Y/N: Welcome to our Christmas story. This takes place in the year 2034, and is after the epilogue. We get a chance to see the children grow and learn, and really it's just a fun exercise that we wrote so that we could keep Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine, fun and exciting for us. We were getting a little bogged down with the unhappiness of it all, and needed a quick breather. Also, we like to do things for the holidays, and Christmas is coming up really soon. So, instead of the twelve days of Christmas (which was the original plan) you're getting twenty-two days. We'll be uploading a chapter a day starting today, and we'll just keep posting them until they're done.
Title: Here Comes Santa Claus
By: YukiraKing
Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.
Chapter 01: Secret Santa
Louisa Washington:
Everyone was gathered in the Temple courtyard. I wasn't as familiar with it as everyone else seemed to be, but that was okay. Everyone came when I asked them to. There were over a hundred pairs of eyes looking at me, and maybe, if I was at school, I might be embarrassed, and uncomfortable, but I knew each and every person that was looking my way, and I knew that they cared about me, and wouldn't care if I made a complete fool of myself. It was very refreshing.
"Thank you all for coming here today," I said brightly, clapping my hands together. I was wearing a pair of Sora's handmade mittens. They were extra soft and a bright, crisp white that was as clean and bright as the snow. They were beautiful, and by far my favourite part of my outfit. I was still wearing my winter coat from last year, because it was perfectly good still, and Mom was sure I didn't need to be on top of every fashion trend. It was a nice coat, but it wasn't the one I wanted. Everything else was part of my school uniform.
Unlike all of the other children of the Digidestined, my brother Elliot and I went to school on Earth. It wasn't really fair, because the rest of the kids got to go to school together, in this very Temple even. But Elliot and I had to go to a private school with truly horrendous uniforms that made everyone look equally hideous. I didn't like being forced to fit into the same mold as everyone else. I was an individual, and I was a shining star, unique as a snowflake, and practically perfect in every way—or that's what Dad told me anyway. It was really sweet though, and I liked his description of me the best.
It made me feel good.
"I was thinking, how I could possibly find a way to make the holidays even more special, when it occurred to me: Secret Santa. The kids at school all decided to have a great big Secret Santa, and I thought it would be way more fun to have a Secret Santa with all of you instead," I said with a bright smile. I was lying. Well, not entirely. The kids at school really were participating. I just wasn't allowed.
"What's going on?" I asked, smiling as politely as I could as Mr Lincoln let Aubrey Wilson start walking around the class with a Santa hat. Each person she stopped at got a chance to put their hand in the hat and pull out a piece of paper. Everyone was talking excitedly about it, but I didn't understand what was going on. Lucy Hoover looked to me awkwardly and forced a fake smile on her face before shrugging her shoulders, pretending she didn't know either. Jack McKinley laughed at my face, and just reached in when Aubrey got to his row. He pulled out a paper and smiled.
"I know just what to get her," he said with a wink in Aubrey's direction. She laughed, flattered, and put a finger to her lips.
"You can't spoil the surprise Jack," she scolded him. "Now everyone knows you've got a girl."
"Or I'm just trying to fool you all into thinking that way," he said with a devious smirk.
"Oh, you're bad," she said with a laugh. She was coming towards me now, and I thought I'd finally be able to figure it out. But Aubrey looked down her nose at me and scoffed. "You've probably got better things to do with your time than to play Secret Santa with us 'lesser folk' huh? That's fine. I didn't even put your name in anyway. Don't worry about it. We don't care."
"What's Secret Santa?" I asked, trying not to feel hurt that she was rejecting me in front of the whole class, and that Mr Lincoln wasn't going to say anything about it.
"It's too 'commoner' for you, isn't it," Aubrey said, sneering at me. "Don't worry. We won't make you play with us."
I went home that very night and looked up what Secret Santa was. Once I knew what it was I desperately wanted to play too, but I wasn't allowed. My parents were famous—even though Mom wasn't acting anymore, people still loved her for the roles she had played—and Dad was doubly famous because he was a Digidestined, and Takeru's book made them some of the most popular people across the entire globe. There was one thing I wasn't entirely sure about though. Just because my parents were famous, the rest of my class acted like they were 'commoners' and I was too much of a big shot to have anything to do with them. But I knew for a fact that several other students had famous parents, and no one in our school was poor. It was a private school, mostly populated by the youth of the rich. There was nothing commoner about any of them.
But I was more famous than they were. It had been a big deal when I was born. I was the daughter of Tatum Jefferson and Michael Washington II. There were predictions that I would be a fourth generation actor—since Great Grandpa Henry was an actor before Dad's Dad was—and since Dad was a Digidestined, and he'd passed his Crest on to me, the whole world was watching me with a magnifying glass, waiting for me to live up to Dad's legacy. When Takeru's later books came out, and revealed that Dad was also the son of royalty, well, that just added even more fuel to the flames of the kids from school. It also made my teachers really confused when Mrs Coolidge asked us all to make our family trees and present them to the class.
"Okay," I said, smiling to Mrs Coolidge. "Mom didn't know all that much about her side of the family, and we didn't know where to look for more, but I do know that the Jefferson family has been prominent directors of the stage for the last two generations before Mom decided to be in front of the camera instead, before going into research. Grandma and Grandpa Jefferson met when Grandma was auditioning to star in Grandpa's twelfth stage production, and they got married right away."
"That's lovely," Mrs Coolidge told me. "And your father's side?"
"It gets a little complicated there," I said sheepishly. "Dad's Dad is a second generation movie star, and before that they were playwrights. Dad's Mom, however, was a fairy princess from a magical realm separate to our own called Sidhendor, and was the fourth daughter born to the mad tyrant Sigma, and the megalomaniac Gaia. Sigma's Mom was the world itself, and his dad was a man that was attached to trees in a weird way. Long story short, Sigma, Gaia and Yggdrasil all tried to kill everyone that ever lived, and that sucks. But I got to be a fairy princess too, so that was pretty cool."
"Right…." Mrs Coolidge said slowly, as the entire class laughed at me. "I'll make a note to call your father. Maybe he can help you with your project. I do applaud your creativity though."
Things got even more awkward between me and my classmates after that—especially when Dad decided to visit the classroom with props and everything that explained that my story was actually true. All of the kids were scared of me for awhile after that, a bunch of my ancestors tried to take over the world, and Grandma Washington was the fairy of death. They were all really mean about it actually. I thought it was cool. I guess they didn't. We hadn't managed to bridge the gap to become friends. That presentation really just secured my place as the class outcast. It wasn't much fun.
So yes, the kids at school were all about the Secret Santa, and I wasn't allowed to play. Well, the joke was on them, because I was going to organize an even bigger Secret Santa, and I was going to plan a whole Christmas celebration with the Digidestined and their kids and their partners, and our partners, and our friends too. It was going to be amazing.
"I have four hats here. I thought it would be way too complicated to just put everyone in one hat, and it would be better for us to be separated into age groups based on who we hang out with the most. That way, everyone gets a present that they'll actually like," I said. I pointed to the four hats: Mimi's cowboy hat that I stole when she walked in, an elf hat, Elliot's baseball cap and a Santa hat. I was pretty pleased with the selection. "Now, I have to write a bunch of names on these papers, and I thought someone could help me with it."
"I'll do it," Emiko offered. I was surprised, but I realized that Emiko loved presents, and that was awesome, because in a Secret Santa, she would get one. I smiled happily, and looked specifically to Haruki, because I expected him to offer, but he didn't. He made a point to look at his little brother Yukai instead. It was probably a good thing though, because Yukai was only seven and he was trying to fit his head in a bucket that was probably full of old, dirty water, from when it was used to wash the grime off of the courtyard walls—at Neo's insistence.
"What groups are we working with?" Mimi asked, ready to jump on board my idea. I was very happy that she was interested, since I was receiving a fairly lukewarm response, which wasn't what I'd expected when I'd come up with this idea.
"Well, I figured that you grownups know each other really well, and your partners all know each other too. And then the kids and their partners," I suggested.
"That sounds like segregation to me," Elliot said, sticking his nose where it didn't belong. I sighed at him, not wanting to reveal that the only reason I did it that was to give me a better chance at getting Haruki's name. I'd given up my chance at Neo and Evelen—Nevelen was the absolute best!—for that very chance with Haruki, and I wasn't going to risk getting Motimon just because our partners were in the running too. I knew exactly what I'd get Motimon, but that wasn't the point. I wanted Haruki!
"It's just easier," I said, looking at my feet and kicking the ground. "I didn't know how else to divide it."
"I like it," Agumon said happily, patting Gabumon's shoulder. Gabumon looked to Biyomon, and both of them nodded in agreement.
"I hope I get Chapmon!" Koromon called excitedly.
"What do we do when we get them?" Gatomon asked curiously, before too many people could express their wishes. She was so smart. I never actually explained what the names were for. I glossed over it, but I didn't really explain. And that was important.
"When you get your name, you need to get a gift for that person," I said. I was practically bubbling with excitement. "You can't tell anyone what name you got. That's why it's a Secret Santa."
"Santa's always a secret," Madlyn pointed out. I looked to my precious little cousin. She was nine now, actually, so she wasn't that little, but she acted like a little kid still, she wasn't like Iris anyway. Iris was very quiet and very mature for her grand total of nine years. It was ridiculous that my cousin was more mature than me—but Madlyn balanced it out. She was insane.
"You're right," I told her. "But we're just pretending to be Santa. It's just a fun game. We're not really Santa."
"That's okay then," Madlyn decided.
"Okay, Emiko and Mimi, follow me. If anyone else wants to help, they can come along," I declared. I hopped off the stone bench I'd been standing on just to make sure everyone could see me. I knew that they didn't really celebrate Christmas here. They had every once in awhile, but it wasn't something they were really into. They liked Christmas Eve more, and treated it like a second Valentine's Day, in that couples went on walks to look at Christmas lights, and gave each other gifts and it all sounded very cute. But it wasn't what I was interested in. Not until I had a boyfriend anyway.
Christmas wasn't even a national holiday for them. The kids in Japan had to go to school and everything. I couldn't believe it when I first heard about it. But since my friends all went to school in the Digital World, it wouldn't matter. Their teachers wouldn't mind too much…probably. But I was going all out this year. I was going to be happy and have a lot of fun, and celebrate with my family and friends and spread love and good cheer. I was not going to be upset when I walked back to school after Christmas that was for sure. My classmates weren't going to get the best of me. I wouldn't let them get me down.
"I'm so glad you two are helping," I told Mimi and Emiko. No one else followed us. Not even Mom. She just thought I was fulfilling some wild idea I'd come up with. She didn't understand that I just wanted for once for everyone to share in the commercialism with me. I needed like two things: sunshine and optimism. Those things could get me out of the funk that the kids at school kept shoving me into. I couldn't really get a lot of sunshine since it was winter. Well, the sun would shine, but it wasn't warm. So I had to settle for optimism, and what was more exciting than that anticipation of getting a present and having to wait to know what was inside?
Nothing.
There was nothing more exciting than presents.
Emiko agreed with me. She kept up a constant stream of comments about how excited she was to be doing this. Mimi was just as excited and even tried to put her name in the kids draw, because she refused to be called old, but she had a grey streak in her hair. It was very pretty and fortunate in its placement, but it was still grey, which made her way too old to be in the kids draw.
"Why does Ryou get to be in the kids draw?" Mimi pouted. "I'm way younger than him. Don't you know his story? He's so old."
"But he never grew up," I pointed out. "So he's younger than Emiko, and since she's a kid, he counts by default. It's nothing against you in particular. It's just how logic works."
"So you don't think I'm old," Mimi clarified.
"No," I lied. She was happy though, so I didn't even feel too bad for lying to her. Emiko looked like she wanted to start laughing, but even she wasn't brave enough to risk Mimi's wrath. Mimi was rather sensitive about her age. I found it hilarious, but Mom assured me that when I got to Mimi's age—I shuddered at the thought of being fifty-five—I wouldn't be feeling that way anymore. Since Mom was Mimi's age, I figured she'd know, so I didn't press any further.
"Okay," Emiko said. "I've got the kids names all done. Should I start handing them out then? Or should I write out more names. I don't know what you want me to do, but I want to hand the names out, just saying."
"I want the first name," I said excitedly. "I've never done this before."
"No kidding?" Emiko asked. "Me either. It'll be new for everyone then. That's awesome. And there's really no sharing? Like I can't even tell Azura who's name I got?"
"Is his name in the hat?" I asked. She nodded. "Then no. It's always going to be a secret. You only find out when you get your present. That's the beauty of it. It's a Secret Santa, not a Loudmouth Santa."
"I got it," Emiko said, nodding quickly. "My lips are sealed. Will yours be?"
I reached into the Santa hat that she was holding out for me and I pulled out a name. I quickly hid it under the picnic table's top and opened it. Emiko. I sighed. It wasn't Haruki. But I had already come up with so many ideas for Emiko's present that it didn't matter. I could find some other way to make this Christmas special for Haruki. I had to make him notice me again. He wasn't very fair the last time we'd spoken. He'd been avoiding me ever since. It had been a really long year.
"Hi, Haruki," I said trying to keep my voice as level as possible even though I was practically melting inside. I really, really, really liked him. He was practically everything I was looking for. I'd consulted several magazine quizzes, and they all told me that I just needed to suck it up, and ask him on a date. That was totally acceptable. I didn't need to wait for him. And I was pretty sure he liked me too. I was guaranteed success! What could go wrong?
"Hey Louisa," he said awkwardly. He looked around making sure no one was watching us. That was a good idea, since I didn't want an audience for this. I looked around too, and there was no one around at all. He scratched the back of his head and finally looked to my face. "What're you doing here?"
'Here' was the Temple. I was waiting outside the school building, and Haruki had caught sight of me from the soccer field, where he was teaching the kindergartners how to play. They all looked up to him, and he was so good with them. That was one of the things I liked about him most. He was so good with people—no matter their age. And he was super cute too, that's what initially drew me in, and it didn't bother me how shallow it sounded. His looks weren't why I stuck around, they were just the packaging that held the great guy that I was really falling hard for.
"I'm waiting for you," I said. He blushed and I did too, just because he did. "I thought maybe, we could go out somewhere? I really like you, you know, and I thought that was something we could do together, even if it's just a walk or maybe I could help with soccer practice?"
"I'd like that," Haruki said.
"I mean a date," I clarified. He froze and rubbed the back of his head again.
"I don't know," he said, hesitantly. "That might not be the best idea."
"Oh," I said. I turned around and walked away. I wasn't going to let him make me feel any smaller. I didn't turn back when he called my name, begging me to let him explain. I couldn't handle that. I thought he liked me, and I was so confident. All I'd done was make a fool out of myself—in front of little kids and everything!
I still didn't know what he wanted to explain. I'd refused to talk to him for over a month, and then he got so busy with his finals that he didn't have time for me, and then he had one last summer before going to college and I was busy with my first summer job. There just wasn't time, and neither of us wanted to see each other.
But I was older now, and I knew that I had acted childishly. I needed to know why we weren't able to date. I knew that he liked me. After thinking about it for a long time—Mom might even say I was obsessing—I was confident that there was some other reason that was keeping him from accepting my offer. And since Christmas was much more romanticized in Japan, I figured now might be an excellent time to get to the bottom of that mystery—and maybe create a romance of my own. I'd be on cloud nine if I could manage to get Haruki to give me a chance
Wouldn't that just be the bee in the bonnet of the kids at school? They hated the idea that I could be happy despite their best efforts to keep me miserable. I was the bearer of Strength now, after all. I couldn't afford that weakness. If I could, I wouldn't be the girl my daddy raised me to be.
"Go give everyone else their names," I ordered Emiko, as I put the final name into the younger digimon's hat. I picked up more papers for the older digimon, and Mimi finished off the grownups. Emiko mock saluted me, and headed off, dancing from kid to kid. Madlyn's eyes lit up when she pulled out a name, and Iris smiled. Chika had to hide her name from her brother, Makoto who wanted to compare, and Renjiro made a face when he got his. I was so excited, and it looked like everyone's excitement was building too.
I couldn't wait for Christmas!
Featured Evolution Line: (So, since we kind of copped out and cheated on the kids story that was originally going to be like 150 chapters or something, we decided to basically cram their most basic planned developments into this story and as such they don't get to show the evolution lines we had planned. I'm putting them up on the tumblr page too but each chapter we'll just tell you one of them for fun. Because why not?)
Louisa: Ketomon—Hopmon—Spadamon—Dinohyumon—Kyukimon—SlashAngemon
