Okumura Syndicate: An Elven Carol

Chapter 3: The Here and Now

On this tragic Christmas Eve,
minds start to wail.
The elf girl starts to lose her faith,
and sorrow curses her tale.
The past to her is all but gone,
never to return.
The man she respected, all but gone, and she is yet to learn.
Christmas isn't all about the things you do each year.
It's for the people that you love,
that help you spread the cheer.

Fleur wiped her eyes once again to see herself in someone's arms. "What on Earth is happening?", she thought, drearily looking up at the figure holding her. "Ah, you're awake, I'm so relieved!", a male voice expressed. The girl was overwhelmed by her past, she would have slapped the man right there for touching her without permission, but upon a second glance at him, he looked like one of the only people she'd trust to do such a thing, the joyful figure cradling her in his arms was Rou.

"Rou, where am I?", she muttered, trying to push herself up. The boy smiled warmly at her, holding her close, allowing her to rest fully on his lap. "We are in the present, Fleur. Maybe not where you are right now, but people are worried about you...you should wake up and see everyone...they're waiting for you in the mansion.", the spirit explained gently. In a split second, Fleur felt like she might pass out again, and so, she held onto him tightly. After a few moments, she spoke quietly to him, "They're probably just wanting me to conform...", she lamented. The guide of Rou's form shook his head, "You'd be surprised.".

Carefully, the ghost lifted Fleur to the ground, guiding her through a reflection of her home. Eventually, they made it to the main hall, where most of the syndicate gathered to celebrate a now dampened celebration. In the middle of it were Edward and Rou, deeply saddened by what had happened. Rou was particularly frantic, "Why? Why did this happen?!", panicked the young capo. "Don't panic,, Fleur will come home, and the tree will be lifted back up soon...", replied Edward. Rou gave a stern look at his boss, "It's not about the tree, sir...".

"Sir Edward, he cares, doesn't he?", asked a worried Fleur. "He does, but he's so worried about the syndicate that he's worried others won't. Keep watching, let's see if he shows it.", reassured the spirit. Fleur didn't reply for several minutes, she was too lost in thoughts, looking on at the two people she cared most about. For the first time, all she could do was question if they were genuine. It wasn't long until Rou brought out his lute, and began to strum a sad tune. Maybe the spirit was right, maybe it was repression.

The boy's eyes welled up as each chord
rang, each note filled with sadness. But his hand continued moving, continuing to move across the strings, and Fleur couldn't help but smile sadly as the melody slowly grew brighter. A single tear fell down Rou's cheek, and soon after he began singing, "Coming home, the best thing you could do. Coming home, where love and trust are true...". There was one belief, one glaring truth, but there was an unsettling ringing within Fleur's, a painful reality that soon, all would unfurl again.

From out of one of the doors, Vox came in with glasses of wine."What's with all the stress? This Christmas is shaping up to be the best one yet!", the fae enthused. Edward pointed at the young icy bard, "It's Fleur, she's gone missing, and our more jovial Saint Nicolas appears to be rather, distraught...", stated the boss bluntly. "She's missing?!", exclaimed Vox. Edward nodded gravely. Vox pouted a little before snatching the lute out of Rou's hands.

"Oh what a shame,
the tradition's up in flames.
I don't like the change,
I have to run away.
If Christmas isn't mine,
I'll go into the night.
That's how she feels,
that's why she left our sight."

"It...it actually makes sense...", said Rou, wiping away his tears. "Vox, he always twists things to his will...", Fleur scoffed. The ghost of syndicate's present wrapped his arms around the girl, "Yes, the man can be convincing, but I'm sure Rou is strong enough to defy his opinion. He's your best friend and he loves you with all his heart.". Still, there was no convincing her, "It doesn't matter anyway...", she whispered. "Nothing I can do here can change things, my voice isn't powerful enough to voice my concerns.".

The spirit was helpless, he could only show the present, but he knew exactly what needed to be done. "You may not be as powerful now, but maybe seeing your future might push you in the right direction.", he suggested. "I don't want to see this anymore...", Fleur said, taking the spirit's hand. "Okay, if this will help you, I shall send for my colleague. However, I must warn you, anything you see from here on out is hypothetical, so no matter how bleak it seems, don't let it draw you in...".

Fleur watched as the figure of Rou's form slowly disintegrated into mere snowflakes, glimmering with the hope that the next spirit could shed light on what seemed like a complex situation. There was an eerie quietness that only escaped silence because of the beating of Fleur's heart. Flashes of red light surrounded her as dread took over her body, as a future that she couldn't predict was materialised before her very eyes. Any hope she had was promptly ripped away.