Together Always

Christmas Holidays

Author's Notes: The holidays are soon here, what will our main girls get each other? And how will their party go? Let's just read on, shall we?

"Hey, Dad, I'm home," I called out as I threw my jacket onto a coat rack.

"Hey, Kagura," he replied from the kitchen where he was washing the dishes.

He shut off the sink, shaking his hands dry, and walked over to me.

"So, any thoughts of how you'll be celebrating Christmas?" he asked, ruffling my hair.

"Dad!" I pushed him off. "Well, there's going to be a party at Chiyo's place. It'll be just us friends."

"Oh…" he nodded, but he sounded bit disappointed.

"Dad, I'll still be with you in the morning," I reassured him. "It's for the Eve."

"Ah, that's great then!" he smiled, feeling better. He then put an arm around me. "So, how about New Year's Eve?"

"Dad!" I yelled. "We haven't even thought that far ahead!"

"Excellent!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Here's an idea – for that, how about we have the party at our place?"

"Dad…" I paused, thinking about it, "…that is a good idea…" I approved. "Just as long you don't embarrass me."

"I promise," he said. "So it's set then! Anything else you're going to be doing this Christmas?"

"Yep!" I unveiled a paper scrap with Sakaki's name on it. "We're doing a Secret Santa present exchange thing...I got Sakaki's name!"

"That's terrific!" he grinned. "What are you getting her?"

"Oh…" I left his arm and slumped down in an armchair in the nearby room. "That's the problem…She's too easy to buy for…"

It was true, I knew the top choice for her right off the bat: any old cute, stuffed animal. I admit, it sort of killed the thrill of being unable to decide which gift would be the best choice.

"Ugh…" I sighed in exasperation. "I can just literally buy anything that's on her 'cute' standards, and she'd still be thrilled, but it's not enough. It just doesn't feel like it is...I want to do something more for her."

My dad raised a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Then how about you get her two gifts...if one's not enough?"

"Very-" I paused. "You think that's allowed?"

"How should I know?" he shrugged. "I haven't done that Secret Santa thing since high school…but it's a best bet."

"I like it," I smiled. "I know what I can buy her first, but as for the second, I'll have to think on that later."

"That's my girl!" my dad chuckled.

I just nodded and leaned back on my seat, looking forward to tomorrow when I would go shopping for Sakaki's present. I was excited for it.

--

Meanwhile, Sakaki sat in her room, staring up at her bookshelf.

She, too, had an idea what to buy me…but she would need some extra money. And she didn't want to ask her mother as she was very tight about their money, which would explain Sakaki's surprise when she had gotten that new cell phone her birthday.

It is not to say they were on low income, her mother actually earned a very good salary; Sakaki's allowance was far better than mine. It was that her mother never saw it a point to go spending it on luxuries, she simply saw it as a waste of time – and cash. And she'd always remind Sakaki to use her money wisely, but she – on her mother's point of view – never did, much to her displeasure.

If Sakaki had ran out before the next month's allowance, if she tried to ask her mother for more, her mother would just say "Well, you brought it upon yourself, this is what happens when you use your money recklessly…" and go into a long lecture which ended often in "Life isn't an ATM machine where money is handed to you easily."

So Sakaki couldn't ask her and would have to resort to other means – breaking open her Necoconeco piggy bank. She stood up from her bed and took it from its place on the shelf. She looked at it apologetically.

"I am very sorry."

She then threw it against a wall where it broke apart, its china pieces and coins flying everywhere. It wasn't quiet either, the shattering crash resounded throughout the house which was bound to attract her mother's attention.

Sakaki heard quick running up the stairs to her room. She had to do something…an excuse…

"What on earth?" her mother gasped, opening up the door in a flash.

She saw Sakaki lying there as if she had tripped then the broken bank scattered across the carpet.

"…I tripped, Mother," Sakaki whispered as if she was ashamed with herself.

Her mother just sighed in relief then waved a hand, shaking her head. "Just clean up the mess."

She left and Sakaki picked herself up, grabbing her money. In addition to her allowance she still had left, she had enough for what she had in mind.

"Perfect," she smiled.

--

The next day came, and I walked down the sidewalks of the shopping district, looking out for Sakaki's gift. On any other day, I would have had her beside me, but we were looking for presents for each other, so we went our separate ways.

The Christmas rush was huge – many people were pushing and tackling one another to catch that one sale item or other. I was wise to avoid those maniac middle-aged ladies who stopped at nothing to get the things they wanted, jumping out of their way as they passed by with large number of bags. I ducked into a bookstore for a break. Not many people seemed to think books were ideal holiday gifts...

Inside, I saw Osaka standing in front of a bookcase, looking over a big book which she was barely holding up. I immediately went to her and took it from her, relieving her of the weight.

"Oh, hi Kagura," she greeted, smiling. "Say, you think Chiyo would like that book?"

It wasn't too heavy for me, I checked the shiny cover; it had the curve of earth on it with a weird spaceship over it. It read: 'The Big Encyclopedia of Aliens, Mythical Beasts, and Tales'.

I restrained from bursting with laughter and instead said calmly to her: "No, this is a book you would like. The point of getting gifts is to get someone something they'd like, not what you'd like."

"Oh…" Osaka frowned. "Aw, I'm stumped…"

I gave her a smile, putting the book under my arm. "Here's an idea, why don't you try cooking books? I've heard Chiyo absolutely loves cooking."

"Ah, that's a great idea!" Osaka exclaimed. "What would I do without ya, Kagura?"

"Heh…" I scratched my head. "It's nothing. Just helping out a friend."

Osaka smiled and stepped off towards the cooking books aisle.

I turned a corner and to my surprise, found Chiyo nearby, looking unsure.

"Chiyo?" I called out.

"Oh, Kagura!" she gasped, turning to me. "What are you doing here?"

"I just stepped inside to get away from the crowd, it's maddening out there," I replied with a mutter. "What about you?"

"Umm…" she looked both ways then whispered. "Can you keep a secret?"

I giggled. "Sure, I can."

"Um…I'm Osaka's Secret Santa," she said quietly.

"You are?" I thought about it – if I had Sakaki and she had me, and if Osaka had Chiyo and Chiyo had her…that meant…

I shook it off, I really don't think too much of the details.

"Yes," Chiyo nodded. "But…I'm not sure what to get her, I thought a book would be good, but I'm not sure what kind…"

I remembered the book in my arm, somehow I'd forgotten about it, and held it out to her.

"Here, why don't you get this one?" I grinned. "I'm sure Osaka would love this."

She looked at it confusedly.

"Trust me," I added.

"Well, if you say so…" Chiyo took it and nearly fell down with it. "Oof! I'll buy her this, thanks for your help."

"No problem," I shrugged. "By the way, Osaka's here too, can you believe that?"

"What?" she nearly screamed, looking around frantically. "She is? Ah! Don't tell her! I've got to hide!"

"Relax," I held out my hands. "If she sees you, she'll just forget about it later. Trust me, she doesn't question a whole lot."

"Oh…" Chiyo relaxed. "Thank you again, I'll go now, and see you later at the Christmas party!"

"See ya!" I waved her off then remembered something. "Oh wait, Chiyo!"

Soon I returned outside, back in the crowd rush and went along with the current. I dropped in a music store on my way for another breather and found Yomi looking through a rack with no Tomo in sight. I had never really thought about it before, but it was bit strange to see them without each other in the public.

"Hey, Yomi!" I called out to her, and she instantly whipped around as if she thought she had heard a ghost.

"Oh, it's just you," she sighed. "I thought you were…someone else."

She glanced sideways suspiciously.

"So, where's Tomo?" I asked.

"Ha!" Yomi raised her arm. "Knowing her, she's probably out getting a gag gift for the unlucky soul she got assigned to…I hope to God, it's not me."

Recalling my thought at the bookstore, I forced a chuckle. "Yeah…well, good luck with your present-finding."

"You, too," she replied and went back to checking the CDs.

I caught sight of Tomo dashing by the window. "Hey, there's Tomo!"

I turned back to see that Yomi had ducked under the rack.

"Whatever you do, don't tell her I'm here…" she hissed.

But then Tomo entered inside, looking around brightly.

I heard Yomi curse and saw her pick up a case and crawl over to a new hiding place. "Don't look at me, she'll find me!"

I ignored her and greeted Tomo. "What're you doing here?"

"What does it look like?" she retorted then ran off, not helping me with a real answer.

"Ah well," I went back outside.

I continued down the path and noticed Sakaki coming out of a building. I wasn't interested in knowing what it was, I wanted to see her.

"Hey, Sakaki!" I called out and she faced my way, quickly hiding whatever she had behind her back.

"Hi Kagura," she greeted as I walked closer.

"Say, what's that behind you?" I asked, trying to peek around her.

She avoided me, giggling lightly. "No, not yet."

"Come on, show me," I tried again and she dodged around me.

"You'll see later." She kissed me briefly and dashed off. "Bye."

"Bye Sakaki," I waved after her then resumed my walk.

Finally, I dropped into a small mall and passed by its many sections, looking for the toy area where I was sure to find Sakaki's gift.

On my way, I found somebody familiar in the clothing department; it was Kaorin, who was struggling with another girl over a sweater.

I hadn't seen her for a long while since she got transferred to Mr. Kimura's class, so I thought I'd greet her.

"Kaorin?"

She looked my way, pushing off the other girl. "Kagura?"

Having acquired her prize, she folded the red sweater in her arms. "What do you want?"

Right, I forgot – she seemed to have issues with me.

"Nothing, thought I'd just say hello," I shrugged. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, yeah, lucky you got the class with Sakaki and I didn't," she muttered, not looking my way. She suddenly clapped her hand over her mouth, blushing profusely.

"What was that?" I asked, I didn't catch what she had just said.

"I just said, you're lucky you didn't get Mr. Kimura," she sighed, still sporting a pink blush.

"Yeah, sorry."

Then I thought about the Christmas party. Perhaps, it wouldn't hurt to have her along as well. She could use the invite considering her predicament the past months.

"Hey, you know we're having a Christmas party at Chiyo's place," I said. "Would you like to come?"

She looked at me, her expression was letdown. "Oh…I couldn't…I have to go with my family for our Christmas gathering…"

"Aw, that's too bad…" I sighed. "Sorry."

"Yeah…" she turned away from me and I left her.

Later, I heard her scream: "DAMMIT!"

I shook my head. Poor girl; she didn't seem to have it going all well for her.

I found a nice gray tabby cat plush in the stuffed animals aisle of the toy section and bought it. I was sure Sakaki would obviously love it; it even had an additional red collar.

Now, what would I do for the second present?

--

"You want to make her something?" My dad looked queasy, grabbing his stomach. "You're not going to try to cook, are you?"

"Of course not!" I slapped him lightly. "But I do want to make something for her, something she'll love and cherish for a long time...I really want to put my heart into it."

"That's a very sweet notion," my dad replied, smiling, "but what exactly do you plan to make?"

"Let's think…" I was reminded of Kaorin and the sweater. The sweater!

"I know, I'll make her a sweater," I said.

"But…" he stared at me. "…You can't knit…You don't exactly have the craft hands of a girl…"

"Shut up!" I snapped at him – I didn't mean to, though. "It's the thought that counts! I'm going to do it, and you're not going to change my mind about it!"

I left him and he rubbed his neck. "Boy, she can be stubborn sometimes."

Hours later, I had found a basket of yarn and a pair of knitting needles in the closet and went to work. My dad explained they must have been my mom's as she loved knitting and was very good at it. Unfortunately, that skill hadn't been passed down to me, but I still managed a decent looking dark-green sweater. I didn't try any patterns as it would be too hard for me to accomplish.

"Hey, Dad, what do you think?" I held it up to him.

He took a look and muffled a snicker. "It's nice…but tad small…"

I looked, he was right, it was too small for Sakaki but just the right size for Mayaa.

Frustrated, I threw it across the room and grabbed my hair. "Augh! I can never do anything right!"

My dad went over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "That's not true, you're good at a lot of things! You know that."

"Mm…you're right Dad," I sighed. "But the party is tomorrow, and I still can't make Sakaki that second present."

"Mm, think about it, what are you good at?" my dad asked.

"Well…it's clear I suck at 'girl' stuff like cooking and knitting," I mumbled.

"Don't put it so harshly," he muttered. "That may be true, but what about other things besides that?"

I thought about it then looked at my hands. I smiled. "I know, can we go to the garage?"

He grinned. "Sure, we can."

--

"…Mother?"

"Yes, daughter?" her mother looked up from her book.

Sakaki stood in the hallway, dressed warmly with a plastic yellow bag at her side.

"…Today is Christmas Eve, I'm going to my friend's place for a party," Sakaki went on quietly. "…and I was wondering if it would be okay for me to stay later?"

"…A party?" Her mother was silent for a moment then returned to her book. "Well…it is a holiday, I believe there's no harm in it, you may go as you please."

"Thank you very much, Mother," Sakaki smiled softly and left.

Meanwhile, my dad saw me off as I left for the party.

"Have fun, enjoy yourselves!" he waved after me. "Tell them I give them a Merry Christmas!"

"Will do, Dad!" I promised then looked at my shiny green bag where my two presents waited inside. I smiled. I couldn't wait to show them to Sakaki.

It was still day out, so it was expected when I came in early and found Chiyo still preparing for the party.

"Hey, Chiyo," I greeted.

"Oh," she faced me, smiling. "You're here early!"

"Yeah, where do I put the gifts?" I held up my bag.

"Under that tree," Chiyo pointed to the living room. "By the way, Sakaki's here also."

"Oh, she is?" I grinned. "Thanks."

I walked in and the first thing I noticed was that it was the largest Christmas tree I had ever seen, its top barely brushing the high ceiling. The next thing I noticed was Sakaki at the bottom, adjusting some boxes. I giggled mischievously and crept over to her, covering her eyes.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"Kagura?" she replied.

I let go. "You're no fun."

She just stood up and kissed me, hugging my body close.

"Are those my presents?" she asked as she looked down at my bag.

"Yep, but you can't see them yet," I chuckled, setting it down next to hers. "So you're helping Chiyo?"

"Yes," she indicated the boxes nearby which were filled with decorations, ornaments and lights. "Would you like to help, too?"

"That'd be cool," I nodded. "So what's Chiyo doing now?"

"She's preparing snacks for the party."

"I see."

I bent down with her to take out the decorations and firstly decorated the living room where the party would take place. I noticed Chiyo also had a fireplace with stockings tacked onto it. I smiled. How classic.

Later, Osaka arrived and after greeting us, she went to help Chiyo with the baking. Next on our list was to finish up the tree, so we opened up cases of the ornaments.

Mayaa wiggled playfully in the golden tinsel as we hung up orbs of various colors suiting to the mood. I noticed the lights had already been set up as I put up another orb. I guessed she had placed them before I came over. Sakaki then picked up a package of peppermint candy canes, so we set them up as well, sharing one between us.

The tree was done…well, almost. I pointed to the star in one of the boxes. "What about that one?"

"Chiyo said she wanted to wait until everybody was here so she could put it up," Sakaki replied.

I nodded. "Let's go back."

She gave me a minty kiss before we went into the kitchen. Chiyo was just setting a tray of gingerbread cookies on the counter as Osaka stood beside her. "Oh, you're finished?"

"Yup," I sat at the table, taking in the aroma of baked sugar. "Mm…that smells delicious…"

I saw Osaka was staring at the cookies which had been shaped like people.

"What is it?" I asked her.

"That's strange…They didn't move…" she mumbled quietly, still staring.

"Really…" I sat back.

I looked over to the side, seeing bags of candies and squeezable icing. "Are we going to put those on them?"

"Yep!" Chiyo smiled. "When Tomo and Yomi come over, we'll decorate them together…Then we can eat them too!"

"Yum, sounds like fun!" I grinned.

But Sakaki looked around uncertainly then asked, blushing shyly. "Um…do you have any cats?"

Chiyo giggled. "Of course, I'll make some. I have cat and dog cookie cutters too."

"Thank you…" she smiled.

About an hour later, Tomo and Yomi arrived just as the sky was growing dark even though it was only five in the afternoon.

"Let's get the party started!" Tomo announced, thrusting up a fist.

"Yeah!" I, Chiyo, and Osaka exclaimed, doing the same.

"So what are we going to do first?" Tomo asked. "Seeing as you're the host, you decide!"

"Well, we'll decorate the gingerbread cookies," Chiyo pointed towards the kitchen. "Any way you want it."

"And we get to eat them after?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, yummy! Let's go!" Tomo waved her arm excitedly.

And so all six of us were seated at the counter, fixing up the cookies.

"Look," Sakaki showed a dog-shaped cookie covered in white icing with black licorice for an eye and nose. "Mr. Tadakichi."

"That's great!" Chiyo smiled. "I'm making him, too!"

I looked over to Osaka's side where she was putting red cinnamon candy and licorice in various places, giving her gingerbread man a strange appearance.

"What are you doing?"

She slowly turned my way, staring at me with serious eyes. "The Chupacabra…"

"O…kay…" I leaned backwards as she resumed her handiwork.

I heard some snickering and looked over to Tomo and Yomi on the other side; Tomo was enjoying whatever she was doing to her cookie. She then picked it up and held it out to us.

"Hey look, it's Yomi!" she shook it; it did bear a good resemblance especially with its black licorice glasses. "Check it, she's fat! Fat, fat, fatty fat…"

Yomi's face turned red as Tomo sing-sang, and then she karate-chopped her head. "You are SO immature…"

"Oh, lighten up!" Tomo complained, rubbing her head.

I looked back to Sakaki, whom was working on a cat-shaped cookie, squeezing chocolate icing to make out its markings.

"That's Mayaa, right?"

She nodded and I checked my gingerbread man. It was very generic with a smiley face and M&Ms for buttons.

"Ehh…" I shrugged, working on another one.

After a half-hour, we had made a good number of decorated gingerbread people and pets-the majority of it being my generic ones. Osaka had only made one which was her alien cookie, Sakaki had only made the dog and Mayaa, Chiyo some creative ones, and to our amusement, Tomo and Yomi had made ourselves.

"Here's you...and here's you...Oh, and here's you, fatty," Tomo handed them out, the last comment earned her another smack on the head by Yomi.

Sakaki took hers and noted marshmallows had been put on the chest area, emphasizing her 'bra size'. She turned a deep pink.

"Very funny," I muttered to Tomo who just grinned.

I looked at mine; it wasn't too bad, even the chocolate hair was a perfect likeness of mine. "Heh, nice job, Yomi."

She simply nodded when Tomo shouted out. "All right! Let's dig in!"

She chewed down her cookie in matter of seconds despite Yomi's warnings to eat slower.

"Yummy!" she laughed.

I ate mine, biting off the head then looked to Sakaki whom hadn't picked up her creations yet. Rather, she was just sitting there.

"Sakaki?"

She glanced over to me with a mortified look. "…W-we must eat them?"

"Well, yeah," I swallowed. "Wasn't that the point of the cookies?"

"…" she looked down to her cookies. "I-I can't eat them…"

"Then I'll eat them for you!" Tomo reached out, but Sakaki had taken them out of the way. "Eh?"

"No," Sakaki said firmly.

"But…"

"No!"

That shut her up, for now, and Sakaki put away her cookies in a plastic bag to save for later. After finishing off myself, I pointed to the cookie of herself. "Can I have that?"

She pushed it towards me and I picked it up, biting off the marshmallows first.

"Uh…" Sakaki watched with a pink blush, and I realized what I was eating.

"Oh my god," my face burned as I held out the cookie away from me.

After we had eaten the cookies and the party snacks, we went to the living room where we would soon open up our gifts.

"Sakaki, can you help me put up the star?" Chiyo asked and she nodded, picking her up.

She raised her high enough so Chiyo was able to set down the star.

"Okay, light it up!"

I plugged it in and the tree blazed with a golden light, we awed in the sight of it. It seemed so heavenly with its flickering, the shine reflecting off its ornaments. I leaned closer to Sakaki and smiled.

"All right, let's open up the goods!" Tomo yelled, shattering the sweet tranquility of it all.

"Geez, Tomo!"

We grabbed our gifts and were preparing to hand them out to each other. Osaka went over to Chiyo whom was sitting on the couch with a large gift-wrapped box next to her.

"Here Chiyo, I got you this," Osaka said holding out her gift to her.

"Oh, thanks Osaka!" Chiyo smiled, taking it then pointed to the box. "Here, I got you this, too!"

"Wow!" Osaka gasped after she had ripped away the wrapping. "How'd ya know?…You didn't read my mind, did ya?"

She stared at her intently.

Chiyo giggled weakly. "No…I had some help."

She smiled my way, I returned it with a nod.

"Oh wow, Yomi!" Tomo exclaimed holding up a CD case then wrapped an arm around her friend's neck. "This is great! You're the best, Yomi!"

"Heh…" Yomi chuckled. "So…who's my Secret Santa?"

"I am!" Tomo shoved a small box into Yomi's hands. "Open it up!"

"Uh…" Yomi could only stammer, looking at her in disbelief. "Y-You are?"

"Well, duh," Tomo replied as matter-of-factly. "Open it up! I can't wait!"

"…It's not going to explode in my face or anything, its it?" Yomi glared at her.

"Of course not!" Tomo protested mockingly. "What kind of a person do you take me for?"

"…Well…here it goes…" Yomi exhaled and lifted off the top, backing away as if she expected it to do something. It didn't, she took a peek inside and took out a microphone.

"Huh? What's this?" she questioned.

"That…" Tomo pointed. "…Is a battery-powered microphone! See, you can press that little button and it makes your voice louder without having to plug it in! Great for songs!"

"…Are you mocking me?" Yomi frowned. "…My singing's terrible."

"Well, that's a no-brainer!" Tomo laughed which caused her to glare again. "But…you love singing don't you?"

Yomi chuckled. "Right…It is a nice gift after all…Thank you, Tomo…"

"Hey, sing us 'Twelve Days of Christmas!'!" Tomo requested.

"Are you sure?" Yomi blinked at her.

"'Course I'm sure!" Tomo said happily. "Don't be shy, sing it!"

"Well…if you insist…" Yomi stood up, raising the microphone to herself.

At that moment, Tomo gave us ear plugs and raised a finger to her lips. "Shush! Put these on."

Immediately all girls, except me, as I had never experienced Yomi's singing skills before, put them on. Sakaki noticed this and whispered to me. "Trust me, put them on."

So I did and was grateful for it because as Yomi began singing, even with the plugs in, I could practically hear her loud off-key tones ringing in my head. The plugs muffled the worst of it.

After she was done, we removed the plugs without her noticing.

"So…how was I?" she asked.

"The best!" Tomo gave a thumbs-up as the rest of us forced our smiles.

"Sakaki, Kagura, it's your turn!" Chiyo looked over to us and we faced each other.

"You go first," I said to Sakaki.

She nodded and handed me her gift bag. I opened it up and took out a card.

"Hmm?" It read simply inside:

'I promise you will get your real gift soon,

I love you very much,

-Sakaki'

"Oh Sakaki…" I could feel the tears coming-it was not of being upset that I didn't get an actual thing, it was of joy at the written words.

I could tell Tomo was about to say something rude, but, fortunately, Yomi kept her quiet.

"Here's one more, too," Sakaki said, pulling out a small brown shiba inu plush wearing a Santa Claus cap.

"Thank you…" I smiled at her. "…Your turn."

I handed my bag to her and she pulled out the tabby cat first.

"Oh. Kagura!" she gasped, cuddling it. "Thank you!"

"Heh, no problem," I scratched my head. "There's more, too."

She next pulled out a green sweater bundle. "What's this?"

"…My failed attempt," I mumbled, blushing. "It'll only fit Mayaa."

She giggled lightly then inspected it. "There's something heavy inside it…"

"Carefully," I said as she unveiled it.

She gasped sharply at the shiny new photo frame which was decorated with metal butterfly and cat pins.

"This is…" she breathed.

"I made it with Dad's help," I explained. "While I may not be able to cook and stuff, I can definitely do a work in the guy's garage…I hope you like it, I really wanted to make you something that you'd enjoy for a very long time."

Sakaki smiled one of her warmest smiles. I could tell she really wanted to kiss me.

"Hey look, there's a mistletoe," Osaka said suddenly, pointing.

We looked up, she was right; there was a mistletoe over our heads. We returned to each other, and I gained a blush.

"Um…I don't it really works like that-" Yomi turned to Osaka.

To their-and mine-surprise, Sakaki pulled me into a deep kiss.

"Whoa…" exclaimed Yomi and Tomo quietly while Chiyo just giggled and Osaka just stared.

We pulled apart, she smirked as I sighed dreamily. I realized she must have had this planned, being in the charge of the decorations and all.

I knew what we would do now.

I took her hands as we turned to our friends. "We would like to tell you something…Sakaki and I love each other very much…I hope you can understand that…"

For a moment there was silence then Osaka spoke up.

"I knew it."

"WHAT??"

We stared at her. I was completely shocked. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well…wasn't it obvious?" Osaka drawled. "I mean…ya were always challenging and talking and going everywhere with her and stuff…"

"Uh…why didn't you say anything?" I blushed.

"Nobody would take me seriously," Osaka shrugged. "Not a lot seem to do so…"

"I can see that…" I muttered under breath.

"But now, she does bring up a point," Tomo pointed then chuckled.

She then looked at us. "So…"

"So…what?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Did ya do 'it' yet?" she asked.

"TOMO!" I screamed, my face burning.

"Tomo!" Yomi slapped her. "That was unneeded!"

"What? I'm curious!" Tomo rubbed her head.

"That's none of your business!" I shot back at her.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Chiyo asked, looking around confusedly. "What does 'it' mean?"

We paused for a moment then burst with laughter.

"You'll see when you're older," Osaka said to her.

Still chortling, I gave Sakaki another kiss on her cheek.

It was so nice that our friends had accepted it so casually, nothing could ruin us now…

--

It was time to go home, we waited inside the hallway as our friends passed us by.

"By the way, congratulations," Yomi smiled.

"Thank you," we nodded.

"You're so lucky," Tomo leaned on Yomi's shoulder. "Barely out of high school, and already you've got girlfriends!"

I blushed slightly. "Y-yeah…"

"Oh man!" Tomo stretched her arms. "I gotta get one before you leave me in the dust! Yomi! Will you be mine?"

"Huh?" Yomi stepped back. "You're joking, right?"

"Ha! I'm just fooling with ya. You should've seen your face, though!" Tomo laughed, patting her back. "But seriously, you guys are so lucky!"

"We should get going," Yomi muttered and Tomo dashed off with a "Merry Christmas! Don't let the fat slow you down, Yomi!"

"Grr!" Yomi growled, stomping after her. "I swear, one of those days…Merry Christmas to you, too!"

We smiled, I hugged close to Sakaki as she stroked my hair.

Later, she dropped me off at my home and gave me another kiss.

"Merry Christmas. I love you," she sighed.

"I love you, too," I kissed her.

She then left, waving to me and I waved back.

"Merry Christmas, Sakaki…"

--

Sakaki returned to her home, yawning. She was tired.

She stepped inside to see it was dark, her mother must already be sleeping, so she tiptoed upstairs where she fell onto her bed and welcomed her dreams of Christmas and me.

Moments later, though, she stirred awake to a disturbance in her room and sat up, trying to focus her vision in the darkness.

"What…?"

She could make out a shadow of a person before she drifted off into sleep again.

The next morning, she awoke to the sun on her face and sat up, rubbing her eyes. As she lowered her hands, she noticed a small box on her bedside table and picked it up curiously.

All it said was "Merry Christmas, Taira Sakaki; From: Santa Claus".

She then opened it up to reveal a gold chain necklace with a matching heart-shaped pendant.

"Oh…" she sighed then looked up. She stood from her bed and walked into the hallway, towards the room of her mother.

She reached for the doorknob, then stopped.

She exhaled and turned away, walking back into her room.

The door was left undisturbed for the rest of the day.