MAKE A WISH...
It was absolutely... not fair!!! It was your second year in Japan and you were going to be missing Christmas again because your schedule would be working over-time during the holidays. They said that you could have Christmas off if you worked on New Year's eve or New Year's off, but only if you worked on Christmas. Either way it was a loss on your side. And you had made plans, to celebrate Christmas with your new friends, an odd group true, but your friends nonetheless.
It was the 24th of December, in the morning and you woke up grumpy, around 7 a.m. to take a shower and then eat something. Your house was decorated and the huge Christmas tree was spreading a refreshing scent all around the environment. There was a heavy snow outside, the snow clearing machines were doing their best to pack snow on the sides and leave the streets clear so cars could cirrculate.
As you were eating however you heard a knock at the door. With your hair still dripping from the hot shower, and dressed in your cozy towel-like bathroom robe, you went to answer the door.
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowing and blowing up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun
You looked at the merry bunch that were singing at your front door, with santa fur caps, and ear-muffs to keep away the cold as they caroled away. It was scarcely 8 and a half in the morning and your gang were there caroling you. Wasn't that proof enough they loved you? Come one, they had even convinced Hiei a.k.a. Mr. Gruesome to come and sing, and boy were they singing!
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancing and prancing in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air.
They were all voice coordinated as if they were professional singers. All dressed properly in reds and whites they looked wonderful. The girls, Keiko, Botan, Yukina and even Shizuru were all joyfully keeping the songs cheerful tone as the guys, Yusuke, Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara were singing with warmth and in a tone to melt even the frostiest hearts.
What a bright time, it's the right time
To dance the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go gliding in a one-horse sleigh
Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up the beat
Jingle around the block
Mix and a-mingle in the jingling beat
You watched them as they all smiled and nudged each other if they thought somebody was off key, and they sang with passion, making by-passers smile warmly at the thought of what was to come later in the evening.
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell,
That's the jingle bell rock.
When they were done and looked up to meet your eyes, Yusuke burst out laughing, since, some strands of wet hair had frozen water drops shining in them as you were leaning against the door frame listening to them sing. Smiling warmly you clapped your hands and said "That was beautiful! Thanks guys! Now I'm really gonna regret missing Christmas. But anyway, what am I talking about? Come one in! If we can't make the best out of the evening, we'll make the best out of the morning!"
As they came in, you closed the door and after they took their coats and jackets off, you invited them all in the living room where they sat on the two couches and on the armchairs.
"What?! You're working tonight?! How come?" Botan asked with a frown.
"Yeah, I know it sucks guys, but my boss gave me a lose-lose offer. I'd either lose Christmas or the New Year. And you know I just can't quit now, I've got a Christmas bonus if I work tonight." you said giving a cute pout as you brought your hand through your hair to let warmth in it again.
"So this means your not coming to Kurama's Christmas Party." Hiei said with his arms crossed against his chest. They were all dressed elegantly and had bittersweet smiles on their faces.
"Nope. Sorry to disappoint you. It's really a bad situation I'm in. Well hey at least I'll be home for New Year." you said shrugging and heading for the kitchen bringing back some home made sweets: chestnuts and strawberry cream filled muffins.
"Here, have a sweet while I go change for work. I start early today!" and saying that, you set the plate on the small tea table and went to your bedroom to do just what you said.
As they stood there with slightly disappointed looks on their faces, Kuwabara asked while biting a chestnut "I wonder if we can go and persuade her boss to give her Christmas off too. It'd be a shame to not have the whole gang tonight at the party."
Kurama then sat back against the couch and said: "You know, that's a good idea, but first of all we need to find out where she works."
"At the Etelette mega-store in the toys department." You said smiling from the door frame as you eavesdropped on their plans.
"Etelette? Isn't that one of the sub-divisions of your company Kurama?" Keiko asked while eating another muffin.
"It is?!" you asked increduously.
"Well maybe you will be free tonight. You know something? Give me a phone. You're not going to work at all this week." Kurama said as he looked for a phone.
"Really?! Yes, yes, yeah!!!" you laughed frantically punching the air just like Yusuke would and making everyone laugh.
Later that day, when the evening had come, you were getting ready for the upcoming party. You had picked a blood red dress with a 'v' cut that hugged your forms just right, that was neither too short nor too long in a asymmetric cut, and a pair of simple but elegant medium heeled sandals. You had decided to let your hair loose but use a thin dark red elastic that pulled the mass of your hair back and let your face free lest for two longer strands that you left as bangs. You decided on wearing mascara and cinnamon lipstick, and the decision was a rather good one cause looking in the mirror you actually liked what you saw. Smiling at the reflection you let your mind stray back...
flashback
It was at the beginning of December, and it hadn't snowed yet. It was freezing cold and no matter how many clothes you put on the cold was bone chilling. On a Saturday off, you and the gang met at Genkai's temple and decided to hang in Kurama's gardens. There as you were all sat on benches under the naked willows you kept shivering, and couldn't understand for the love of you how, Yukina-chan could stand that cold weather. A koorime she may be, but blood still needed to be warm to flow... didn't it?
Kuwabara had noticed you were shivering and offered to hold you in his arms to warm you up, and since you were all friends there, you let him. Even though him and Yusuke tended to be perverts from time to time, you each knew when the joke was on.
As you stood there in his arms with his warm breath in the crook of your neck you then noticed that the wind had stopped blowing.
"Quick everybody, let's hold hands and make a wish! It's gonna snow!" you said as everybody looked at you through puzzled eyes.
"They say that if you make a wish at the first snow fall in that winter, your wish will come true!" you said grabbing Keiko's and Kuwabara's hands, closing your eyes.
Eventually everybody linked hands until you were all standing in a circle and wished.
I want a guy to love me for what I am... you made your wish facing the sky with your eyes closed.
After a few silent moments of sitting like that you opened your eyes wide once you felt a rather big snowflake melt on the tip of your nose. Little did you know however that that was the exact same wish the one next to you had made...
Laughing you let go of Kuwabara's and Keiko's hands and started to run around like a little kid with your tongue sticking out from time to time as you were trying to taste the sky.
They all looked at you with amusement in their eyes, all but one. Kuwabara. After Hiei had specifically told him that Yukina couldn't be his girlfriend, because of the chances of half-breeds, Kuwabara's hopes to find a girl to love him had dropped dramatically.
That until you showed up. You were the sweetest girl he'd ever met besides Yukina. Kind and caring and sometimes equally as perverted as he and Yusuke were. He found himself thinking about you every so often and before he knew it, you were all he could think about. He once called Keiko by your name.
And now, with the wish that you made, he hoped that you were right and that his wish would come true and that you would be that special someone who would love and accept him for who he was.
end of flashback
As you went outside and got in the cab with your bag of goodies and presents for the gang who had been so sweet to you ever since you came, you somehow thought about Kuwabara and how sweet and clumsy he was and how the both of you were still single. In your group Everybody had a pair. Kurama had recently started dating Shizuru, Yusuke and Keiko were together for a while now, Botan had somehow, through a mad twist of faith, become Hiei's girlfriend and Yukina-chan was heard to be sympathizing with a guy called Jin.
You had been alone for too long. How about you made yourself and somebody else a nice Christmas present you both would enjoy?
Getting at Kurama's house you were greeted at the entrance by Shiori, Kurama's mother who welcomed you inside. Taking off your coat, you could see from the little entrance hall part of the living room where all the gang was celebrating. They were laughing and having fun as you stepped inside.
"Hey everybody!" you said cheerfully as you walked in with your bag full of presents.
"Hey y/n! You finally managed to show up didn't you?" Yusuke said nuzzling Keiko. as they both giggled.
"Sure I did! Thought you'd get rid of me that fast? Ha! Well you're wrong! I worst than a pain in the..."
"Y/n it's Christmas! No swearing, and well let's try and hold back the nasty stuff while my mother's around." Shuichi said as he snatched a cigarette from Shizuru. "And you, no smoking inside." he said kissing her.
As you plopped down on the couch you placed your bag of presents next to the others under the huge Christmas tree near the fire place. Kurama had turned the lights low as you all stood there chillin' with friends. Right next to you was Kuwabara and since everybody was snuggling somebody, you decided you take your tow and go for it.
Holding you in his arms Kuwabara felt your sweet natural perfume and a sense of protection came over him as he held you close to him.
"Hn." you heard someone say. Looking up you noticed and identified that someone as Hiei, who was holding a piece of mistletoe above the two of you.
With your eyes sparkling in an unspoken 'thank you' you looked at Kuwabara and smiling you said: "Quick make a wish! It'll come true!" and closing your eyes you let you lips find Kuwabaras and gave him a sweet innocent kiss.
Opening your eyes, you looked at Kuwabara's hope filled eyes as he gently said: "My wish came true."
"Good. Then that makes two of us."