Me: GOMEN NASAI! There was a LONG delay, but HELL, LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THE CHAPTER!
ET: HELL, YES! BOYFRIEND FINALLY GOT IN THIS CHAPTER!
EGP: ...Really?
ET: Yes! (smile)
Kratos: Why are you back, EGP? I thought you were looking for the Idiot Chosen.
EGP: I gave up. He'll come back.
Kratos: How do you know?
EGP: He'll get hungry. (grins evilly)
ET: ...Riiiigggggggghhhhhttttt....
Kratos: And why are YOU back, ET?
EGP: She's back home, yay! (hugs)
ET: GET OFFA ME!!
Me: ...
Ratatosk/Emil: ...
DISCLAIMER: SEE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.
Chapter 10
CHRISTMAS CHAPTER
Mannen sneezed as he walked throughout the house, wearing a sweater. He walked downstairs to the living room, where everyone else was bundled up in blankets, sweaters, jackets, and the like. He growled as he sat next to Michiko and Goh, "Why the hell is it so cold all of a sudden?"
"They called for snow," Atsushi replied. "All day."
Hikari and Heihachi's eyes twitched. "Snow?"
Atsushi slapped himself in the face, now wishing he hadn't mentioned it.
Sasuke Fujishima sighed, his brown eyes filled with sadness. He moaned, "I can't believe that I was mentioned, in like, chapter 5, but was only brought in just now at chapter 10!"
Yukari patted her older brother's brown-haired head out of sympathy. "I WAS IN CHAPTER ONE."
Sasuke glared at his younger sister.
"BRINGING BACK THE PREVIOUS CONVERSATION..." Kei blinked. "I thought you loved the cold, Mannen."
"Only when I'm prepared for it," was the genius reply.
"Righhht."
Haru suddenly leaped out of his seat from beside Himeno. "What are we doing here?!"
"Trying to stay warm," Himeno whimpered, her source of heat vanishing.
"No! It's only a few days before Christmas!"
Kakeru caught on and jumped up beside him. "I know! Why the hell isn't your house done up?! Where's your-?!"
"THERE you all are!" Natsue pranced into the room.
Mawata inquired, "What is it, Mother?"
Natsue clapped her hands in excitement, running out of the room, gesturing for the others to follow her.
Filled with dread, they obeyed.
-------
"YOU'RE JOKING!!"
"About what?"
"THERE'S NO WAY YOU'LL GET US IN THOSE!!"
"But-! But...the girls did it! It's the Christmas spirit!"
"Get AWAYYYY!!!"
"Haru/Kakeru/Hayate/Goh/Sasame/Sasuke, WEAR THE STUPID THINGS!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Ten minutes later...
The the guys reluctantly slunk out of the house, all dressed up in reindeer costumes! They were complete with the brown suit, antlers, tails, hooves (which were momentarily set elsewhere so they could work without problems), and in Kei's case...a red nose.
"At least I'm not Rudolph," Shin whispered.
"No kidding," Hajime agreed.
The girls, dressed up as elves (Yukari demanded, "ARE YOU TRYIN' TO TELL ME SOMETHIN'?!"), with the elf ears, pointy jingle bell hats, green clothes, and funky shoes, burst into laughter.
Michiko gasped for breath. "Kei-! Kei's-!"
"RUDOLPH!!" Mayune choked out, laughing just as hard as Michiko.
Natsue, as Mrs. Claus, smiled happily, "You all look so great!"
St. Nick, aka Kaoru, encouraged, "C'mon! We need to get these boxes inside and everything outside set up before it starts snowing!"
"BATTLE POSITIONS!!"
Everyone ran to different areas outside, around the property.
At the front gate...
Heihachi gestured, "Yo, Haru, can you untangle this strand for me?"
"Sure," Himeno's boyfriend nodded, taking the strand from Heihachi.
Sasame strung a strand of garland that he had, wrapping it carefully all around the posts until he ran out. He looked around for another strand, but saw none. He glanced nervously at how he only had about half of the posts on the fenceline done. Mawata, at the other end, tossed him some, "Here you go!"
"Oh, thanks!" Sasame caught the garland, beginning to string them all again, Yayoi following up with lights. Of course, Yayoi was ranting.
"OH, THIS IS SOOO ROMANTIC! ALL OF US STRINGING LIGHTS AND GARLAND TOGETHER, MORE GUYS THAN GIRLS! OH, WHO KNOWS IF YOU SHALL TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF US-!"
"Yayoi, please, I'm begging," Haru dramatically dropped to his knees in front of her, still untangling the lights, "GET A LIFE."
"One that has no relation to love," Heihachi added, attempting at drowning her out.
Sasame and Mawata nodded furiously in agreement.
At the house, hanging bows...
Michiko called to Atsushi from the front porch, Atsushi standing farther out in the yard, "How about now?!"
"A little to the left!"
Michiko, Kei, Hajime, and Kaoru all moved their bows to the left. Atsushi, for the second time this chapter, slapped his face. "No! Move back to the right!"
Everyone did so.
"Now, only MICHI slide hers to the left!"
She did so.
"A little more...little more- RIGHT THERE!"
Michiko tied her bow off.
"Are the rest even?!" Hajime inquired, "My arms are getting tired!"
"Umm..." Atsushi moved around, looking at the work. "Mr. Kaoru, please move yours a little higher?!"
Michiko grumbled, "Oh, HE gets a 'PLEASE', I get a 'MOVE IT MICHI.'"
Kaoru did so.
"That's good!"
He tied it off and crossed his arms. His way of saying, "BOO-YAH!"
"Hajime, yours is fine!"
"Yes!" Hajime gladly fixed his up.
"What about mine?!" Kei asked.
"Lower!"
"...Now?!"
"Tiny bit higher..."
"...Now?"
"That's good, tie it off!"
He did s-
"DAMMIT, AUTHORESS, YOU SAY 'HE DID SO' ONE MORE TIME AND I WILL LEAP UP TO YOUR COMPUTER AND ASSASSINATE YOU!!!"
Humph. Grumpy. Fine then.
RUDOLPH did so.
Kei's eyes narrowed and he raised a fist to the sky, screaming many incomprehensible things.
At the house, hanging the garland...
Yukari snickered again.
Hayate hissed, "You keep that up, and I will hang you from the roof with this garland."
Yukari swallowed another snicker. "I just can't help it...you look so stupid...all dressed up in that reindeer stuff..."
Shin itched his arm, "This garland feels...funny."
"Rough? Itchy?" Natsue offered.
"Itchy," Shin agreed, finishing his part of the garland.
"Are you fine?" Kakeru inquired, starting on a new strand.
"Yeah, I'm okay. It's not that bad!"
"You know, Mr. Fuji claims he's allergic to Christmas?" Yukari grinned.
"Oh, I remember this story! Himeno shared it with me," Natsue laughed into her hand.
"Do I really want to know?" Hayate groaned.
Obviously not giving him much of a choice, Yukari began, "See, it started a few weeks ago-"
"Crap," Hayate murmured.
"-when Mr. Fuji went home. He'd had a late day, so he got home late. The next day was a Saturday, so he attempted at sleeping in, but his wife woke him up-"
("A woman can tolerate him?" Hayate asked himself)
"-saying that they had to start hanging the Christmas stuff. After about five more minutes of laying in bed, Mr. Fuji's dog woke him up by jumping on the bed. She was sent in fromt his wife. And so, his wife was like, 'honey, it's only a couple of boxes!' It turns out that for the house that he's lived in for two years, they already had fifteen boxes of stuff!"
Shin laughed.
"He hung all of it up, but when he got to the five feet of garland, he couldn't stop sneezing! And then, he got really itchy-"
Shin froze, forcing himself not to sneeze.
"-and when he finally finished, it stopped. However, it turned out that he had to go and do the church, too! So, this time, he had about two hundred feet of garland to hang up!"
She nodded, proud of her story.
Hayate sniffed randomly, then cleared his throat. "Uh...right..."
At the house...doing...other things...
"OHMEGOSH! CANDYCANES!! LIGHT-UP...CANDYCANES!!"
"Naomi, CALM DOWN," Himeno pleaded.
Sasuke coughed, "Is that even possible...?"
Naomi beat Sasuke in the head with one of the candycanes. Goh feared the wrath of the now Christmas-possessed females, so took a few candycanes from a bag, staking them into the ground, and plugging them into an extension cord. Then, they quickly set up mechanical deer which moved their heads up and down.
"I think we've done pretty good here," Sasuke nodded, a large bump on his head.
"No, no, no!" Naomi shook her head, still holding a lonely candycane in her hands.
"Where'd you get that one?" Himeno inquired.
"I've had it. I just don't wanna be the one to have the shortest section in this section-splitting-up-thingy!" Naomi's lip quivered.
"Umm...how about we set out those giant inflatables, too?" Goh offered.
"OKAY!" Naomi's eyes lit up dangerously.
They dragged the inflatables out, plugging them in, and watching them blow up. There was a penguin, a Santa, a snowman, and a snowglobe. Naomi clapped her hands, cackling.
"They are BLOWING UP!"
Goh nodded slowly. "I'm glad you're amused."
Sasuke muttered, "Although we still only got a short mention-"
BAMMMMMM!!
"OWW!!!"
At the house, stringing the lights...
"...and so, you're telling me that the only reason I'm in this group is because, A: I'm a female, and B: I'm a TALL female?!" Hikari hissed.
Mayune shrugged, "Mother instructed us on where to go."
Takako handed the fuming black and red head another strand of lights. Hikari, who was on an extremely tall ladder, muttered, "Even though this job should've been left to the guys..."
(A faraway picture of Hikari on a ladder, Takako, Mayune, and Mannen on the roof, an arrow pointing at them)
"...why am I still here?!"
"Oh, it's not that hard! Why are you complaining?!" Mannen glared, untangling lights and separating them by color.
"Keep it up and I'll throw you off the roof," Hikari threatened, her eyes seeming to glow.
"Sheesh, a simple question. Nagging old- MMPH!"
Mayune covered Mannen's mouth before he went any farther, which would lead to never hearing from him again. Takako wisely advised, "I would stop talking now, Mannen."
Mannen shivered over Hikari's death daggers that were aimed right at him. "Mmumph, mmmmmmph."
Mayune uncovered his mouth, and the white-head remained silent. Then, just as Hikari went back to stringing the lights, Mannen muttered, "It's just, I wish we could be done like THAT," he snapped his fingers, "so we could go inside."
"Five."
"Hey, what the hell was that-?"
Suddenly, from the porch, Shin cried, "It's snowing, it's snowing!"
"OH NO!!" Kaoru cried, "HURRY DOWN FROM THERE, YOU FOUR! WE MUST TAKE THESE BOXES INSIDE!"
"Right, right, coming!"
Fifteen minutes later...
"Now we get to decorate the inside!" Natsue cheered.
"Right...yay..." Kei groaned.
"Actually, we must split up!" Natsue went into deep thought. "Kaoru, you take Hayate, Goh, Kei, Sasame, and Kakeru and go pick out trees...at that place."
Kaoru blinked, then pointed his index finger at her. "Ohhhh, you mean...THAT place?"
"Oh, yes. Of course THAT place."
Kakeru grinned, "Is this that same THAT place that I'M thinking of?"
"The exact same, my dear," Natsue purred.
Everyone else's eyes widened with fear.
-------
It was at least an hour and a half later when there was a loud HONKHONK coming from outside. Michiko ran to the window, pushed the blinds out of the way before screaming, "HOLY CRAP! WHEN DID YOU GET THAT?!"
"Get what?" Shin ran up beside her, his eyes widening, the child freezing completely.
Natsue beamed innocently. "Sasuke, dear, would you open the door?"
"Sure, Mrs. Awayuki..."
Sasuke walked up to the door, opened it. He froze after his jaw dropped.
THUD.
He then fainted.
"Okay, WHAT IS IT-?" Yukari went to the door next. Her eyes popped out of her head. Hikari went up next to her and groaned, "I hate rich people. I really do."
Parked outside, with a large thirty-five foot Christmas tree tied to the top, was a yellow hummer limo.
"Holy CRAP," Naomi whistled. "Gotta agree with you, Hika."
Heihachi withdrew to a corner, "I wanna be rich, I wanna be rich, please the only thing I want for ChristmasistobeRICHHHH."
The doors of the limo opened, and Hayate was the first to collaspe out of the vehicle onto the now lightly coated white ground. "HOLY CRAP...WAY TOO HOT IN THERE..."
Goh stumbled out after him. "Yeah. WAY TOO HOT."
Kaoru fell out, dizzy and faint. "Maybe we shouldn't try that again, boys."
Kei crawled around from the other side of the hummer limo. "Fresh air...."
Sasame staggered against the door. "No needles stabbing me in the eyes...."
Kakeru shuddered, "Dude, how can you deal with that all the time?!"
An unfamiliar voice answered, "I try not to, trust me. If I can be doing anything else, I am. Usually I pull out the 'I gotta practice' excuse."
"Sweet."
"Alright, boys, let's get this unloaded!" Kaoru proclaimed, striking a weird pose.
"UNLOADED?!" They all cried, "IT FEELS LIKE WE JUST GOT THIS THING LOADED!"
"It'll be okay! We got Ryuu! He works with these things!"
"Weren't you listening, Mr. Awayuki?! NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!"
Yukari caught sight of the owner of the unfamiliar voice.
The voice belonged to a guy with dark brown hair. It was cut close to his scalp, nothing hiding the electric green eyes that were set in a face that seemed much older than he was. He had a goatee that held hints of auburn within the dark brown; his body was solid and well built and he stood at about the height of Hikari. He was dressed in only a long sleeved shirt, jeans, and boots.
"Who is that?" she whispered to Hikari, who shrugged.
"I think he goes to school with Kakeru," Naomi said, "Kaoru did say Ryuu, right?"
"Pretty sure, yeah."
"Yeah, I think they go to school together. Ryuu plays trumpet."
"Oh, God," Hikari rolled her eyes, "Another trumpeter. No instrument reproducing, okay?"
SMACK!
"Oww! What the crap, Yuka?!"
"Don't make me sic Kikyo's saxophone on your clarinet."
Hikari hissed and ran to help with the trees.
-------
Five hours of stabbing pine needles, pain, tears, sweat, broken glass, one sprained wrist and lots of blood later...
"WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO GET A THIRTY-FIVE FOOT TREE?"
"I believe that was Mr. Awayuki's," replied Kakeru.
"MY WRISSSST! MY WRIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTT!!!!!" Sasuke cried.
"Hold it STILL!" Yukari snapped, examining it.
"It hurts!!" Yukari's older brother wailed.
"Man, are you okay, Sasuke?! I didn't mean to hit the ladder!!" Naomi whimpered.
---Flashback---
"It's lookin' pretty!" Hikari cheered.
"Yes, it is," Takako agreed, handing Sasame more ornaments on the opposite side of the tree from Sasuke, who was also hanging ornaments.
"I think it's almost ready!" Michiko took hold of Goh's arm once he dispatched the star that would go on top to Naomi. She gleefully took it and went in Sasuke's general direction.
Haru took Himeno's hand, whispering something in her ear as she smiled happily. Yayoi sighed from the second floor, looking up a little higher where the top of the tree was. "Oh, isn't this all just SO ROMANTIC?"
"Hey, you haven't been in the story since chapter six! Why're you back in all of a sudden?!" Michiko cried.
"How should I know? And...what do you mean by 'chapter six'?"
"Umm...nevermind."
Heihachi, meanwhile, had finished his part in decorating the trees/house, and went back to his corner. "Rich people...I wanna be rich...Rich...rich...richrichrich..."
Atsushi poked his younger brother on the head, "Uh, Hachi, are you okay?"
Heihachi mumbled something, then screamed, "RICH FOR CHRISTMAS!!"
Everyone decided to keep their distance.
"Hey, everyone!" Mawata called from the direction of the kitchen. "We're almost ready!"
"Okay, let me put the star on!" Sasuke got up on his giant ladder about ten steps before reaching back behind him for the star, which resided in Naomi's hands. She stood on her tip-toes, and just as the tip was within Sasuke's grasp-
"COOKIES ARE READY!!"
Naomi's serious eyes flashed, became excited, and she turned, now distracted, "COOKIES?!"
Engulfed in her distraction, she accidentally leaned forward, bumping into the ladder that Sasuke was on. He attempted at grabbing something on the tree to steady himself, but whatever it was (a dog with antlers?) came loose. So, Sasuke fell backwards off the ladder. He put out his hands to brace himself against the impact, but he had somehow sprained his left wrist.
"Oh, Sasuke, are you okay?!"
"Ahh! Sasuke, I'm sorry! I'm SOO sorry!"
"Sasuke, you okay?!"
---End Flashback---
"Tell you what," Naomi grinned weakly, "I'll give you three of MY cookies."
The pain faded from Sasuke's face. "Extra cookies?"
Yukari sighed, releasing his injured wrist, "I swear, by the end of this Christmas, you're gonna be FAT."
Sasuke looked up with a whimpy puppy dog face, "FAT?"
"FAT."
-------
With Sasuke's injured wrist now wrapped up tight, they all braced themselves for what Kaoru and Natsue had planned next. They had ordered the group to gather in the living room, which was now decorated with ornaments, paper chains, paper snowflakes, garland, lights, etc. Kaoru held a strange top hat with slips of paper in it. Natsue beamed, "I think you'll especially like what we've got planned next!"
"It's something SPECIAL." Kaoru grinned and nodded, as though the word 'SPECIAL' had wonderful emphasis. "What you'll do is, draw a name from the hat. You must keep this paper with you at all times, and you are not, I repeat, ARE NOT, allowed to share who you drew with anyone else."
They all looked suspiciously at Kaoru.
"What you will do is go out shopping for this person, either tonight or tomorrow morning. You will get one present, or more, if you wish. You will wrap it, and at noon tomorrow, have it under the tree."
"Who'll draw first?" Natsue smirked, Kaoru offering the hat out with a smile.
Hikari reluctantly raised her hand. Kaoru ran up to her, keeping an eye on the papers, and offered it to her. She looked away, reached her hand in the hat, dug around a little, and drew out a name. She looked at it, and she made a funny expression.
She drew Kei.
"Right, right, so will you shop now or later?"
"May as well now," Hikari sighed, shoving the paper in her pocket. Hikari walked towards the door, then sighed, "Can we still shop with someone, but not tell them who?"
"That's fine," Natsue nodded.
Hikari nodded slowly in understanding, then disappeared from view.
Heihachi murmured, "I'll go next." He reached in the hat and drew out Mawata. He looked at it from different angles, then said, "Got it," and left.
Atsushi went and picked out Haru's. He frowned at it. He'd been hoping for someone else's, but he'd find something for Haru.
Yukari went up next, the flow keeping Kaoru and Natsue happy. She picked out Sasame. Hopefully, he wouldn't be too hard to shop for. She went out in the other room with Hikari, Heihachi, and Atsushi.
Naomi approached, picked out Kakeru, snorted a laugh, and vanished.
Haru drew out Himeno, already knowing what to get her.
Takako slithered her hand in the hat, drawing a name from the bottom: Sasuke. She laughed her head. Maybe he'd appreciate cookies.
Michiko snatched a name right from the top, hoping it would be Goh, but it was Atsushi. She could get him an easy present. She grinned evilly and laughed.
Kakeru sighed, cracked his knuckles, closed his eyes and drew out one specific name(after dropping another back in). Naomi's. He began stuttered, "Wha-but-how can-I-I-I-"
"C'mon, move, Kakeru," Himeno gently pushed him out of the way. She drew out a name, the paper reading Shin's name. She nodded. An easy target- er...
Mawata went up, pulling out Ryuu. The new guy. EASY...
Mayune looked at the hat as though something would leap out at her from the hat and swallow her whole. She sighed and picked the first paper she caught sight of. She looked at it and it read Hajime. She could get him something easily.
Kei went up next, swiftly reaching in, grabbing a piece of paper. He scrunched up his face. Yayoi. He groaned and crumpled the paper, already thinking of what ROMANTIC present to get her.
Hayate sighed and got it over with. He drew out Hikari's name. He stared at it for a moment before nodded and silently leaving the room, vanishing upstairs. Goh went up after his twin, drawing Michiko's name. His heart thumped louder, but he followed Hayate upstairs. Sasame nervously walked up, afraid he would draw her name. If he drew her name, he wouldn't know what to even get her. What could he get her-?
Takako. He drew Takako. Her.
Mannen muttered something deadly as he drew out a name. Heihachi's. What in the world could he get Hachi?! He murmured something else before leaving.
Hajime blinked, quickly taking a piece of paper. It read Mayune. He could get her perfume or something like that. He grinned. An easy one.
Shin reached into the hat, drawing Mannen's name. A hard one. Mannen may be his brother, but to find something he would LIKE...
He shivered.
Sasuke walked up, tired of waiting, and drew Goh's name. He needed to get him something...different, that was for sure. Yayoi squealed and ran up, grabbing at the paper, eventually drawing out Hayate's name. She cackled evilly, "PERRRRRRRFECT!" and glided away.
Ryuu watched her leave nervously as he drew out a name. Yukari. She was the shorter brown headed girl, wasn't she?
"WHO DID IT?!" Yukari screamed from the next room over.
"Did what?" Naomi inquired.
"I FELT THAT NEGATIVE ENERGY...WHO CALLED ME VERTICALLY CHALLENGED?!"
Ryuu blinked, sliding out of the room.
Kaoru held up Natsue's name, and she did the same for his. He hugged her, "Oh, Natsue! It was meant to be!"
"Yes, of course, my love!"
"...And WE'RE supposed to keep it a secret?" Hikari blinked.
-------
They'd decided that the girls would shop tonight, the guys in the morning before the noontime deadline. Up in the guys' room...
"So, uhh, Ryuu, was it? Why're you still hanging around here if you work at a Christmas tree lot?" Goh inquired with interest.
Ryuu beamed, "There's no way I'm goin' back there today! My excuse is that Kakeru forced me to stay. I mean, honestly, the stabbing pine needles and the people cursing you out because you don't have the perfect tree...it gets old."
"Yeah, I bet," Sasame nodded.
Heihachi sighed, "Well, Ryuu...you are more than likely now a part of the group since you're being forced to do the Awayuki's freaky stuff. Got any siblings?"
"Actually, I do. I have six older brothers and one older sister."
Hayate whistled. "Almost as bad as us."
"Yeah. Only now we're technically seven brothers and three sisters," Kei pointed out.
"I said ALMOST, Kei."
"Whatever," Kei scoffed.
"What in the world are we going to do until the girls get back?" Kakeru whined.
Ryuu gave Kakeru a look. Kakeru hissed, "Oh, please! I'm not like that, you sicko!"
"Huh?" Shin and Hajime blinked.
Mannen shook his head, "No, no, innocently kids shouldn't know about that."
Goh gave Mannen a noogie, "You shouldn't know either!!"
Suddenly, Sasuke jumped up, and you could practically see the light bulb over his head. "Oh! Oh! I know! I know! Haru, how deep is the snow outside?!"
Haru looked out the window, and his eyebrows raised a little, "Pretty deep, it looks like."
"Oh, yeah. Huddle, dudes!"
Everyone anime sweatdropped, but gathered around.
-------
Hikari stepped out of the hummer limo, holding lots of bags with presents for everyone. "Holy fudgecrackers. That is the LAST time I go shopping with rich people."
Naomi fell on top of her best friend, plowing Hikari into the snow, "Oh, Mama..."
Yayoi, Mayune, Mawata, and Himeno looked at all their collsping friends as though they were amateurs. "That wasn't that bad," Himeno blinked.
"The HELL it wasn't," Michiko growled.
Takako hugged the snow, "Oh, I'm never doing that again. Never again."
Yukari took about three steps away from the limo before falling to the ground. "So...much weight...too far to walk..."
Suddenly, Yayoi pointed, "Hey, there's Shin and Hajime up there."
They all looked up at the two "INNOCENT" children waving from Hayate's balcony. Most of the girls waved back, but Hikari glared, "Something doesn't smell right."
Shin and Hajime leapt off the balcony, Hayate and Goh catching them.
"Indeed not! ATTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCKK!!!"
Suddenly, the girls were bombarded with tens of hundreds of snowballs flying at them, the attack taking them off guard. They were being attacked from behind, so they took cover in the limo. They threw their presents in there and pushed themselves up against the limo. "Crap! I knew it!" Hikari screamed, "HACHI, THIS WAS ALL YOUR IDEA, WASN'T IT?!"
From the distance, they heard Heihachi yell, "NO IT WASN'T! IT WAS SASUKE'S!"
"TRAITTORRRSSS!!" Yukari bellowed.
Shin suddenly wailed, "Hey, where's the tunnel?! I'm stuck!"
"It's right THERE!" Hajime screamed, "TAKE COVER!!"
"Tunnels?" Hikari's eye ticked.
Naomi cackled, "Oh, they so outdid you."
"Man! If only we were at MY place, I'd have them all run over!"
"Hika, it's the HOLIDAY season. No violence."
"THE LIESSSSSS!!!"
"Huh?"
"WELL, THEY'VE ALREADY SAID 'HELL' FOUR-FIVE!- TIMES THIS CHAPTER!! WHY CAN'T I BE VIOLENT?!"
"I'm with HER," Himeno jerked her thumb at Hikari. "LET'S KILL 'EM!!"
The girls began making snowballs for ammo, Mawata asking her oldest sister, "Mayune, do you still have that snow cannon that Father gave you?"
Mayune hugged her sister, "Oh, PERFECT!! Cover me, I'll be right back!"
Mayune looked around the side of the limo, almost getting smacked in the face with a snowball. Hikari gestured, "Go on, I'm right behind you!"
"Okay!"
Mayune took off running towards the front door, which was about thirty to forty feet away. Right behind her, as she said, was Hikari, with armfuls of snowballs. As snowballs went flying towards Mayune, Hikari threw her own snowballs in the boys' direction, all of it seeming like something from the movies. When Mayune safely arrived at the front door, Hikari struck a pose, "IN YOUR FACE, YOU SNOWBALL THROWING BASTARDS!!! GO, MAYUNE! GET THE CANNON!!"
"CANNON?!" the guys all echoed.
"YOU HEARD ME! GO, GIRLS!"
While the guys were all dumbfounded, the girls jumped up, releasing snowball after snowball towards the thirteen guys. Naught but Shin's head had been showing above the ground, and when he saw the snowballs coming, like a little groundhog, he ducked down into the tunnels that his older brothers had made. The snow was thick and almost icy-like, so the tunnel wouldn't collaspe on him unless someone stepped on it. The others all ran for cover (Hajime trying to get inside the tunnels with Shin), fleeing for their lives from the seven females who were throwing snowballs at them. The girls soon discovered that the men were well-prepared. They had build long, tall, thick snow forts in between trees. They decided to stop wasting ammo against the shields and waited on their secret weapon.
"Here it is!" Mayune chirped, rolling out a cannon that was about half of her height. The guys, who wanted to see what they were now fighting against, poked their heads out from the forts. Michiko threw a random snowball, hoping to hit one of them while they gazed upon the small cannon, and she successfully hit Kei's face.
"Okay, we have to make snowballs big enough to fit in there," Hikari advised, "Let's go!"
They began rolling balls of snow, like you would build a snowman. Then, ever so carefully, Yukari and Naomi picked up the snowball and shoved it in the cannon. Mayune cackled evilly, "Any last words?!"
"Can I join your side?" Sasuke whimpered, "I'm an injured man!"
"Umm...NO," Mayune pressed the button, laughing shrilly.
"Sorry, Bro!" Yukari apologetically called.
FOOOOM.
"AHHH!!!"
Mannen, Kei, Kakeru, and Hayate were thrown a few feet as they had tried to brace their fort. They were now exposed to an attack. Shin and Hajime popped their heads out of the ground, laughing at the guys who'd gotten thrown. Then, seeing how demonically Mayune and Hikari was looking at the two, they slunk back into the ground, shrieking, "We're sorry, we're sorry!"
"Oi, Shin! Hajime!" Naomi called, waving a hand.
They barely came back aboveground, "...What?"
"How big are your tunnels?" She grinned ("When did she get fangs?!" screamed Takako).
"Umm..." The two glanced at each other. "Big enough for...Yukari..." They flew underground.
Half of a second later, Yukari jumped into the hole in the ground where Hajime had been, screaming at the top of her lungs, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?! YOU LITTLE BRATS!! JUST WAIT UNTIL I CATCH YOU! I OUGHTA SKIN YOU ALIVE AFTER MAKING YOU TWO INTO DEAD SNOWMANS!!"
"And WHO told ME not to be violent?" Hikari frowned.
"I believe that was me," Naomi smirked, "But like I actually meant it."
"True, true."
As Mayune fired another snowball, wherever she got another one from, she crowed, "Do you give up yet?!"
Kei began, "Never-!"
"I surrender! I SURRENDERRRR!!" Sasuke waved his good wrist, Atsushi nodding beside him.
"You-you-you TRAITORS!" Mannen sputtered.
"Rather a live traitor than a dead man," Atsushi said wisely, a smile of innocence on his face.
"True," the white-head muttered.
"Two prisoners of war! Who's next?" Mawata beamed.
"Oh, God," Heihachi groaned, "Now Mawata's going to the dark side."
A sugar cookie went flying out of nowhere towards Mawata. She caught it and everyone looked at it as though the cookie were alien (Yukari still chasing Shin and Hajime underground).
Come join the dark side. We have sugar cookies.
"THAT VOICE AGAIN!!" screamed Kei. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
Your conscious. Shut up, Rudolph.
"DAMN IT, I AM NOT RUDOLPH!!!"
Mawata shrugged and ate the cookie. Everyone watched her, half expecting her to collaspe from poison or something of that nature. Instead, she licked her lips and ran for the house, "Mother! We need another batch of cookies!"
"One step ahead of you, sweetie!" Natsue came outside, barely getting two steps out of the house before Naomi was at her side, "Can I take some of these cookies off your hands?"
"Of course, Naomi! Oh..." Natsue looked around, confused, "...Where's Yukari, Shin, and Hajime?"
"She's not gonna ask about the cannon?" Hayate murmured.
"...DON'T WANNA BE A SNOWMAN!!"
"DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!! NAOMI ASKED ME, SO I TOLD THE TRUTH!!"
"I'LL GET ANYONE WHO CALLS ME SHORT!!"
Hikari called, a cookie in her mouth, "HEY, SHORT STUFFFFF! I GOTTA COOKIE!!!"
Yukari burst forth from the snow, nostrils flaring, eyes flashing dangerously, "HIKARI SAKURA KAWASAKI!!!"
Hikari snatched two more cookies from Natsue's tray before fleeing for her life.
"I don't think we're going to see them for a while," Ryuu observed, munching on a cookie.
"Since it's so late and dark, how were you all able to see our here to have a snowball fight?" Natsue pondered.
You could almost hear the fanfare that played as Naomi and Michiko pointed to colored spotlights that went along with the entire Christmas decoration.
Shin and Hajime looked around pitifully, "She's gone?"
-------
It was about eleven thirty before they heard from Hikari. She'd called Naomi's cell phone and whispered, "Is Yukari there?"
"Uh...no...should she be?" Naomi frowned at the phone.
"No! Good, good, good. I'll be right there."
They heard the front door open, and running footsteps. Mikage, who'd been giving the group hot chocolate, smiled, "You did that on purpose, didn't you, Miss Naomi?"
"Of course," Naomi sneered.
"We're in here!" Michiko called.
They stared at the open doorway, and saw Hikari stop right in front of it, staring down the hallway. There was another door slam and that was followed by Yukari shrieking, "THERE YOU ARE!!"
"DAMMIT!" Hikari took off again in the opposite direction, Yukari a blur, chasing her.
"PLEASE! LEAVE ME ALONE!!"
"TAKE IT BACK!"
"I WON'T! BUT I HAVE A COOKIE THAT I'LL GIVE YOU!!"
"COOKIE?!" Naomi ran out of the room.
Ryuu sighed, "Is it always like this?"
"Yep," everyone beamed (Except Heihachi, who'd retreated to a corner again).
Haru offered, "How about we see how good the new guy can stop them?"
"How hard can it be?" Ryuu inquired.
Everyone gave him a smile, "ALL HELL LETS LOOSE."
Takako nodded. "That's about how it goes."
"Go on, new guy!" Atsushi gave him a playful punch, "My praye- THOUGHTS, my THOUGHTS are with you."
Ryuu went a little pale, then stood up, slowly walked out of the room, and Mikage asked quietly, "Shall I prepare bandages?"
"Just in case," Michiko nodded.
"RICHHH!!!"
"Heihachi, you're on something, I swear."
"Go, Ryuu! Faster! I'll sic a furby on you!!"
Ryuu blinked, for Atsushi, of all people, said that. Suddenly, he heard a comment from Michiko, "Haru, why are you hiding?"
Ryuu walked down the stairs, following the sound of Yukari's shouts, Hikari's pleads, and Naomi's demands for the cookie. He caught them running around in circles in the living room, jumping over furniture and ducking under the tables. Ryuu put a hand out, "Uh, girls?"
They continued to chase/flee.
"Umm...Girls?" He raised his voice a little more.
Hikari suddenly grabbed his shoulders and hid behind him, "Save me!!"
"You brought this upon yourself!" Yukari and Naomi pointed out. Then, Naomi added, "Gimme the cookie!"
"Fine!" Hikari tossed a sugar cookie with frosting towards Naomi and Yukari. They both reached for it, but Naomi jumped up and caught it first. She nibbled on it, then inhaled it, the cookie vanishing completely. She smiled, "Yay, cookie!" and went upstairs again.
Yukari glared, "WHY DIDN'T I GET THE COOKIE? I'm the one chasing you!"
"I don't have two!" Hikari wailed.
Hikari ran out from behind Ryuu, attempting at running upstairs, but Yukari was right on her tail. Ryuu groaned to the group upstairs, "Do I HAVE to stop them?"
"YEP!" they all yelled at him.
"Crap."
He followed after them to the third story. They chased each other around in Himeno's bedroom. Just as Hikari ran out from the room, Ryuu jumped in front of the doorway, getting plowed over by Yukari. They both hit the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. Hikari clapped her hands, "Thank you for your sacrifice, O New Member!" and ran to the group that was on the second story.
Yukari flushed, "Oh, I'm sorry, Ryuu!"
"No, it's okay," he groaned as Yukari got off of him.
"I didn't mean to- are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
They both blushed, but the moment was interrupted as there was a familiar scream of "DAMN IT, WHY AREN'T I RICH YET?! RICHRICHRICH!!"
"THAT'S GETTING OLD, HACHI!!" Hikari then smacked her twin.
-------
By the time the girls all woke up, the guys had been out shopping for about an hour already. They all went downstairs in their PJs, drinking hot chocolate. Takako attempted at picking up a conversation. "I wonder when the guys are going to get home."
"Kaoru is gone, too," Michiko pointed out.
"Yeah..."
"So..." Naomi deviously smiled, "Who got who?"
The girls excitedly shared the names they'd picked out. Michiko cackled, "You got Kei, Hika?!"
"Yep," Hikari grinned ("She got fangs, too?!" shrieked Mawata)
"What'd you get him?" Yukari smirked.
"Oh, I'll give a hint."
"Yes?"
"EVERYONE'S going to love it." Hikari then burst into hysterical laughter.
Natsue was nearby, standing on a ladder, attempting at hanging something. Takako inquired, "Do you need any help, Mrs. Awayuki?"
"Ah, no, I'm finnnne..." Natsue then hung up the MISTLETOE that was attached to a string with holly.
"Oh, crap," Naomi snapped her fingers, "Do you know how much tension is gonna be in here now?"
Natsue smiled innocently and took the ladder away, vanishing from sight swiftly. Himeno stared at the doorway, "Am I the only one who heard the car pull up?"
"Probably. I'll check." Mawata stood up and opened the door, only to see Heihachi in front of her. She flushed furiously as all the girls exploded with laughter from their spots.
"IT'S TOO GREAT!" Hikari shrieked through deep gasps of breath.
Heihachi frowned, "What?"
Mawata hesitantly looked at the mistletoe that'd been hung five seconds ago. Heihachi looked up and attempted at dropping everything and running, but Goh and Hayate caught his arms. Goh smirked, "Oh, no, you don't."
"No-! Let me go-!" Heihachi struggled against their grips hopelessly.
Atsushi towered over Heihachi as a dark shadow. "Heihachi...if you do not follow tradition, I'll sic Naomi and Hikari on you."
Two more shadows towered over him, cracking knuckles with pleasure. Heihachi shivered with fear under the three shadows.
"Now, now, girls. We shouldn't pressure him," Atsushi lightly tsked. "Come, back away. Give them room."
Mawata froze, her face beet red.
Yukari screamed, "Himeno! The camera!"
"The VIDEO camera, are you kidding?!" Mayune yelled, she and Himeno running upstairs as fast as inhumanly possible.
Yayoi danced around in circles, holding a bouquet of roses, "OH, IT'S SO ROMANTIC! THE FIRST KISS, THEN THE HOLDING HANDS, THEN THE KISSING WHEREVER YOU WANT, THEN THE CUDDLING, THEN THE MOVING IN TOGETHER, THEN THE-!"
Michiko randomly shot Yayoi with the snow cannon ("How?" Sasame murmured), hissing, "It's Christmas. Don't be vulgar." And Yayoi was left on the floor, twitching.
Hajime and Shin, who were armed with cameras, urged, "Go on, Heihachi. We won't tell ANYone." They got ready to snap a hundred pictures in the matter of a tenth of a second.
Everyone then fell silent (Mayune returning with the video camera, turned on, Himeno with her digital camera), waiting on the two to uphold the Christmas/mistletoe tradition.
They slowly moved closer towards each other, both blushing inhumanly. Heihachi muttered, "Well, they aren't about to leave us alone..."
"May as well get it over with..." Mawata nodded slowly.
They stared at each other for a moment, leaned closer, and their lips locked-
CLICK!
FLASH!
"Yes! All on video!" Mayune cheered.
The two broke apart, their blushes deepening. Hikari threw her arm around Heihachi's shoulder, "Well, well, bro! I'm proud of you! This is payback for making me do that ONE THING that I haven't forgotten!"
Everyone stared with wide eyes and dropped jaws.
A dark red aura surrounded Hikari, her eyes glowing, "GET. YOUR. MINDS. OUT. OF. THE. GUTTER."
Everyone cleared their throats and proceded to enter the house and clear the doorway. Finally, when the door was shut, the guys went upstairs and worked on wrapping their presents. The girls watched the clock carefully, knowing that Kaoru would soon be back from...wherever he had gone to. It was nearing the noon deadline when Sasame, Mannen, Sasuke, Ryuu, Atsushi, and Shin, and Hajime rushed downstairs with their arms full of presents (and cleverly dragging some that were on top of blankets). They set them under the tree and shouted upstairs, "IN YOUR FACE!"
"Umm...what are you guys doing?" Yukari asked.
"We were split up into our own little groups and worked together to wrap our presents," Sasuke informed. "And we beat everyone else upstairs."
BAM!
"ACK! He's home!"
Everyone in the main hall ran for cover. They hid behind the tree, behind furniture, and IN the tree. Mikage, hoping to slow down Kaoru, offered him Christmas-y things, such as milk and cookies and little snacks. He smiled and took some, but Mikage couldn't delay for long. The ones that were hiding held their breath as the other guys ran downstairs with their presents all wrapped, Kaoru watching his watch. As soon as they threw down their presents, naught but a few seconds later, Kaoru clapped, "Very close! Close, indeed!"
Haru, Kei, Hayate, Goh, Heihachi, and Kakeru sighed with relief.
"Now we open!" Kaoru beamed, Natsue suddenly appearing at his side.
"What?!" everyone blinked.
"Well, of course! I hope you kept everyone's presents and your Secret Santa presents separate."
They all then dove in the piles of presents, looking for everyone's Secret Santas.
Twenty minutes of pain later...
"Okay, now we're ready," Yayoi breathlessly confirmed.
"Yay! We're going to go in alphbetical order, okay?" Natsue smiled.
All eyes turned to Atsushi. He fidgeted, "Yippie?"
He took the rectangular shape from Michiko's hands. It was wrapped in 3-D snowflakes and stars. He carefully tore the paper away from it. A book. It was called Theory on Time. He smiled warmly, "Thank you, Michi."
"You're welcome," she winked.
"Okay..." Kaoru turned to- "Goh! Your turn."
Sasuke handed Goh a flabby square shaped present. Goh accepted it and took off the red ribbon that was on top. He tore into it like a child and he held in his hands a calender of volcanoes. "Man, thanks, Sasuke!" Goh flipped through the calender.
"No problem, man!" Sasuke grinned. "Good choice, I take it?"
"Yeah! Thanks!"
Hajime raised his hands, "My turn!"
Mayune gave him a tiny box. Hajime looked at it with curiosity. He took off the lacy blue ribbon and opened it. His eyes widened with glee. He took out the pieces of paper and whooped, "Thanks, Mayune!"
"What is it?" Yukari inquired.
"Five tickets for a water park!"
"Aw, sweet. Hajime, how much you want for them?" Hikari smirked.
He held them protectively. "I'm kidding," assured Hikari.
"Haru's turn," Himeno said.
Atsushi smirked and handed Haru an oddly shaped package. Haru stared at it with puzzlement and ripped into its contents. He screamed and a robotic voice chirped, "WE! FURBY!"
"It's a furby!!" Ryuu cackled.
Haru held it in his hands so lightly that it looked like he may drop it. He turned it around in every possible way, staring at the strange machine while thanking Atsushi. Atsushi nodded, "I couldn't resist."
"Oh, Hayate..." Yayoi's glasses flashed, "Your turn."
Hayate visibly flinched with fear as Yayoi grinned dangerously and handed him something that was obviously like a book. He cautiously ripped it open, then stared at the title of the book. 101 Ways to be a Romantic Man. Yayoi pushed her glasses up farther on her nose. "Yayoi Takato misses NOTHING."
"And I'm supposed to read this?" Hayate frowned.
"Well, duh!"
"...Thanks...I guess."
"Just doing my duty."
Heihachi leaped up, "Awright, who has me?!"
Mannen gently tossed him a box. Heihachi sat down and examined it, then shook it. He undid the bow that red string was manipulated to be, and took off the lid. He wailed, "THIS IS TO TOTURE ME, ISN'T IT?"
Mannen smirked triumphantly.
"What's in it?" came Naomi.
Hikari reached into her brother's box. She snorted, "A million dollar bookmark and a giftcard for Best Buy. A quite expensive place."
"Either way," Heihachi snatched his presents away from his twin, "Thanks to you, Mannen."
"Sure, sure."
Hikari chirped, "Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee turn!"
"Shouldn't that be 'myyyyyyyyyyyyyy turn!'?" Mayune blinked.
"Nope. Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee turn!"
Hayate handed her a silver and metallic blue box with green lace tying the lid shut. Hikari eyed it suspiciously, "No bomb, right?"
He glared.
"Just kidding." She took off the lace and opened the lid. Her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened a little. "Wow, Hayate. It's beautiful!"
She reached in and took out a silver bracelet with different instrument charms on it. A clarinet (of course), a trumpet, cello, violin, saxophone ("Is it tenor?" inquried Naomi), flute, and a pair of drumsticks. "Thank you so much, Hayate!" She hooked it around her left wrist.
"You're welcome," he grunted.
"My, my, Hayate! Is that a blush?!" Yayoi squealed.
"Shut up," he growled, turning his head away.
Haru handed Himeno her present, "Merry Christmas, Himeno."
Himeno took the bag filled with different colored tissue papers. She took out the tissue papers and awed at her present: a soft teddy bear with a lacy red bow around its neck, a traditional red and white santa hat on it's head lop-sided, and holding a heart. She hugged the bear, then gave Haru a hug, "Aww, thank you, Haru!"
"I'm glad you like it," Haru planted a kiss on her cheek.
Kakeru said in sing-song, "It's MYYY TURRRRN!"
Naomi gave him a similar bag that Haru had just given Himeno. He tore into the tissue papers and held up a strange-looking wolf with red eyes. "Sweet! Thanks, Naomi!"
"You're welcome. I thought you'd like it," Naomi clapped her hands with glee.
"Please tell me that isn't Sesshomaru's youkai(Inuyasha thing, don't worry)," Hikari smiled.
"Oh, but it is!" Kakeru crowed, "I've always wanted one! But they're so hard to find!"
Natsue waltzed up to Kaoru, bearing a heavy-looking rectangular present, "Here you are, my dear."
"Oh, Natsue! You didn't have to get me anything!" Kaoru said, although he took the present.
"Of course I should have! And I did!" Natsue beamed, "Just be careful when you're opening it. I hope it helps."
"Helps? Hmmm..." Kaoru scratched his chin in thought before, as instructed, carefully taking apart the wrapping paper. He proudly held up a new laptop, "Oh, Natsue! Thank you so much!"
"You can use it for work! I thought you'd been complaining that you needed a new one!"
"Thank you, my precious flower."
"Turn away," Michiko advised, "Here comes the kissing."
There WAS a loud smack of lips before everyone turned back around. Kei looked around, since it was his turn. All the girls turned towards Hikari, who stood up with a box that had golden ribbon and a silver bow on it. Kei stared at her suspiciously, knowing danger wasn't too far off. She innocently handed him the box that didn't weigh anything. "Here you go, Kei." And she quickly took back her seat with Mayune's video camera, wanting to catch this moment in history.
Kei, ever so slowly, took the bows off-
Please, readers...remember this event, and tell it to your children and grandchildren, for it is surely a thing to remember.
-and he undid the ribbon-
And I have just two words of advice...
-and he took the lid off-
DON'T LAUGH.
to reveal...
DRUMMMMMMROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.
Hikari fell out of her seat laughing, while still managing to keep the camera on Kei's priceless face. It's so priceless, I can't even describe it. He slowly took out a WIG. An exact replica of his old hair with the ponytail. By that time, everyone began laughing as Kei stared at the wig with a deadly look on his face. He let out a shivering breath and place it in the box, while CALMLY growling, "THANK.....YOU...HIKARI..."
"Yay! I'm glad you like it!" said girl cheered.
"I give it ten more seconds," Naomi said to Heihachi.
"Five."
"You're on. 500 yen."
"Deal."
They stared at the clock, counting the seconds. "One...two...thr-"
"I'LL KILL YOU!!"
"Damn," Naomi snapped her fingers, handing Heihachi 500 yen.
"Now, now, is that any way to act on Christmas Eve?" Michiko tsked. "No, no, no. Bad Kei. Down. BAD KEI."
Hayate and Goh restrained their brother until he cooled down, the girls laughing so hard until their sides hurt.
"Moving on...Mannen's turn, I believe."
Mannen took a circular object from Shin and accidentally poked a hole in the bottom. He began there, tearing apart the wrapping paper. He held in his hand a set of three frisbees. Shin said, "Well, you've been saying something about some friends at your school that can play Ultimate Frisbee...so..."
"Thanks, Shin," Mannen patted his youngest brother on the head, Shin smiling happily.
Heihachi shyly stood up and handed Mawata a bag that was covered in red and white striped animation cats doing different things. She thanked him quietly and carefully took out the tissue papers and pulled out a silver kitty cat doll. She hugged it, "Thank you, Heihachi."
"You're welcome," he returned.
Hajime then stood and handed Mayune a bag. She took it and went straight for the bottom. When she dramatically pulled out her gift, she sent the tissue papers with it. It was a realistic female doll with roses in her hair and on her dress. She smiled, "Thank you, Hajime. I love it."
"Good," he sighed with relief.
"Michi's turn!" Sasuke announced.
Goh stood and handed her a tall present. She grabbed the bottom of it to support it, then set it on the floor as she tore into the top. It was a mixed collection of fantasy books. She squealed at the top book, "OHMYGOSH! TWILIGHT! Thank you, Goh!"
"No problem. You like them?"
She examined all the books and nodded, "Yep!"
"It is the great Naomi's turn!"
Three guesses who said that.
Kakeru happily handed Naomi a giant box and beamed childishly, "I think you'll like it."
Naomi ripped open the paper viciously and opened the box. She then fainted.
"Yep! She likes it!" Kakeru smirked.
"What...?" Ryuu leaned forward, "...is that?"
Hikari stood up to see towards the box. Her jaw dropped, "Kakeru...ALL OF THEM?"
"Yep!"
Hikari fell back into her chair.
"What is it?"
"It's the complete anime series of Inuyasha, not to mention the entire manga collection!!" Hikari gaped, "HOW MUCH WAS THAT ALL?!"
"A secret."
Naomi suddenly/miraculously recovered and flew up, hugging Kakeru, "Thank you SOOOO much, Kake!!"
"Kake? I kinda like that," he grinned. "You're welcome."
"Oh, Natsueee!" Kaoru flew over to her, handing her a silver vase with a red ribbon tied around the neck. Inside it was a collection of silver roses. Natsue swooned, "Oh, Kaoru! They're simply BEAUTIFUL!!"
"TURN AWAY!!!"
SMOOCH.
"Okay, we're good."
Everyone turned back around.
Mawata walked up to Ryuu, bearing a small box that was done up nicely with a thin rectangular present underneath it. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything better..."
"No, it's okay. I mean, we just met, after all." Ryuu took the presents, opening the box first.
"Since I heard you were a trumpet player, too..." Mawata quietly continued.
It contained a white cleaning rag and valve oil. He smiled and nodded, then moved on to the rectangular one. Once he got it undone, he was holding a book of sheet music. He nodded, "Thank you, Mawata."
"You're welcome."
Yukari gave Sasame three squared presents. He unwrapped them and was holding a collection of CDs by Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. He smiled, "Thank you. Something new to listen to."
"You'reeee welcome!"
Sasuke cheered, "My turn, my turn!"
Takako smiled and handed him something warm and circular. He ripped it open and his mouth watered. Takako smirked, "To help you get fat. Homemade fat."
"Thank you, Takako!" Sasuke held up his plate filled with cookies. He then shoved one in his mouth.
"Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy."
Shin beamed, "My turn!"
Himeno gave him a somewhat long little box. She advised, "Don't be too excited while opening."
"Okay," Shin nodded understandingly. He cautiously took off the paper to reveal a plain white box. He then opened the box and took out a bonzai tree. He smiled widely, "Thank you, Himeno!"
"Yep! Just make sure to take care of it!"
"I will!" Shin carefully set it down and hugged Himeno.
Sasame blushed a little as he stood to give Takako her present. It was wrapped carefully, but it was obvious what it was. What is it, you ask? READ ON, WEIRDO(S).
She unwrapped her gift and held delicately in her hand, a hand mirror. It was silver and had golden embroidery. On the back were red roses and petals. She smiled, "Thank you, Sasame."
"You're most welcome, Takako."
Kei (reluctantly) stood and handed Yayoi her present. She unwrapped it, revealing an extremely thick book. Its title was 998 Tips to Being a Successful Romance Novelist. She squealed, "Thank you, Kei! I'll use it soon!!"
"Uh, yeah, sure...You're welcome..."
Then, all eyes turned towards Yukari, who glared, "Why couldn't we've gone in reverse alphabectical order?"
Ryuu gave her a small black box with a silver ribbon on it. She accepted it and delicately removed the silver lace. She opened it and her face lit up. "Wow! Thank you, Ryuu!"
She withdrew a silver trumpet necklace from its box and carefully hooked it around her neck. She examined it, "I love it."
"Good. I'm glad you like it. You know, since you were a fellow die-hard trumpet geek...kinda puts on pressure."
She laughed, "And it should!"
"Wellll! That wraps up Secret Santa!"
They all glanced at the clock, which read 1:07.
"NOW what do we do?"
-------
Later that night...
"Awright! Time to wrap up Christmas Eve!" Hikari and Naomi clapped their hands in the doorway of a room that held everyone in the group, excluding Kaoru and Natsue and including Mikage.
"Are you suggesting we do something else?" Kakeru raised an eyebrow.
"YES! Follow us!"
Everyone groaned and stood up, following the two excited feminine teens downstairs. They felt their way down the stairs, wondering why it was so dark. They caught sight of the living room. It was draped with blankets and sheets, a few flashlights on inside the tent-like structure. Yukari blinked, "Are you telling a story or something?"
"EXACTLY!" they cackled, their cackles echoing throughout the house.
The others all sighed and settled inside the 'tent'.
Hikari inhaled deeply and prepared herself for her "ULTIMATE GHOST STORY". "Okay, if the children wish, they may leave."
Hajime and Shin shook their heads.
"Very well. You have been warned."
Naomi did a drumroll on the table that sat in front of her and Hikari. Her friend then began.
"Long ago, there was this thick forest, right? It's completely dark with only a few sunbeams that make it through its thick canopy. The place is overrun with monsters and demons. It was called Gaorrachia Forest."
Yukari groaned, "You're kidding me."
"Hey, shut up! Let everyone else who hasn't heard it listen to the story!"
"Fine, fine..."
Hikari glared at her friend, then continued. "Humph. Anyway, there was this thief who ran into the forest, and in his possession was a great treasure."
"What kind of treasure?" inquired Hajime.
"It was a jewel worth several billion yen. So, the thief took this jewel from someone and hid it deep in the forest, slaughtering all who came looking for it."
"...Gory," Kei murmured.
"That's horrible," Takako shivered.
"Then, over time, the forest became stained with blood, turning into a cursed place. To this day, in the small forest that is left by the old forest's remains, the ghost of the thief haunts the forest, still protecting the now-cursed jewel. And the ones he killed also seek to increase their numbers..."
"AHHHHHH!!!!!" Everyone who hadn't heard the story found someone nearby to hug for comfort.
Hikari, Naomi, and Yukari toppled over with laughter, "MAN! It's the SAME reaction that Lloyd and Genis had(1)!!"
"WHAT KIND OF STORY WAS THAT?!" they screamed.
"A freakin' awesome one! Even though three-year-olds don't believe stories like that anymore!" Naomi laughed.
They all proceded to attack Naomi and Hikari before practically everyone collasped into a sudden sleep.
-------
"Where...am I?" Michiko opened her eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. She felt lightheaded, as though she weighed nothing. She raised her hand in front of her face. "OH MY GOD!!"
She was completely see-through! She examined herself up and down, but she was hardly even visible! "Oh, God...I'm dreaming...I know I am..."
"Six."
"MICHI?!"
Michiko turned and saw Yukari approaching her. "Yuka! Yuka, is this a dream?!"
"I don't know! I remember blacking out...so it must be...but why would we be inside each other's dream?" Suddenly, a bolt of electricity shot forth from Yukari towards Michiko. The momentarily see-through teen yelped and braced herself for shocking, but nothing happened.
"What the hell was that?" Michiko demanded.
"I don't know! It just keeps happening - lightning comes out of my body!"
"Seven."
"Yuka! Michi!"
"Goh-! Goh, what the hell are you doing here, too?!"
Goh approached, a flame surrounding his body. The girls backed away a little as he drew closer, "...Goh...? What's going on?"
Michiko drew a little closer, only to find that he wasn't hot - to her, anyway. Since she was see-through, nothing must happen to her.
"I don't know. But everyone else is here. It just seems we can't approach each other all at once, for some reason."
"Everyone else?"
"Well, except for Mikage, Yayoi, Haru, and some of the others. MOST of us are in here."
Then, Hayate came forward to the three, his clothes blowing around in every direction. "What the hell is going on?" he irritably inquired.
"That's what I wanna know!" his twin growled. "For some reason, I can't get close to any but Michi without hurting them!"
Shin and Hajime were coming next. Water droplets surrounded Hajime, the boy himself soaked to the bone, but he didn't seem to mind it. Shin seemed a little uneasy, what with plant vines wrapped around his arms.
"Eight."
"Nine."
"Are you two doing okay?" Yukari inquired, leaning down to their level.
"Yeah..." they mumbled quietly.
"But why is it so real?" Shin frowned, "It's a dream, isn't it?"
"I don't know."
Mannen and Kei came up next. Kei seemed to be glowing while the tips of Mannen's spikey hair were frozen, the air surrounding him freezing to the skin. As another bolt of lightning shot from Yukari, everyone ducked as it flew overhead. "You got something freaky going on, too?" Mannen groaned.
"Yeah...I know. You're no different." Yukari glared at him.
Naomi was then walking up, everyone's bodies suddenly becoming heavier (except Michi's) like an invisible force pulling down on them. "Is it just me, or is this FREAKY?" she commented.
"Ten."
"It's FREAKY," Michiko waved her barely visible hands.
Ryuu was walking towards the growing group, and the darkness suddenly changed to an open meadow with a blue sky and puffy white clouds. Everyone looked around, "THE HELL?!"
"Eleven."
Then, when they looked towards Ryuu, he was gone. "THE HELL?!?!"
"I'm here!" his voice cried. "...Although you can't see me."
"I feel better," Michiko grinned.
Then, a black wolf was approaching. Everyone stared at it as got closer. Then, with a small flash of light, Hikari stood there. She shrugged, "So I'm weird. You all aren't? What's goin' on?"
"We're not sure-" Hayate began, but was interrupted as Naomi bounced up and down, the meadow shaking, "WOW! DO THAT AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN!"
"STOP EARTHQUAKIN' THE PLACE, GRAVITY FREAK!!" Hikari bellowed.
"...Gravity freak...?" Naomi pouted.
With another flash of light, in Hikari's place, a horse stood, everyone swearing they saw a smirk.
Behind Hikari, Himeno approached, nothing seeming to be out of place. Ryuu's voice pleaded, "Himeno! Can YOU see me?!"
"Umm...no. Where ARE you?"
"Right here!"
"...Where?"
"HERE!"
"Come here," Himeno outstretched her hand.
Suddenly, Himeno vanished with a quick yelp.
"Twelve."
"Her, too?!" Mannen blinked.
"Hey, come here," Hayate then held out his hand. Someone grabbed it, and Himeno stood in front of him, wind now surrounding her as well.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" she screamed to the heavens.
"My damn words exactly!" Heihachi suddenly yelled, approaching.
"What about you, Hachi?!" Ryuu's voice wailed. "No one can see me!"
Heihachi looked around before focusing one a spot. "...Wave or something."
Ryuu did so.
"I don't see...YOU. But I see...hazy crap."
"Thirteen."
"Well, that's nice," Hayare dryly said. He dropped Himeno's hand, and as he did, the wind around Himeno died down.
"I'm hazy crap?!" Ryuu roared. "I DON'T WANNA BE HAZY CRAP!"
He suddenly became visible, right where Heihachi had been looking. Heihachi walked up to him and patted him on the back-
"ACK-!" Ryuu pummeled into the ground, leaving a small imprint on the grass. Heihachi blinked. "Umm...oops?"
Atsushi came walking up, sighed heavily, then stood there for about three seconds before another Atsushi came up behind him, making the exact motions and standing beside the first. Everyone stared with wide eyes. There was a third, fourth, then fifth. Then, standing in a straight line, they stood up straight, four of the Atsushis' disappearing into one of them. He chuckled weakly, the shrugged, "Ironic, isn't it?"
"What are you doing, multiplying?" Hajime asked.
"No, it's..." he thought for a moment, then sighed (again) in defeat, "It's something to do with time."
Hikari and Heihachi toppled over in laughter ("She changed back?" Himeno inquired), "WE KNEW IT! WE KNEW YOU WOULD FALL VICTIM TO THAT TIME STUFF EVENTUALLY!!"
He glared at them, and they shut up.
Lastly, Sasame walked up to them. "Okay, we're all freaks. What about you, Sasame?" Mannen sighed.
He suddenly turned his head to another direction. "Hey, did you hear that?"
To the others, his voice seemed so loud that they plugged their ears. "ARE YOU AN AMP?" Shin wailed.
"A what?"
"STOP TALKING, SASAME!" Hikari hissed.
He did so, wanting an explanation from someone. Naomi told him, "Your voice is REALLY loud. And you said you heard something?"
He nodded silently. Then, he pointed in the direction he'd been looking at before shrugging.
Then, the meadow vanished, darkness replacing it. There was a bright flash of light as a strange power came over everyone as they all fell to one knee. They wanted to look up and see what was the source of the light, but it was too bright, and their heads all bowed.
"Rise," a deep voice commanded. From that one word, everyone magically rose, able to move of their own free will. They looked up and saw two figures: a man and a woman. The man was muscular and tall with a solid build. He had wavy dirty blonde hair that went to about his chin. He had piercing icy blue eyes that stared at the group, observing from one person to the other. His clothes were all covered by a golden yellow cape wrapped around him, unmoving, although he and the woman were in the air. Beside him, the woman had sweet light green eyes and light brown hair that stretched to her lower back. It was completely straight, and she had a more pleasant aura about her, seeming sweeter, like a mother's.
"Who are you?" Goh demanded, stepping in front of Michiko.
"I am the King of Leafenia. You will address me as King Seiichi. This is my wife, the Queen of Leafenia. You will address her as Queen Sanako."
"What the hell is Leafenia?" Hikari said, crossing her arms.
Seiichi sent a dangerous glare at Hikari, Hayate slowly stepping in front of her. Seiichi rumbled, "You would do well to watch your manners, Hikari."
"How do you know her name?" Yukari inquired.
"I am your King. That is how."
"We aren't members of this Leafenia place," Kei said fiercely. "What IS it, anyway?"
Sanako spoke, her voice light and musical, "Leafenia is a sacred place. You have never heard of Leafe, correct?"
"No, we haven't," Atsushi confirmed.
"Leafe is the power of life. It's a life source that everything requires for survival. If there were no Leafe in the world, everyone and everything would die. You are Knights of Leafe and Lady Knights of Leafe. You guard this power of life, for there is a dark being out to take all the Leafe from this world and kill everyone."
"Knights? Lady Knights?"
"My Queen, how about we simply show them?" Seiichi turned to Sanako.
"A splendid idea," Sanako nodded.
A bright light engulfed everyone, and they all disappeared.
-------
ET: (glares)
Me: Hahaha...(smiles)
EGP: You're LEAVING IT LIKE THAT?
Me: YEP!
ET: (GLARES)
Emil: Umm...she went all capitals...I don't think that's a good sign...
Kratos: Not for Sylph. You and I, however...
Me: KRATOSSS!!! ;_;
Kratos: WHAT?
(knock)
EGP: We're not here!!
Zelos: DAMN IT, OPEN THE DOOR! I'M HUNGRY!!!
Me/Emil/ET/Kratos: ...ARE YOU SERIOUS?
(1) Yet another ToS reference. Ah, Zelos humor. Lloyd and Genis' child-like reactions. PRICELESS, REALLY. :)
YAY FOR THE LONG CHAPTER!!! (which was actually still getting stuff done even after it was supposed to be a filler chapter!!)
(PARTY)