Disclaimer: See disclaimer in profile. This is a light and fluffy Christmas story involving Ami and Makoto. Don't like it? Don't read it! This is written in response to a challenge Crawlspace posted in her forum for writing a story about a Santa Claus hat, and thus a one shot written in just over two hours so that I could insure I make the deadline for it. Enjoy!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (2008) !
A gift for Ami
Christmas shopping was the highlight of the season for Makoto. It was how she showed her friends she truly knew and appreciated them. Truly the perfect way to end the year on a good note. It was always a blast since the girls always went together for the big event, and with their busy lives, it wasn't common for them all to be in the same place at the same time.
Usagi had been amusingly easy for Makoto to shop for. The first big stuffed rabbit in the toy store just screamed out her name since it would go perfectly with the rest of the rabbit stuff the Senshi of the moon kept in her room.
For Minako, Makoto's choice of a gift would probably at first seem strange. A pair of binoculars. So, she had gotten a card to explain their purpose: that being to watch guys from a distance. She could already picture the blonde with them around her neck peeking round corners on her way to classes.
Rei had been a bit more of a challenge. She lived a fairly simple life when compared to the rest of her friends. However, Rei did have a weakness for pop music, so a couple of CDs of the latest releases was a good bet.
Michiru was down right tricky. Such a refined person was always a bit interesting to shop for. But it didn't take Makoto long to stumble across a box of Prisma Color pencils on sale at the art supply store that would be useful to her artistic friend.
In one of her bags was a nice dark blue tie. Something that for any woman would have made for a rather strange gift, unless that woman was Haruka.
Hotaru would get exactly what she had asked for. A new sun hat, just in case the one she normally wore finally got blown away by the wind for good.
For Setsuna, the choice had been simple. More of a gag gift really. Earlier this month, the guardian and Senshi of time slept in, and was coincidentally late for work. Everyone had yet to let her live it down. So, it was a simple clock with battery back up for her.
That left only one person. The hardest person in the world for Makoto Kino to shop for.
Ami.
Ami's mother could provide anything she ever wanted or needed, so Ami seemed to have everything she ever desired. It wasn't like she was spoiled, since Ami's wants and needs were fairly simple. A good computer, clothing, food, and books. That was about it. So long as she could get to school on time every day, Ami Mizuno was a happy girl.
This also made her difficult to shop for. Last year, Makoto had gotten her a book. A simple romance novel that looked like it would appeal to the book worm. Unfortunately, it turned out Ami had a copy of that book already.
The year before that, it had been a new version of Paint Shop, but what Makoto knew about computers could fit into a thimble with room to spare. So it was no surprise to her when Minako told her that Ami already had the latest version, and that the version Makoto had bought was three versions out of date. Granted, Minako hadn't known this at the time since she learned it later from Ami when she asked about the unopened box three months later. It was just how smug her hyper friend had sounded when she said it that had gotten to Makoto.
The year before that, it was what was known to this very day as the Makoto Mayhem Disaster. Makoto had decided for Christmas that fateful year, she would cook Ami a truly wonderful Christmas dinner. However, something had gone wrong with the oven. It must have been an electrical problem, because a Kino woman would NEVER set a perfectly good meal on fire.
The fire had been tremendous, and then there was the smoke damage.
And the year before that seemed to be Makoto's only success story with shopping for Ami. She had gotten her shorter friend a blue vest that year, and Ami wore it just about everywhere after that. When it had finally became worn out, Ami had gone and found the exact same vest so she could still wear it from time to time.
That had been the year the two of them had started dating. Ami's happy reaction to that present was a memory Makoto cherished nearly every day. One that she had tried every year since to live up to, and was sorely disappointed by every attempt.
She collapsed onto a bench and flopped her head back with a frustrated sigh. It was time to admit it. She had no idea what to get Ami. Rei's idea of playing it safe and getting a gift card to the nearest electronics store was starting to sound good to her at this point.
A gift card. Had she truly sunk that low? Makoto mentally cursed herself for her weakness.
Shoulders slumped in defeat, Makoto leaned forward holding her head with her hands as she watched other people shopping with seemingly out a care. They made it look so easy! Then she came up with a wonderful idea. Perhaps she could find inspiration from total strangers.
She watched one couple walk into a jewelry shop. Perhaps that was it! Jewelry! A nice ring or necklace would be romantic! But then . . . Ami rarely wore jewelry.
Then, Makoto spied on a family walking out of a pet store with a happy new edition to their family: A fluffy puppy. While she had no doubts Ami could give any animal a happy home, Ami's apartment didn't allow pets. Scratch the puppies and kitties then.
After a while, she noticed Minako skipping into the Christmas decoration shop, no doubt thrilled to be done with her Christmas shopping. Makoto couldn't bring herself to feel envious or angry at her friend though, especially since the pink cooking apron she stopped to tuck back into a bag just before entering it had to be for her.
The brunette got up and walked to the display window of the Christmas shop, desperately searching for an answer to her problem. She knew she wouldn't find Ami's present here of course. Ami had decorated for the season already, and getting a present you couldn't use for 365 days just struck Makoto as a stupid idea. But as Minako would have said, 'let inspiration sleep with the dog under the tree.'
Not that Makoto knew what in the world Minako had been trying to say at that moment. But it was the best advice she had been given all day.
As she watched the toy train go round for what must have been the hundredth time, something caught Makoto's attention. Bubbly happy Minako was busy switching between a stereotypical Santa Claus hat and a silly green elf hat while making faces in a mirror as she tried to decide which one to buy.
As frustrated as she was, Makoto couldn't help but laugh at her friends antics. Leave it to Minako to cheer her up without even trying. Of course, Makoto already knew Minako would pick the Santa hat, since it matched that ridiculous bow the girl always had in her hair.
Side tracked for a moment, Makoto suddenly tried to picture herself wearing the familiar red hat.
That was when the idea struck her. It came to her slowly at first, but gradually picked up speed like a freight train pulling out of the station. Once it got going, there was no stopping it.
Makoto, wearing the Santa Claus hat.
And nothing else.
She shook her head hard as she told herself no. Ami was far too classy a girl for that sort of immature thing to work.
Then Makoto spied the most comfortable looking robe beside the hats. It was the same color and trim as the Santa Claus hats, and was obviously something you could only get away with wearing this time of year. Still, it looked soft, warm, and inviting.
Makoto slapped herself hard as she tried to remind herself that she was shopping for Ami.
That was when all the pieces for the idea clicked into place, and Makoto's train of thought truly got going. The image of herself in that robe, with that silly cheesy Santa Claus hat was adorable. The tag on the robe could be turned into a tag with Ami's name on it easily enough . . .
After all, now that she thought about it, there was only one thing Ami wanted these days.
Makoto.
Author's note: Minako's saying that Makoto is thinking about is supposed to be: Let sleeping dogs lie.