snow from her porcelain face.

"Nothing? What of your family, your friends, your cherished ones? Are they meaningless to you, as well? Is their love less valuable than that WiiU, in her bag?"

"Anyone ever told you, you talk too much, freak?" With a sneer, she glanced over at her handcuffed and underwear dressed companion beside her, and said, "Miki! Take the mom away from here. I'd hate to damage the goods, after all." The short haired girl took the mother by the hand, and lead her out of danger. Seeing this, the foxgirl held the cane half way with one hand and extended the other.

She heard something coming behind her and stabbed behind, catching her assailant in the gut. With a mule kick she sent him back, then threw herself into a low spin kick. Her frontal attacker now off his feet, she thrust the cane's head high to her left, and busted her opponent's nose. With a wide swing behind, the cane's hook caught her adversary's wrist and pulled the cyber goth dressed girl into a stiff palm thrust, landing deep in her gut and knocking all the wind out. As she crumpled to the ground, the young fox girl pointed her inferno-like gaze towards the other outlandishly dressed boy and said, "So what do you wanna do now? You wanna end up like your buddies here, or do you wanna uncuff that poor, near naked girl over there, give her back what you stole and leave the mom alone?" She wielded her cane like a Claymore, pointing the hook end at him, and saying, "Realize I have no problem painting this pure white snow crimson red." The intensity she held in her eyes and the utter terror she put into his, was felt by all, even Miki and the girl she watched over. The leader then motioned towards his subjects towards the young mother. One by one they dropped off Miki's red fishnet shirt, green tank-top and dark red cargo pants and freed her, leaving in silence, as none of them wantied to draw the full extent of her wrath. The foxgirl eased her stance and looked over at the mother, asking, "Yo, you doing alright, miss?"

"Yes, and I thank you for saving me...but I haven't a clue as to who the heck you two are."

"Well I would be Atsuko Nishida, but the few people that do catch a glimpse of me just call me Kitsune Santa, helper to the original article in the North Pole. That girl getting dressed would be my Missus Claus, Miki Wakai." The both of them then bowed to her, saying, "Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Likewise, Miss Nishida. I would be Min Park. You wouldn't mind escorting me home, would you?"

"Not at all. From the looks of things, it seems damn near necessary." They began walking towards the local train station, street lamps shining down on them, as Min said, "So is it safe to assume you don't come around here often?"

"In this getup? Not unless it's called for. I'm just one, of many of the big guy's delivery people. It's my duty to make sure people get what they need at this time of year."

"And what would that be, if I may ask?"

"Well for me, it would be that people never forget the warmth to be found in the bitter cold; that hope can be found among the chaos and despair that surrounds us everyday; that those closest to us are the most precious gift a person can have" She put her arm around Miki's waist and held her close, touching cheek to cheek. Min smiled at the happy couple, then let out a sigh. Miki glanced over at her and asked, "Don't you have those sorts of thing, Miss Min?"

"I think so, but a lot of times it feels like I don't. My kids are always busy with school, and my husband's always caught up in his work...it never feels like we have enough time for each other."

"Well what do you do with the time do you have?"

"I...I don't know...nothing really important. We just hang out around the city and never really do anything noteworthy." Turning a corner, Atsuko glanced over at her, and said, "And what, exactly, do you consider noteworthy?"

"Well, there was the one time me and the kids made some Onigiri for lunch. It was a sticky mess, rolling the rice and all that, but we were so happy then, sharing stories about our days. When my husband came to eat with us, we were finally able to have a family meal, and basically enjoy each other's company. Then there was the time my husband took me to the park, for lunch..." Atsuko's tail flickered slightly, as she let out a giggle. Min shot her a quizzical stare."Do you find my musings amusing, Miss Nishida?"

"No, it's just that you can't even realize when you have poignant moments with the people you cherish. You, of all people, should know that the ordinary can be extraordinary."

"Easy for you to say, you get to travel all over to deliver your gift to everyone. And on top of that, you risk your neck, so people like me can get their gifts to where they need to be. What if you get hurt or killed?" Atsuko stopped in her tracks, Min looking back, and seeing a smile on her face, as she said, "I may die now or I may die years from now, but my deeds would not." Nodding in agreement, Miki turned to her, and said, "If she were to die tonight, the deeds she's done would determine how those she met saw her as. And from the time I've been with her, she's been nothing but the embodiment of the Christmas spirit; of hope, of finding warmth, in the bitter cold and of togetherness among the people you cherish." Miki held Atsuko close, as Min walked towards them, saying, "What about all the nonsense and evil that rules over this world? You saw what those kids did back there."

"I did, and they had their reasons, as do you. Yes, this world is full of greed, uncaring and, seems to hold nothing but misery and darkness. However, if my travels have shown me anything, it's that even a small beam of light can scatter a darkened sky. I may only have one day, but in that one day, I am able to touch many hearts with the message I carry. I know it, Miki certainly knows it and so do the people I get to run into. If I wish to accomplish anything, it's to bring joy into the lives of those that have none and to get people to see the beauty and wonder their life presents them with on a daily basis." They finally reached the steps leading down to the train station, and Miki glanced over at them, saying, "You know, up 'til now, I've always felt like my family was drifting apart. Maybe now I can appreciate the time I have with them now and start seeing this world through a new pair of lenses..." She then looked at the charged Camera in her bag and asked, "Hey, would it be alright, if I took a picture of you two, to remember you by?" Miki and Atsuko looked at each other for a moment, then at her, and softly nodded. Min set herself up for the shot and snapped the perfect picture, just as her train arrived. "Looks like your ride home has come. I'd suggest you get back to the people that cherish you, Miss Park, They're probably worried sick." Min nodded, and Min made her way towards the platform. She looked behind her to say goodbye, but found a ring of fire encircling two small dolls, which bore a more than passing resemblance, to her new friends. Her hands unconsciously reached in to grab them, but found the fire left her and the message attached to Atsuko's doll unharmed. She looked at the tag tied onto the tail, reading, "That was a good talk, Miss Park. Hope we can meet again next year." A soft smile crossing her face, she stuffed them into her pockets and boarded the train, watching the fire fade away as the train left the station.