A/N: Wow…can't believe I actually wrote something like this. This story is actually a Christmas present for my friend holyknightsteve. Steve, I hope you like this! (Steve is also an author here on fanfiction, so I suggest you read his fics! They're really good! And if you have time, read his original story "Honor Bound" on fictionpress, under the same penname. It's awesome!) Anyways…Merry Christmas everyone! And for those that don't celebrate Christmas, well then, Happy Holidays! By the way, the title is Japanese and translates to treasure.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy X? Of course I own it! Oh…you mean the rights? No…don't own that, I just have a copy of the game! Although…any original characters not in the game belong to me! I also don't own Skuld, or anything else relating to the anime "Ah! My Goddess!"
-o-o-o-o-o-
Takara
By: Hoshiko Shinomori
-o-o-o-o-o-
Hmm…a new wrench along with various working parts, sure to please any machine-lover…or a lovely music box that plays this beautiful song, sure to please any female…hmm…what to get…?
"GAH! I can't take it anymore! How am I supposed to know which one is right?" yelled out a sandy blonde male as he grasped his head in frustration.
Suddenly he heard light chuckles from behind him. Turning around he saw a guy around six feet tall with dark brown shoulder length hair and ice blue eyes. He was in his early 20's and was obviously the store owner. The man had a strong build and was wearing just a simple white tee with plain khaki pants and some comfortable traveling boots. However, instead of looking intimidating like you would expect, he had a warm smile and a nice, welcoming aura around him.
"Haha…I'm sorry to laugh…I don't mean to be rude. I take it that you're having trouble picking out a gift for that special someone?"
The blonde could only stare in wonder and amazement. "How did you know?"
The store owner just gave another light chuckle. "I see it here all the time. You're not the first to come in with a problem."
"Well, what should I do?" While he was uncomfortable with asking a complete stranger for help, he figured it was worth a shot. After all, he was in serious need of some good advice.
"Ah...that's a tough call. You should get her something related to her interests; though you probably already knew that. By the way you keep staring at these two items, I'd say you already have it narrowed down. Hmm…haha…why don't you try getting both?"
"…I don't know…"
"Well, I'll let you think about it some more. Once you're ready to buy something, come find me. I'm going to go help some of the other customers now. By the way, my name is Kazuki," stated the man before giving a small bow, though not the traditional prayer bow.
"I'm Tidus," said the teen before returning the bow.
After that, Kazuki went off to other parts of the store, and Tidus was left to brood on his problem. Quickly getting tired at looking at the two items that were the cause of all his troubles, he decided to take a break and clear his head by looking outside. It was at this moment that he noticed an interesting scene.
Outside, in the falling snow, a little girl of about the age of five or six had approached Kimahri. She was wearing a simple pink dress and her dark raven hair was pulled back in two simple pigtails. In her hands she was carrying a small item, though what it was, Tidus couldn't tell. Kimahri and the girl talked for a little while before Kimahri finally knelt down, so he was eye level with her. Carefully, the girl put a chain with a small silver pendent on the end around his neck. Slowly getting up, Kimahri held out the pendent to get a good look at it. Then, he nodded his head once in a gesture of thanks. As soon as the girl saw this, she simply did a quick and awkward prayer bow before running off.
What is this? the Ronso thought to himself, as he stared intently at the pendent.
On the front was a picture of a chibi female with long black hair. She had strange clothes on, and strange circular markings on her face, one on her forehead, and one on each side of her face right under the corner of her eyes. On the back of the pendent were some engraved words. May a goddess always watch over you and keep you safe.
"Thank you Mister, for protecting the lady summoner. I wanted to get you a skull necklace as a Christmas gift, but they were all out," she said sadly, muttering 'stupid store' under her breath. "All I could find were Skuld necklaces. But, I like Skuld, so I thought you might too! Everybody likes Skuld! She's so pretty," carried on the little girl, looking adoringly back and forth from the figurine necklace to Kimahri. "And her pretty blue marks reminded me of your fur; they're both my favoritest color!" She beamed up at the Ronso. Motioning for Kimahri to bend down, she placed the silver pendant around his neck and stepped away. "May Skuld be with you always!" she giggled out while bowing. Then she smiled at the guardian and waved as she started running back to wherever she came from. "Bye-bye, Mister!"
Remembering the high pitched, sing song voice and words of the little girl, the guardian could only wonder.
So this is Skuld? Then, looking more closely at the back of the pendant he read, "Made in China." What is this…Chee-nay?
Figuring he had enough of the scenery, Tidas turned back towards the two items. Now he knew what to do.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"No! Absolutely not! GET OUT!" screamed a gruff voice belonging to a scruffy looking man in his 40's. He was extremely buff and was wearing a green short sleeve shirt that was just a bit too tight for him and a pair of black pants. His face was unshaven and his features were in a fierce scowl. "I WILL NOT sell to your kind!" he yelled, before heartlessly throwing a small blonde girl out into the streets, landing with a heavy thud into the cold and freezing snow.
She was wearing a simple short sleeved orange turtleneck with a pair of green shorts. Her goggles were hanging crookedly around her neck and her hair was a bit mussed. She had a disheveled appearance and looked as if she were on the verge of tears.
Crossing her arms and not even bothering to get up she screamed back, "Well why not?"
"It's because of you Al Bhed's and your use of the forbidden machina that Sin has come back!"
Many murmurs rose up from the crowd. It was apparent that many shared his views. Looking around, the blonde was hard pressed to find any supporting faces.
Seeing that this battle had been won, the store owner quickly made call outs inviting people into his shop to look at his wares before he himself headed inside the building.
Once the crowd had finished dispersing, in one final act of defiance the girl made a face and stuck her tongue out in a childish manner. Feeling a tiny bit of satisfaction, she slowly got up and started to dust herself off. Suddenly she heard laughter erupt behind her. Whirling around she was surprised to see a girl around 16 years old shedding tears of mirth.
The female had beautiful, dark, wavy locks of hair that reached to about mid-back. At about five feet, three inches tall, she was wearing a short, plain black kimono with shorts underneath. She had on a light blue obi that was tied in a huge bow in the back and was wearing a pair of simple, yet durable sandals. An air of carefree joy or childlike innocence was about her, though her light brown, almost hazel, eyes held much wisdom for her age.
Finally pausing long enough to breathe, the girl looked up to see the blonde staring at her. Wiping away her tears, she attempted to calm herself down. This of course only caused a fresh new batch of laughter to come. Finally, in between laughs, and gasping for breath, the girl managed to speak.
"I'm sorry…I'm not…laughing at you…it's just…you should have seen Garth's face!...I never liked him in the first place! And you just yelled at him and stuck out your tongue! You have no idea how long I've wanted to do something like that!"
By this time the girl had finally calmed down and was speaking normally. "Oh dear! Where are my manners? My name's Hoshi. Nice to meet you!" greeted the girl as she extended her hand out to the blonde.
"Hiya! Nice ta meet ya! I'm Rikku!" exclaimed the blonde as she took the hand of the darker-haired girl and shook it, with a genuine smile on her face.
"Hey I know! Why don't you come over to my shop and we can celebrate over some food and drinks? C'mon! Try not to fall behind," called out the older girl as she took off down the street, her feet leaving tracks in the deep snow.
"Ha! You wish!" exclaimed Rikku as she followed in hot pursuit. However, she wasn't watching where she was going and ran headlong into something soft. Firm hands grasped her shoulders, preventing her from falling. "Oh I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was…" Looking up she gazed into deep blue eyes on a face adorned with sandy blonde hair. "…Tidus?"
"Hey there! Long time no see," he said in a smooth, almost joking manner. "What have you been up to?"
Rikku's heart skipped a beat. Of all the people she could have run into, it had to be Tidus! And it was just her luck that he looked as good as ever!
Lowering her eyes to the ground to hide her embarrassment and her quickly flaming cheeks, she hastily replied. "Um…nothing really. Just wandering around! Taking in the sights, ya know?"
"Well that's good. I hope you're enjoying yourself."
Looking up by now, Rikku noticed Hoshi motioning her, while she was looking over Tidus's shoulder.
"Um…sorry, but I gotta go now!" It was then she noticed that Tidus still had his hands on her upper arms. "Um…Tidus…you can let me go now…"
"Huh?" Looking down he immediately noticed that he still had a hold on her. "Ahh! Sorry!" he said, as he instantly let go of her and put an arm back to scratch his head in an embarrassed manner.
Now both of the guardians were blushing furiously. However, Rikku was looking downwards while Tidus was looking upwards so they missed the reddish tint on each other's faces.
Over from her viewpoint, Hoshi could only stare at the scene quizzically.
What is going on there? Who is that guy?
Upon closer scrutiny she noticed just how close the two were standing together. And although she couldn't see Rikku's face clearly because of the distance, she could however see her embarrassed posture.
Oh, I get it now! Rikku and that guy like each other. Heh. Well then, I guess I'll leave the two alone for now.
Quietly, like a passing shadow, she started walking away from the sweetly romantic scene.
Finally looking up, Rikku noticed the departure of her new friend. "Ah! I've got to go now! See ya later Tidus!" called out Rikku, while giving a quick good-bye wave before running off.
"Huh…I don't think I'll ever understand women," mused Tidus as he shook his head. Then he looked down and noticed a nicely wrapped package on the ground. "This must have fallen when we collided. Oh well, guess I'll have to give my Christmas present to Rikku later." With an inaudible sigh, he merely continued down the path on his way.
Meanwhile, Rikku had finally caught up with Hoshi. Hoshi merely nodded once before silently leading the way to an unknown destination. Finally, they arrived in front of a building that looked to be some sort of an antique shop.
"Here we are. This is where I live," mentioned Hoshi with a sweeping gesture as soon as they had gotten inside.
Motioning for Rikku to sit down in one of the nearby plush armchairs, Hoshi soon left and then came back with some drinks, and sat down in another chair facing Rikku.
Staring at the interesting girl before her, Rikku could only wonder about her new friend.
"Hey, Hoshi?"
"Hmm…?"
"Why did you stay back and help? Why didn't you run away, or look down on me like all the others?"
"Why would I? Don't tell me you actually like it when people do that? Listen, I don't care what anyone says, that is no way to treat another human being! Anyone who tells you otherwise is wrong. Do you remember how I just shook your hand, instead of doing the prayer bow? That's because I don't believe in what the Yevonites are saying. How could machina be the cause of it all? And to blame the Al Bhed for all their problems, is just plain irresponsible. Anyways…that's not important right now. Just drink your tea. Everything will get better. You'll see…"
Bleh! I hate tea…oh well…might as well give it a shot…
"Hey! What's this? This isn't tea…"
Hoshi just gave a light laugh. "Of course it's tea. I just added a few things. Let's see…a mix of green and black tea, some sugar, and some milk."
"Doesn't all the extra stuff defeat the purpose of tea? I mean, now it's not as healthy, ya know?"
"Well…yeah...but it sure tastes a lot better! Hee hee! So anyways, enough about that…tell me about that guy you were talking to earlier."
"Y-you mean T-Tidus?" stuttered out Rikku, instantly turning a bright red.
"Ah ha! I knew it! So you do like him. Tidus, eh? So…you getting him anything for Christmas?"
"Er…see that's the problem! I…don't exactly have much money…and I can't take any out of the group's travel fund!"
"Well, why don't you try making something?" suggested Hoshi as though it was the most obvious conclusion, which it was.
"I can't! I've tried that before…let's just say it didn't work out so good…"
"Hmm…which two items should I try mixing together? Ooh! This looks pretty, and it's so blue! What else? How about this green liquid? Okay! I just pour the liquid over this orb…and…" KABOOM! A small explosion appeared and as the smoke cleared a short blonde girl could be seen. She coughed a couple of times, waving her hand trying to clear the air. Her face was now covered in smudges and her goggles were on her face crooked. "Well, that's not what was supposed to happen…" Then, taking a look around her, all she could find was a burnt off end of what used to be a tree. "Oopsie…"
Hoshi just started laughing again. She was laughing so hard that tears began to fall and she almost fell out of her chair. Clutching her stomach she tried hard to calm down. Looking across the room she saw Rikku's half-hearted glare and only ended up laughing harder.
"I'm sorry; I don't mean to be rude. I'm not laughing at you…okay I am laughing at you, but only because it's so funny! Listen, you're going about this present thing all wrong."
"Well, what would you have done?" asked Rikku, a little bit irritated, but laughing all the same because of her friend's contagious attitude.
"Okay, listen good. This is what we're going to do," whispered Hoshi as she began to unfold the plan that was to be set into action.
-o-o-o-o-o-
"Hey Tidus!" called out a perky blonde Al Bhed girl as she started running up towards the former star player of the Zanarkand Abes.
"Hmm…?" Turning around to find the source of the voice, Tidus quickly spotted the girl. "Oh, hey there Rikku!"
"Hiya! Merry Christmas! Here ya go! I got you a gift! Afterwards, I need to find the others and give them their gifts," mentioned the girl as she handed a small package to him. "I hope you'll like it…"
"Of course I will!" he replied as he opened up the odd shaped small package that was wrapped in a swirling blue and green wrapper, with a tiny silver ribbon tied around it. Inside was a small trinket similar to a keychain. It was in the shape of a blitzball with miniature wings that snaked around and then opened up to the full wingspan at both sides.
"I found it in an antique store. The owner said it was recovered from the ruins of Zanarkand. I guess it was some kind of a good luck charm for the players…though you already know that…you were there after all…" babbled on Rikku. She was more than just a little bit nervous. After all, what would Tidus think of the gift?
"Thank you Rikku. I love it! I can clip this on to my belt loop and hope the good luck takes effect soon. I'll never take it off! Anyways, I have a gift for you too," he said before thrusting a small square package her way.
Wordlessly Rikku looked down at the gift she held in her hand, then back at the man in front of her. She opened up the beautifully wrapped present and pulled out a small wooden box. Inside was a small package with various parts needed to create a small mechanical chocobo figurine that would be put inside the music box. As soon as she opened it up, a sweet melody began to play.
"The song that's playing is called Treasure. That's what you are to me. You're my takara, my treasure, and I wouldn't give you away for the world."
Looking between the music box, and the man that she had come to know so well during their short journey together, how could she not melt at the words that she had so longed to hear?
Jumping up, she hugged the man, wrapping her arms around his neck. Then tenderly she whispered in his ear, "I love you."
Bending down, he whispered back, "me too." Then pointing upwards briefly at a branch of mistletoe, he gave a small smirk before kissing her passionately on her lips.
Finally breaking apart for air, Tidus asked Rikku, "Hey, didn't you say you had other gifts to deliver?"
"Well, they can wait a little while longer," she replied before giving a tiny giggle.
And so the two were left in the gently falling snow, perfectly content with the world.
"Hee hee. Isn't love grand!" said a voice belonging to an all too familiar dark-haired teen as she spied on the lovey-dovey scene from behind some bushes.
"Hoshi! What do you think you are doing?" asked a tall male as he approached the teen.
"Nothing! Nothing at all…" she said with a very guilty look on her face. "Hey Kazuki, why don't we go back to my shop and I'll make us some nice hot tea?" she said, quickly trying to change the subject before she was caught.
"If it's that stuff you usually make and try to pass off as tea, then I'd rather have hot cocoa."
"Haha, okay then, hot cocoa it is! C'mon, let's go!" said the chipper girl as she started trudging through the snow, Kazuki following close behind.
-o-o-o-o-o-
A/N: Well, that's all! Haha, this was a really weird ending…anyways! I hope you all like it, especially you Steve! Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays! Oh and thanks to my editor for all her help. You know what you did.