1A Very Anime Christmas

By: Yamiko #7

(A quick disclaimer before we start: I started writing this fic late December 2004 and never got it posted. I rediscovered it this year and randomly decided to try to finish it, hence the drastic change in writing style come Chapter Three. Chapters One and Two and the Authoress Blurb at the beginning of Chapter Three are all a year old: everything beyond that is new. Thanks for sticking with me on this one. n.n (The other disclaimer is that I own nothing.))

Hi there! If this gets posted at all, then it means I'm crazy. If it gets posted in time for Christmas, that means a miracle has occurred. :laugh: This was inspired by my family's annual hectic Let's-get-all-34-boxes-of-Christmas-decorations-unpacked-in-less-than-a-month routine.(Yes, we do have that many decorations. No, I have not actually counted the boxes, and by boxes I mean 16"x10"x8" cardboard boxes filled with miscellaneous decorations. We have about 7 boxes of tree ornaments, and they don't all fit on said tree anymore. Yikes.) So...it's kinda hard to explain, but I was just having fun toying with the idea. May have some language, but nothing naughty. (This is, after all, a Christmas fic.) So, in between all of your own Christmas shopping and tree-hunting and decorating and baking and whatever-else-you-do-this-time-of-year, please read and enjoy!

Chapter One: Tree-Hunting

Alternate Title: No Coats, No Hats, No Sleeves...And You Wonder Why You're Freezing

"Remind me why we're out here, again?"

"We're looking for a Christmas tree," Yamiko sighed for what had to have been the 300th time. "If you didn't want to come, Ed, you should have said something before we left." She was running low on patience, and she still couldn't find a tree.

"You never said we'd be trudging through a desolate wilderness in a never-ending search of the perfect spruce..."

"For God's sake, Ed, it's a Christmas tree lot," Yamiko replied, totally exasperated. "It takes up about ten spaces in the mall parking lot. It is NOT an endless wilderness. Now shut up and help me find something suitable so we can all go home."

"We're cold," Yami Yugi and Youko Kurama chorused.

Yamiko just sighed. "Well, it's 40 degrees outside and look at what you're wearing. No coats, no hats, no sleeves...and you wonder why you're freezing." At least Ed was wearing a coat. It was the same red trench coat he always wore, but hey, at least it was something. Yami and Youko were the only two who had refused to bundle up when Yamiko told them to, and it took all of her self-control not to say, "I told you so."

"We didn't think it'd be this cold outside," Yami whined plaintively.

"Yeah," Youko chimed in.

Yamiko stopped and turned to look at them (not an easy task, since neither one was at her eye level). "It's winter. In the Rocky Mountains. In Colorado. Seven thousand feet above sea level. What on God's green earth made you think it wasn't gonna be cold?"

The only reply from either bishie was a red-faced look look at their feet.

"Never mind," Yamiko sighed again and turned to continue her search. At least Duo and Vash were having fun playing hide-and-seek among the conifers. They were offering absolutely no help at all.

They weren't complaining, either. Yamiko decided to be grateful for small favors and looked at the branches of a promising tree.

All five guys had randomly shown up at her house the previous day, claiming they had nowhere to spend Christmas and asking to spend it with her. Yamiko, believing that more people really did make things merrier, had said yes.

She was only just now remembering that more people also made things more hectic. She was just about ready to take any old tree and leave, just to stop the complaining, when...

"Yamiko, Yamiko, I think we found something!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming." What she really wanted to do was raise her eyes to heaven and say" Now what? Why me?"

Later, Yamiko would reflect on how amazing it was that the two hooligans who had consumed the most sugar at breakfast and had goofed around the most (having the lowest IQs was debatable, after what Youko and Yami had done) had managed to find the perfect tree.

After about a minute of inspection, Yamiko grinned. "Yep, this is it. I don't know how you two goofballs managed to do it, but you've found the perfect tree...and I hate to interrupt your little victory dance, but I need you to help me get it to the car."

Since I'm stuck for words (and I need to actually start doing my homework...), I'm ending the chapter here. I know, I know, it's a little slow (read: snail-pace), but I am working on it. It'll get better in the next chapter - after all, since we have a tree, we now have to decorate it...R&R, please!