Disclaimer: Don't own DOA . . .
Read & enjoy! My first fic here that isn't in a POV!
Chapter 1 - Secret Santas
A lone figure walked through the mass of falling ice & snow. It was cloaked in cotton & its brown hair flopped about in the wind of ice. Its arms folded across its chest to insure warmth, taking steady steps as to not fall face first into the mass of snow. It stopped, froze in its steps. It looked around when a sudden realization hit it.
"Where's Ryu?!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I win!" Hitomi squealed.
Everyone at the table threw down their cards in frustration. It was the fifteenth time Hitomi won poker. They were in the midst of giving up.
"Shall we play a different game then?" she asked her friends.
They nodded, relieved. Hitomi collected all the cards & began to shuffle them when Hayate came into the room. His coat, boots, & face were covered in ice. Bass, Brad, Tina, & Hitomi stared at him from the dining room table. They had forgotten he went out.
"I lost Ryu!" he screamed.
There was the sound of the toilet flushing then they watched as Ryu came down the hallway. Hayate stared at him, thinking he must have been a figment of his imagination.
"What? What is it? Is there evil afoot?!" he pulled out his katana.
". . . He . . . been here," Tina said to Hayate.
"Then who was that following me?!" Hayate questioned her as if she knew.
Someone was banging on the door.
"The door! Bass, Tina, Brad, Hitomi! Take cover! Hayate!" Ryu jumped to the side of the door with his katana ready, "Get the door!"
There was a big question mark on everyone's face as Hayate went over to the door to open it. Out fell Kasumi, just as covered in ice as her brother.
"When did she leave?" Brad asked his friends at the table.
"You left me behind. How could you? You're so mean . . ."
Tears were forming in Kasumi's eyes.
"Ah, get over it," her brother said as he left the room.
Helena came in from the hallway dressed in a black tuxedo with a matching hat. Everyone watched as she river danced around the room. Twirling around, tapping her feet on the hard wooden floor. Then she came to a stop in front of the dining table, her arms up in victory & breathing deeply. Everyone did the obvious: clap even though they didn't understand the point in it all.
"It'll be Christmas in a few days," she began to speak while trying to catch her breath, "And we agreed to randomly give & receive gifts from everyone. I've written our names on these pieces of paper. We can all draw."
She took off her hat, careful not to mess up her hair & cause the pieces of paper to fall out all over the floor, "It's best to do this early so we can have time to find gifts. There's no telling who we will get. So who's fir-"
"Me!" Kasumi screamed & raised her hand before Helena could even finish her sentence.
"Um. Okay. Just. Stick your hand in there & take a name."
Kasumi had to take off her glove before she could rampage excitedly through the hat with her eyes closed & head turned. Helena tried her best keep the hat in her hands.
I wonder who I'll get! I wonder who I'll get! Kasumi thought.
She picked up a piece of paper, but then threw it back in the hat, "No, wait! Wait!"
Ryu smiled at her childish behavior.
Then she picked up another piece of paper, but then threw that one back in, "No, wait a second!"
Helena sighed out of impatience. Just when Kasumi had her third piece of paper, but threw that one back in, asking for another second, everyone in the room (including Jann Lee who just came in) screamed for her to just pick a name. She agreed & kept her fourth piece of paper. When she took a look at her paper, her smile disappeared.
"Who'd you get?" Hitomi asked her as she got up from the table to see.
Kasumi hid her paper from her.
"You can't tell anyone who you have, Hitomi," Helena told her, "It's a secret."
"Oh . . . Secret Santa?"
"Yep! So who's next?" Helena asked, waving the hat.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The 16 DOA fighters were gathered in the living room near the fireplace & heavily decorated tree. Each holding a piece of paper with their victim's name written on it. They all had looks of shock & confusion on their faces except for Zack, Brad, & Tina. Their looks were of utter excitement. Helena hadn't drawn a name yet. She was to take the remaining name. She stuck her hand in the hat taking the last piece of paper. Her jaw dropped when she read it. Everyone was looking at her & somewhat pitying her, because they too have had unexpected results. Except for the three . . .
"Well," Helena began, regaining her composure, "I'ma go take a shower."
She left the room, fighting the urge to just fall face forward onto the floor.
"So!" Tina broke the silence, "Who wants to come to the mall with me?!"
The group looked at each other, wondering who was going to answer her question.
"Me!" Zack said, standing up from the couch.
"A girl, please . . ." Tina ruined his fun.
"Damn . . ."
"I'll go," Leifang said.
"Me, too," Hitomi joined after her.
"Alright then! Let's go!" Tina left the room with the two girls behind her.
"I gotta go work out . . ." Bayman said as soon as the girls were gone, somewhat depressed.
"Wait for me!" Jann Lee said as he left after him.
Leon grabbed his coat, "Gotta check on my plants."
He left outside towards the greenhouse.
". . . Well, I gotta take my motorcycles for a tune up," Bass said, "Who's coming with me?"
"I'll go!" Zack said.
"The rest of yall aren't comin'?"
They stood there in silence, staring at him.
"Forget yall then!" Bass left with Zack behind him.
"C'mon, Ryu! I am in desperate need of Zen . . ."
Hayate & Ryu left down the hall with Ayane pleading to come along behind them. Christie, Brad, Gen Fu, & Kasumi were the only ones left in the living room.
"So who'd you guys get?" Christie asked them.
"We can't tell you! It's a secret!" Kasumi said, shaking her head.
"Who cares about secrets! . . . I got Ryu . . ." Christie said, her lip twitching from future frustration.
"You did?!"
"Yes . . . I did-"
"Get him cookies! He loves those!"
". . . Isn't he trying to watch his weight?"
". . . So he gained ten pounds from Hitomi's sachertortes on Thanksgiving! Big deal! Get him cookies!"
"Okay . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, at the mall . . .
"What's this guy's favorite color?!"
"Um . . . Blue? I think . . ."
"Good . . . I like blue."
Tina was looking through the rack of shirts in the crowded Pac Sun.
"If you happen to find anything black . . . tell me," Hitomi said.
Tina turned back to look at her with a mischievous grin on her face, "Who do you have? My dad?"
"No . . . um-"
"Tell me!"
"I have Bayman!"
Tina's grin grew wider with every second.
"Yes, I know. I have no idea what he likes . . ."
Hitomi was expecting Tina to blow up with laughter. But instead, Tina placed her hands on her shoulders.
"He doesn't like black," Tina told her in a calm voice.
Then she suddenly shook her, "He likes orange!"
"Ugh!" Hitomi fixed her hair, "How do you know?"
"Hello! Anyone who is a friend of my dad's is a friend of mine's!"
"Oh . . . I see."
"Okay, now," Tina started, taking her hands off her friend's shoulders, "Where in hell is Leifang?!"
Leifang was in a store across from Hitomi & Tina, Underground. She was looking at a wall of shoes with a shoe in her hand when Tina & Hitomi showed up behind her.
"What cha doin'?!" Tina screamed, making Leifang squeal & the shoe in her hand fly up into the air, "Who are you shopping for?!"
"None of your business!" Leifang fumed with her face red.
Tina & Hitomi (who caught the shoe in her hand) were wide-eyed & surprised at her sudden outburst. So were the other customers in the store.
"Gees, Leifang, is it that serious?" Hitomi asked her fuming friend.
"Yeah . . . It's not like it's . . . Jann Lee . . ." Tina nudged Hitomi when she said his name.
Hitomi giggled.
"Huh? Huh?!" Tina kept nudging Hitomi who instantly burst with laughter.
She bent over, laughing as hard as she could. Her two friends slowly backed away from her until she finally stopped laughing. She sighed, wiping a tear from her eye.
"My funny spot . . ." she blushed.
"So anyway, just tell us who you have. We promise we won't laugh," Tina said to Leifang.
"Okay, fine! I have . . . I have . . ."
Leifang saw it coming. Her friends would burst with laughter despite their promise. It was all too real.
"Zack . . ."
She shut her eyes tight in order to keep the laughter from bursting into her brain. But there was no laughter. She looked up to see Hitomi & Tina just standing there.
"Oh . . . Zack . . ." Tina began, "That's good . . ."
"Yeah," Hitomi pitched in, "You're one lucky girl!"
"Yeah."
"Oh, thanks, you guys!" Leifang said, relieved that her friends had not a problem with it.
Tina & Hitomi looked at each other.
"Zack & Leifang, sittin' in a tree!" they sang, twirling around, "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"God help me . . ." Leifang said, watching her friends.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, at the DOA mansion's gym . . .
"You call yourself a warrior?! I eat wimps like you for breakfast!"
"Oh, yeah?!"
"Yeah!"
"Yo momma!"
"What?!"
Bayman, who felt insulted, screamed then charged at Jann Lee who charged at him in return. Jann Lee aimed for a Dragon Kick, but Bayman was out of sight. When he landed, he looked around, wondering where his adversary had gone. He squealed when he was suddenly tripped, his face meeting the mat. Bayman was on his back now, keeping him in a grappling hold. Jann Lee thrashed about, trying to get free. But to no avail.
"Okay! Okay! I give!" Jann Lee surrendered to his better adversary, "Just get off of me! You stink . . ."
Bayman let go of Jann Lee, but squished his face into the mat as he picked himself up. Jann Lee gasped for air, then picked himself up as well.
"Sorry. I'm stressed out over this Secret Santa mess," Bayman apologized with his arms behind his head, not actually meaning it.
"Who do you have anyway?" his younger friend asked him.
Bayman coughed as he said the name.
"Who?"
Bayman coughed some more.
"Who? Damn, I got something in my ear," Jann Lee stuck a finger in his ear, trying to get rid of whatever was blocking his hearing.
"Kasumi! You happy now?!" Bayman screamed out of frustration.
Bayman plopped down onto an exercising machine & began lifting the weights, unaware that the warrior in front of him was fighting the urge to get in his face & laugh his heart out. Or maybe he was aware . . .
"Who do you have to play Secret Santa with?" Bayman asked him, sitting up.
Jann Lee turned red.
I bet it's that girl of his . . . Bayman thought with a sly grin across his face.
"It's . . . well . . . um . . ." Jann Lee tried to think of the best way to say it, "It's Tina."
"Oh, really? Give her a banana for Christmas!"
Bayman fell off the machine, laughing.
"I don't get it," Jann Lee said.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Meanwhile, at the DOA mansion's indoor tennis court . . .
"This is it, folks," the announcer whispered into his microphone from the balcony atop of the crowd, "Advantage for Ayane. If she can just get this point, the game is won."
Ayane held the ball in her hand, the rack in the other. Sweat was pouring down her face. The headband was doing no good. Her white skirt & matching top was drenched with sweat. Her sneakers squeaked as she moved steadily about, getting ready. She was staring her opponent down. A fierce opponent. One who managed to get this far in the game.
"Ayane versus the wall. Who is going to win?" the announcer whispered into the microphone once again.
The crowd waited for Ayane to serve the ball. She threw it up in the air then whacked it with all her might. The ball bounced inside the box which was a relief to Ayane. But it soon came back from the wall to go the other direction. Ayane darted after the ball, but she was too tired from all her previous running & wasn't fast enough to catch the ball. It flew past her, barely missing her racket as she jumped for it. She skidded across the court until she finally came to a stop near the court door. She picked herself up & glared at her opponent.
"You! You have beaten me for the last time!" she screamed.
"Ayane?"
"What?!"
Ayane was at Kasumi's feet, but she quickly picked herself up & dusted herself off.
"I was wondering if I could play tennis with you," Kasumi said in a quiet voice as to not upset her sister, "Hayate & Ryu wouldn't let me play Zen with them."
"Oh, really? They wouldn't let me play Zen with them either."
". . . So . . . can I play with you?"
Ayane's face lit up, "Of coarse not!"
Kasumi was in the midst of tears.
"Please! I'm only trying to be nice! I never meant to be disliked by you!" Kasumi pleaded with her head low & hands together.
All Kasumi got in response was a raspberry.
"You're so mean . . ." Kasumi sniffed.
That's okay. She's getting coal for Christmas, Kasumi thought.
"Okay, fine! You can play," Ayane gave in, "But this ain't no sissy tennis! You play, you play hard!"
"Um, right, sure." Kasumi agreed, "By the way, you used double negatives. It's suppose to be 'This isn't sissy tennis.'"
Ayane glared at her sister, making her run to the opposite side of the tennis court.