So, I know I'm late. But I have exams and this is my hard work late into the nights. Please tell me what you think.

Arata getting bolder. Dayum.

Taichi = choco cake. 😋

Don't hate me. Oh, and thanks to Yamada senpai again, for the words and the push and the suggestion! But unfortunately, my shift button is busted. So no line breaks...ugh. Anyway, People, she's working on this AU story that is already exciting as holy hell and you need to go read it if you haven't yet.

Disclaimer: I do not own Chihayafuru.

In the weeks that followed, Chihaya found herself doing a lot more than Christmas shopping with Arata.

Mind out of the gutter people, please. With Taichi's latest trip to Hokkaido (with Kazama's reluctant accompaniment) Chihaya was facing a rather particularly annoying dry spell—withdrawal symptoms of sorts. It was like she was forced to go without her addiction, let's compare him to chocolate cake for now, for a whole entire week, and then someone decided to feed her a bite of the heavenly treat, just one bite, before yanking it away again, for a good two weeks more, leaving her hanging, dazed, restless and wistful, the taste lingering in her mouth and poisoning her life, sharp longing in her chest every time she walked past a chocolate cake in the streets ( equivalent to his rather brief but still warm phone calls.)

And to keep herself occupied, she agreed to the various little outings Arata had asked her to. She hoped to smother some of the emptiness in her heart but it wasn't that helpful; even though she had good times, her face would light up like the Tokyo tower whenever she got a swift call from her best friend.

Because listening to his soft tone on the other side was strangely heart warming. She liked it, that he made sure to call at least once a day. Sometimes it was to ask her rather random things like yesterday: "Black or Green?" ( she was expecting something back from Hokkaido) or just to ask her what she was doing or how her day was. A few instances were there when he would not call all day and she wouldn't have been able to reach his phone either but just as she settled down for sleep, there would be that buzzing of her cell and his photo would pop up on her screen and her heart would leap while a dazed, crazy smile split her face, and she would listen to him mumble something, anything in that sleepy voice tainted harshly with exhaustion that she had come to be so familiar with, always asking her how her day went and then a silly question and she'd answer and he'd laugh at her predictability and hang up with a teasing warning about not setting the city on fire. All the while with her wishing she could've been there to help him out of exhaustion the next morning.

Her heart never failed to soar at the warmth in his tone and the soft smile in his voice when he said goodbye before hanging up, leaving her empty for the next 24 hours or so.

Because she could picture it now, in the softness of his smile and the broken walls around his eyes giving her a glimpse of what she wanted to coax out of him. Just simple joy, lots of adoration...and another emotion she wanted so badly to claim was there but she was afraid of jinxing it. If he went back in his shell now, she wouldn't be able to take it. She breathed in this level of his heart she had managed to penetrate through. And she wanted to go further, even though she knew she would choke in an instant if he pulled away.

But she would keep coming back. If anything, Ayase Chihaya was a stubborn girl.

But anyway, she spent her time keeping busy with Arata. Their outings were mainly all Christmas related and she was done with her shopping for gifts for everyone. It was a first, Chihaya doing Christmas shopping early. Kana-chan was getting a beautiful new kimono, Sumire chan was getting a variety of hair products she had had her eyes on, Komano was getting a pair of earmuffs because his were slightly old, Nishida an all you can eat coupon at a convention in a few days, Tsukuba a pair of thick woollen socks. Rin was getting a CD she wanted, Kazuto and Kazama were both getting gift coupons because she had no idea what to get them. Chitose was getting a muffler, Arata was getting a book she and Taichi had already bought for him together (something large and thick and boring but to him, it would be like treasure. Taichi assured her he would tear up a little upon receiving it...she didn't understand her two best friends' attachment to pieces of paper) Her parents were getting a dinner reservation for Christmas from her and her sister together. Harada sensei was getting a new knee support bandage from all of them as one, and Tsuboguchi-san was going to a golf course soon. All that's left was a gift for Taichi.

And there she faltered.

So far, in all the Christmases and Birthdays they'd spent together, she had never actually had trouble finding a gift for him. Everything she seemed to pick made him light up without fail and he loved every single one of them: from books to a shirt to a new CD, she nailed it each time. It was easy, since she knew him so well. But now, she felt the pressure to make it...significant.

A second confession was in order after all; he had told her to 'find him and tell him how you feel again'. So she had a silly little plan...

...and a gorgeous scarf as backup, but the other gesture had to be the highlight, she hoped.

Chihaya was actually a little crafty, good with the colours and cartoons. So putting that into good use, she was going for a card.

Now, the prototype was ready. It was a surprisingly accurate chibi of the two of them, with her on the ground reaching up to grab the large heart he was dangling teasingly out of her reach from the upper opposite corner of the page.

A rather accurate description of their current state, she thought; his reluctance to give her his heart.

But then Kana chan had stumbled upon it and gushed for so long, Chihaya almost fainted, but then the gentle girl had pointed out rather seriously that...

...Ayase Chihaya already had his heart, since day one. He just wasn't keen on giving her the key yet.

And struck by the truth, she had gone a little pink and insanely happy about the fact that she already had him, but just needed the tool to open him. And thus the second and final card, with a chibi Chihaya looking flustered on the ground, holding a heart shaped lock and trying to grab something above, and a rather smug looking chibi Taichi on the upper right hand corner, flat on his stomach in the air, with a golden key dangling from his hand teasingly, just out of her reach.

It was complete and precise, with just these lines on the back of the card:

I'm working for it andI want it. And I'm not giving up. You can try running but can't run forever.

Gimme the key, Taichi. Merry Christmas.

Simple and crisp and down to business with no sugar coating or eloquence. Very Chihaya like. And she wanted it to be that way. The time for being uncomfortable about coming forth with her feelings was over. They have to talk about this and move like mature adults. And she would. She already knew how she'd keep her chin up and face determined when she'd confront him.

Except...her heart still stuttered, blood rose to her ears and palms went clammy just a little at the prospect of confessing again. What if he didn't...give it to her?

But as soon as the doubt flashed, the answer came too. I'll keep trying until I get it.

With a rather determined smirk she fixed her muffler in the mirror. There's no escape for you, Taichi. I'll bring you out of your delusions, just you watch.

She glanced at the clock.

Crap.

Abandoning her hair clips altogether, she made a mad dash for the door, yelling as she went. "Onee-San, I'm off! See you tonight!"

"Yeah, yeah." Came a muffled, uncaring reply from somewhere inside. "Don't forget the eggs."

"I won't!"

Arata was waiting for her at the station, wrapped up in a grey coat, with flakes of snow in his hair. She snickered on seeing him. "Dandruff problems, Arata?"

He jolted. "What?!" a hand brushed at his hair and his face sobered upon finding melting snow on his fingers. He gave her a dry look. "Very funny. Come on, we have to get to Rin's place soon."

She only smiled happily and bounced along, wondering what would happen. Rin-chan had invited them all over for some meeting. Apparently, it was a secret.

Not. Everyone knew Kazuto-kun's Birthday was on New Year's eve so it was probably a planning for a surprise party or something.

Chihaya sighed to herself, stepping into the train, settling down on a seat. She wished Taichi would just call already, it was almost late afternoon. But then, she decided it would be better it he calls later when she was a little more free. If they spoke now, it would be rushed and too brief.

Tomorrow was Christmas eve. She wanted to know whether he was showing up today or not, and it was making her uneasy. The last she talked to him, he had no idea when he was returning himself. In fact, he asked if he could borrow Doggie for a while.

She said he was already there at 's place, probably ripping his limbs apart.

They travelled in compatible silence. Chihaya did chatter a little at first, keeping up a steady flow of conversation but it wasn't as easy.

Arata preferred silence. He did smile and indulge in her various random topics for a while until he ran out of things to say. There was no bickering, because he never actually said anything snarky back to her so all their conversations were friendly and meaningless chatter at most. But when she ran out of things to say, it died a natural simple death. It wasn't uncomfortable, she knew how Arata was, but it was just that.

With Taichi, there was no need for her to think of new stuff. They could talk about a rock, which would escalate to a huge banter, again decelerate to a side topic, which might go on forever or just end at some point, but she never was aware of the silence like right now. With Taichi, there was always a buzzing connection, alive and kicking and waiting to be used in an instant's decision. There was no need for warm ups.

She worried her lip. The train was slowing down near their stop and she was feeling a little jittery. Arata offered her a hand to move out, so they don't lose each other in the crowd, and she took it gingerly. While his touch was warm, her fingers remained unresponsive and listless.

Together they hailed a cab to Rin's place.

"I'm going to have to start saving for a car or at least a bike." Arata sighed as they got out and climbed the stairs to Rin's place. " This whole cab thing is highway robbery."

" You're right. I'm broke as it is." Chihaya agreed. "Maybe Chitose and I should start thinking about scooter too. Can't rely on Taichi all the time..."

"Not that he'd let you drive at night." Arata pointed out. "Actually, not that he'd let you drive at all."

She scowled mockingly and Arata laughed. "Just kidding, Chihaya. But if you want, you should start saving up now."

"I already am. Except... All my part time job savings are gone with this Christmas shopping I've done." She sighed, trudging slowly up their third flight of stairs. "The cafe is really stingy. I should've demanded more."

"Nah. They wouldn't have given you a penny extra." He shook his head. "If they'd already decided on a wage then that's all you're getting. There are more people out there waiting for your position after all."

"Ughhhh..." she sagged. "Why is life so difficult?"

Arata laughed again at her dramatics. "Say, when's Taichi coming back? Tomorrow's Christmas Eve already!"

"I know!" she scowled. "I just wish at least he knew when he was coming back. Kazama-kun must be pissed..."

Arata only smiled in reply. A moment's silence prevailed as they claimed the last flight up. Chihaya's mind was swirling with thoughts of murdering Dr Tanaka but then Arata glanced over.

"You know, Chihaya..."

She looked up at him, curious.

"...I just wanted to say...ask, actually..." he hesitated, slowing down. "How are things with you and...Taichi?"

Her eyes widened. She stumbled on her feet and clutched the railing for support. Uncomfortable bats swooped in her stomach and she gave him a feeble smile. "Getting somewhere, I hope. He needs some time."

"I understand...but Chihaya, I know how you feel about him...and yet, I'm confused..."

"About what?" she frowned.

"...my feelings. For you." He clarified.

Her face felt hot all of a sudden. "W-what? Why are you telling me—"

"You need to understand that as long as you're not officially dating him, I intend to clarify my feelings towards you " he said straight forwardly. They had stopped walking, but she barely noticed, too caught up in trying to make sense of how he could be so...impassive about it and talk so robotically without so much as a flush. She probably looked like a tomato. And not for the first time, she found herself admiring his maturity.

"A-Arata, I d-don't know what to—"

"You don't have to say anything. I was just...making sure we're on the same page." He pacified, throwing up his palms in reassurance. He brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek and she felt her stomach churn at that a little. "Just so that you know what I'm doing."

She honestly didn't know what to think. How was she supposed to juggle this too? What exactly was this? So Arata still had feelings for her...but that was—and all the time they spent together, did it mean—?

She was confused.

But the Meijin smiled and tugged her towards the apartment they were here for. Ringing the doorbell twice, they waited for Rin to show up in a thick silence, or at least, it felt thick to her. Arata seemed at ease.

She needed to talk to someone. Preferably—

The door opened and Rin beamed. "Hey!"

"Rin-chan! "

"Chihaya-chan! Wayata-kun!" she matched Chihaya's tone. "Come on in. You just missed the Nishida and Kazama, they left to get some snacks. Komano-kun and Kana-chan will be here in a—"

But Chihaya had frozen. Her heart suddenly stopped for a long second. "Kazama-kun's here?"

Rin gave her a dazzling smile. "He's not the only one. " she giggled at Chihaya's increasingly widening eyes and sharp gasp and happy curve of her mouth. "Go inside."

Without another word, she stumbled into the house with her heart nearly bursting out of her chest.

Was this a trick? A lie?

But there he was, leaning comfortably against the dining table, almost as if he was waiting. And she felt his warm grin all the way down to her toes through golden pools before she saw it.

"Taichi!" her voice was an octave higher than usual. She flew at the young man who caught her expertly, not bothered at all by the rather tight grip around his neck.

And the second he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her in and laughed into her hair, she melted into him, puzzle pieces clicking together and the universe was setting itself straight again. Everything was right.

Blood roared in her ears, there was the pounding of her heart, but she also felt his rapid pulse under her palm where she pushed back a little to look at him properly.

As expected, there were bags under his eyes, but he'd had worse. And she couldn't help the happiness bubbling in her chest, giddy, with the warmth from him seeping into her through the clothes.

She hadn't realised she'd been cold from the day he left...not until now when she got the warm blanket back.

And the world was ten times brighter. There was a sparkle in her eye that came to life after being dormant for all this while. Chihaya hungrily drank in the molten pools of gold, searching for what she wanted to find in them. She saw pure sort of happiness, lots of adoration, amusement. Mischief...

...And there it was, still there, the thing she wanted him to tell her he felt so she could float away to the stars in a happy daze. It softened his eyes, shone through the collapsed walls.

" I'll just welcome myself home then, since you've gone mute." He rolled his eyes, arms still wrapped around her middle "Ta—"

She slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes sparkling. There was a huge grin on her face.

She missed his voice too, of all things. It was strangely calming, but exciting at the same time.

"Okaeri." She interrupted him firmly. And then the words were too many in her head, jumbled and shoving against each other to come out, her ability to organise them scattered under the warm fingertips on her waist.

He was smiling. She grinned back, maybe looking dazed but whatever.

Apparently, he had no words either. A hand brushed the nape of her neck, making her shiver and lips pressed to her forehead softly, for a long three seconds. Her eyes fluttered shut and her cells danced, on fire, alive. And she head him mutter softly, "Tadaima."

She grinned up at him again. Home. That's about right.

Taichi looked like he was about to say something, something to irk her judging by the sparkle of mischief in his eye, but instead, quickly let go and stepped away, much to her disappointment. But when she turned, it was just in time to see Arata and Rin emerge from the front.

"Taichi!" Arata rolled his eyes. "Do you enjoy keeping us in the dark so much?"

The doctor to be grinned. "Woops. I might've forgotten to mention the date."

Chihaya started. In the midst of giddy happiness and a rapid pulse, she'd forgotten he had just appeared out of nowhere. Accordingly, she landed a punch on his arm from behind, making him jump. A scowl graced her features. "Baka. You could've left a message. I was worried you wouldn't make it for Christmas eve!"

Rubbing his injury, Taichi rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you I forgot. It was very sudden. Kazama and I were supposed to stay till tomorrow but for some reason, Tanaka-san decided to let us off early." He gave her a swift look, and Chihaya knew they were both thinking about the doctor's sudden leniency...and Doggie. "We just hopped on the first flight back."

Arata clapped him on the back as Rin went in to the kitchen to make some tea. " Well, its a good thing. We honestly thought you wouldn't make it. The party's going to be huge this year."

Taichi nodded, a gleam in his eye. "Kazuto won't know what hit him."

They spent the evening discussing various ideas and operations for the combined New year+Birthday party. Thankfully, the birthday boy was at Fukui till after Christmas, so they had a good chance of making it a huge surprise.

Christmas celebrations would be held at Kazama's place, apparently. His mom wanted to do this for him, and he didn't have the heart to let her down. That was in two days but it was a low key affair; not as huge as their plans for new year at Shiranami.

Deciding to set Rin chan herself as the chaperone, they planned it all out, how to rope Kazama in, and what to do with him then. It was fun, relaxing, to put his mind into something else, Taichi thought. The last few weeks had been a little hectic, and he really needed a break. Thank God for Christmas.

As he drove back with Arata and Chihaya and a sleeping Kazama into their area, Taichi could actually feel his eyes get heavy.

He pulled over to the side, making his companions look up in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Arata frowned.

Taichi only rubbed his eyes a little and flipped the lid of the cooler, his fingers closing around a cold bottle of water. The sleepiness vanished for a minute. "I'm kind of sleepy. Just give me a minute."

"Do you want me to drive?" Arata offered quietly, watching him swallow a mouthful of ice cold water. "Taichi, you look beat."

"I'm okay now." He said, and indeed, his eyes did look a little brighter. For a second, he pressed the bottle to his cheek and the cold wrenched away the remaining drowsiness. But he knew well that it was temporary. "Okay, I'm done. Sorry about that."

They slid back into the road again, and Chihaya frowned from the backseat. "Dad always told me talking helps..."

"Uh-huh."

She sighed. "Taichi."

"Yeah?"

"How was camp?"

"Oh, you know, fun."

"But what do you do?" she leaned forward in her seat, and he glimpsed her genuinely curious face in the mirror, alight with slight wonder. "I've always wanted to know what it is that you do there."

He shifted gears and thought his answers through. "I don't know if you'll be able to hear it for long..."

She thrust her chin out. "Try me."

He narrowed his eyes at her though the rear view mirror again. " You asked for this."

"Just tell me already." She huffed.

Taichi focused on the road for a second, "Well, we went about holding check ups for the locals there at first."

"For free?"

"Yeah."

Her eyes softened. "Wow. That's really nice on 's part!"

"It is." He agreed with a small smile as he reminisced. "He cares a lot about people. And Hokkaido was actually his home town so he has a soft spot for the locals." And then Taichi grinned. "We ran into his high school sweetheart one day."

Both Chihaya and Arata went 'oooooh', but Taichi shrugged. "She was married to some man, they lived nearby. It was kind if awkward at first, I guess. Kazama had a laugh." He tossed their sleeping companion a dry look. "But she was pretty cool."

"Then what did you do?" Arata asked.

Taichi eased into Kazama's lane. "We went shopping for a while once or twice."

"I knew it!" Chihaya clapped her hands, "I knew you'd bring souvenirs!"

He bit back a grin. "Never said there was one for you, Chihaya."

"Eh?!"

"Arata's however is in the back. You did want some ramen."

"Sheesh." Arata laughed, reaching back and pulling out a cover. "You and your memory!"

Taichi grinned at him cheekily through the mirror. "Enjoy."

"Hey! You can't just get away with it so—"

"Aaaah. Flavoured. Thanks, Taichi."

"Anytime."

"Are you two ganging up on me? I'll kill you!"

"What else did you do?"

"Hm...just the usual stuff. Cut up some bodies, bandaged some people, went about spreading awareness of Tetanus and Cholera and the likes."

"I hate you both."

Arata exchanged a mild grin with an amused Taichi through the mirror. "Why's that, Chihaya?"

"You two are the world's worst friends ever." She growled. "Especially you," here she poked her best friend on the shoulder making him bite back a laugh. " Cutting open bodies, is that what you were doing?!"

"Hey, I'm training to be a doctor."

"You could've put it in a better way!" she exclaimed. "Like- like using the word surgery or something."

"Ah...but this wasn't a surgery." He shook his head, one hand on the gear. He heard Arata muffle a laugh, "This was just...cutting up bodies."

"Taichi!"

"Honesty is the best policy." He said firmly.

"It makes you sound like an axe murderer, cutting up bodies." She shuddered. "How do you do it?"

"We have instruments—"

"No, I mean, how do you..." she struggled for the words.

"Stomach it?" Arata suggested.

Chihaya nodded rapidly. "Yeah!"

Taichi took a minute. "It's not always pleasant..." he began." But you have to be strangely detached to do it. And confident; shaky hands won't help anybody."

Chihaya blew out a breath. " Don't you get scared?"

He thought for a minute. "You don't want me to answer that..."

"Why not? Come on, tell us already."

Taichi sighed and began to slow down as they neared Kazama's house. "Well, we get loads of practise by the time we graduate...and that training isn't very scary because we're...um...operating on...dead. . .bo—"

"Whoa! Okay!" she threw up a hand, looking sort of queasy. " I shouldn't have asked."

"Told you." He muttered, coming to a stop in front of the large mansion. Chihaya and Arata sported matching awed looks. Taichi pulled the hand break and brought false cheer to his voice "Who wants to wake up the Sleeping Beauty?!"

Apparently, no one did because Kazama was a downright grouch when woken up from slumber. They managed to shove him out and watched him stumble inside, still drowsy, and then backed up into the main road again.

Arata went next. He promised to call them the next day and then parted with a smile and a wave, until the black car was out of sight.

And then he sighed.

The last two-three weeks had been wonderful, he told himself. Chihaya was readily spending time with him; shopping and trying out new cafés in the city. They had a good time, or so he thought. Only, Chihaya's distracted behaviour became apparent after a while and even though it was supposed to sting (because he knew why she was acting that way) all he felt was a weary sort of fondness.

And the truth of the matter was slowly seeking into his mind. But he didn't want to believe it. He wasn't ready yet. All this time he had convinced himself that he had been in love with the girl, even moving so far away from home to be with her. But now it looked sort of...

...wrong.

Hearing her say the words, that she knew and realised that her heart had already been someone else's since long before, it did make him hurt a little. He moped, he felt bad, yes. But now, in the light if recent events and his rather calm reactions, he was beginning to understand that maybe...maybe it wasn't heartbreak that he felt. Maybe it was just loss.

He was losing at something to his best friend. And his competitive nature didn't enjoy it.

Thinking it out loud was rather relieving. The answer was clear as crystal before his intelligent mind. But there was a veil of stubbornness hiding it.

Yes, he had liked her, of course he had a crush on her since long back. But was it so strong that he spiralled into depression or something? No. Did he even feel that bad that she did not reciprocate his feelings? Not really.

But did he feel slapped in the face when it was, in the end, Taichi?

Yes.

Buy that didn't make him a horrible person, Arata mused. He was just too competitive, always had been. And it was that streak which made him stubbornly hold on the delusion that he was in love with Chihaya. He loved them both a whole lot more than anyone ever imagined, but he knew, somewhere beneath his obstinacy, that he was happy that they were happy.

It wasn't just Chihaya or just Taichi who had brought colour to his world. It was the both of them together and the memories they made as a team, as friends. Which is why, he knew that in the end, he'd be just fine.

Its just that...for now, he wasn't so keen on giving up on the idea that he was in love with Chihaya. He had made a huge decision in his life, seemingly for her, and the flaming competitiveness in him refused to back down without knowing for sure that he had been wrong since the beginning.

So he would still pursue his ideas. At least until things became clearer.

For now, he had presents to wrap and a train to catch the next morning back home.


"So this is why you kept asking me—but I said green."

Taichi rolled his eyes. "Maybe. But you like black better and you only said green because you felt, in a stupid moment of superstition, that black was bad luck."

She gaped at him, taking off the wonderful large hat he had brought her from Hokkaido, black laced with straw intricately. "How did you know?!"

" Many, many years of experience." He sighed. "You didn't seriously believe I didn't get you anything, did you?"

"Nah..."

He smirked. "Oh. Because I almost hadn't. But then I knew you'd probably rip my ears off so I dragged myself back to the store and—"

She cut him off with a scoff, placing the hat on the dashboard gingerly. "Well excuse me—"

"I'm kidding." He amended quickly, earning himself a glare. "You're so gullible."

"I would hit you, but one: you're driving and two: I missed you enough to overlook your idiocy for the day." She held up two fingers.

"Well, aren't you generous." He supplied dryly. " Are you done with the shopping?"

"Yup!" she grinned at him. "Arata and I finished it together ages ago." And then a smug look spread across her face. She poked him repeatedly in the ribs, making him squirm. "But you're in trouble, eh? You have to do everything in the latestminute of all last minutes! Christmaseve."

He swatted her hand away and shifted gears. "FYI, Chihaya, I finished my shopping before I left. And did the rest of it back in Hokkaido."

"What?!"

He was the one looking smug now. "I sort of knew I'd be busy till the last second."

"Always one step ahead." She muttered to herself and picked up the hat again. "Is this my Christmas gift?"

He spared her a glance, small face wide eyed and waiting under the large hat, her skin sort of glowing in the dusk. He fixed his eyes back on the road firmly. "Not really."

A grin split across her face. "Did I mention you're the best friend in the whole wide—"

"A few minutes ago, you claimed to hate me." He remarked. "Bipolar much?"

She pouted and crossed her arms across her chest. " I was just kiddng."

"Well I'm hurt." He shook his head. "We're over, Chihaya. No more friendship between me and you."

"Quit it, Drama Queen." She landed a punch on his knee this time, no qualms about him driving this time. " Are you taking me home?"

"No. To the woods to—"

"You did that once already." She scowled and shuddered. " Slit my throat and feed me to the wolves, yada yada yada."

He bit back a laugh at her disgruntled expression. "You want me to change the story?"

She shot him a mildly curious look. "I'm listening."

"Okay, so I'm taking you to the woods to show you the frozen lake, so we can go skating! And then maybe, if we're lucky, we can see the sunset bouncing off the ice. And if were really lucky, we might be able to see the snowy owls peep out from their trees, watching carefully. Or the family of foxes retiring for the night, or just watch the cloudless sky, see the millions of stars..."

Admittedly, her heart skipped a beat. "That sounds really ni—"

"And then, I slit your throat and feed you to the wolves."

She pursed her lips.

Taichi was clearly enjoying it. He rolled into a stop in front of her apartment. "We're here!"

She just stared. And then sighed, almost resignedly. "You just had to ruin it. That story was almost romantic."

"One: what do you know about romance? And two: I'm making up for time I lost these days by irritating you endlessly every second. Its my job."

"Well, get another one." She snapped.

He bit his lip, wondering if he'd pushed too far. "Don't be mad..."

"I'm going back to hating you." She stuck her tongue out and made for the door. "Have fun rotting in hell."

"Ouch." He muttered, and then swiftly unbuckled his seatbelt and held her back by the middle when she almost opened the door. "I was kidding. Its Christmas, Chihaya, cheer up!"

She already had, with him literally pulling her back into his chest now as she struggled half heartedly. "I hate you."

"No you don't." She could imagine him rolling his eyes. "Shut up and stay still."

"No."

"Chihaya..."

"No."

"Don't make me do it in the car."

A tingle of excitement ran through her spine. "You wouldn't."

"I would. I'll tickle the living daylights out of you if you don't stop struggling."

Putting on a show of hesitation and reluctance, she relaxed back into his chest, hiding a grin. "Fine."

He sighed, and she felt it against her back. "You're a handful."

"Thank you."

"Am I forgiven?"

"Nope."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Santa's not going to appreciate you making me beg."

"Santa's not real."

He faked a wounded gasp. "How could you?!"

Chihaya elbowed him. "Fine, you're forgiven."

"Good. So does that mean I can go back to annoying you?"

"Later." She twisted to face him and swiftly knotted her hands in his hair and pressed her lips to his jaw. "But I have to go now or Onee-san will kill me."

He released her immediately, the kiss and the contact was fuelling a lot of repressed tensions, coupled with the fact that he hadn't seen her or felt her worm into him for a good twenty days. "In that case, get out."

"Will I see you tomorrow?"

"On ChristmasEve?" He scoffed. "No."

She frowned. "See you at the party then, Taichi. I'll call you later."

"Bye."

"Seeeeeee ya."

Shaking off his restlessness, Taichi sped off towards his unit, before going home for the next two days. His Dad was here already, and he was kind of itching to go back to the livelier, warmer place he called home.

Rika was going to flip when she sees the watch she'd get the next day.


Christmas was a time for cheer!

Except, when there's an annoying younger sister who's yanking your hair at seven in the morning on a holiday, AFTER making you stay up half the night wrapping presents because she was TOO LAZY, Christmas cheer could go shove it for a few minutes.

"Rika." He growled into his pillow. "Don't make me curse on Christmas morning..."

"Get up, its SEVEN!"

"Go away." He pulled her hand away from his hair and sighed into the pillow as his scalp relaxed.

Rika jumped onto the bed and shook his shoulders instead. "Onii-chaaaaaaaan—"

"Oh my GOD!" He groaned. "WHY?!"

"Why what?"

"Why give me a little sister, when I could've been the only child..." He mumbled, peeking at her face to see her roll her eyes and smirk.

"You love me." She poked his cheek. "But you still have to get up. Mom's waiting. Dad's up too."

"Did you torture him as well?" he croaked, and reluctantly pushed himself up and sat on the bed, running a hand through his even messier hair.

Rika watched him with a shrug and a soft smile. "I may or may not have woken him up at five."

He gave her a look. "You are crazy."

She shrugged. "But he refused to get up and put me to sleep next to him instead. So there, you're getting two hours extra."

"You ARE crazy." He repeated. And then stretched a little. Maybe it was her smile, maybe the snow outside, or maybe the smell of coffee wafting up to his room and his father's deep voice murmuring downstairs, but his lips curved up into a smile and the sun lit up inside his chest.

Christmas.

"Come along, brat." He scooped her up with one arm and carried her down ungracefully, both of them tumbling and laughing lightly, Rika's pyjama clad legs not touching the ground just yet. Downstairs, the smell of coffee hit him even stronger and he swallowed, forgetting about brushing for once. Everyone deserved a day off.

Greeting his parents and grabbing his mug of coffee, Taichi eyed the large, lit up tree in the hall, blending perfectly with the decorations Rika had so painstakingly draped all over the place. They had spent the last day doing just that. It was true that he had to drive around a lot and sacrifice sweet, sweet sleep, but spending time with Rika after so long was amazing, though he'd never say that out loud. They were very easy together, comfortable. He actually did love his little sister even though, again, he'd never say it out loud. Ugh. No. But she knew, the little devil.

Sure enough, she fell over in excitement when she got her watch, a branded limited edition of some name he couldn't pronounce even now. And she also latched onto him and gave him a sloppy kiss as reward. They spent time under the tree, all four of them, just talking and sipping on hot chocolate.

He tried to ignore the fact that this was the first Christmas together since...well, since forever.

Rika's phone rang at one point and she went a little pink as she accepted the call making Taichi narrow his eyes at her from opposite her seat at the table. Their father watched amusedly. Stumbling over her goodbyes, the teenager sank back into her chair, looking like a cherry.

"Who was that?" her dad asked mildly.

"A friend." She muttered, eyes darting to her brothers face...who was fighting back a laugh. She scowled at him and he attempted to straighten. "Onii-chan knows him. He goes to my school." She clarified.

"It's a him." her dad mused. "Nice."

"Dad..."

"What?" he asked innocently. "I was just making a statement...to myself. Its a him, as in a male, and he's obviously not just a friend if you're all blushing and everything...you know. Just a statement that says a lot of stuff. Like, be careful."

Taichi laughed quietly into his mug as Rika went from pink to red, but then his own phone rang. Hissister, wanting to escape from the table, sprang up. "I'll go get it for you." And she hurried off to the tree where he had dropped it earlier.

Taichi bit back a grin at her scampering off. He was only beginning to raise the mug back to his lips when Rika let out an exclamation. "Onii-chan!"

He paused, alarmed. "What happened?!"

"Its Chihaya chan!" she grinned widely, skipping over.

His eyebrows shot up and he glanced at the clock and it was almost nine. "Huh." He mused.

His father smiled at him. "Is she late?"

"Early, is more like it. Its almost impossible to get her to wake up before nine on a holiday." He held out a hand for the phone as his sister neared, and then frowned at her cheeky grin. "Stop smiling, its just Chihaya, not the Queen of England."

She ignored him and pressed the phone into his hand, and he swiped the call accepted. "Hello?"

"Taichi!" she squeaked. "Merry Christmas."

He frowned the high pitched voice. "Merry Christmas. What's going on?"

"Nothing!" she said quickly, and he rolled his eyes, taking a sip of hot chocolate to pass time while she attempted uselessly to lie. "I'm just wrapping presents!"

"NOW?" he asked dryly.

"Well, ye—ugh, who am I kidding?!" her voice returned to normal and she mumbled. "Chitose put a plastic spider on my shoulder and I've only just shaken it off. Did I sound weird?"

"Like a rubber duck."

"You're mean so early in the morning." She hummed happily. "It's refreshing. What's going on there?"

"Well," He cast his eyes around the room at his family. Three pairs of smiling eyes met his own. "Dad's drinking all my coffee, Mom's cooking and Rika's...um..." he blinked at the way his sister was staring at him expectantly, she had been since the beginning of the phone call. "...I don't know what she's up to but she finds my face stare-worthy, apparently." He tossed a napkin at her while Chihaya laughed on the other line.

"Can I talk to her?"

"I don't see how this will end well for me, but sure," he sighed and held out the phone to his sister and smiled a little. "Its for you."

" 'Llo? Chihaya-chan, Merry Christmas!"

The phone went from his sister to his mother to his father before coming back to him. The enthusiasm from the lively chirping from the other line was putting smiles on everyone's faces. And then she was talking about a mishap in the party preparations.

"Kazama-kun called me." She sighed on the other line. " Apparently he messed up the cake order and now we're... cake-less."

"And we'll stay cake-less." Taichi frowned. "There's no way we can buy one on Christmas morning!"

"But what's Christmas without CAKE?!" she sounded panicky. "It'll be like...like Karuta without cards! Or...or Arata without glasses! Oh, or SUMIRE CHAN WITHOUT HER MASCARA!"

He cringed, and then tossed his mother a smile when she put a plate of pancakes in front of him, apologetic for being on the phone. She only ruffled his hair in response, surprising him a tad. Rika swiped the sauce before he could get to it, and they narrowed their eyes at each other for a second, before he retreated and focused on Chihaya. " Don't panic. We'll come up with something..."

"Ooooh." He could imagine her eyes lighting up and her jumping to her feet as the idea struck. "How about we bake?!"

"For fifty guests?"

He could also imagine her slumping and falling back into the couch, or wherever it was that she was seated. "Why do you have to kill my dreams?"

"I'm just being realistic." And then he paused as another suggestion crept into his mind. " But that's not a bad idea...How about this...we each bake a cake and bring it together in the evening? Instead of one person doing it altogether? Saves time."

She didn't even pause to consider it. " And it'll be fun to have multiple flavours! I'll call everyone up. What about you, do you know how to bake?"

"Nope." His mind flashed to images of burnt cookies and soggy tarts. "But my mom can...if she's willing. Are you mum?" He shot the question at his mother who smiled instantly.

"Of course!" she said. "Just stop by the convenience store and grab me some cake mix."

He kicked his sister under the table lightly. "How about a drive?"

She grinned and nodded swiftly.

"Great. So that's one down. Does Chitose know how to bake?"

"Nope." Chihaya sighed. "But I can ask my mom as soon as she comes back."

Her parents were off to visit a sick relative and they'd be back only in a few hours. Taichi made a mental note to visit them that day. "Okay... but I think she'll be too tired. Just call everyone up and ask around. Send me the details later, alright?"

"Yessir."

He cracked a smile. "See you later."

"Oh! Wait! You don't have to come all the way to pick me up tonight!" She relieved him of that task. "Kana-chan said she'd come around in the evening. Her mother's dropping her so..."

"Excellent!" he smiled into his fork. "Now I can use that time productively!"

"Yeah, yeah." She sounded sour and he bit back a laugh. "See you in the evening, ."

"Bye." He snickered and ended the call before the argument escalated. Now it felt like Christmas morning.

"Do you have to irk her all the time?" his mother frowned disapprovingly.

Taichi only grinned. "Nothing makes my day like a disgruntled Chihaya."

"Doesn't she get tired of you?" Rika wondered, blinking. "I know I would."

" Its been nearly ten years." He rolled his eyes and focused on his breakfast. "She enjoys irritating me and I just return the favour."

"So that's how you roll..."

He shrugged. "Now let me eat in peace. I'm going to need all the strength I can get for the evening."

"Why's that?"

"Gut feeling." He swallowed. "Eat up and go get ready. We're taking a drive to get some of that cake mix."

In the evening, the entire city twinkled in soft glow of lights all around. It wasn't too harsh or sharp...just light and dimmed. Warm. There was softly falling snow everywhere, soundlessly hitting the floor and resting on coats and hats and gloves as people moved about. Chihaya wanted to stay and take it all in, but Oe-san drove on, into the little lane to Kazama's house, following the directions Kana chan was rattling off.

They stopped slowly as they neared the mansion all decked up with snow and decorations. Chihaya stepped out precariously, with the cake in her hand, and Kana Chan shut the door of the car after her. Waving her mother goodbye, the shorter girl adjusted her loose hair and opened the gate for the brunette, whose arms were full.

Kazama met them at the front door with a huge grin. "Hey girls!"

"Kazama-kun, Merry Christmas again." Kana chan smiled. Chihaya was looking around wide eyed. "Damn, this like a castle. And I thought Taichi had a fancy house."

Kazama only laughed. "Come on in. And thanks, Chihaya-chan. Let me take that from you."

They walked into a large living room, and Kazama led them downstairs, towards the den. It was humongous. And elegantly decorated. There were around Six trees, all colourful and lit up, and the food table was looooooong. Chihaya spun around, her short skirt twirling around her as she took in the surroundings. "This looks amazing."

"All my mom's idea. And Jill helped." He grinned at her momentary falter.

Chihaya bit her lip, but she only felt a ghost of her old fears. In fact, now that she was more...confident, she wanted to get to know the girl. " How is she?"

"Oh, good. You'll see her later today." Kazama fixed his eyes on a faraway spot. "I gotta go now. Enjoy until the rest of them arrive. I'll be back soon."

The girls waved him off. Komano and Nishida showed up just then, with Arata and Kazuto in tow. They moved about, helping where necessary and making small talk with Kazama's rather frail looking mother. Soon, people began to filter in, from their society and college.

Chihaya recognised several med students of Todai she had met as a result of hanging around her best friend, and all if them went up to her and expressed a friendly approach she wasn't expecting. She found out that med students, though brainy, we actually lots of fun.

Not that she should've doubted it, what with Taichi being a med student but still...

As the room filled in and lights dimmed and the songs began to play, Chihaya caught a glimpse of herself in a glass door. Her red and white short plaid skirt and off shoulder white top was accompanied by a red belt. And her hair hung in loose waves instead of the usual straight strands, adding volume. She looked good, but her mind suddenly flashed to Jillian.

And then she caught a glimpse of messy brown hair through the mirror and almost snapped her neck, whipping around.

But he was lost in the crowd.

Chihaya frowned. Could she have imagined it? Maybe he was running late. Rin chan was yet to arrive as well after all...but she'd been so sure she had seen that head! She stood on her tiptoes to scan around, but then gave up at the sting in her toes. Damn it. Am I seeing things? Maybe she needed a drink. Sighing to herself, Chihaya attempted to squeeze out and landed by the door, taking a deep breath.

Arata joined her a second later, offering her a cup of punch. "Here you go."

She must've looked very surprised. "Thank you, Arata!" drowning the drink easily, she crumpled the disposable cup and tossed it into the already half filed bin nearby. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Arata grinned. "I needed some air."

She debated that for a while. Air sounded really nice. But what about...? I might've been imagining it. Besides, I need to get a grip.

She pushed Arata out herself, both of them taking deep breaths on stepping outside. The door swung shut behind them and in the dim light, the sounds of the party muffled. Chihaya glanced around at the deserted space, slightly conscious of her companion's gaze on her.

"When did you arrive, Arata?" She enquired, to break the silence.

He shrugged. "Around five...? My train was late. And thanks for the gift, by the way."

She suddenly grinned at him. "Did you like it?"

He laughed breathlessly, shaking his head. "I loved it."

She smiled, happy to have nailed it for once. It was thanks to Taichi, but that could wait. She wanted to feel awesome for a second. "And thanks for yours too."

He smiled back. "You're welcome." And then his eyes turned a tad serious. "You look really beautiful tonight, Chihaya. Did I tell you that?"

Her cheeks bloomed red and she laughed nervously, shuffling. "T-Thanks, Arata. Y-You too."

He smiled again, but then there were footsteps to his right and they both turned to stare at Kana chan and Rin emerging, Tsukuba in tow. They slowed with smiles when they spotted the pair, Kanade's eyes rather sharp on Chihaya. She had the urge to flinch.

They exchanged pleasantries, before Tsukuba wanted a drink and pulled open the door, but then paused, his face thoughtful.

And then he pointed at the spot above where Chihaya and Arata were standing. "Heads up." The door swung shut behind him and the party became a muffled reality again.

Chihaya felt her cheeks drain of all colour as they fixed on the innocently shining mistletoe hanging precisely above their heads.

Blood roared in her ears and she felt a little dizzy, Kana Chan's exclamation sounding rather distant. How was it that she always got herself into such messes?

"Well." Arata mused, looking back at her. Chihaya would've blushed, but she was rather numb at the moment. "This is...convenient."

She didn't answer, just swallowed, almost at the point of fainting. What do I do?

Kana chan looked shaky. She nudged Rin chan, who was stunned into silence, inside. But her eyes were burning as they locked with Chihaya's. "We'll give you some...er...space. See you inside." Her eyes flashed, and then they were gone too, with momentary music blaring out, before muffling again.

Arata took a breath and to Chihaya's surprise, took her hand.

And tugged her closer so she tumbled over her heels into his chest.

She didn't know what was happening. Too shocked to even think, all she knew was that her mind was numb. Some tiny part of her was screaming to get away, but it sounded far away in the haze of disbelief. What was happening?

Midnight blue eyes pierced her own. She shivered, finding they lacked a certain warmth an sparkle she was so accustomed to seeing in another pair of golden pools. "Are you ready?"

Her eyes widened a fraction and something akin to panic bubbled in her chest weakly. "Wh-what? W-why?"

"We were caught beneath that." He pointed at the plant, glancing at it for a second. "You know what it means...if we break tradition, its bad luck..."

She couldn't breathe. When she remained silent. Arata tugged her closer, his breath fanning her cheek, fingers on her chin.

And it all felt so wrong.

The far away, distant protests in her mind suddenly became unbearably loud, as if his touch had burst the bubble muffling them in the first place. Her head cleared. Realization of her situation crept in and her eyes widened.

But she was too confused and surprised to move.

For a heart stopping second, his head dipped and she bit back a gasp, because all she felt was dread, that this was wrong, that she had to stop it before he made things all bad.

This was not right. Damn traditions to hell.

But just as her eyes sparkled with a slight fury and defiance, she felt him sigh, inches from her lips, and then, miraculously, pull back.

And step away with a rueful smile and shake of his head.

Chihaya leaned back against the door, her knees weak with relief. Arata watched her with a light in his eyes. "I'm so sorry." He murmured.

She looked at him, pleading for an explanation.

"I can't do it. I wouldn't have done it anyway. Its just...wrong." he let out a strangled laugh and collapsed against the door like her, making her brows furrow in slight worry.

Realisation hit him like a monster truck, slamming straight into his heart and the weight of it nearly sent him stumbling. He had been gripping at his obstinacy again, but the feel of her rapid pulse and frozen posture and shallow breath in his ear had wrenched his grip away. Arata stared at the ground resolutely, trying to keep himself in one piece. Despite all his stubbornness and competitiveness, he couldn't deny the truth.

It wasn't him. And it wasn't her either. He'd leave it at that.

"I'm sorry." He repeated breathlessly, looking back up at her with a sincerity she never knew him to posses. "I was blinded by stubbornness, Chihaya, thinking I was in love with you...but I'm not. I can't do this. Not to you or Taichi. I realize my delusions now."

All she felt was overwhelming relief and her eyes cleared from mild anger to gratitude. For a long minute she stood, watching him gather himself and she felt a lot of things but mainly thankful that he hadn't carried out the action. She didn't know what she would've done if...Even now, the sharp pang of guilt was churning her stomach.

But she flung her arms around him and mumbled a thanks into his shoulder, breathless herself.

He only laughed a little and pulled her off, telling her to go back inside while he took some time off to clear his head. Chihaya watched him walk away with her lip between her teeth. That was awkward and scary and it made her want to scream, but she was thankful for his words and actions.

Now she felt relieved. And happy, lighter. She let him disappear from her line of sight before sighing and turning back to the door of the party.

And she glimpsed the messy head for a flash again, just a second, before it disappeared. She shook her head and smiled. Where was her phone? Time to find out what was taking him so long to get there.

The truth was, after that little shaky episode, she wanted to hear his voice, rich and soft in her ear and be carried away by the butterflies that would erupt in her stomach.

So why was her gut screaming at her?


So! There you have it. The next chap is gonna be taxing for me so I kinda have to feel like you want it...you know what I mean. Hit that button!

Love you

Loyyu chan.