Author's note: ...You know what? Anyone who posted a Christmas story sometime after Christmas and on the day of New Year's Day is an idiot.
...Therefore, I'm an idiot.
*sighs* I guess it can't be helped since I have to do some Christmas shopping, cleaned the house, and all the other important stuff. Anyway, I hope everyone had a great time on Christmas Day. Enjoy this one-shot I've been meaning to do for a while! :)
Disclaimers: I don't own Yugioh Arc-V.
Sweet Christmas Love
5...4...3...2...1...Ding!
As soon as the timer went off for about an hour, Ray quickly opened the refrigerator where a tray of chocolate ganache is setting to cool down. Not to harden it completely, but at least cool enough where it can be used for form shapes of any kinds. Sorta like Play-doh, except more soft, creamy, and delicious. Satisfied with the way the ganache turned out, Ray took the tray out of the fridge and set it on the kitchen table next to the bowl of melted chocolate and other ingredients to flavor up the chocolate treats.
Now here comes the fun part where Ray has to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty. She scooped the ganache with the melon scooper and used her hands to form it into a tiny ball. She repeated the same process for several times. Once she rolled up the ganache into thirty balls, Ray coated them evenly with melted chocolate and placed them on another tray with the wax paper on top, one by one. By the time she reached for the crushed peppermints to sprinkle on top of the truffles, she heard the door opened and immediately recognized who came in.
"Ah! Welcome home, father," Ray greeted as her father, Akaba Leo, kicked the door close and hang his coat on a coat hanger, "How did the research go?"
"It went alright. There were a few glitches on the Solid Vision that we need to fix, though," Leo replied before noticing his daughter making chocolate truffles in the kitchen. Needless to say, he looked amazed, "Ray, these look really good. What did you put in there this time?"
"Arigatou," Ray replied gleefully, "I decided to put some grounded coffee, crushed peanuts, cocoa powder, crushed peppermint, and cayenne in them this time. Would you like to try one, father?"
"Mmm...just one then," Leo replied as he took a piece. Honestly, he never likes eating sweets that much. But he wouldn't mind much if his daughter is making them. By the time Leo put the truffle in his mouth, he chewed slowly, savoring the flavor before his eyes widened a bit in amazement. He nodded approvingly, "Ray, these are really good."
Ray reaction was a cute, little smile that he loved seeing so much after the compliment. Then he said, "But I find it strange that you would make them every Christmas holidays. I never once thought that you would have a sweet tooth."
The maroon hair girl turned her head away and let out a nervous laugh, low enough for her father not to hear. "Well...it's not for me, actually."
Five years ago...
The school bell rang, and every student quickly left the building for a winter break. On the way home, thirteen-year-old, Ray, noticed her friend, Zarc, glancing at the nearby desert shop through the window. Out of curiosity, Ray went to him.
"What are you looking at, Zarc?" she asked.
The silver hair boy quickly pointed at the window at a particular. From here, Ray could see assortments of desserts with a Christmas theme displayed neatly behind the window. From snowflake cookies to cake pop ornaments to bûche de Noël, anyone who saw them would have their mouths watering at the sight of them. Yet, it was also would be a shame to eat because the decorations on the desserts are pretty to look at...and the prices are way to high for anyone to buy. Especially for the two thirteen-year-olds watching them.
But the one that Zarc was pointing at was a small, round treats, which Ray assumed it was made from chocolate, with some toppings on the top (be it nuts, powder, or shredded coconut).
"...Truffles."
"What?" Ray asked.
"Chocolate truffles. I remember having them has a kid," Zarc replied and look down sadly, "Back then, I never really celebrate Christmas nor did I ever experience eating any sweets. That is...until the old lady who worked here took pity on me or something and gave me a small bag of chocolate truffles as a Christmas gift," Then, he smiled again, "It was the best thing I ever tasted in my entire life. I couldn't remember the time I didn't smile while eating them."
Ray gave a small smile to the silver hair boy. She almost forgot that Zarc really had a rough childhood back in the orphanage. No family. No friends. Definitely, no one to rely on. All he ever had is his Duel Monster cards to keep him company. That is until they met each other.
Ray felt bad for him. Compare to him, at least she still has a father who is alive and cares for her, despite how busy he is. It was also sad to hear that Zarc never had any Christmas experience. Then, an imaginary light bulb appeared on her head.
"Then, let's go inside and buy one," Ray suggested, "Sure, it's going to be expensive, but I don't mind sharing. Besides, I would like to meet the lady who gave you truffles."
"Not possible," Zarc replied as soon as he hears the last statement, "She passed away a long time ago." Ray's heart sank as soon as she heard that, "It was too bad, though. She was the only person besides you, Ray, who noticed me," A pause, "Anyway, none of those truffles right there taste as good as hers. Though, I'm sure she would've like you if you two have met."
Feeling down from remembering the bittersweet memory, the silver hair boy put his hands in his pocket and slowly walked away. Ray gave her friend an empathetic look before glancing at the chocolate truffles at the display. Then, another idea popped to her.
Few days later (some time before Christmas)...
Ray waited as patiently as she could for Zarc to come by at their usual spot at the park where they always hang out. Unfortunately, that guy always shows up late, no matter where they go. The maroon hair girl sighed glanced at a small green bag on her hand. It had a red ribbon tied around the opening with a holly attached to it.
It was still early for Christmas, but it is an acceptable time to do this. The day after the two passed by at the sweet shop, Ray decided to make homemade truffles on her own. They didn't turn out pretty like at the store, but at least it tastes good to her. Hopefully, Zarc will think the same.
Just then, someone called her name and Ray turned around to see Zarc running towards her.
"You're late," she replied as the silver boy stopped his track to catch his breath.
"Sorry..." Zarc panted, "I forgot to set my alarm clock, so..."
As soon as he let out a sheepish smile, Ray sighed, "Idiot...But I'm glad you're here. I made you a little something."
Ray gave the small bag to Zarc, who looked at it in surprise, "Ray, wha-?"
"Remember our conversation back at the sweet shop a few days ago?" she asked, in which he nodded in reply, "Well, I decided to make homemade chocolate truffles for you."
"...Really?!" The silver hair boy replied after he registers his thoughts, "But you don't have to do that. Besides, I don't have anything to give you."
"But I want to, and you don't have to give me anything," the maroon hair girl assured him, "Zarc, everyone deserves to be happy on Christmas, and you're no different. I know you have a rough past, and that's why I want to give you something that will bring you joyous memories, even if it's just for a moment."
Hearing that from her made Zarc's heart fluttered. It had been a long time since someone had done something very kind to him, but he didn't expect to get a gift from Ray. Yet, he was overwhelmed with joy through this act of kindness, and to get this from Ray meant so much to him.
After thanking and giving Ray an affectionate hug, Zarc quickly opened the bag and pulled one of the chocolate truffles out...which turned out to be as ugly as a pebble because the shape looks messed up. He didn't say this out loud, for he knew it would hurt Ray's feelings. Instead, he popped the truffle into his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the chocolatey flavor.
"...Well?" Ray asked calmly, yet anxiously at the same time.
"It's a bit too sweet."
And that's where everything in this particular moment froze.
Pretty sure everyone, including Ray, could hear something cracked.
"And the texture is pretty dense. Plus, I just remembered that the old lady put some kind of "hidden flavor" in the truffles, but I can't remember what it was."
Then the next thing suddenly happened that not even Zarc wasn't even aware off.
"Goodbye my hardworking effort," Ray said bluntly after snatching the gift from her friend and prepared to throw it like a pitcher throwing a baseball.
"WAIT! RAY, STOP!" Zarc begged while locking his arms around his friend's waist to stop her, "I didn't say it was bad! I just said that it didn't taste the same! Just give it back to me, PLEASE!"
Ray just simply smirked and gave the bag of chocolate truffles back to him.
"Of course I was just playing around, silly," Ray said as she watched Zarc munching on the remaining chocolate treats.
Besides, just seeing him eating her handmade gift made her happy enough.
Five years later (aka the present and Christmas Eve)...
Ever since then, Ray decided to make Zarc some chocolate truffles every Christmas. She would always change to flavors on the truffles just to make it similar to the ones the old lady made for Zarc. Unfortunately for her, the ones Ray made did not come close. It was either "too sweet", "too bitter", "too peppery" (long story short, Ray accidentally put black peppers in the chocolate mix), or "too dense" (all according to Zarc). Apparently, there was suppose to be a "hidden flavor" in the truffles the old lady made, but Zarc had forgotten what that flavor was, which puts Ray into a more difficult spot. Nevertheless, Ray continued searching that "hidden flavor" for her chocolate truffles thanks to the internet and a tv reality show, Masterchef, with Japanese subtitles.
Though, the difficult part for Ray was that she has to deliver the truffles to Zarc in secret, considering that she has an overprotective dad and she cannot let him find out about their relationships. Turns out that luck was on her side because her father just got a call from his colleges and needs to head back to the research lab for maintenance. This would be a good chance for Ray to give her gift to Zarc.
Right after saying good-bye to her father, who left a little after being told that his daughter is going to a special holiday duel tournament to see a friend, Ray cleaned up the kitchen and then ran to her room to change. Her chosen outfits were suitable for winter for an obvious reason, so she put on a long sleeved blue dress, lavender shawl, white leggings, and dark brown boots.
After checking herself in the mirror one last time, Ray grabbed her purse and Zarc's gift (which was the wrapped the same way as the first one, only with mini-dragon designs on it) and ran out of her house, making sure that the door is locked and everything.
Though before heading to the stadium, Ray decided to meet up with Zarc at their usual spot at the park. From there, she could see some Christmas decorations hanging around the area, from colorful lights on the trees to red ribbons wrapped around the light post. To Ray, the scenery is actually quite beautiful. Then, she saw her boyfriend leaning against one of the light post waiting for her. By the time he finally saw her, Zarc waved while Ray went to him and gave him an affectionate hug.
"Hey, ready for the tournament?" she asked.
"Yeah," Zarc replied, "It may not be as much as a big deal as the other tournaments I've been through, but I still want to do great over there."
"You can do it, Zarc," Ray assured him, " You've been practicing for all this as always. Just do your best and remember to have fun, okay?"
"Okay. You're right. I'll do my best," the silver hair duelist agreed, "Ready to go, Ray?"
"Sure. But first things first," Ray reached into her purse and held out the same bag of truffles in her hand, "Our little Christmas tradition. Go ahead and have a taste."
Zarc accepted the gift and thanked his girlfriend before taking a bite out of the peanut crusted truffle.
"...So how is it?" Ray asked.
"...It tasted really good!" Zarc exclaimed, not noticing the gleaming look in Ray's eyes, "But it still doesn't taste the same. I don't think it's the right hidden flavor."
Dammit! Ray sighed in disappointment. Looks like she didn't make it this time. However, she saw something very interesting that took away her disappointment. "Zarc, look!"
The silver hair duelist responded by looking up where Ray is pointing to, only to see a mistletoe hanging from the light post decorated with red ribbon. Considering that he doesn't celebrate Christmas that much, Zarc doesn't understand the meaning behind the mistletoe. Before he can ask, he felt Ray's lip on his. Zarc was taken back by this, but later relaxed and slowly melt into the kiss.
As for Ray, she felt a bit flushed for her own sudden action but continued this innocent, yet tender moment with Zarc (she could taste a bit of chocolate from his lips). She could only wish that she and Zarc could spend their moment like this together every Christmas.
...However, what she didn't really know was that this would be the last time Ray will ever give homemade chocolate truffles to Zarc.
Author's note: And that's where it ends. I was going to end this as a really, really sad ending compared to this, but I never really liked making sad Christmas story. I want to make the ones that spread love and hope. Plus, I think Ray and Zarc deserve some happy moments together.
Also, before finishing this story, I've been asking some people (both in and outside of fanfiction) what treats they prefered to have on Christmas, chocolate truffles or cake pops. The results ended up being a tied, but I decided to go with chocolate truffles because I feel that it happens to be more traditional. So...sorry people who voted for cake pops? Maybe I can give you virtualized ones as an apology?
Anyway, even though it's late, I hope you readers enjoyed reading this as a Christmas present. So Merry belated Christmas and hope you guys have a wonderful New Year! Feel free to take some virtualized chocolate truffles before my OCs eat them all! :D