Happy Holidays, everybody! Here's a small stocking stuffer for you all to
open early. It's not much, but hey, it's the thought that counts, ne? ^_^
Hope you don't mind Christmastime mush!


GIFT OF THE MAGI
by MaryMQC

Disclaimer: These characters aren't mine; I'm just borrowing them for a very
short story.

Note: This story is based on O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi". Heck, I even
blatantly stole some lines and made slight changes to others. Most of the
credit should go to O. Henry, obviously. 
I know it's a common theme, but as far as I know, none have been done yet
with our RW/YST guys. I also made up a few things about Sai and Rowen. ^_^;; 
Hope they make sense.


~*~*~*~*~*~Gift of the Magi~*~*~*~*~*~

One hundred and eighty-seven yen. That was all. The rest of it was
long gone, the result of spending too much time at the aquarium to get a
job. Three times Sai counted his savings. And the next day would be Christmas.
There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the little couch and
howl.
So Sai did it. 
Sai wanted to get Rowen something nice, something special for
Christmas, and he knew exactly what gift would be perfect. He had seen it
sitting in a store window, the glare of the sun shining off the polished
wood. Intricate carvings were etched around the edges and along the legs,
and the top piece had delicate patterns cut out. Although it was still in
good shape, the softened, round edges and tiny nicks belied its well-used
condition, which made it all the much better.
The waist-high bookcase was old, over 200 years according to the man who
ran the antique store. Perfect for Rowen. Sai remembered how Rowen would
gush about his old, worn-out books, about how the aged print had captured
the eyes and minds of many generations. He could picture Rowen's treasured
collection of books, new and ancient, standing proudly on that
finely-crafted, beautiful piece of furniture. 
Unfortunately, his 187 yen was barely enough to buy a splinter. 
Sai finished with his whimpering on the couch, resigned to the fact
that he
had failed miserably at giving Rowen something special for Christmas. "The
thought that counts..." Sai bitterly muttered. "Bah humbug." He
trudged up the stairs, heading for his room to mope. 
The house was empty except for him, and the only light shining in the
shadowed hall was the familiar glow from his bedroom. Sai entered his room
and plopped himself in front of the light, which radiated from his fish tank.
He always came to sit in front of the aquarium when he needed to think
or
calm down. This fish tank, alive with shimmering water and lively fish, was
not a small bowl with a couple of pebbles. No, this tank was enormous,
almost reaching Sai's height. About the size of a small pond, as his
friends often say. One would not be able to just walk into a pet store and
buy a tank like this. Sai had built it himself, using his own design and
insight. The bright glass, resting on a low, black stand, was filled with
brightly colored fish, swimming around cheap, plastic plants against a
colorful background. Sai was extremely proud of his fish tank. By far his
most valuably possession, the aquarium would always be the first thing Sai
would show off to friends and strangers.
In fact...
In his reflection on the glass, Sai's face grew pale at the following
thought. He jumped to his feet and rushed out of his room, flew down the
stairs, and dashed into his car, quickly speeding towards town.
Fortunately, the pet store was open, even though it was Christmas Eve. 
Set
on his goal, Sai pulled open the door with flourish and pranced up to the
counter.
"Why, hello Sai," the man behind the counter greeted with surprise. 
"What
brings you here?"
"Hi, Mr. Yamada," Sai said hurriedly. "I'm selling my fish tank."
"You are? Now?" Sai nodded emphatically, explaining his lack of cash
situation. "How much?" When Sai told him the price, Mr. Yamada's brow
wrinkled as he scratched his chin. "Well, that's a rather high price, son,
but then again, your fish tank is a very fine set..." Mr. Yamada, an
acquaintance Sai knew fairly well because of his frequent visits to the
store, had seen the aquarium in person when Sai invited him over the very
day he finished its construction. Sai had wanted a professional opinion,
and Mr. Yamada was the closest professional he knew. "Okay, Sai, I'll take it."
Sai grinned, sighing with relief. Then he sighed again, sorrowfully
this
time. But he forced his mind on that antique bookcase that he could now
buy. "When do you want it?"
"I can pick up this afternoon."
Sai gulped. "To-today?"
"Is that okay?" 
Sai nodded slightly, "Yeah...but can you pay me now?"
Mr. Yamada squinted his eyes, judging the boy. Then he winked with a
smile. "Sure. I think I can trust you." 
"Oh, and the fish have to stay with the tank," Sai added firmly. Mr.
Yamada agreed.
As soon as the money was in his hands, Sai rushed out of the store and
headed for the antique shop. Once he arrived, he entered the shop and came
out a few minutes later lugging a bookcase.

~

Rowen wandered the aisles, trying to find the item he was searching for.
For the most part, his Chirstmas shopping had been completed long ago. But
he had yet to get a gift for Sai, the person that mattered most to him. He
had known exactly what to get him, though, and since he had recently
acquired a pocketful of extra cash, he could buy it now. "Ah, here it is,"
he said with a smile, holding the object up to the light.
The small castle was finely detailed, sculpted from a milky white
crystal.
The elegant figure was adorned with a few delicately-placed gems. From the
price, at least *something* had to be genuine. But the feature especially
unique to this castle was that it was designed exclusively for an aquarium.
The large opening to the castle offered a nice hiding place for fish, and it
would look majestic standing in the midst of the underwater world. Rowen
had no idea that anything this nice existed for aquariums.
With a proud smile, Rowen carried the castle to the counter.

~

Sai was just finishing his gift-wrapping when he heard Rowen's car
pull up outside. He jumped up anxiously, waiting for Rowen to come in.
When Rowen eventually walked through the front door, Sai immediately greeted
him with warm affection. Rowen quickly kissed him in return. "Merry Christmas,
love," he said, handing Sai a wrapped box.
"Oh, it's heavy," remarked Sai with some surprise, examing the present.
"Open it," Rowen smiled. 
"Now?"
"Of course, before th' others come home. 'Sides, I really want you to
see
what I got for ya."
Sai grinned. "Okay, fine. But then you have to open up my present too,
you know."
Rowen nodded and motioned eagerly for Sai to begin unwrapping his gift.
Sai
ripped the paper enthusiastically, excitement lighting up his face. He
yanked the top of the box up and pulled out the object inside. 
There was a moment of silence before Sai whispered, "Oh, Rowen..."
He stared at the castle in shock.
"You like it? It's for your aquarium," Rowen told him.
Sai's eyes filled with tears. "It's...beautiful," he breathed. 
Rowen smiled softly. "C'mon, let's see what it looks like sitting in
your
aquarium." He grabbed Sai's hand and pulled him towards the stairs.
Sai's eyes widened. He began to object weakly, unable to form a
coherent
sentence. "Uh...Rowen...I-I don't..."
Rowen paid no attention to Sai's protests as he drug him up the stairs
and
towards Sai's room. However, he came to an abrupt halt at the doorway.
"Sai..." he began, confused. "Where did your fish tank go?" He stared at
the large, empty space where the aquarium once stood.
Tears overflowed Sai's eyes. "Oh, Rowen, please don't get mad! I
sold it to buy you your gift."
"You-you sold it?"
Sai nodded miserably before his face suddenly brightened behind his
tears.
"But this is still an extremely beautiful gift! It'll look magnificent in
the water, once I get a new tank - and I *will*, Rowen, someday," he said
adamantly, his eyes tearfully bright. In response, Rowen smiled gently and
hugged Sai, enfolding the other boy in his arms. 
Sai leaned into his embrace for a few seconds before jumping up like
a cat, clapping his hands eagerly. "Oh! But now, Rowen, you have to see
what I got you! You'll like it, I know you will. And then I'll cook us a
nice, quiet Christmas dinner, okay? How does that sound?"
This time, Sai led Rowen by hand down the stairs to the Christmas tree.
There the wrapped bookcase stood, set aside from the other smaller presents.
"Well, go and open it, silly," Sai told the staring boy. 
"It's...big."
"Yep. Open it."
Filled with awe, Rowen approached the present and tore the paper away,
quickly revealing the antique piece. For a still moment, he stared at it
quietly, unmoving. "Won't it look marvelous with your book collection?"
remarked Sai cheerfully, hoping to break the silence from the stunned Rowen.
To Sai's surprise, Rowen tumbled to the floor in front of the
bookcase, placing a hand behind his head. Then he began to chuckle softly. 
Sai, very worried by this, moved to stand beside him. "Ro? Rowen?" he
questioned hesitantly, looking down at the giggling boy. "Is there
something wrong with the gift?"
Rowen shook his head, his low laughs disappearing. He turned towards
Sai and wrapped his arms around Sai's legs in a quick hug. 
"No, Sai, it's wonderful," he replied, his voice muffled by Sai's jeans.
"I searched all over for it. Won't it match perfectly with your old
collection?" commented Sai. "Put your books in it, Rowen. I want to see
how nice they'll look standing in the bookcase." 
"Sai," said Rowen, taking his hand as he pulled himself up, "let's just
take this bookshelf upstairs for now, 'kay? We can admire our presents
later." He quickly kissed Sai's cheek. "I sold all my books to buy your
aquarium castle. And now how about you begin fixing our Christmas dinner?"



The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who
brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving
Christmas presents. Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones,
possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication. And here
I have lamely
related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat
who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their
house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of
all who give gifts these two were the wisest. O all who give and receive
gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

-- O. Henry, "Gift of the Magi"

~*~*~*~*~The End~*~*~*~*~

Heh, as you can tell from this story, I'm a horrible gift giver. Even when
I could use anything I wanted, I still couldn't think of good gifts. Heh
^_^; I wanted to do another Sai/Ryo story--because dang it, there just
aren't enough out there--but I couldn't think of anything for Ryo to give up
(besides White Blaze, which I thought would be going a bit too far ^_^).
Just hafta wait til next time.

I'd love to hear anything you have to say! Please, please, please tell me.
My email is marymqc64@hotmail.com

If you'd like to read the original O. Henry story, you can find a copy here:
http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html