This is set in my Dry shouts future universes. If you haven't read it, the only things you really need to know is that Yami was the one who solved the Millennium Puzzle, releasing Atemu's spirit sealed inside it and that Yami is dating his childhood friend Yuugi. Everyone in the gang also have counterparts in Atemu's past, including Yuugi, who was his husband Heba.

If you have read Dry shouts, here's some stuff for you: Atemu gained his own body after his duel with Marik, and is at the moment living with Yami and Akunamkanon. He also works in a bookstore part-time because he was getting bored at the house when Yami was at school. He is planning to stay for a while because he knows that's what Yami wants (Yami cares for Atemu in a brotherly level), and partly it's what he wants too. But he's still in a bit of a pain for not being able to be with his loved ones. He's not yet sure when he'll leave for the afterlife.

Well, that's about it. The rest of the notes will be in the chapters themselves.

Notes about this chapter: Haruka is Yami's mom, who died when Yami was four years old, to an illness. After that, Yami and Akunamkanon moved to Japan from Egypt where they had previously lived, since that was Haruka's original homeland and they both already knew the language through her.

Warnings: Err…AkunamkanonxOC?

Finding a Christmas tree: Akunamkanon


As the Christmas time was nearing, Yami and Akunamkanon had both agreed that it was time to take out their fake Christmas tree from the attic. However, as it had turned out, it seemed that Atemu had been cleaning up there one day when both of the other two men living in the Amun household had been away, and since he hadn't known what a Christmas tree (fake or real) had been, he hadn't known it shouldn't be chopped into smaller pieces so that it would fit in the boxes where all the other things in the attic were stored in.

Which was exactly why Akunamkanon Amun was at the moment driving with his car through Domino City, trying to find another Christmas tree (fake or real) to replace the old one. A Christmas tree was absolutely necessary this one particular year, since Yami had come up with the idea of having a Christmas Party for his lover, friends, rivals and acquaintances at their house on the Christmas Eve. Akuamkanon had agreed it was a good idea, feeling happy about Yami finally having some more social life instead of locking himself up inside his room or Yuugi's house for the entire day, playing games. The fact that Yami at last spent more time with people than games was a sign he was slowly getting over Haruka's death.

Haruka…Akunamkanon briefly frowned as he remembered his beloved wife. Haruka had always loved the Christmas season, but back in Egypt, she had always missed the snow and the Christmas trees from back her original home. So in order to cheer her up, he had taken a day off and decorated their garden with a lot of cotton and made a palm tree growing there their substitute Christmas tree. He still remembered the look on her face. The childishly excited gleam in her eyes, her wide smile and cheery laughter at his efforts.

That memory was why he always felt a slight sting in his heart every time this season was going on, and especially when it was time to take out the Christmas tree. Besides, he was really having trouble finding one. With this season and all, everyone were buying them so the stores and the people who got a small business out of chopping down trees from the forests and selling them, were starting to run out of trees. Of course there were trees, but they just didn't exactly match his expectations. A Christmas tree had to be bushy, thick and with a strong beam. The only ones he'd found had been filmy, thin and with a weak beam.

Deep in these thoughts, the tanned man didn't notice he was barely paying attention to his driving, though that didn't really matter as the streets were empty. But then suddenly he noticed a form walking across the street and he quickly kicked down to the brakes with his foot. The form walking across the street also seemed to notice how close they were to be hit, as they shielded their head with their arms. Akunamkanon thankfully managed to stop his car just in time, though.

"Excuse me, are you all right?" Akunamkanon asked, slowly stepping out his car. He felt like he needed to make sure.

The form unshielded their arms from over their head, and Akunamkanon was able to see she was a woman. He could barely see her face in the darkness of the night, since there wasn't even much snow to reflect the streetlights, but he could make out the bright and sharp yet wide and somehow soft azure eyes. The darkness wasn't the only thing making it hard to see the woman's face, though. Her lower face was covered with a scarf and her hair with the hood of her knee-long white coat. The pants she wore were also purely white, and so were her gloves and boots. She was rather short and lithe, as well as pretty thin, but overall fairly pretty, as much as you could tell from merely her eyes and form. But still, Akunamkanon thought to himself, if he'd been about twenty years younger and had never met Haruka, he probably would've made a move on her. The woman seemed to be in her early thirties. And in her hand she carried the most beautiful Christmas tree he'd ever seen.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for asking." The woman answered softly, her voice slightly muffled through her scarf. It really made the Egyptian man wonder why she wore it. It wasn't that cold out here. "What are you doing around here this late, sir, if you don't mind me asking?"

For some reason, he found himself not minding it at all. He only found himself loving the sound of her voice. "I'm just looking for a Christmas tree since our old fake one broke, and we really need one this year as my son is having a party for his friends."

The woman's eyes softened. "That is sweet of you." Akunamkanon found his cheeks feeling a bit hotter and immediately mentally kicked himself for that. This woman was young enough to be his daughter for heaven's sake! But then he noticed the woman's eyes smiling at him, before she took a glance sideways at the tree she was carrying. "Tell you what, why don't you take my tree here as a thank you for not hitting me with your car."

Akunamkanon's eyes widened. "B-but don't you need it for yourself, miss?" He asked rapidly. "And that isn't really a reason to thank anyone, I should've been paying more attention to the road."

The woman chuckled. Her laughter was soft and sweet, and it reminded him of his wife's. "I don't need it. I've been selling these trees all day and this the last one that was left over. I won't be needing a Christmas tree of my own this year since I've been selling them in order to go away for Christmas, so…" she paused to take a breath. "I've anyway earned enough today to pay for my trip, so I can as well give this up to you free of charge. You seem to have a sincere reason to want a tree. Just promise me you'll take good care of it, alright?"

"O-of course! Thank you very much!" Akunamkanon exclaimed in surprise, though he had to subconsciously wonder why no one had wanted such a beautiful and bushy tree. The world was apparently unfair even for trees.

The woman helped him to put the tree on the roof of his car and attach it there with ropes.

"Well, I better be going before my son gets worried." Akunamkanon murmured both to himself and the woman, feeling almost disappointed he'd probably see her ever again. He hadn't felt this way about anyone since Haruka…

The woman's eyes smiled at him. "Yes, maybe you should. I need to get going too." She began walking past him as he opened the door of his car. But just when he was about to step inside it, the woman's lips passed by his ear and he heard her whisper: "Send Yami my love. Merry Christmas, Akunam-kun."

Akunamkanon's eyes widened. The only one who had ever called him that was…

He abruptly turned around, and yelled: "Haruka!"

Only to find that the woman was already gone and nowhere to be seen. It was like she had vanished into thin air.

-

A few moments later, the Egyptian man entered his house and the spicy scent of freshly baked Christmas cookies filled his nose and the warmth his cheeks. "I'm home!"

Yami's spiky-haired head peaked out of the kitchen doorway. "I was starting to get worried. What took you so long?"

"I had a bit of a trouble finding a tree." His father replied as he started taking off his coat.

"Well, apparently it was worth the trouble; that tree is gorgeous!" Yami exclaimed, taking a look at it.

Akunamkanon only smiled at his teenage son and walked into the kitchen, where he found Atemu in his light yellow apron that read in the front: "Who says men can't cook?". He and Yami had bought it for him as a half-joke when they'd noticed how much Atemu liked housework and especially cookery and baking.

"Welcome back." The tanned not-so-much-of-a-youth smiled up at him. Since Atemu had come to live with him and Yami, his at first pale skin had for one reason or another, gone back to the way the ancient Pharaoh told it had been back when he'd been alive.

"Thanks." Akunamkanon replied, smiling also as he took a cookie from the bowl they were in. It was still warm, so it was easy to conclude they'd just been baked. He was about to take a bite of the cookie when he stopped. "Yami didn't have a part in making these, did he?" Despite being otherwise smart, Yami was a horrible cook. If you let him in the kitchen things usually had a habit of exploding or tasting horrid. Or both.

"Very funny." Yami spoke, entering the kitchen also. "But no. I only watched Atemu bake them."

Relieved and even encouraged, Akunamkanon finally took a bite of the cookie. It was as good as Atemu's regular cookies.

But then he remembered he had needed to say something to his son. "Oh, Yami, your mother sends her love."

Yami merely stared at him dumbfounded, cocking his head to his side.

Whee! I got this started! I'm trying to make the twelve chapters based on the song up by the 23rd, and the extra one of the Christmas Party on the 24th.

Next is rigging up the Christmas lights, which I think will be a bit shorter than this one.

I need some idea-help for "Finding parking spaces", "Batteries not included" and "Stale TV specials"!

And LeShie, if you're reading this: I'm sorry but I have to post this one unabated, as the schedule is pretty tight.