It was dark, but not too dark. The time of evening when the sky still seemed to be turning blue, and you could still make out shapes without the lights on. A small girl was running down the streets, she looked to be a toddler and her coordination wasn't all too good, but still she kept moving. She didn't know what streets she was on, but she just kept running, screaming "Mommy! Daddy! Wait! Don't leave!". She couldn't see them. She could only see the back of their shoes, and their legs as they were walking away. She didn't know why she knew it was her parents that belonged to those legs, she just knew. She ran for what seemed like forever, and even though her parents' legs didn't seem to pick up pace, the space between them seemed to slowly expand. This whole time she was fighting a crowed. A seemingly endless stream of people walking the opposite direction. She constantly struggled as she tried to push herself through the sea of tall moving legs. She could sense relief though, like she knew the crowed was close to over, so she could catch up soon. She pushed herself harder through the stranger's legs running head first, and when she finally broke through, she fell. Her own forward momentum was her downfall. While her stomach hit the pavement she crossed her arms in front of her face to protect it. By the time she looked up, she could barely make out her parents shoes that seemed like an eternity away. "Please… not again" the child whispered as a tear welled up in her eye.

Saya's eyes flew wide open.

"Merry Christmas", she softly muttered to herself sarcastically while she turned in her bed to look at her alarm clock. 4 AM it said, way too early to start the day, but she already knew she wasn't going to get back to sleep. She sat up, and turned on her bedside lamp, her mind still foggy in the dream. She'd had similar dreams before when she was a little kid, but it made no sense to her why'd she was having them now, when she's completely comfortable with the family she has. She softly sighed, and started to wonder what her "parents" were up to. If they would have a nice Christmas, or if they were living in a shelter that had cheap decorations up in the halls. Maybe they weren't together at all. It'd been a long time since she seriously thought about family, but now that she did, it reminded her of something Solomon told her the day "it" happened.

"Did you know, that Diva's a cousin of mine? Not blood cousins of course. She was adopted by my aunt, whom couldn't have children." She gasped as she thought about it, and went to her closet to find an old student calendar of her grade level. It was a project of the student council to put every students birthdays on it. She flipped to February and her eyes widened. "February 17th Birthdays: Saya Otonashi and Diva Goldsmith" she whispered to herself. "Sisters…". Saya sat there as a shiver went down her spine and an audible shudder left her mouth. "So… 'our' parents left two people behind. That must have been hard all at once. Maybe that's why they left… 'us', going from zero to two might be overwhelming. I can understand that, but, it didn't seem to end up so well for Diva". Her contemplation was interrupted as her bedroom door was quietly opened, and Haji stepped in. There was a cheap, red, Santa hat with a white fuzzy ball placed on his untied, wavy ash black hair, and the only other clothes he wore was a pair of monochrome plaid flannel pajama bottoms, leaving his slim pale chest exposed in the light. Saya softly blushed as she laid eyes on him, while he quietly closed the door.

"Merry Christmas" he said in his deep whisper, and moved to sit on her bed, picking her up and placing her on his lap. "What's the matter?"

Saya softly smirked; Haji really did know her too well. "Nothing."

"You lie"

She rolled her eyes, and pointed to the day on the calendar. Haji looked at the text and mimicked the shudder Saya made before he came in. "I can see why that would keep you up at night. Though, I've always been suspicious of the relationship."

Saya shook her head. Even without the name "sisters" mentioned, the idea that there was any sort of 'relations' with Diva didn't sit right in her consciousness. "That's not what woke me up though."

"What did?"

Saya got up from Haji's lap, and turned to look at him. But when she did, the explanation of the dream she had went blank. Everything went blank. All she could see were those piercingly intense dark eyes looking at her, and the perfect flow of skin and muscle flowing down from this thin face to his neck, his angular shoulders leading down to his slightly toned chest, subtly horizontally narrowing on each side to his soft stomach. She made an audible gulping sound as a fresh deeper blush painted over her cheeks. She wished she kept her lamp off at this point. She can only imagine the amount of restraint Haji had to use, to be able not to smirk at her reaction just from the sight of him. She glanced down, not wanting to meet his eyes, her look of embarrassment would probably send him over the edge. She fixated her eyes on his ankles, of all things, and took a deep breath, trying to restrain herself from mumbling under her breath out of nervousness. Finally after a long moment, which, would probably be extremely awkward, if it was around anyone but Haji –only because of the fact that Haji is so patient and natural around her, he simply deflects almost all awkwardness—she held up one finger to him, close to his face, and quietly said "give me a moment", before shuffling her feet back towards her closet, and conceals herself behind a fold out paper dressing wall.

She rubbed her face, seeming to try to force out the mental daze. She wasn't quite sure why she hasn't reacted to Haji like this before. Haji isn't exactly the most modest of people around the house, and often, walked down hallways or lounged around his room shirtless. So why the big deal now? Maybe, because it's Christmas, and Saya couldn't come up with that perfect gift for him. Or maybe if she is his greatest gift, it'd be perfect to literally give herself to him. Maybe it's because she knows the family sleeps in on holidays, and the two of them would be undisturbed till ten in the morning. Maybe it's none of these things, maybe it's just the right time. Either way it was obvious she wasn't going to escape the confusion anytime soon. On top of the confusion, there was anxiousness, and nervousness. The overall combination of panic almost overruled the other physical and emotional forces that stirred her. Almost, but not completely. However the panic did seem to be taking over her body as her arms softly shook, and her mind became a jumbled mess as she threw off her pajamas, and yanked open a drawer full of undergarments stored in a small dresser in the corner of her closet. "White? No, seems too innocent. Maybe pink? Or does that seem too girly? And why is it that I have so many pieces of underwear that don't match anything!" She thought as she tossed five pairs of multicolored underwear with small flower patterns onto the ground angrily. After frustratingly realizing her undergarments lack any sense of detail, or lace, or anything of sexual appeal, she lets out a huff and puts on a plain black bra/underwear set made out of a shiny fabric that she assumed was supposed to imitate silk. She took a deep breath, even though there was no mirror in the corner she felt like something was missing. It wasn't enough 'flair' for the occasion. She looked along the floor and found something perfect, right under her foot.

"Is there something wrong Saya?" Haji asked quietly, his eyes glued to the silhouette of her figure through the paper wall. Amazingly, his mind was still pure during this whole time, –aside from his staring-. He assumed her sighs and noises of frustration was just part of having a particularly hard time deciding what she wanted to wear that day.

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm fine" She said, but not very convincingly, as she wrapped a three inch wide, bright red, cloth ribbon around her stomach two inches above her hips, and tried to tie two bows so it would have four loops. "Try" being the word of interest. They looked sloppy and some loops were more lopsided than others. She considered re-doing them, but she knew she was taking to much time, so instead she locked her arms to her sides and slowly, stiffly, forced her legs to tread, one in front of the other, her thighs pressed tight against each other, like a moving plank, in undergarments… and a ribbon.

Despite her obvious lack of seduction tactics, the view of Saya itself froze Haji just as rigid. He flew into a sort of mesmerized shock, as his eyes immediately focused on her chest, and slowly made their way down to her soft stomach, a twitch of a grin forming at his lips as he noticed the bright bow covering her navel. Finally they traveled down the slight curve of her hips, perfectly enclosing the black triangle of clothing between her hips and her firm, long, thighs.

In all her nervousness, Saya misjudged Haji's reaction to be something of fear. The blow takes her aback, but all she can think to do is mutter "Merry Christmas" and put on an nervous smile, while sitting down on the edge of the bed next to him. He wordlessly wraps an arm around her, pulls her back on his lap to face him, and starts to rub up and down her back, carefully staying in the designated areas between her sparse pieces of clothing.

Saya internally sighed, but tried to keep the disappointment off her face. She started to think back and realized that Haji never seemed to want any sort of sexual attention from her. True he's never mentioned anything against it, but then there's always the fact that even she's fully clothed, Haji's always kept his hands in safe areas. Never too high, never too low, and he didn't seem to want more, than to be close together and share affectionate kisses. She started to wonder if this was something she should of discussed with him first. Even though she knew at that moment, it would have been an impossibility. She could barely focus her mind enough to get dressed, let alone get a sentence out of her mouth about her intentions. She shifts uncomfortably against his lap, about to ask if this was a stupid idea, until she felt a small pressure poking against the front of her underwear from below. The relief that came from such a reaction is enough to make Saya break into laughter, while Haji softly blushes under his skin, still silent as ever.

"Say something!" she finally tells him. Though her tone isn't at all annoyed. She was still amused at Haji's desperate attempts to conceal his reaction.

Haji's lips seemed to quiver, and he tilted his head as he tried to refocus his eyes on Saya's face, and her face only. "What a lovely… gift… you've given me…" he managed to say in a sort of puzzled tone.

Saya only seemed to get more and more comfortable with the situation, as Haji got more and more embarrassed with it. "It's okay to open it you know. Your gift that is."

Haji nodded, and managed to keep his hands steady as he slowly tugs on the bows and unwrapped the rest of the ribbon from around Saya's midsection. He then slowly started to rub his palms up and down Saya's stomach still keeping in between the lines of her waist and bra. His expression revealing that he was getting some sort of pleasure jolt just soaking in the soft feel of her exposed skin.

Saya started to giggle, "Are you always this slow to start?"

Haji tilted his head quizzically, a bit of surprise breaking through his embarrassed shock. "Always? I… wouldn't know… I've, never done this before."

This comment took Saya aback, though Haji never mentioned having mates before, she always assumed he'd have some experience. Being tall, handsome, and irresistible in his own way. Not to mention he grew up on the streets. She didn't mean to demean the way he grew up, but really, being homeless, having no rules, no parents, nothing much better to do with spare time. No one to judge, because there's no one to tell. So why not make hot love somewhere deep down in the neglected alleys? Surely considering Chieko's overt affection for Haji, it'd be easy for him to spend his evenings with that rough, sexual ,lady. Surely Chieko would've loved to take him in her naked arms and… Saya let out a soft shudder, realizing she didn't quite like the avenue her mind was wandering to.

"Something wrong love?" Haji said quietly, looking into Saya's zoned out eyes.

She shook her head, and looked back into his deep grey blue eyes, the focused look that he only gives her. His eyes made her feel fluttery and slightly woozy. Quickly her cheeks were painted pink once again. "I'm sorry, I'm just… so, I'll be your first one?"

"My first, and only, my love."

Saya was speechless, and overloaded with affection. The type that erases the nervousness and fills her with the pure desire to pull him closer. She drew in and stole his lips, deeply, firmly, kissing, starting to rock her hips back and forth against his lap. Haji gripped her back tighter, pulling her closer till their bodies meshed together. His chin and neck pressing in between her breasts. He kissed back passionately, moving his lips to lead Saya's mouth open, letting their tongues tangle. When their lips parted, he looked into her eyes, his expression was still dazed, his breathing already a bit heavier.

"You don't have to…"

Saya let out a sigh of exasperation "But I want to."

"Are you really sure?"

"Haji! What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not… afraid… I just." Haji deeply sighed, "We've only been together for five weeks you know. Which isn't all that long. And I'm, extremely, attracted to you, but I really didn't want you to feel pressured or rushed like…"

"Like Solomon did?"

Haji just silently nodded and kept looking at her with concern. "I've been really careful not to... make the same mistake."

Saya looked down for a moment, and then placed her palms on the sides of Haji's cheeks, softly petting his face with her thumbs, making sure she kept his attention. "Haji, my love, you don't think… I mean, you didn't believe… what Solomon said before… about making mistakes. You know I care for you soooo much, that I wouldn't leave you just because you'd make a mistake right? I'd never…"

Haji put a finger to Saya's lips, "of course I know. Don't worry. I haven't been restraining myself because I thought you'd leave. I trust you. I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I love you, I don't need your body. Don't get me wrong I'd enjoy it but… god I'm just talking myself in circles by now aren't I?"

"No, no, I get it, I get it" She cooed, and continued to pet his cheeks. She leaned her face down and nuzzled into his hair and then softly laughed, smirking. "The moments totally gone now isn't it?"

"Oh yeah, completely" Haji replied, finally relaxing and speaking in an amused tone.

Saya softly sighed "I guess I should get dressed now."

"Or you could stay here like this for a bit, I'm good with either way."

Saya softly laughed and tilted her head down to softly kiss Haji's lips. They silently stayed in each others arms, in complete peace for an hour and a half before Saya changed back in her pajamas. They then laid together in her bed, fading in and out of sleep for a few hours till there was ruffles of noise going through the hallway made by people getting up and getting ready for the holiday. They came out of her room together, hands intertwined, unashamed. Kai passed by and gave them a dirty look.

"What? We couldn't sleep" Saya said, a bit defensively, but mostly a smartass remark.

Haji just stood there and laughed, as Kai passed by.

The two of them went downstairs to the restaurant that was going to be closed until the evening. In the back corner was the modest family tree adorned with gifts. They sat at the bar sipping on soda when there was a rapping on the door. Saya unlocked it to see Mao.

"Hi there, I just came by to say Merry Christmas to Kai." She said as she walked in.

"Well Mao I think he's in the shower right now actually." Saya admitted.

"Oh, that's fine, I'll just wait for him in his room upstairs." She then took off her overcoat, revealing a very snug fitting strapless bright red sweater dress, trimmed with fake white fur on the top barely covering her cleavage, and the bottom barely covering her thighs. She left the coat on the back of a bar stool and flitted up the stairs in a pair of red high heels.

"Like he has the right to give us looks" Saya muttered under her breath.

Haji just laughed, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, kissing her cheek.

Saya and Haji waited another forty five minutes before Gorge and Riku made it down stairs, and started making breakfast. Kai and Mao headed downstairs together but Mao immediately grabbed her coat, and wished the family adieu because she had to head back home to spend the holiday with her family. For the next ten minutes afterwards Kai refused to make eye contact with Saya. Haji just couldn't stop smirking about the whole situation. They had some nice omelets and opened their gifts. It was a modest Christmas, but no one felt bad. Haji got a few new vests/dress shirts/ and ties. Because he seems to like to dress formally on the average day. Saya got some new CD's from bands she liked and movies she wanted. Kai got a few new weapons that he wanted for his "collection" of purely "visual" purposes. How Gorge never figured out what type of crowed Kai hangs out with is a mystery. Riku got some walkie talkies to share with his friends, and some decorative room pieces. The kids combined their allowances from restaurant work to give Gorge a day pass to spa. After all gifts were opened and thank you's given, they all changed to their outdoor clothes and –even though they had to practically drag Kai outside—they sang carols to passerby's and passed out free soup to those stuck on the streets, in the cold, nearby the restaurant.

After the required family time, Saya and Haji gathered one more large container of hot soup and went to another part of town to visit Chieko; who accepted their gift after some resistance. She was obviously uncomfortable with anyone's sympathy, even if it was Haji himself handing the container over to her. She took it under the claim that there was other mouths to feed, and she'd distribute it when everyone else gathers.

In the evening, Gorge reopened the restaurant, keeping mostly the bar busy. Most the people who came on Christmas evenings were very lonely souls that had no one to spend time with at home. They simply came to drown out their own self loathing, and pretend to not be so alone by hanging out with all the rest of the lonely people. Gorges "friend" Forrest was there. "Forrest the whiner", as most people called him. A pathetic man whom should of never made it in the marines. He always came to the bar to talk to Gorge whenever an issue arises, which is often. Today he was chatting up Gorge about how he wishes he knew how to get back with Raymii, his ex-girlfriend. Thing is, if Forrest ever spent a little less time his head stuck in a self loathing hole, he'd realize the woman is still in love with him. Why that is, no one else is quite sure. The bar stayed open till midnight before everyone was sent home. Then the tired family cleaned up the bar and went upstairs to bed.

That night, Saya had the same exact dream, except it wasn't her that was chasing after her parents. Instead it was a very young boy, with ash black hair, and grey blue eyes chasing after those impossible to catch pairs of legs. And there was the bodiless voice of what sounded like a rough woman, voicing over the dream "When I went up to him, and asked what's wrong he said he was trying to find his parents. That they tried leaving him at some doorstep and told him they couldn't keep him anymore cause they didn't have the money. Seriously, WHO DOES THAT? It's their kid for Christ sakes, and they make it sound like he's just some financial burden. Something they could cut back on, like getting rid of their cable subscription so there's less bills"

Another day, another physical tease XD. Sorry folks I actually planned on it "happening" all the way but good stories write themselves I believe. Nearly half the details just flow from my fingers. Anyway, enjoy, review, and pray to god I can keep motivated enough to continue onto the next chapter :P