Started in: 13/12/2015 - Ended in: 24/12/2015

Nearly a year had passed since Lilith departed to the demon world to battle the Dark Messiah, Jedah Dohma, and to find the truth about herself.
And ever since then, John Statley, a young human had been waiting for her to return. Actually, he hoped with all his heart that she would.

But with each passing day after three months. And with John not receiving any news about the succubus, he slowly began to lose hope.
'Did Lilith win?' 'Did Lilith took care of that... threat? Or did someone else did?' 'Did she died?' All those thoughts were always plaguing his mind.
He remembered telling her on that day that he would be waiting for her to come back when she knew of her true self... and he would wait forever if he had to.

"Hey, John!" a man's voice called out to him.
John was quickly snapped out of his thoughts and faced his co-worker, who was a muscled middle-aged man with a bandana on his head.
"John, how are you feeling?" he asked in a slight concerned tone.
"I'm okay." was all that John said.
But his colleague wasn't too convinced.
"That doesn't look 'okay' to me."
"John, listen to me." the man started. "I just talked to the boss recently today. He and I have been talking about you for a short time."
The boy felt a little intrigued by that, he inquired: "What did he say?"
"He said that you've been putting too much effort on yourself for almost two months, and that you've been spacing out every once in a while."
John wanted to say he was wrong. But if he did, he would've been lying.
He just sighed in response.

His co-worker gave him a bit of a sorry look and stated: "Look, I talked to the boss, he said that you have been pushing yourself too hard. And I, for one, agree with him."
John turned his gaze back to the man as he continued: "He also said that you don't have anymore work for this week. In fact, you can already go home and be with your family or any of your friends. It's Christmas eve. You only have to come back next year in the third day of January."
The boy stood there for a couple of seconds without saying anything, however he heard his colleague's words.
He then turned around and began to walk away.
"Alright, I'm going home. Merry Christmas." he spoke with a sad tone.
"Merry Christmas, John."
And once the boy was gone, the man thought: 'God, I hope that boy gets well.'

(LATER IN HIS HOUSE)

John had already placed all of his christmas decorations all over the house from within.
He was seated on his chair, looking at the picture of Lilith hanging on his wall. The very same that he had personally drawn so long ago.
He was thinking about the succubus again.
"Oooh, Lilith... where can you be?" he spoke to himself out loud, worriedly. "Are you alright? Are you... still among the living?" "If you are, then when will you return?"
Each of those questions were torturing him.

Until he suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.
He stood up and walked to it without any emotion.
Then, he opened the door... and saw a person wearing a white robe, with the hood covering their face.
"May I come in, please?" the hooded person inquired gently, revealing to be a female.
John wasn't too sure, but her voice sounded familiar.
"Certainly." he nonchalantly replied as he stepped aside and allowed the hooded person to enter.

A short time later, John had made some hot tea for himself and his guest, and also brought another chair.
"Here you go." he said, handing her a cup.
"Thank you." she said back, smiling a little.
The hooded person took a sip from her tea cup and enjoyed the liquid inside her mouth before she swallowed it.
She complimented: "This tea tastes really good."
"Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy it." he spoke in slight satisfaction as he drank a bit of his cup. "It's made of lemon."

The female individual then began to look at the picture on the wall.
"Is that a picture of a succubus with a bow and arrow?" she asked him.
John too turned to look at the image for a moment before confirming.
"Yes, it is." he told her. "Why? You don't like it?"
"Of course I like it. Actually, I think it's wonderful, and I can tell it was you who drew it." she admitted.
The young human was a little surprised that she found out that he was the one who drew it in the first place.
But, nevertheless, he appreciated her words: "Well, thanks for the compliment."
She soon began to question him: "By the way, and please tell me the truth, but is that a character that you created?"
John wondered in his head about why that person was interrogating him about the picture, however he felt no need to lie.
He chuckled a bit and answered: "No. This picture was actually drawn from a real succubus."
The hooded person stayed silent for a few seconds and asked: "You're pulling my leg, aren't you?"
John shook his head in response: "No, far from it."
He started to explain: "It was from a real succubus, and one that lived with me in this house for some time. I befriended her rather quickly, even when she arrived here for the first time. She told me her name was Lilith. I never knew she was succubus. And when I did..."
"... You were afraid of her, huh?" the person tried to guess.
"No, I wasn't. I was just surprised, nothing else." he corrected her. "Anyway, even when I knew what she really was, my friendship with her remained unchanged."
The young Statley stopped for a second to drink from his tea.
And then, with a smile, he continued: "Every time I was with her, I felt happy. A happiness greater than anything I had ever felt in my whole life. Every time we talked, interacted, or even when we went to get groceries. There was one time that she disappeared from me without a trace, leaving me alone and quite worried for her. And when she came back and told me she had been in America, I was so dumbfounded that I dropped some plates on the ground. I admit, I was a little annoyed at first, but it didn't took long for me to calm down and feel happy for her again." he laughed lightly and added. "I guess she was lucky that I didn't scold her like a parent would do to a child. And that was when I began to see her as more than just a friend."
The hooded person silently giggled at the statement.
Then John's cheerful expression was replaced by a sad one and he bent his head down.
He continued: "Then there came the day that Lilith left and didn't came back ever since. She told me that she wanted to find her true self. I knew she was going to face many dangers. I wanted to convince her to stay with me instead, but I didn't... I didn't even tried to stop her." slowly, his expression began to show pain as he spoke the next words. "Instead, I allowed her to go. I remember telling her that I would wait for her..." his voice began to crack a little. "... forever. And I still remember that kiss she gave on my cheek, before she left."
Unknown to the young man, the hooded person was feeling his grief and shed a tear from her eyes that she quickly wiped away before he could notice it.

"I... I know what it's like to be distant from someone you care so much about." the female individual confessed.
That was when John knew he needed someone that could understand him.
He needed someone to hear him out, to remove the burden in his chest if they could.
The young Statley spoke: "Ever since Lilith left, my life was no longer the same. Each day that passed, for me, it felt like it was two days. I began to sleep even less, until I could barely get any sleep at all. I have been always hoping for her to return, but with each day, that hope just got weaker. If you ask me, I feel like I've almost given up hope by now. Although I keep going with my own life, it just feels empty. I mean, my body and mind are still among the living, but my heart and soul are with Lilith. Without her, I'm like a walking corpse. I don't even know if Lilith is alright... if she's alive or not. But... for better or worse, I would want to know."
Afterwards, John took a deep breath and said the rest: "And now we're on Christmas eve, a special day to be with our families and friends. And I would love nothing more than to spend that time with her, with Lilith. To embrace her in my arms. To tell her what she means to me. Maybe even have the chance to tell her how much I love her, darkstalker or not." he released a sigh after that. "But how can I even tell her that if she's not here with me?"
Then something quite unexpected happened.
The hooded person told him with a smile: "You already have."

John was going to inquire her what she meant with those words, until he saw her removing the hood from her head.
He couldn't believe it... All that time, the hooded person that he was talking to, was none other than... Lilith Aensland.
He was so awestruck that he dropped his cup on the ground, he even ignored the sound that the cup made as it came in contact with the ground.
The young human rubbed his eyes, begging that he wasn't dreaming.
He stammered with wide eyes: "L-Lilith?"
"Yes, John. It's me." the succubus replied.

John got up from his seat and slowly walked towards her.
He stood right in front of her and brought a hand to caress her face, which she granted.
The feeling of her face, for him, it was enough to prove it was no dream. She was really there... looking to his eyes.
The young Statley soon began to weep as he placed his arms around her, giving her the biggest hug he could give, but still being careful not to hurt her.
His sudden action shocked the succubus for a bit.
"You're... crying?" Lilith questioned.
The human boy admitted with no regrets: "Yes, Lilith. I am crying. Because I am so relieved, I am so happy to see you again."
If she wasn't touched by his sudden embrace, then now she was by his honest words as she hugged him back.
And they stayed like that for a few minutes.

When they seperated from each other, John inquired: "So, did you find your true self?"
"Yes, and no." Lilith said. "I did find out that I'm really a part of Morrigan, but I still don't believe I should go back to her."
"What do you mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She clarified: "What I mean is, although I know of my origin, I don't feel like that should be my place. And besides, I believe my place should be here... with you."
John's mind felt like it stopped for a moment, before he composed himself.
He happily smiled to her as he spoke: "Lilith... there are no words that I can say how happy I am right now."
Lilith answered, smiling back: "There's no need for any words, John. Your face is answer enough."
Soon, they focused on one another's eyes, drawing their faces closer to each other... until their lips connected.
That kiss they shared, it felt like if they had stayed there for the whole day, although it was just for a few minutes.

Once they broke away, they both stared at each other, with their cheeks blushing.
The young Statley declared: "I've wanted to do this for quite some time."
"Me too, John. Me too." Lilith giggled.

The night wasn't over yet, they still had some time. So, the two decided to make the best of it.
John told her about two people kissing while under a mistletoe.
And even though they had already shared one themselves, they thought about kissing again, only this time it was under a mistletoe.
Next, while Lilith was carrying John, they flew together from England to America.
They watched the cities and other places from above as they were flying.
And finally, they sat next to one another on top of his house's roof, looking to the sky and observing the stars.
Needless to say, that night was just wonderful.

As tiredness began to catch on, they went back inside the house, through a window.
In the bedroom, the two decided that they would be sleeping together in the same bed for the first time.
Lilith respected John's privacy as he quickly went to a room to change to his nightclothes... even when she was tempted to spy on his nude form, she still didn't.
When the young man returned to the bedroom, he saw Lilith standing in front of him with her back turned to him, looking at him with a cute blush.
She was dressed in some white panties and a bra, with a transparent nightgown on top.
That sight was enough to make his face heat up.
"Like what you see?" she playfully teased.
John's reply was: "Well, I... I... *ahem*" he cleared his throat before talking again. "Well, I don't want to sound like a pervert, but I love it."
The succubus released a small laugh at his reaction.
"I'm glad to hear it." she told him.

Soon they began to go to bed, cuddling together, and with the sheets on top of them.
Being so close to one another, they felt a pleasurable warmth. Which was very good during a cold winter.
"Hey, John. I want to ask you something." Lilith stated.
"Sure, Lilith. What is it?" he gladly listened.
"How about, when we've matured a little more, we have a baby of our own?" the succubus inquired, imagining the happy results.
The young human sweatdropped at her question.
They had just declared their love for each other, and she was already thinking about having kids. At least, she added until they had matured.
John smiled at the possible thought and answered: "I would like that very much."
Thus Lilith and John wished a good night to both of them, and they fell asleep in the embrace of one another.

Author's notes: This fanfiction was based on the stories of the game 'Darkstalkers 3' and of the manga 'Vampire Savior - Tamashii no Mayoigo'.
I at first thought of writing a fanfiction with all Darkstalkers characters, including with some secret ones, on Christmas eve.
Unfortunately, I thought that the story's text would be too large, and so many characters in one place would take a LOT of effort and patience.
I wanted to try writing a story on Christmas eve that wouldn't be too large nor too short.
This story based on the manga has actually been in my mind for a few months. And personally, I'm happy with what I wrote.
I hope you guys and gals enjoyed it too.
This is Kranon the Deathclaw-Human, and I just have this to tell you: "MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!"