Ran flopped down into a chair with chipped legs, trying to ignore the cold petals of snow that blew in through a crack between the door and the doorframe.
Of course,now that Aya was awake, he was Ran again. It was far less confusing that way. But then again, Ken, Yoji and Omi were having the most difficult time of their lives trying to remember that.

Now that they had Aya-chan with them,they all had to adjust. It took a bit of carpentry to make another bedroom on the ground floor just for her. Youji couldn't smoke in the den anymore (Aya-chan had asthma). And she had her share. She had to mind the flower shop in the afternoon after schooland still manage to do her homework at night.

"Sheesh, Omi, and your Dad was filthy rich," Ken remarked that winter, banging on the radiator so it would give a couple more minute's worth of room warmth than they had paid for.

"He didn't act much like he was. Besides, the government took everything." Omi replied quietly. "I'm Tsukiyono now. Not Takitori."

Then came Christmas. None of them were strictly religious, but it was a yearly excuse to spend more then they really ought to. Ran looked at the small imitation fir in the center of the room, with its bows and golden star on top and one of the tiny lights broken. He sighed. Aya-chan had always looked forward to Christmas.

"Kyaa!" Aya-chan squealed, dancing with her new painted bisque doll around the huge tree that Mr. Fujimiya had managed to drag into the house."Doumo, Papa."

Mr. Fujimiya stood up from the hearth where he was watching his daughter play to answer the frantic knocking on the front door.

"Ohayou, Fujimiya-san! Where's Ran?"two boys asked at the same time, bowing. Mr. Fujimiya was just turning around to call his son when a "Chotto matte!" boomed from the hall and little Ran scampered into the room, jacket on. He swept past his father and out into the snow. "Be back later, Touchan!"

The three boys walked out into the street, laughing, and Ran thought he heard his mother yell,"Don't forget your gloves!"

The snow had just stopped falling, and all the children were going outside to play.

"Tadaima!" Youji announced loudly, breaking into Ran's thoughts.The door opened and both cold air and noise began to fill the room. Aya-chan and three of her "brothers" squeezed through the doorway, four pairs of boots clunking loudly on the floor.

"Careful with those bento boxes, Ken," she warned, just in time for the brown-haired youth to trip on the floorboards.

"Wah!" Omi almost toppled over trying to catch an armful of bento. "Whew! At least the food didn't get damaged this year."

"Fine, fine,"Ken muttered from the floor. Ran laughed and helped him up and they all packed into the kitchen.

Snowflakes fell from the evening sky as the four became more cheery and the sake bottles were all empty. "Does anyone mind if I smoke?" Youji asked in a slurred voice.

"I don't care if you burn," Aya-chan replied, cheeks flushed from alcohol.

"We can use the ashes for the ferns," Omi suggested.

Ran chuckled. "The ferns would die."

"Hell. So they would."

Ken emptied his sake cup. "Don't talk about hell that way, Youji. I'm offended."

Youji shrugged. "I'm tipsy."

Omi stood up. "I'm gonna throw up." Clumsily he hurried out of the room.

"Matte yo! I just scrubbed the bathroom!" Ken shouted,following after him, to the others' delight.

"HAHahahaaa......."Youji laughed,falling backwards onto the tatami mat, unconscious.

"Disgusting!" Aya-chan declared in a fit of giggles.

Ran finished segregating the trash and turned off the kitchen light, leaving Youji sleeping on the floor. Aya-chan was mopping up the melted snow on the front entry as he went up the stairs. He paused and turned. "Aya-chan?"

She looked up."Nani?"

"Are you all right, living like this?"

"What are you talking about?" Then she shrugged and smiled."I have nowhere else to go."

"I've been trying to make things easy for you. You used to have so many things. It used to be so happy-"

"You worry too much.Of course I'm happy! Now that Papa and Mama are gone, you're all I have, plus I have three more brothers.We're doing okay." She wrung the mop into the plastic bucket. "I'm happy with that. Are you?"

After a pause,he smiled gently. "I am now." He started up the stairs again. "Oyasumi nasai, Aya-chan."

"Oyasumi. And Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

The snow kept on falling in the night,and next morning the town would be covered by a carpet of pristine snow. In a small house, five people slept soundly, four in their beds, one on the floor, unperturbed by the gentle sprinkling of snow on the roof.