In Love In Christmas

by Firenzie

This is my entry for Buka2000's Christmas Contest, and it's a Jyoura because I wanted to try something new. I really have nothing else to say about it, so please read it.

In Love on Christmas

By Firenze

A/N: This is my first time writing a Jyoura. It's for Buka2000's Christmas Contest, which is the first time I gathered enough courage to enter in one. And yes, you read right, this is a Jyoura, as in a Joe and Sora romance. I didn't have to make it a Jyoura, but I wanted to try something new. Anyway, you've been warned, so if you don't like it, you don't have to read. I also had to make Tai a sort of jerk in some parts of this, and yes, it breaks my heart, but it's the only way I could make it believable to myself. Anyway, this centers on Joe, which is another first for me. I also believe it's my first Christmas fic ever, which is kind of surprising. I took so many firsts and risks…and although I'd never have any chance at being close at the contest, I'm trying to avoid the last place spot. So I hope this turned out okay…

Disclaimer: Sora, Joe, and the other Digidestined don't belong to me, obviously. If you thought so, I pity your sanity and hope that someone will give you a proper brain for Christmas. (Excuse the heavy cynicism) I got the title, "In Love in Christmas" from an *NSYNC song, but this isn't a songfic, doesn't use that song, and has nothing to do with it, really. I just thought I owed them some credit. Any other various Christmas carols I mention aren't mine either.

~*~*~*~MERRY~*~*~*~CHRISTMAS~*~*~*~MERRY~*~*~*~CHRISTMAS~*~*~*

Joe Kido walked down the sidewalk in the city of Odaiba. He shivered, despite his warm coat. The season was winter, around late December, and the temperature was below freezing, and there were a flurry of powdery white snowflakes falling from the sky. As he passed by countless stores decked out in Christmas decorations, he couldn't help but glance into a few shop windows, looking for presents for his parents, his brother Jim, and his fellow Digidestined friends.

He remembered that Christmas was always about presents to him, when he was younger, and not the act of giving and exchanging gifts, but receiving them from others. He had always been so interested in getting the latest toys and things that he never really realized what Christmas truly meant. Did he even know what it meant now?

A bright, colorful store caught his eye, and he stepped back to look inside. It was a toy store, the perfect place to find presents for TK, Kari, and maybe some of the other Digidestined. The glass was covered in a thin sheet of ice, and he took his mittened hand, wiped a bit away, and peered inside. There were so many toys…who would like what?

The lady behind the counter inside the shop was giving him a strange look. It took him a while to register that his face was pressed against the glass and he was fogging up the window. He gave a sheepish smile and stepped back. But he bumped into someone.

"Whoops!" He quickly turned around, hoping he hadn't knocked them over. "I'm so sorry, I was paying attention, this is all my fault—" he started apologizing quickly. I am such a doofus. Why am I acting like such an idiot? What's the matter with me? Why is my heart beating so fast like this and why do I have butterflies in my stomach? He finally looked at who he had stumbled into and realized the answers to all his questions.

The person was Sora. She was dressed warmly in winter clothes, but her smile was the warmest thing about her. "Oh, hi, Joe! Don't worry about bumping into me or anything. I'm all right. So what are you doing? Some last minute Christmas shopping?"

"Uh – uh – um, yeah," he stuttered, trying to manage a slight nod.

She looked at him curiously. "Are you all right?"

Not wanting to seem like a nervous wreck, he simply nodded again. "It's just this weather we're having…it's a little chilly."

"Chilly is an understatement," she said, still brightly smiling. "It's like subzero around here. Want to go inside my mom's florist shop and warm up a bit? Maybe we can do our shopping together. I still have to get presents for Tai, Mimi, and…well, you."

"All right!" he said eagerly. Whoa…calm down, Joe. He nervously cleared his throat. "I – I mean, sure. That sounds fun."

"The shop is just around the corner," she said, taking his hand and leading the way.

Joe was getting goosebumps all over. Something tells me that this isn't from frostbite.

As they entered the florist's shop, which smelled so fragrant with flowers and a hint of pine, a tiny bell tinkled above them, signaling their arrival to Mrs. Takenouchi, who was arranging a basket of red and white poinsettias. "Oh, hello, Sora. Is that one of your friends there?"

"Yes, mom. This is Joe. Remember? He was one of the Digidestined. I ran into him by the toy store and decided I'd join him. We just came here to warm up."

"It's so cold out. Maybe you should just stay home all day, or you could always help me out here. Christmas is a busy time for poinsettias and mistletoe and all."

"But I still have some shopping left to do, and Tai and Kari's Christmas party is tonight," she said. "Joe has some shopping left also. You're going to Tai's party, aren't you, Joe?"

He was slightly in a daze, even though Sora had let go of his hand long ago.

"Joe? Joe? Are you going to Tai's party?" she repeated.

And speaking of Tai, he walked right through the doorway at that moment with Matt. They were talking and laughing together. "Hey, Sora!" Tai called. "Hello, Mrs. Takenouchi."

"Hello, Tai," she said with a friendly smile.

"Hi, Tai!" Sora said excitedly. She even went so far as to give him a quick hug.

Tai was blushing a bit, but they all just assumed the red in his cheeks was from the cold out. But Matt noticed, and nudged him and winked. Joe, however, was getting jealous. He liked Sora, but she must have liked Tai. And Tai obviously liked her back. The nerdy, oldest Digidestined boy had no chance in getting Sora's love.

"What are you two boys doing here?" Mrs. Takenouchi asked. "Here to buy a bouquet of flowers for some girls you like?" she teased.

Now Tai and Matt both turned red. "No, it isn't that," Matt protested.

"My mom told me to pick up some poinsettias for the finishing touches for our Christmas party." His eyes glinted. "And some mistletoe to hang in various places around the house." He and Matt started laughing.

Mistletoe? Joe thought. That's the perfect way for me to get to kiss Sora! And she has no choice… Awww, that doesn't sound right. A kiss is only nice if the other person wants it as much as you do. A small sigh escaped him. It's hopeless. Tai will somehow manage to get himself caught under that mistletoe with her, I know it. Maybe I should just forget about Sora. But how can I? She's so kindhearted, pretty, smart, caring…she's perfect.

"Helloooo? Joe? Is anyone home?" Tai was waving his hand in front of Joe's face. "Come back down to Earth, Joe. Are you coming to my party or not?"

"Why does he always get so out of it whenever we ask that question?" Sora asked.

"I – I'm going to the party," he said firmly, to finally get them to stop asking him the same question over and over.

"Okay, cool. That means everyone is going, except for Mimi. Her rich dad is paying for her to spend the holidays in Jamaica, so she doesn't have to stay for the cold, freezing winter. Stupid little pampered princess," Tai muttered. "Anyway…"

"Here's the flowers and mistletoe, boys," Mrs. Takenouchi announced, a few pots of red and white poinsettias and a few bunchesof mistletoe tied with red ribbons. "Are you sure you're going to be able to carry all that stuff back to your house, Tai?"

"I dunno…maybe I should call for reinforcements?" he asked with a shrug.

Sora cut in and volunteered. "No, it's all right. I'll help you guys. Maybe you can help too, Joe."

Joe was crestfallen. But she was supposed to help me with my Christmas shopping… Then she just abandons me at the drop of a hat to help out Tai instead… "Naw, I've got shopping to do."

"Oh, that reminds me. About the Christmas shopping, Joe… I guess I don't have to shop for Mimi right now; I'll get it when she comes back. And then I can't buy your present with you right there! As for Tai's…" she said, glancing at him teasingly, "I'll get him a few doggy biscuits or something."

"Hey!" he cried indignantly. "You can't say that if you want to come to my party!"

"I'm helping you carry some of these flowers back, remember? Anyway, I didn't mean it. You're still actually the easiest person to shop for." She picked up a pot. "Well, I'm really sorry, Joe, but I'll see you later tonight at the party."

"Bye," he said lamely, with a feeble wave. He followed them back out the shop, but then turned off in a different direction, his hands in his pockets. He peered back behind himself and saw Tai, Matt, and Sora dashing off, their arms full. Sora and Tai were smiling and laughing together. Joe sighed again. Unrequited love sucks. And why did I have to be in love on Christmas, of all holidays? Now this one is going to be ruined too.

+*+*+*+HAPPY+*+*+*+HOLIDAYS+*+*+*+HAPPY+*+*+*+HOLIDAYS+*+*+*+

Joe, his arms full of boxes and bags of gifts that he had just bought and quickly wrapped, carefully moved his hand and pushed the doorbell. A short snippet of 'Deck the Halls' played, instead of the typical doorbell ring.

Kari answered the door, a cheerful smile on her face. "Oh, hi, Joe! Merry Christmas! Come on in."

The atmosphere inside the cozy apartment was warm, inviting, and friendly. The living room glowed with the light of a fire that was, from lack of a fireplace, burning on a portable camping stove. All the Digidestined, except for Mimi, were there, sitting around the fire, talking and giggling and roasting chestnuts and marshmallows.

"Hi, Joe!" they all cried at the same time.

"You're the last one to arrive," Tai said. "Now the party can really start. Just put all your presents under the tree."

The tree was beautiful, colorful and bright. Stringed lights flashed and blinked in tune to various classic Christmas songs, casting glares on shiny, ball ornaments. Some handmade ornaments were hanging on the tree, along with some candy canes, stringed popcorn, and other decorative ornaments with Santa Claus, Rudolph, or Frosty the Snowman on them. And on top was a brightly glowing, glittery and golden star. The space underneath the tree was already crammed with tons of gifts, but he managed to squeeze all his in.

"Come on, Joe, Tai's about to sing a very embarrassing song of 'Jingle Bells'!" Sora cried, snuggled on the couch, hugging a pillow, embroidered with a picture of a Christmas teddy bear.

"Spare us all the horror," he joked. But it wasn't much a joke. He had heard Tai's singing at Shogungekomon's castle. Then again, he wasn't exactly wooing and making the crowd of Gekomon and Otakumon swoon with his voice either. He took a seat next to Izzy, who had for once, managed to tear himself away from his pineapple laptop.

Tai grabbed a microphone and music began to play in the background. He started off normally. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way… Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horsed open sleigh…" But as the song went on, he starting adlibbing his own verses, one such being the Batman version of the song. Finally, the song was about to end, which was good, since everyone had their hands over their ears. "Oh, jingle bells, Ogramon smells, Digitanamon is an egg, all the evil digimon are gone, and Myotismon went away! Oh, jingle bells—"

The music suddenly stopped. Matt had purposely turned it off, to save them from the cruel, cruel torture, but he whistled innocently and figured that something was wrong with the karaoke machine.

All of them were staring at him blankly, their fingers still in their ears. "That was – ummm…what's the word?" Sora asked, trying to fake a smile.

"I believe the word you're searching for is—" Izzy began, "uhhh…" Of all the words in his extensive vocabulary, the young genius couldn't think of one that properly described Tai's performance without sounding rude.

"Terrifying?" Matt suggested. "Please, Tai, for all our sakes, never, ever sing again."

"Oh yeah? Matt, you think you're so great at singing?" he asked, holding the microphone out to him. "Just because you can play the harmonica doesn't mean you're the only musically gifted person here. I can play the recorder, you know."

"Good thing we didn't have to hear that," Kari whispered to TK. "He's horrible at that too."

Tai looked at the blonde-haired boy. "Come on, Matt. Too scared to sing? What's wrong, chicken?"

"I'm not a chicken!" he yelled. "My singing can kill yours!"

"Let's here it then." Tai shoved the mike into his hands, stalked over to the couch, slumped down next to Sora, and crossed his arms. "Well? Grace us with your performance," he barked to the hesitant Matt.

The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) began to play, and Matt was forced to sing all the vocals. However, he had a great, soothing voice. Everyone agreed that he was a great singer, and compared to Tai, he was the greatest singer in the world. Joe had felt much satisfaction when he saw Tai's scowl. That is, until Sora smiled and threw her arm around him, assuring that it was okay.

Joe felt a pang of jealousy again. Sora kept hanging onto Tai… Why couldn't she like me? Why doesn't anyone like me? It's always Matt, or Tai…even TK has someone! This is pathetic!

"Who wants to sing next?" Matt asked.

And before Joe knew what he was doing, he jumped up. "I will!"

The entire room hushed, and everyone stared. Crickets could practically be heard chirping in that one second. Joe…singing? The thought to them was very strange. Everyone tried to picture it, but they all had bad results. One thing was for certain…this was definitely not the way for Joe to win Sora's heart.

"You will?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow. Joe nodded and reached for the microphone, but he pulled it back. "Are you sure, Joe?"

"Well, why not?" he demanded.

"You just don't seem like the singing type," Sora remarked, and his heart sunk. "I don't want to sound mean, but…something just doesn't fit with you singing…"

"Yeah, you should've heard him at Shogungekomon's castle," Tai said.

"Well, they don't come any worse than Tai's singing," Matt said and handed him the microphone, and everyone agreed to that. Oh boy, how wrong they all were…

"So have yourself a merry little Christmas time…" Joe finished with a final squeak. Everyone stared uneasily. Booing would be really mean, but clapping was something they couldn't even force themselves to do. His voice was absolutely horrible, but his self-confidence was low enough. A few people coughed and cleared their throats, unsure of how to react.

"Well, um," Kari said, "it was…errr…how should I say this?"

"It kind of…you know, sucked, man," Tai replied, "and that's coming from me."

Joe felt a gigantic lump rising in his throat. His eyes really stung, but he wasn't going to go and cry in front of all of them. He was the oldest, and he couldn't be crying over anything, even if it was such a huge embarrassment. "Excuse me," he said croakily, and dashed off.

The nearest room was the bathroom, and he ran in and locked the door. He put the toilet seat lid down and sat upon it. He was an idiot… Trying to sing to impress Sora… Who was he kidding? His voice sounded horrible, sort of like a sick, nasal goose. He could probably make glass shatter.

I suppose I'll just stay here until the party ends, I guess… Joe figured, with a heavy sigh. How can I face any of them again after that? Especially Sora? She probably thinks I'm a major loser. She probably always thought that. Why do I have to be in love with her? And on Christmas? I think I just ruined the party…

~*~*~*~MERRY~*~*~*~CHRISTMAS~*~*~*~MERRY~*~*~*~CHRISTMAS~*~*~*

There was a knock on the door. "Hello? Joe? I hope you're not retching or anything, we just cleaned that bathroom—" Tai said.

He heard an 'OOMPH!' sound. "Have some compassion, will you, Tai?" Sora asked angrily. Then her tone softened. "Um, Joe, are you all right? You can come out, you know."

"How can I show my face in front of you guys ever again?"

"Hey, if you spend all your time sulking in bathrooms, what makes you think we'll ever want to be around you again?" Tai asked, and there was another, "OW! Geez, Sora, violent today, aren't you? Dude, is it that time of the month or something?"

"Tai!" she cried furiously. "You jerk! Listen, Joe, if you come out here – we can beat up Tai together."

Hmmm…she read my mind. That actually sounds pretty inviting… But it's Christmas, and this is Tai's house and his party. I couldn't do that. And Sora was probably kidding anyway. Maybe I should just go outside. I'm not going to spend all night in the bathroom! He sighed, turned the knob, and stepped out.

"Well, shall we continue the party?" Tai asked. He held his crooked arm out, and the easily forgiving Sora giggled and stuck her arm through his. Trying to act like a proper gentleman, he led her back into the living room. He had a very apologetic look on his face – towards Sora. "Hey, I'm sorry what I said—"

He should have said that to me! Does no one care about my feelings? Does anyone even notice how I'm feeling? Does Sora know that I love her? If she does, why does she hang onto Tai so much? He's a total jerk, but she forgives him in a second, totally forgetting about everything. And she doesn't even give me a chance. Love is so unfair. Joe dragged himself back to the couch and slumped on it, his arms crossed, not looking at anyone. Not even TK, who had gathered his courage to sing in front of everyone. Luckily for him, his singing voice wasn't terrible, although it was no match to his older brother.

After some time, Matt started singing again, and then Joe felt that awkward sensation where he knew someone was staring at him, and he turned and looked up. Then he locked on a pair of ruby red eyes. Although ruby was also Kari's eye color, it was obvious to Joe that they belonged to Sora. He blushed and looked back down. And of course, she noticed.

Simply to distract himself from the fact that he had given a big clue of his feelings, he got up and went to get a drink and possibly a snack. The refreshment table was filled with every single Christmas cookie, food, and drink imaginable. He spent plenty of time trying to decide what would be good. He snatched a few decorated sugar and gingerbread cookies, put them on one of the paper plates with a simple holiday design, and then went to get a mug of cocoa or maybe some eggnog.

But he was focusing on the gingerbread man, who really resembled…well, himself. In fact, he had seen eight gingerbread boys and girls in particular that stood out, one with huge brown hair, another with shiny blonde hair and blue eyes, one wearing a blue helmet-looking hat, one entirely decked in pink, one with a mini-gingerbread laptop, a shrimpy one with a funny green hat, and one with a whistle around its neck. Then there were also eight assorted animal looking cookies, such as a green plant with a pink flower on its head, an orange dinosaur, and a pig with wings.

While he was staring at his 'mini me,' as he nicknamed it, he wasn't paying attention to what was in front of him, and he bumped into someone. Not again! Joe, you klutz—"I'm really sorry—"

"Wow, I have déjà vu."

"Sora?" he asked in surprise.

She giggled. "Must you continue to ask, Joe? You've only known me for so long."

"Oh – well, I'm sorry. I do know you, you know – I'd never forget a girl like you – errr, I mean, I haven't lost that much of my memory yet, even if I get a little absentminded, mostly around you – no, it's not a bad thing, I love being around you – not love, exactly, more of like – uhhh…I'm trying to say…" He fumbled around with words, and only felt like more of an idiot as he continued to talk. Open mouth, insert foot. He shut up.

"It was a joke, calm down!" There was a big smile on her face, but it looked a little crooked…probably from his odd behavior. But she was too nice to really mention it.

"Oh, I knew that," he lied.

She was disbelieving, but again, kept her opinion to herself, without showing any noticeable outward signs of it. "Hey, would you mind if we had a little talk? In private…like outside?"

They both turned to the balcony, which was practically frozen in ice and buried under heaps of pure, white snow. The snowstorm a few days ago had subsided, and only a few snowflakes fell now. Yet it was still evidently cold, that was a given, but much more cleared up than before. Plus, no matter the weather, Joe would kill for a chance to talk to Sora in private…even if it made him freeze and look like a total fool again.

"Yes!"

"Yes, you'd mind?" she asked quizzically.

"No, of course not! I'd never mind! Eh…I meant to say, I'd like that – I mean, okay."

Her eyebrows were furrowed, but in a confused way, not any way angry. "Are you really sure you're all right, Joe? No offense, but you've been acting so strange lately." She pushed aside the glass door, and a heavy draft blew in. The others told her to close the door quickly, so she and Joe rushed outside. It was freezing, and they were out of their warm winter coats and scarves and mittens… But the two of them were just too eager to finish their conversation as quickly as possible and hurry back into the warm apartment, so they kept talking.

Joe's teeth were chattering like mad, making it extremely hard to talk, but he managed. "No offense taken. I have been acting strange lately, I mean, I've always acted a little strange if you haven't noticed – but I know I've never been this bad – then again, love makes you do some pretty crazy thing—" He realized what he had said a few seconds after, and immediately stopped himself from talking, even finishing the word he was on. Oh, God, I said that out loud!

"L-love?" The stutter in her voice had nothing to do with the temperature.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and hung his head, focusing down on his shoes. "I suppose its only fair for me to finally explain everything that's happened, so you don't think of me as a total idiot—"

"I don't think you're a total idiot," she cut in. "I'd never think badly of you, Joe, you're my friend. And I hate to see anyone feel sad or depressed, especially you. And well, from your weird behavior and actions, I just thought that you might be having some kind of problems…"

I have a problem all right, he thought bitterly, but it's not what you'd expect, like family problems. It's not really a mental thing…well, maybe kind of… To be honest, I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with you, and it's making me go crazy… No wonder people use the expression, "I'm crazy for this girl…" It's true…when I'm around you, Sora, I sort of lose my mind. You literally drive me crazy…but it's not a bad thing.

A/N: Sorry to interrupt the story, but I just noticed something. Just look back and count the number of song titles I plugged into those last sentences! Seriously…count them.*Jeopardy song plays* Is that your final answer? The correct answers are: "Truly, Madly, Deeply" from Savage Garden, "Crazy for this Girl" by Evan and Jaron, and "(You Drive Me) Crazy" by Britney Spears. I wasn't planning to put those in, it just happened, I swear! …Scary… Okay, now back to the fic…

"Aw, Joe, that was sweet…" she said happily, getting slightly misty-eyed.

He shook his head and snapped out of his deep thoughts. "What?"

"That whole thing you just said…it was really sweet."

He nervously chuckled and wiped his glasses on his shirt, then adjusted them back on the bridge of his nose. "Uh, I didn't say anything."

"Yeah you did, you said that whole long thing…you were crazy for me. Don't tell me you forgot…did you not mean it?" she asked, looking a little hurt. She thought he was just joking or something…and then saddened her.

"Geez, I've got to learn to keep my thoughts in my head!" he scolded himself, slapping his forehead, frustrated.

Sora grabbed his wrist and pulled his arm back down. Her ruby eyes were soft and sparkling, which was even more beautiful than when they were lit by a spark of fire from passionate anger or something, like when she was in a fight. Joe had a feeling he paid a bit too much attention to the detail in her eyes, and Sora in general, but at the moment, it was hard not to, as she was staring back into his. "Calm down, Joe, it's all right," she reassured him. "Sometimes it's best if you speak your mind…which is why I came out here in the first place, I wanted to tell you something…"

Apprehension was building in Joe, and he found he could gaze into her eyes no longer without totally losing it. Inhale…exhale… He let out a heavy breath and put his head back. When he suddenly noticed—

A sprig of mistletoe, tied neatly with a pretty red bow, hung over him and Sora.

His jaw dropped. All his dreams and wishes had come true! But…but…if she didn't want the kiss, he couldn't force himself to do it… It just wouldn't be right, it wouldn't be the same…

"What are you staring at, Joe? This is kind of important…" He simply pointed up and she looked. "…Mistletoe…" she breathed.

There was a long, tense moment of silence between the two of them. The only sounds were the howling winds and their unsteady breaths, but there seemed to be some hollow, roaring sound in Joe's ears, of which he couldn't quite put his finger on the reason it was happening. Although some people thought angels passing over were the cause of those moments of unexplained silence, it was all too awkward and uncomfortable for it to be that.

Finally, Sora cleared her throat and spoke up, rather bravely, and said, "Well, are you going to kiss me or not?"

His face flushed. He hadn't really anticipated her saying anything, but if he had, he would've never guessed in a million years that she'd say that last sentence. Altogether too shocked and bashful to act, he thought of excuses. "Ah…well…I can't kiss you if you don't want to…" Why am I pushing her away? I want this to happen, I love her! What am I doing this for? I should just kiss her…

Little did he know, Sora was thinking the exact same things. But she had to answer his question first. "Why not? And what makes you think I don't want you to kiss me?" she asked teasingly, a sly grin appearing on her lips.

Joe was completely flustered. "Oh, ummm…wow… What are you trying to say?"

"Let me translate that into more understandable terms. If this scene had subtitles, mine would be saying, 'kiss me already, you big idiot, I do want you to.'" She laughed. "Not that I think you're an idiot or anything – or that I'm being too forward or something… I meant to say that, well I – ahhh…I really like you, Joe…and not just as a friend or anything – more, you know… I like like you… Maybe even love – which is just like my crest, but I've still never been in love before, and to be in love on Christmas is such a nice thing – ummm…oh boy, I'm rambling." She was getting a little uneasy.

Ha, now she knows how I feel! And she feels exactly the same way as me! Joe was overjoyed. "You love me too?"

"And why not?"

Is that a rhetorical question? The answers are multiple, and all extremely obvious! "Because I'm – me. I'm an insecure, dorky, allergenic, asthmatic, wimpy, dweeby, awkward, nervous, paranoid loser. I'm also a huge nerd, I have no life, I'm not good at sports, I cringe at the sight of needles, blood, and big enemies, I'm not really good for anything at all—"

She shook her head and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're none of those." She paused. "Okay, well maybe you're some, like asthmatic and stuff, but you're focusing too much on the bad. What about the good? How you're the one we can always count on no matter what, right ol' reliable?"

"Still…I thought you liked Tai."

She blinked a few times. "Tai? Why would I like Tai?"

"Huh? You're always hanging out with him, and hugging him, screaming his name when there's trouble, and comforting him, flirting, kissing—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she cried. "Back up a second… Hugging Tai? Are you thinking maybe of when I hung onto his waist when Whamon swallowed us? Or when I grabbed his waist when he jumped over the wall trying to fight Skullgreymon? Or…when I…hugged him at my mom's shop…earlier today…enough about that. What I want to know is…where did you get flirting? We just talk…he's my buddy! We talk about soccer, and lots of other things. Flirting, no. I don't even know how. And kissing, that was only once—"

"What? You and Tai kissed?" he asked in surprise.

"Oh! Did I say that out loud? Now I'm getting your problem… About the kiss, though, it was just a while ago…before you arrived. Let's just say I got caught under some mistletoe with Tai, and I had no choice. But speaking of kissing and mistletoe…you seem to forget that we're under some mistletoe right now and freezing to death out here. We should kiss soon and get inside, before the others notice— What?" Joe was pointing at the glass door. Sora turned and saw five faces peering at the two of them from the other side. "Oh…heh, heh…ummm…Joe, make this quick."

"You really want me to—?" he began, but Sora interrupted him by kissing him on the lips. It was soft, but not quick. Despite the terribly chill temperature, they were instantly warmed up from their heads to their toes for that moment. Then the two saw a flash, drew back, and blushed. Kari was holding a camera, and she had just taken a picture.

"Look at that, our first kiss was a Kodak moment," Sora commented. "Now that that's over with… Want to go inside and endure their laughs and teasing?"

He hugged himself. "Well, it is really cold and that sounds really great, but I have one more thing to ask you first. You said it was a nice thing to be in love on Christmas…why? I figured that it was a bad thing, that it would ruin the holiday."

She was amazed. Her reply was very expressive. "Love, would ruin Christmas, which practically symbolizes giving, togetherness with your family and friends, and so many other things that can all be traced back to…love? I think not, Joe Kido. Christmas is a time of love! It's wonderful to be in love on Christmas! It's really wonderful to be in love anytime, but Christmas possibly makes it even better!"

"Being in love on Christmas…a good thing. I think you may be right."

"Well, my crest is love, is it now? I'd like to think I know a little bit about it. Actually, I really know nothing. But one thing I've always known about Christmas is that it's about love." Sora beamed. "That's why I'm so glad to be in love with you on Christmas…and it's even better when that person loves you back." (Whoa, count the number of times I said 'love' in that paragraph.)

"Of course I love you back."

Sora laced her hand into his, slid open the glass door, and walked inside, where they were greeted by a cozy, warm, snug home, and happily chatting friends. Tai was actually pretty peeved, but everyone else was delighted that Joe and Sora were together, though neither had even told them the good news…apparently, they had found a way to eavesdrop or read lips or something.

Mrs. Kamiya came into the room. "Who's up for Christmas dinner?" The tantalizing scent of the feast wafted into the room, and everyone's mouths watered – until they remembered Mrs. Kamiya's cooking. Spinach ice cream, spaghetti with ketchup sauce (I took that from Scary Movie and I know it's from something else too), salt cookies (you know, instead of sugar? Aw, whatever, I'll shut up now), and literal mud pies were only part of the lighter side of her former cuisines. She laughed at their expressions. "And don't worry, I didn't cook it. Now who's ready to eat—?"

But even before she asked her last sentence, they were gone. All seven children had stampeded into the dining room, plopped down into their seats, their eating utensils in hand, and most impressively, plates already piled, in a record 2.5 seconds. "Ready!" they chorused simultaneously.

+*+*+*+HAPPY+*+*+*+HOLIDAYS+*+*+*+HAPPY+*+*+*+HOLIDAYS+*+*+*+

The entire table was empty; not a single scrap or crumb of food remained on any of the plates and platters. That was undoubtedly the best Christmas meal imaginable, from the huge turkey and honey-glazed ham and prime ribs, to the delectable fruitcake, pumpkin and apple pies, and flaming chocolate pudding for dessert, and every scrumptious fare in between.

The children and Kamiya parents were stuffed more full than Tai and Kari's Christmas stockings traditionally were every year. Top buttons on pants had to be unbuttoned, and they were so full that they could hardly talk. When they had enough strength to get up, the kids moved to the living room to lounge on the couch around the fire and digest their meals.

But nearly seconds after they sat down, Kari asked, "Who's up for opening presents now?" The answer was unanimous: yes! And they forgot how full they were from the feast and ran to the tree and gathered up every present for themselves in half the time they had gotten to the dining table.

"Amazing what the Christmas spirit does to a child's speed," Mr. Kamiya noted. The two parents hadn't even yet made it to the living room.

In seconds, the area around the Christmas tree was a mass of wrapping paper and bows and bags and gifts. It was a complete mess, but the sea of colorful papers was actually kind of…artistic. It was a mix of plain red and green paper and bows and ribbon, or decorated kinds like penguins and reindeer and cutesy things, or classic Santa Claus designs, or tons of others. The huge mess wasn't the most unorganized thing; there was lots of laughing and talking and thanking, and mostly, tearing open gifts. But Joe and Sora sat alone in the quiet corner, only caring about one present they were each holding in their hands.

"This is for you," Sora told Joe, shyly showing him a bunch of creatively decorated, thin, rectangular-shaped, individually wrapped gifts, all in different wrapping papers, all arranged in a pyramid and tied together with ribbon and topped with a bow.

"And this is for you." He held out a tiny box wrapped in silver paper with a small gold bow.

They exchanged their gifts graciously, wondering what the other could've given them. After all, it was before they had confessed their love for each other, so their gifts couldn't be too extravagant or overdoing it to draw attention, Sora thought. Until she saw her gift from Joe.

She carefully took off the shiny paper, trying not to tear it, and discovered a royal blue velvet box. Joe had given her a beautiful gold necklace with a heart-shaped ruby pendant. The color matched Sora's eyes, and the heart symbolized love, like her crest, and what they felt for each other. In return, Sora had given Joe a few books, some science fiction, other various types, and a medical book, since she wasn't too sure of his likings, but he had once called himself a stay-at-home-and-read-kind-of-guy. They were actually the most useful gifts he had ever really gotten, since he had outgrown toys and such.

Each of them thoroughly appreciated the gifts they had received from each other and everyone, but as Joe put it best while thanking Sora, "The gifts I got are all really great, especially yours, but I think by far the best present is realizing you love me too."

She beamed at him and threw her arms around in a big hug. "Me too. Merry Christmas, Joe," she whispered, and instead of letting her go, Joe pulled her back closer to him, until their noses gently bumped. Then they brought their lips together and kissed, not even needing mistletoe.

So Joe truly did have a merry Christmas that year. The love he received that holiday season stayed with him for a very long time, and so the Christmas spirit never quite left him no matter what the season was. You don't need a tree or decorations, gifts, snow, or any of the commercial things that defines Christmas in these modern days. The true spirit is alive in your hearts…and that true spirit is love. So as long as you keep that in you, it doesn't even have to be December 25, or even winter. So Sora was right when she said it was so wonderful to fall in love on Christmas, because it taught what Christmas was truly about, and that stayed with you forever also, even if the love didn't. Because plenty of things in life change, but there are some very special things that never can. Years passed, the children grew into adults, and had their own children to learn these lessons of the holiday, but one Christmas never left Joe Kido's memory. Unlike he had been suspecting ever since he first fell in love that year, that particular holiday was not ruined…but it was the best one he ever had.

~*~*~*~MERRY~*~*~*~CHRISTMAS~*~*~*~MERRY~*~*~*~CHRISTMAS~*~*~*

I really don't think it was all too great, but it was as usual, very cheesy. But hey, for once, I'm going to not put it down. *Crosses fingers pointlessly* It makes me no closer to winning, but I'm just hoping I don't get last place or something. Well, there's my entry for Buka2000's X-Mas Contest… I hoped you all liked it! That would mean more to me than even winning the contest…okay, not really. Possibly expect more Christmas fics from me…and ummm…oh yeah, have a Merry Christmas!