December 21st – 4 days until Christmas
It's been a year since the battle against Gyze, and peace has returned to the world, hopefully forever. However, coming soon is a very special day that is celebrated almost worldwide, Christmas.
It's a slightly cloudy and very cold day as Chrono walks into Card Capital 2 for his job. As soon as he steps in the door, he sees Kamui putting up Christmas decorations and calls out to him, "Hey Kamui."
"Chrono!" he replies, "Mind giving me a hand here? Hand me that star on the floor right there." He points to a star decoration lying on the floor. Chrono walks over, picks it up, and hands it to him. "Thanks man." Kamui takes the star from him and places it on top of the tree. He steps off the latter, turns plugs in the light cords, and the whole tree lights up with a variety of color.
"It looks good." Chrono tells him.
"Thanks." Kamui nods in affirmation.
Chrono looks around the shop looking at all the decorations. "The decorations are a little more extravagant this year," he says, "what's the occasion?"
"I was going to hold a Christmas Party here on Christmas Eve." Kamui tells him, "I was going to invite Aichi and some of my other friends. What about you? You want to join?"
Chrono thinks for a moment, "Sure."
"Alright, who are you going to invite?" Kamui asks.
"I could probably invite Kazuma and Taiyou."
"What about your other two friends? Tokoha and Shion?"
"I could try asking Shion, but I don't know if he'll come." Chrono tells him, "As for Tokoha, I haven't talked to her in a while, so I don't know if she's back in town yet. Maybe once my shift's over, I can text and ask them."
"Sounds good." Kamui gives him a thumb's up.
Several hours later at nighttime, Chrono walks down the street, looking at his phone, as the light snow falls from the dark sky. He is in a text conversation with Shion.
Chrono: Kamui's holding a Christmas Party at CC2 on Christmas Eve. You want to come?"
Shion: I'll try, no guarantees."
Chrono: Cool! If you're coming, make sure to bring some presents for those you want to give to."
Shion: Alright."
Chrono continues to look at his phone, so he doesn't notice the person in front of him and they collide head on. "Sorry! I didn't see you there." He says, but when he looks up to see who it is, he sees a very familiar girl with green hair wearing a heavy dark-green parka, white gloves, and a red scarf. "Tokoha!"
"Hey Chrono, I'm back for the holidays." She tells him with a bright and warm smile.
"Why did you tell me you were back?" he asks her.
"I wanted to surprise you." She tells him, "I was on my way to see you at Card Capital, but I'm guess you just got off?"
"Yeah, I got off a couple of minutes ago." He tells her scratching the back of his head, "How long have you been back?"
"I only just got off the plane a couple of minutes ago." She says. "But regardless, it's great to see you again."
"Same. I really missed you." Chrono replies and she smiles back at him.
She looks at him and notices something different. She steps closer to him and rubs her hand through his hair making him blush, "Did you get a haircut?" she asks.
"Y-Yeah…" he replies, "I figured it was getting a little too long so I got it cut back."
"You look like you did when we first met." She says letting out a cute little giggle, but then she remembers something, "How long ago was that?"
"It's only been 3 years, but it feels so much longer than that." Chrono states, "But you haven't changed that much. You're still the same Tokoha I've always known." She gives him a very warm smile in return. "Hey, how about we go get some croquettes? Think of it as my welcome back gift."
Tokoha is flustered at the idea for a moment and then smiles once more, "I'd love that."
The two of them head off to the bakery Tokoha used to visit all the time. There, they see the chef packing a couple of bags when he sees them. "Oh! I remember you kids." He says in a cheerful voice, "you're the ones who fought over those croquettes one time."
"Hahaha! I remember that." Tokoha laughs cheerfully in remembrance, "That was so long ago."
"Yeah… you were acting so immature." Chrono says.
"No I wasn't! You were the immature one!" she argues with him.
"Come on, let's not argue like this. It's Christmas." Chrono tells her and she backs down.
"You're right."
"I was about to close up shop for the holidays, but I think I can pull one last order for you children." The chef tells them, "So what'll it be?"
"Two croquettes please." Chrono tells him and he walks into the bakery to make them. After a couple minutes of waiting, he comes back with the treats in hand.
"Here you go, made fresh just for you." He says. Chrono and Tokoha take the snacks and walk off.
"Merry Christmas!" They say to him as they walk away.
Later, the two of them are sat on a park bench eating their croquettes as the snow falls around them. "These things are so good! I can't help but to love them." Tokoha says as she puts a hand to her cheek in delight.
"Yeah they are good." Chrono replies as he takes a bite of his. He then remembers something and looks at Tokoha, "Hey, can I ask you something? Kamui's holding a Christmas party at Card Capital on Christmas Eve. I was wondering if you'd be willing to come?"
Tokoha thinks for a minute and then smiles, "Do you even need to ask that? Of course I'll be there. I'd love to see everyone again."
"Great!" Chrono exclaims in joy, "Oh, and make sure you bring presents for everyone you want to give gifts to."
"Okay." She complies and they go back to eating their croquettes.
After they finish their food and throwing away their trash, Tokoha begins to get up to leave, but Chrono stops her. "Hey, do you think that… we could stay a little longer? It's been so long since we've been together like this, I want to spend a little more time with you." He tells her.
She hesitates for a moment, but replies with, "Okay." And sits back down next to him. They look up at the night sky as the snow continues to fall, lost in thought. Chrono then scoots a little closer to her a lays his hand on top of hers. Tokoha looks down at their hands and back up at him with a kind smile on his face. She lightly blushes, but quickly puts on another warm smile and rests her head on his shoulder, making him blush this time. He then takes his other arm and wraps it around her back and embraces her in a hug.
December 22nd – 3 days until Christmas
Tokoha walks through the mall looking for a present for Chrono. "Let's see… what would Chrono like?" she asks herself. As she turns down one aisle, she spots a familiar figure wearing a yellow jacket, blue skirt, thigh-highs, and a beanie. She walks up behind the person to get a closer look at them. "Am?" she asks and the figure spins around in a panic.
"Oh… it's just you." The girl says in relief.
"You really need a better disguise," Tokoha tells her, "I cognized you right away."
"Th-That's because you've already seen my disguise, so of course you'd know it's me." Am tells her and Tokoha giggles a little.
"So what are you doing here?" she asks.
"I'm just doing a little Christmas Shopping." Am tells her.
"For who?"
Am stutters for a moment, "Uh… L-Luna, of course."
Just then, a smug look comes over Tokoha's face, "You got a little nervous with that answer." She says getting a little closer to Am and making her feel a little uncomfortable, "Who are you *really* shopping for?"
Am is hesitant, but lets out a sigh. "Alright, I'll tell you, but don't tell anyone else!" she demands and Tokoha backs off. "I… I am shopping for Luna… but… I'm also shopping for Shion."
"Shion?" Tokoha questions, "That's kind of odd, why are you shopping for him?"
"I… I just wanted to thank him for helping my parents." Am tells her.
"Oh yeah, he paid for your parent's operation didn't he?" Tokoha questions and Am nods.
"I… I'm very grateful to him and I want to tell him thank you, so I'm shopping for something to get him for Christmas." Tokoha nods in affirmation. "However, there's one problem," Am says, "I don't know how I'm going to give it to him."
Tokoha thinks for a minute and then tells Am something, "Well Kamui's holding a Christmas Party at Card Capital on Christmas Eve, and we're hoping Shion will be there. You can give it to him then."
Am's face lights up with joy, "Really?" she exclaims, "Alright, I'll go. Besides, a Christmas Party sounds fun! Now the only question is… what do I get him?"
"I can probably help you with that," Tokoha tells her, "after all, Shion was my teammate."
"Really? Thank you Tokoha." The two of them start looking all throughout the mall looking for presents for their respective boys. After a while of shopping, the two of them stop off in the cafeteria for lunch. "So Tokoha…?" Am asks her something, "How close are you with Chrono?"
Tokoha swallows her food and thinks for a moment, "I mean, I'd say we're close friends. Not much more."
"Well…" Am starts, but is hesitant to say, "have you ever considered… you know, taking it to the next level?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… you know…" Am is nervous to say what she wants to say, "Get even closer with him? As his… girlfriend?"
Tokoha nearly chokes on her food when Am says this, "G-Girlfriend?!" she exclaims, "N-No way! I-I'd have to be in love with him to do that, and I'm not in love with him, no way… haha…"
Now Am's the one with the smug face, "You got a little nervous with that answer." She repeats what Tokoha said earlier. "Do you really not love him?"
"D-Don't use my words against me!" Tokoha gripes at her. "I mean… we got a little close last night."
Am's eyes shrink at Tokoha's words, "Wait a minute! Did you two…?!"
"No we didn't!" she denies, "Well… shortly after I got off the plane, he took me to go get Croquettes and after we finished them, he held my hand and I leaned on his shoulder."
"I see." Am replies, "Now take it even further, like… kiss him?"
"Kiss him?!" Tokoha goes completely red in the face, "I… don't know if I can."
"When did you say you're leaving for Paris again?" Am questions, "Sometime in January?" Tokoha nods. "Are you sure you want to go back with regrets?"
"I… I don't regret anything!" Tokoha tells her.
"Not now, but maybe when you leave for Paris again, you may regret not doing something with him you wish you did." Am tells her and Tokoha looks worried. "After all, when you go back, you may not see him again for several months, maybe even years. And by that point, he may have changed too much, and found another girlfriend." These words hit Tokoha the hardest.
"L-Look… can't we just get back to shopping?" she says as she gets up and throw her trash away and Am looks at her with concern.
December 23rd – 2 days until Christmas
Chrono stands behind the counter of Card Capital 2 stocking the shelves. A young boy runs out of the shop, to whom he says, "Merry Christmas." as he continues to stock the shelves.
Just then, Shin comes out of the back room and looks at Chrono, "I think this year's going to be a wonderful Christmas." He says.
"I agree." Chrono replies, "I'm so excited to see everyone again!" He then feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulls it out. He sees he as a text message from Tokoha.
Tokoha: I got Am to come to the party tomorrow. I hope this isn't a big deal.
Chrono types on his phone and replies with:
Chrono: Not at all. It'd be great to see her again.
Tokoha: Awesome. Most likely since Am is going, Luna will be joining her.
Chrono: Got it! (Thumbs up emoji)
"Two more people for the party tomorrow night." Chrono says putting his phone away.
"I remember the last time you all had a party here…" Shin says in remembrance, "You kids were still so young and barely knew each other. Now look at you. You grow up so fast."
"Come on Shin, it's not that big-a-deal." Chrono tells him out of embarrassment. Just then, the door to the shop opens and through it steps a familiar boy with black hair. "Kazuma!" Chrono exclaims seeing his friend come in the door.
"What's with these decorations?" he questions. "I know it's Christmas, but jeez."
"We're having a party here on Christmas Eve." Chrono tells him, "You want to come?"
"No thank you," Kazuma replies, "I'm not all for parties."
Chrono looks disappointed for a moment, but then an idea hits him. "That's too bad, I'm sure Luna would be very disappointed if you didn't show up."
Kazuma's face stiffens upon hearing her name. "R-Rummy Labyrinth's going to be here?"
"Yep, Tokoha managed to get them invited." Chrono tells him.
Kazuma appears nervous. "W-Well, why would I care about what she thinks?" he asks.
Chrono pulls out his phone again and begins to scroll through the gallery. "I think it's because of this right here." He says as he shows Kazuma his phone, which has a picture of him and Luna holding flowers together at the U20.
"W-Where'd you get this picture?!" Kazuma asks in a rage.
"It's on the official Vanguard Association website." Chrono tells him putting his phone away. "Your face is priceless. Does someone maybe have a crush?"
Kazuma's face turns bright red. "I DO NOT!" he exclaims in anger.
"Come on Kazuma, you can't hide that from me." Chrono says with a smug face.
Kazuma snarls in anger, "Fine! I'll go." Kazuma tells him, "But don't get the wrong idea. I don't have a crush on her!"
"Tsundere much?" Chrono teases him.
"SHUT UP!" Kazuma yells.
December 24th – Christmas Eve
It's the night of the party and Chrono walks down the snow filled streets on his way to Card Capital, carrying his presents in his arms. As he walks, he notices Tokoha walking in his direction and calls out to her. "Hey! Tokoha!"
The green haired girl turns around to greet him, "Hi Chrono." She says.
"Are you excited for tonight?" Chrono asks her and she nods.
"Yeah. I can't wait to see everyone again." She says, "It's hard to believe it's only been a year since our battle with Gyze."
Chrono looks down in thought, "Yeah…" he says and then looks at his friend, "Hopefully we never have to deal with anything like that again."
Tokoha nods and says, "I'm just glad I get to spend Christmas with you."
Later, the two of them arrive at Card Capital where they find everyone else already there. "Chrono!" Kamui calls out as they walk to the back.
"You're late." A familiar blonde kid says sitting on the couch.
"Nice to see you too Shion." Chrono says in annoyance.
"Chrono!" Another familiar voice calls out to him. He turns over to see a young boy with short blue hair and wearing a white jacket.
"Aichi." Chrono greets him, "It's good to see you again."
"Likewise." Aichi replies and the two boys shake hands. Aichi then reintroduces Kai, Misaki, and Emi. "Wasn't Ibuki supposed to be here Kamui?" Aichi asks his friend.
"Heh heh… about that…" Kamui stutters.
"He said he had association business to attend to." Kai finishes his sentence for him.
"Yeah, that's it!" Kamui agrees leaving Aichi looking confused.
"So are we missing anyone?" Tokoha asks Kamui.
"We're still waiting on Luna and Am." He tells her and Kazuma, who was sitting quietly on the couch starts to blush.
Just then, the front door opens and in comes two more familiar face, "Merry Christmas everyone!" Luna shouts.
"Right on cue you guys!" Kamui tells them.
"Sorry we're a little late; we had to deal with some pestering fans." Am says as she takes off her beanie and glasses.
"They would not shut up." Luna says in annoyance as she takes off her hat and glasses.
"Well it looks like everyone's here." Chrono says, "So what are we doing first Kamui?"
"First off," Kamui says with a smirk, "I have a little surprise for the girls." He then rushes into the back room and everyone looks both confused and somewhat concerned. He comes back with four different bags. "I brought some special Christmas outfits for you all! Got to get into the right festive mood right?"
"But why just us?" Tokoha questions.
"You'll see." Kamui says with a smirk and hands a bag to each of the girls, except Misaki. "Now go on, get changed." He says and pushes them into the bathroom.
"Why did you get me one Kamui?" Misaki asks.
"I… I knew better than to do this to you." He tells her.
"So you think it's fine to do to the others?" she questions and everyone looks at Kamui with concerned looks.
A few minutes later, the girls come back out of the bathroom and a few of the boys are stunned by the sight they're witnessing. The girls are dressed in the same sexy Santa outfits that reveal a lot of their bellies and thighs and barely cover their entire chests. "Kamui… I can't believe you made us wear these…"
"These are too revealing…" Am says.
"I don't know, I think they're kind of cute." Emi says, "What do you think big bro?"
"I think it makes you look really cute Emi." He says and she smiles cutely.
"Y-Yeah… I what he said." Kamui says scratching his nose and blushing
"I agree with Emi! These are so cute!" Luna says running out of the bathroom and doing a small twirl in her costume, making Kazuma blush.
"I'm still against these… it reveals too much…" Tokoha says in embarrassment.
"Come on Tokoha, I think you look great." Chrono tells her, making her even more embarrassed.
"S-Sure… whatever…" she replies.
"Well now that that's out of the way, what are we doing first Kamui?" Shion asks getting up from his seat.
"We're going to play… THE KING'S GAME!" he exclaims holding out a cup filled with chopsticks.
"The King's Game?" everyone questions.
"It's like Truth or Dare." He explains, "Each of these chopsticks has a number on it, one through ten. However one of them has a red mark. If you get the one with the red mark, you're the King! The King can call on any of the other numbers and order them to do something and they MUST do it. The King's orders are absolute! But here's the thing, the King doesn't know who has what number, and they can't change numbers."
"Sounds fun! Let's give it a try." Luna says.
"S-Sure… I guess." Tokoha complies, a little worried about the outcome of this game, "but I request reasonable demands."
"That's for the king to decide." Kamui tells her and she grows nervous.
"I'm sure it'll be fine. Now let's play." Chrono says.
Kamui places the cup on the table in the center of the room and everyone draws their sticks. "Ha! YES! I'm the King!." Kamui exclaims showing his chopstick with the red mark.
"Why'd he have to be the King first?" Kazuma questions.
"Number 7 has to stand under the mistletoe with me!" Kamui orders, "Please let it be Emi!"
"Seriously?!" Tokoha exclaims, "That's a thing?!"
"Apparently." Shion mutters.
"Come! Who's number 7? Is it you Emi?" Kamui asks.
"Nope." Emi says with a smile, "I'm number 3."
"Then… who's number 7?" Kamui questions. He looks over and sees Aichi holding up a chopstick with the number 7 on it, and just like that, Kamui's face turns as pale as a ghost.
"Well this should be interesting." Luna says.
"Uhh… wait! Can I change my number?!" Kamui asks.
"You just said the King can't change their number." Kazuma says with a smug face and the fear on Kamui's face intensifies.
"Come on Kamui." Aichi says and takes him to the mistletoe in the corner of the store.
"Uh! Big bro wait!" Kamui panics, but before he could say anything else, Aichi kisses him on the lips and everyone both claps and laughs at the sight. "This game sucks so bad…" he says as they sit back down in their seats.
"You're the one who suggested we play this, it's your fault." Chrono tells him and Kamui slumps.
"Let's just move on…" he says and everyone draws sticks again.
"Looks like I'm the King this time." Shion says showing his stick.
"Something decent please okay?" Am requests.
"Number 2 has to hold number 9 like a princess." Shion orders.
"I'm number 2." Kamui says, "So who's number 9?"
"Me!" Emi says holding up her stick.
"SERIOUSLY?!" Kamui exclaims in both shock and joy. He walks over to Emi as she holds out her arms as Kamui scoops her up into his arms and holds her like a princess as Shion ordered. "I can't believe it! I'm actually doing this!" Kamui thinks in his mind as he looks at Emi's cheerful face, "Her skin is so soft, and her thighs are so plump! Thank you Shion for giving me this opportunity to redeem myself."
"Alright lover boy that's enough." Tokoha tells him and he puts Emi back in her chair.
"Thank you Kamui, I enjoyed that." Emi tells him.
"R-Really?!" Kamui questions with a bright red face, "Th-Thank you Emi…"
"Alright! Next round!" Luna declares and they redraw sticks again.
"I'm the King this time." Chrono says, "Just to spite Kamui, Number 6 and Number 10 have to kiss!"
"Chrono! Are you serious?!" Tokoha exclaims.
"You have one of those?" Chrono asks her.
"No… I'm number 3." Tokoha answers.
"Then who's numbers 6 and 10?" Chrono asks. Then, hesitantly, Kazuma and Luna hold up their numbers. 6 and 10. "Kazuma and Luna?!"
"Luna…? Are you okay with this?" Am asks her.
"I-I'm fine…" Luna replies stammering in her words.
"Why'd you have to pick me and her Chrono?!" Kazuma argues with him.
"I didn't do this on purpose!" Chrono defends.
"This should be interesting." Aichi says.
"I saw how you felt being so close to her at the U20 Kazuma. Your face was priceless!" Kamui jokes and Kazuma's grows even more embarrassed.
"D-Don't bring that up again!" Kazuma gripes and then he feels something jump into his lap. He looks down to see Luna looking up at him with puppy eyes as everyone looks on with either stunned or intrigued faces. She is lying in his lap facing him.
"Please Kazuma…?" Luna asks him with a very soft voice and he begins to tremble with anticipation. He also feels something trying to protrude from his lower region.
"I…" Kazuma tries to speak, but he's overwhelmed by the warm feeling of the girl in his lap and the pressure of everyone watches on in anticipation. Luna then starts scooting closer to him to where they're almost touching faces. And just then, Luna presses her lips against his.
The room goes completely silent with shock. "L-Luna…?" Am mutters as she sees the sight unfold before her. Luna separates herself from Kazuma with only a string of saliva connecting their lips.
She looks back up at Kazuma, "Did you like that?" she asks. Kazuma is completely speechless.
"Well Kazuma? Did you like that?" Chrono asks with a smug face.
"Y-You shut up!" he gripes at him and Chrono lets out a chuckle.
"Alright, let's move on." Chrono suggests
"I'm not sure I want to carry on." Tokoha says, "Not after that, because you guys will just want to ramp up the things we do."
"Well of course, that's the point of the game." Kamui tells her.
"Well I'm done playing." Kai says and gets up to leave.
"Ah! Hey Kai wait!" Aichi exclaims and follows after him.
"And I have to get back home to look after Shin and make sure he's not causing any trouble," Misaki says and leaves as well, "You kids have fun."
"G-Guys…" Kamui says seeing his friends leave. "Dang it… I was hoping we could all spend Christmas together…"
He then feels a hand rest on his shoulder and turns to see who it belongs to. "Don't worry Kamui, I'm still here." Emi tells him and a smile returns to his face.
"You're right. Let's carry on you guys." He tells the remaining people.
"But let's stop playing this game, it's getting a little too intense." Shion suggests.
"Y-Yeah…" Kamui agrees, "it was getting kinda lame anyway."
"But what are we going to do now?" Luna asks.
"Well… why don't we go ahead and open gifts." Kamui suggests and gestures to the presents everyone's brought and placed under the Christmas tree.
"I like that idea." Am says.
"Here's what we'll do," Kamui explains, "we'll reuse these numbers and whoever gets the red mark can choose a gift for them to open."
Everyone nods in agreement and Kamui shuffles the sticks in the cup, removing the ones no one's using. Everyone draws and the results are, "I got the red mark." Emi says. She then gets up and walks over to the tree and to look for a present for her to open. "The only present down here for me is from Kamui."
"Well open it!" Kamui demands hand Emi starts ripping into the wrapping revealing a very small box with several Bermuda Triangle units depicted on it. "It's the latest Bermuda Triangle booster, and I know how much you like that clan, so I got this for you. What do you think?"
"I love it!" she tells him with a bright smile. "Thank you Kamui and gives him a hug from around the neck.
"Y-You're welcome." He says.
After this, they continue opening gifts one-by-one until there are only a few left. This time, it's Shion's turn to open a gift. "There's only one left for me, this one." Shion says picking up a rather large box.
"Th-That one's from me…" Am tells him fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Shion tears into the wrapping and opens the box. Inside was a black, long and stiff tube. "I-It's a thing that helps straighten fencing sabers in case they get too bent. I know how much you enjoy fencing, so I thought it might be something you'd like."
Shion stares at the tube for a moment and then looks at Am, "Thank you Am," he says, "but my fencing school has some of these already. And I already have one at home."
"O-Oh… I see…" she says sounding very disappointed.
"But I appreciate the thought though." He tells her and a smile returns to her face. "While we're one this topic, why don't you open my gift?"
"O-Okay…" Am says and finds Shion's gift for her. She opens it and finds a piece of paper that looks like a chart. "What's this?" she asks.
"It's the results of your parent's operation." Shion tells her and Am looks at him with shock, "They're going to live, and should be up and moving within the coming months." Tears begin to well up in Am's eyes.
"A-Are you serious?" Am asks him.
"Yes." He replies with a soft voice, "I did it for you."
Tears start to stream down Am's face as she leaps on to Shion and holds him tight in a hug, "Thank you Shion! Thank you!" She tells him as he hugs her back.
"You're welcome Am." He says and everyone watches them having a moment.
"That was very sweet of you Shion." Tokoha tells him. Am stays next to Shion as everyone redraws sticks.
"Looks like it's my turn." Chrono says. "The only one left for me is the one from Tokoha." He says as he gets up get it.
"W-Wait!" Tokoha shouts before Chrono begins to open the present. "B-Before you open it… there's something you should know… you don't have to accept this gift, and it won't hurt my feelings if you don't. I didn't know what to get you, so I just chose something."
Chrono tears into the wrapping and reveals a small plushy of a very familiar unit. "I-Is this Chrono Dran?!" he asks with excitement.
"I-It is." She tells him, "I remember how close you were with Dran so I sewed it just for you. What do you think?"
Chrono's eyes light up with excitement, "I love it! Thank you so much Tokoha!" he exclaims as he gets up to walk over to her, but Kazuma sticks his foot out and trips him. "WAHH?!" he shouts as he falls in Tokoha's direction and they both go down to the floor. Chrono puts his hands out to brace for the fall, but his thumb ends up under something…
"Consider that payback for what you did to me in the King's Game." Kazuma says.
"Are you two okay?" Luna asks them.
"I told you Kazuma, that wasn't my intention." Chrono says as he lifts his head. It's at that moment he feels something soft in between his hands, and it's not that Dran plushy. Instead, he looks down and sees the top of Tokoha's Santa suit had been lifted off and he was grabbing both of her exposed breasts, which his hands being the only thing that's still covering them. Both of their faces turn bright red with embarrassment and Chrono quickly lifts himself off of her and she straightens her top almost as quickly. "I-I-I-I'm sorry! I-I-I-I didn't mean to!"
Tokoha is too embarrassed to even speak as she covers her chest with her arms. "Excuse me." She says and walks to the bathroom as everyone watches with slightly concerned faces. Later, Tokoha comes back out of the bathroom in her normal clothes and throws Kamui her Santa outfit. "I'm leaving! I can't deal with this anymore!" She tells him as she runs out the door.
"T-Tokoha! Wait!" Chrono tries to stop her.
"I wonder what got her all riled up." Emi wonders.
"Well he did kinda grab her chest." Shion states.
"I'm going after her." Chrono says as he grabs his present for her from under the tree and runs after Tokoha. "Sorry I can't stay guys, but I have to make sure she's okay. She's my friend after all."
Meanwhile, Tokoha continues through the town as snow continues to fall from the night sky. She stops a gazebo dressed in Christmas decorations and sits on one of the benches there. "I can't believe it happened… Chrono grabbed my breasts when I wasn't ready… I can't bear to face him now! I screwed up! I screwed it all up!"
Chrono sees Tokoha at the gazebo and runs up to meet her, "Tokoha!" he calls her.
"Go away Chrono!" she tells him, "I don't want to talk with you right now."
"Tokoha I'm sorry about grabbing your chest, but there's no reason to act like this." He tells her and walks closer to her. "I didn't even do it on purpose, Kazuma made me trip."
"Even so… it happened too soon!" she tells him, "I didn't want this to happen this fast!"
"Again, I'm sorry…" he tells her as he stands in front of her in the gazebo. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"
"No… I just want to go home…" she tells him as she gets up to leave.
"W-Wait! Before you go… There's something I want to give you." Chrono tells her as he hands her the present he brought for her. "Open it."
She just looks at the box for a minute before she takes it out of his hands and tears off the wrapping to reveal a small box that looks like a jewelry case. "C-Chrono… what is this?" she asks in mild concern.
"Just open it." Chrono tells her.
"I-I'm scared…" she says in refusal to open it, but Chrono steps closer to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.
"There's nothing to be afraid of. Just open it." He tells her and she opens the box, and inside, was a golden locket.
"A… a locket?" she questions.
"Open it up." Chrono tells her. She presses the button on the lock and inside… was a picture of the two of them, happy and smiling. Tokoha is stunned by what she is seeing and is at a loss for words. "I figured since you'd be going back to Paris and that we wouldn't see each other for a year, this would be something you could wear to remember me." Tokoha could feel her heart skipping several beats as tears begin to form in her eyes. "Do you like it?"
"Y-You did this for me?" She asks him and he nods, "I… I love it!" A warm smile returns to her face as she holds the locket close to her chest. "Thank you Chrono." She puts the locket around her neck and holds it in her hand.
"I'm glad you like it." He says.
"I-I'm sorry…" she says making him look confused, "I'm sorry I overreacted back at the party… I was just taken by surprised."
"It's okay. I forgive you." He says and she nods. However… as she looks up at him, she notices something on the roof of the gazebo, and when she sees it, her face turns bright red. "C-Chrono… I-Is that…?!" she says pointing at the roof and Chrono looks up as well.
Chrono's notices it and his face goes stiff, "A… A mistletoe!" he says. The two of them look back at each other and they both go red. Just then, Tokoha remembers something Am told her the other day.
Flashback
"Are you sure you want to go back with regrets?" Am asks. "…you may not see him again for several months, maybe even years. And by that point, he may have changed too much, and found another girlfriend."
End of flashback
"Chrono?" she says with a soft voice.
"Y-Yeah?" Chrono says nervous about what she's about to say.
"P-Please… do it." She tells him as tears roll from her eyes. "Kiss me…" Chrono is stunned by her request, "We may not see each other for another year… By that time, you'll probably have found another girlfriend! I don't want that to happen! I don't know what I'd do if that happened!" she begins to cry on his chest, but he puts a hand on the back of her head and she looks up at him.
"Tokoha… that was the whole reason I gave you the locket. You're the only girl I ever want to be this close with because…" Chrono pauses for a second before letting out what he wants to say to her. "I love you Tokoha."
The moment those words left his mouth, her eyes light up with surprise and joy, but before she could say anything, Chrono pulls her even closer to him and puts his lips onto hers. Tokoha's eyes begin to tear up even more as she finds herself melting in his arms. They kiss for what feels like an eternity as the snow outside the gazebo falls around them. When they finally separate, tears are running down Tokoha's face as they look into each other's eyes. "I… I love you too… Chrono." She says with a beautiful smile. They hold each other in their arms for a while before they finally separate. "Come on, we should be heading back." She says.
"Yeah." Chrono replies with a nod as they leave the gazebo and head back to Card Capital.
They walk in the front door to see that the girls have changed out of their Santa outfits and they all have begun cleaning up. "There you guys are!" Kamui exclaims.
"Where were you guys?" Shion asks.
"We were worried when you two ran off like that." Luna tells them.
"It's okay, nothing to worry about." Tokoha tells him.
"You guys need help cleaning up?" Chrono asks. They help them clean up any trash that has been left on the floor after opening presents, food, and other things. After this, they all leave the Card Shop and Kamui locks up for the night before they all head their separate ways.
"Bye guys. Merry Christmas!" Kamui says as he runs off.
"Merry Christmas! And thanks again for the hair clip Kazuma!" Luna says as she and Am walk off.
"You're welcome." Kazuma half-heartedly waves at her and walks away.
"Thank you so much for all you've done for me Shion!" Am tells him.
"You're welcome." He tells her.
"So back to running the family business huh?" Chrono asks the blonde.
"Yeah. Merry Christmas you two." He tells them and walks off.
"Merry Christmas!" Tokoha tells him and then turns to her swirly haired friend. "And thank you… for everything Chrono."
"You're welcome… Tokoha." He replies and they kiss one more time before separating. "Merry Christmas Tokoha!"
"Merry Christmas Chrono! I love you!"
"I love you too!" and the two of them walk home in separate directions to get ready for tomorrow, Christmas Day. Merry Christmas everyone!
Ending note:
Hello everyone, Mrd here. I just want to say thank you all for your support over this year. I started writing Fanfictions here back in January… Man that seems like forever ago and some of you really seem to enjoy Vanguard GV. I had no idea it was going to get as big as it did, but thank you all for your support. I've really enjoyed writing fanfictions for you all and I hope to bring you more in the coming year. I want to give an extra big thanks to these people who have kept me going all this time. Most of these people are from the Vanguard wiki community:
- "jesteban248"
- "ChronoPaladin"
- "Edgelord or Something"
- "MassakreOs1r1s"
Cardfight! Vanguard G: V TURN 30 will be coming out in January 2019. I hope to see you all then.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you for all your support! :)
-mrd256