Categories > Anime/Manga > Yu Yu Hakusho
A Thanksgiving Story
0 reviewsThe group gets together for Thanksgiving. I know, they're Japanese. I know, the Japanese don't celebrate Thanksgiving. So why are they? And what exactly does Hiei think about this foolish holiday? ...
0Unrated
A Thanksgiving Story
The autumn leaves fell quietly to the ground, bitter in their welcome of winter. They crunched loudly beneath solemn feet, protesting the unjust cold. A short wind blew through the town, searing anyone who ventured out with a tight, freezing blast of air. The people bundled up in light sweaters and jeans, shielding themselves from the atmosphere. But as cheerless and chilly as the weather was, the attitudes of the Spirit Detective and his friends greatly made up for it.
“Thanksgiving is here! Yes! Bring on the turkeys!” Yelled Kuwabara, bounding down the stairs, already ready to eat.((1)) Shizuru was in the living room, watching football in her nightclothes.
“Calm down, baby bro. We don’t go to Keiko’s until around five, and it’s only nine,” she said, sipping the soda in her hand. Kuwabara stopped at the bottom of the stairs and grinned sheepishly.
“Oh yeah. Well, then I’m gonna watch football with you,” he said, and flopped down on the couch, picking up a bag of chips that lay next to him.
Two hours later, Yukina and Botan arrived at Keiko’s to help cook dinner. Keiko’s parents had gone on a vacation, taking advantage of the four-day weekend, leaving her with money for pizza. On Thanksgiving!
But Botan, Yukina and Keiko had insisted on a real Thanksgiving, so Keiko was hosting it, much to her pleasure. The girls had managed to grab the last turkey and stuffing from the store, but only after beating off all of the housewives.
Feeding the ever-present holiday clichés, the plan was for the girls to cook while the men watched television. Later on that day, Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Shizuru and Hiei arrived, all but the latter prepared to watch some football and eat some turkey.((2)) Kurama went to help cook, but Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Shizuru jumped at the chance to watch football. They cheered on their favorite teams, betting on who would win as they did every year.
Kurama helped Keiko wash the turkey, and made the stuffing to stuff it with, which no one was looking forward to doing. While they did this, Yukina and Botan worked on the potatoes. Hiei, who had never seen, nor cared to see, anyone make a Thanksgiving turkey, watched them, uninterested by it. However, it was better than the screaming idiots in the other room.
“Thanks Kurama. You’ll make a good husband to someone someday,” said Keiko as she helped him stuff the turkey. Botan watched them and gagged a little.
“I think I might become a vegetarian,” she muttered, and there was laughter. Meanwhile, Hiei, who was excruciatingly bored, wandered off. He walked into the living room and watched the idiots watch television. There was a game on where humans, who were very big, threw a brown ball to each other and ran into the others. One of the biggest humans ran over a white line with the ball in his muscled arm. Yusuke and Shizuru cheered, while Kuwabara moaned. Hiei rolled his eyes silently and left the room. He was going through a door when a small black kitten ran out of it. It looked up at him with huge gray eyes.
Ignoring it, he turned to leave, but the kitten jumped onto his leg, climbing up him with its claws. He tried to shake it off, but it held fast, so he used his hands to pry it off, but it latched onto his hands, almost drawing blood. Hiei didn’t flinch, but glared at it and took it to Keiko, anger coming to a boil alongside the gravy.
“Oh! I didn’t know you had gotten a kitten, Keiko!” Botan cried in delight. Keiko smiled brightly and somehow unhinged the cat from Hiei’s hands. The cat meowed and jumped onto Hiei’s shoulder from Keiko’s arms.
“I named her Utada, after the singer. I think she likes you, Hiei,” Keiko said, smiling. Hiei growled at it, but it seemed unfazed. Botan and Yukina giggled, and Kurama chuckled. Hiei growled again, causing the kitten to purr. He and the kitten took a seat at the table, the kitten falling asleep on him. Oh, how he would love to pry it off of him and wring its little neck…
“So Hiei, do you know what Thanksgiving is?” Keiko asked him as if he was a child. She put a half a stick of butter on the mashed potatoes.
“No. I do not have time for human nonsense,” Hiei retorted, glaring at Utada, whose furry eyes were closed. He wondered how it would feel to shove a corkscrew into those gray orbs.
“It’s the day the English pilgrims made peace with the Indians and they had a big feast to celebrate. It’s usually an American holiday, but my family celebrates it here too, because it’s a time to give thanks,” Keiko went on, ignoring his less-than-encouraging comment.
“Thanks for what?” He muttered, mostly to himself.
“For all that you have. Your family, your friends, your home, your material possessions, anything, really,” Botan added. They all smiled except Hiei.
Hiei turned away to think. What did he have to be thankful for? Had anyone ever gave him something without being forced into it, or at least him having to work for it? He made a mental list of what he had to be thankful for. His sword, his power, his pride and…Yukina. And your friends… said a voice in his head. I neither have nor need friends, he said to it. He had four things to be thankful for, and two of them he’d gotten on his own. They hadn't fallen into his lap. He was so busy thinking about this ridiculous holiday, he almost didn’t notice Shizuru, Yusuke, and Kuwabara come into the kitchen.
“Hey, what’s on your head, Hiei?” Asked Yusuke. Utada had crawled onto his head, and she was hard to see since she blended in with his hair. Yusuke and the others chuckled when they saw it was a kitten.
“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,” Kuwabara cooed. Utada gazed at Kuwabara for a moment before jumping off of Hiei's head and into his arms. Hiei watched as Kuwabara took the beast away, the gray fuzz-ball purring next to his chest. Then, they all sat down at the table in Keiko’s dining room. Hiei and Kuwabara sat at the heads of the table, and the rest sat so that they were positioned around the table in their favorite spots. The food was already spread all over the table, and each person had a plate and expensive-looking tableware.
Everyone sat patiently for a moment, and then Keiko began. “Let’s all say what we’re thankful for. I am thankful for my health, my friends and family, and my kitten, Utada,” she said smiling. They went around the table, saying what they were thankful for.
“Baywatch and bikini models,” Yusuke had said. They went all around it, until it was Hiei’s turn. He glared at them and mumbled, “My sword.” They laughed, and the feast began.
An hour or two later, stuffed with food, the gang looked at each other, many of them smiling. Kuwabara burped, followed by Yusuke, ended by Shizuru, whose belch made the table shake. Everyone laughed out loud; even Hiei smirked when he realized that Utada had found a new pincushion in Kuwabara, and, though his mind denied it, for the first time, he felt like he had something to be really thankful for.((3))
((1)) I know that Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but I thought it would be entertaining to write about the YYH gang during this time, specifically Hiei. Also, Keiko explains a bit later that her family celebrates it even though they're Japanese...It's still a bit contrived, so work with me here.
((2)) I'm fairly sure that America's the only place where football's a big thing. In fact, I know that most other places like Rugby instead and that "futbol" is actually soccer everywhere other than the U.S. Personally, I hate football, but it's synonymous in my mind with Thanksgiving, so I had to include it.
((3)) Wait a minute. No he didn’t! Thanksgiving is a stupid holiday! Sure, it gives us a few days off from school and we get free food, but we should always be thankful, not just the one day we gorge ourselves. So give thanks every day, not just on the fourth Thursday of November, you ungrateful meat-sacks! Some people say this holiday is to honor the pilgrims and Indian’s feast…well, that works out great. We had a feast together and then gave them some grants to sign in a language they didn’t speak which handed over all their land; now they have to run casinos to get back their money. Let’s celebrate cheating Indians out of their land! YAY!
The autumn leaves fell quietly to the ground, bitter in their welcome of winter. They crunched loudly beneath solemn feet, protesting the unjust cold. A short wind blew through the town, searing anyone who ventured out with a tight, freezing blast of air. The people bundled up in light sweaters and jeans, shielding themselves from the atmosphere. But as cheerless and chilly as the weather was, the attitudes of the Spirit Detective and his friends greatly made up for it.
“Thanksgiving is here! Yes! Bring on the turkeys!” Yelled Kuwabara, bounding down the stairs, already ready to eat.((1)) Shizuru was in the living room, watching football in her nightclothes.
“Calm down, baby bro. We don’t go to Keiko’s until around five, and it’s only nine,” she said, sipping the soda in her hand. Kuwabara stopped at the bottom of the stairs and grinned sheepishly.
“Oh yeah. Well, then I’m gonna watch football with you,” he said, and flopped down on the couch, picking up a bag of chips that lay next to him.
Two hours later, Yukina and Botan arrived at Keiko’s to help cook dinner. Keiko’s parents had gone on a vacation, taking advantage of the four-day weekend, leaving her with money for pizza. On Thanksgiving!
But Botan, Yukina and Keiko had insisted on a real Thanksgiving, so Keiko was hosting it, much to her pleasure. The girls had managed to grab the last turkey and stuffing from the store, but only after beating off all of the housewives.
Feeding the ever-present holiday clichés, the plan was for the girls to cook while the men watched television. Later on that day, Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Shizuru and Hiei arrived, all but the latter prepared to watch some football and eat some turkey.((2)) Kurama went to help cook, but Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Shizuru jumped at the chance to watch football. They cheered on their favorite teams, betting on who would win as they did every year.
Kurama helped Keiko wash the turkey, and made the stuffing to stuff it with, which no one was looking forward to doing. While they did this, Yukina and Botan worked on the potatoes. Hiei, who had never seen, nor cared to see, anyone make a Thanksgiving turkey, watched them, uninterested by it. However, it was better than the screaming idiots in the other room.
“Thanks Kurama. You’ll make a good husband to someone someday,” said Keiko as she helped him stuff the turkey. Botan watched them and gagged a little.
“I think I might become a vegetarian,” she muttered, and there was laughter. Meanwhile, Hiei, who was excruciatingly bored, wandered off. He walked into the living room and watched the idiots watch television. There was a game on where humans, who were very big, threw a brown ball to each other and ran into the others. One of the biggest humans ran over a white line with the ball in his muscled arm. Yusuke and Shizuru cheered, while Kuwabara moaned. Hiei rolled his eyes silently and left the room. He was going through a door when a small black kitten ran out of it. It looked up at him with huge gray eyes.
Ignoring it, he turned to leave, but the kitten jumped onto his leg, climbing up him with its claws. He tried to shake it off, but it held fast, so he used his hands to pry it off, but it latched onto his hands, almost drawing blood. Hiei didn’t flinch, but glared at it and took it to Keiko, anger coming to a boil alongside the gravy.
“Oh! I didn’t know you had gotten a kitten, Keiko!” Botan cried in delight. Keiko smiled brightly and somehow unhinged the cat from Hiei’s hands. The cat meowed and jumped onto Hiei’s shoulder from Keiko’s arms.
“I named her Utada, after the singer. I think she likes you, Hiei,” Keiko said, smiling. Hiei growled at it, but it seemed unfazed. Botan and Yukina giggled, and Kurama chuckled. Hiei growled again, causing the kitten to purr. He and the kitten took a seat at the table, the kitten falling asleep on him. Oh, how he would love to pry it off of him and wring its little neck…
“So Hiei, do you know what Thanksgiving is?” Keiko asked him as if he was a child. She put a half a stick of butter on the mashed potatoes.
“No. I do not have time for human nonsense,” Hiei retorted, glaring at Utada, whose furry eyes were closed. He wondered how it would feel to shove a corkscrew into those gray orbs.
“It’s the day the English pilgrims made peace with the Indians and they had a big feast to celebrate. It’s usually an American holiday, but my family celebrates it here too, because it’s a time to give thanks,” Keiko went on, ignoring his less-than-encouraging comment.
“Thanks for what?” He muttered, mostly to himself.
“For all that you have. Your family, your friends, your home, your material possessions, anything, really,” Botan added. They all smiled except Hiei.
Hiei turned away to think. What did he have to be thankful for? Had anyone ever gave him something without being forced into it, or at least him having to work for it? He made a mental list of what he had to be thankful for. His sword, his power, his pride and…Yukina. And your friends… said a voice in his head. I neither have nor need friends, he said to it. He had four things to be thankful for, and two of them he’d gotten on his own. They hadn't fallen into his lap. He was so busy thinking about this ridiculous holiday, he almost didn’t notice Shizuru, Yusuke, and Kuwabara come into the kitchen.
“Hey, what’s on your head, Hiei?” Asked Yusuke. Utada had crawled onto his head, and she was hard to see since she blended in with his hair. Yusuke and the others chuckled when they saw it was a kitten.
“Here, kitty, kitty, kitty,” Kuwabara cooed. Utada gazed at Kuwabara for a moment before jumping off of Hiei's head and into his arms. Hiei watched as Kuwabara took the beast away, the gray fuzz-ball purring next to his chest. Then, they all sat down at the table in Keiko’s dining room. Hiei and Kuwabara sat at the heads of the table, and the rest sat so that they were positioned around the table in their favorite spots. The food was already spread all over the table, and each person had a plate and expensive-looking tableware.
Everyone sat patiently for a moment, and then Keiko began. “Let’s all say what we’re thankful for. I am thankful for my health, my friends and family, and my kitten, Utada,” she said smiling. They went around the table, saying what they were thankful for.
“Baywatch and bikini models,” Yusuke had said. They went all around it, until it was Hiei’s turn. He glared at them and mumbled, “My sword.” They laughed, and the feast began.
An hour or two later, stuffed with food, the gang looked at each other, many of them smiling. Kuwabara burped, followed by Yusuke, ended by Shizuru, whose belch made the table shake. Everyone laughed out loud; even Hiei smirked when he realized that Utada had found a new pincushion in Kuwabara, and, though his mind denied it, for the first time, he felt like he had something to be really thankful for.((3))
((1)) I know that Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but I thought it would be entertaining to write about the YYH gang during this time, specifically Hiei. Also, Keiko explains a bit later that her family celebrates it even though they're Japanese...It's still a bit contrived, so work with me here.
((2)) I'm fairly sure that America's the only place where football's a big thing. In fact, I know that most other places like Rugby instead and that "futbol" is actually soccer everywhere other than the U.S. Personally, I hate football, but it's synonymous in my mind with Thanksgiving, so I had to include it.
((3)) Wait a minute. No he didn’t! Thanksgiving is a stupid holiday! Sure, it gives us a few days off from school and we get free food, but we should always be thankful, not just the one day we gorge ourselves. So give thanks every day, not just on the fourth Thursday of November, you ungrateful meat-sacks! Some people say this holiday is to honor the pilgrims and Indian’s feast…well, that works out great. We had a feast together and then gave them some grants to sign in a language they didn’t speak which handed over all their land; now they have to run casinos to get back their money. Let’s celebrate cheating Indians out of their land! YAY!
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