*SPECIAL AUTHOR'S NOTES:  This fic has some lyrics incorporated from
the song "Christmas Shoes" by Bob Carlise.  It was inspired by the 
heartwarming Christmas song that reminded us that the true meaning of 
the season was not trinkets, Jesus or Santa but the ability to give of 
ourselves to our fellow man.  Please, this season, keep in mind we are 
all human and our lives are actually quite short.  Enjoy each other, 
love each other -- say you're sorry to someone you hurt -- it makes 
the season so much more beautiful.

Happy holidays all.  

-- Orchyd Constyne

***

Endymion slipped out of the palace.  It was Christmas Eve.  Mamoru and
ChibiUsa were asleep, Serenity dreaming of the morning when her
children would tear into the gifts under the massive tree in the main
room.  He had wanted to get his wife one more gift, he had seen it in
the shop a week before.  It was a small pin made out of diamonds and
pink gems in the form of a rabbit.  It was just perfect for his bunny.

He made his way through the city, smiling to himself.  He wasn't as
excited as he used to be about the holiday, but he knew it meant the
world to his family.  Chibi-Usa and Mamoru had turned 3 the previous
summer and they finally understood what Christmas was.  Well, with a
lot of help from Haruka and Michiru's daughter, Kaze.  The snow
crunched under his shoes and the air was cold in his lungs.  He
entered the shop and went to the jewelry counter. 

He joked with the sales lady, watching her wrap the broach carefully. 
He knew Serenity would be so happy to see the sparkling rabbit.  She
gave Endymion the sales ticket and told him to just take it up to the
counter and they would ring his bill up.  Endymion stood in the line,
not really paying attention to his surroundings.  His attention was
caught when the clerk asked the person in front of them if he could
help.  Endymion turned his attention the patron.

It was a small boy, perhaps 7 or 8.  Older than his own children, but
not too much older than Kaze.  His was scruffy, he looked cold and
dirty.  In his hands was a shoe box.  His small hands gripped the box
as if it was a lifeline for him.  The boy, in a small voice, told the
clerk his story.

"Sir, I wanna buy these shoes, for my Mama please.  It's Christmas Eve
and these shoes are just her size.  Could you hurry sir?  Daddy says
there's not much time.  You see, she's been sick for quite a while,
and I know these shoes will make her smile.  And I want her to look
beautiful if Mama meets Jesus tonight."

Endymion bit his lip, the tears touching his eyes.  Such a noble boy,
wanting his sick mother to have such a simple thing.  He watched the
clerk ring up the sale and the child pulled out handfuls of pennies
and wrinkled bills.  The clerk helped the boy count out the money,
time slipping by so slowly as they went through the pennies.  The
clerk looked a bit uncomfortable, not wanting to meet the child's
eyes.

"Son, I'm sorry, there's not enough here."

The little boy patted his pockets, searching frantically for the extra
money.  There was no one else in line but the child and the King,
dressed in civilian clothes.  The boy looked up at Endymion, his eyes
large and brown, shimmering with tears.

"Mama made Christmas good at our house.  Most years she just did
without.  Tell me, Sir, what am I gonna do?  Somehow I gotta buy her
these Christmas shoes."

Endymion felt the sob at the base of his throat.  He dug into his
pocket and pulled out the money for the difference in the sale.  He
laid the money down and then watched the tears fall from the boy's
big eyes as the cashier handed him the bag with the shoes safely
tucked in.  The boy turned to the king and hugged him close. 

In a soft whisper he said, "Mama's gonna look so great..."

And the child was out the door, leaving the clerk and the king to
silently ponder the importance of what had transpired that night. 
Endymion looked into his hand at the broach so neatly wrapped up.  A
trinket Serenity would wear once or twice, but that would go into the
box that housed dozens of other such gems she had accumulated over the
years.

Endymion left the broach on the counter and hurried after the child. 
He followed him through the city to a small apartment.  Just as the
child was going to enter the apartment he pulled the shoe box out of
the bag, and with a bright smile, he entered the home.

Endymion stood in the snow, watching through the window at the
happiness of such a poor family had.  In that moment he made a
decision.  He would do all he could to make it better for people like
this.  This is what he and Serenity had wanted to fight against, and
they had not done a good enough job.  The woman on the couch coughed
and took the box from her son.

She opened it.

She smiled.

And was surrounded by her son and husband.

***

Christmas dawned on Crystal Tokyo bright and cold.  Snow blanketed the
land.  Endymion woke Serenity and the children.  They exchanged the
gifts, had breakfast and enjoyed their time together.  In the late
morning, Ami came to the king.  She relayed the message to him that
she had visited the home he had told her of and had looked in on the
woman.

"It's amazing.  She should have not made it last night.  She has a bad
infection in her lungs.  Now that I know of it, I can save her.  She
will be fine in a few weeks."

Endymion just smiled and nodded.

Such a simple thing he could do for the boy, a doctor to visit his
mother.  But, it was start at putting right all the wrongs in the
world.  And he would.  He and Serenity would fix it all.

Endymion gave thanks to that small boy and a cold Christmas Eve for
reminding him of human plight and just why he was here.

--- End Part Sixteen ---