Thanksgiving Special: One to Remember

Pre-Destiny: Skyfall

NOTE: AT THIS POINT (AND POSSIBLE FUTURE SPECIALS), SPECTRE IS KNOWN EITHER AS 'NERO' OR 'SPARDA'.

2107 Hours, November 24, 2702

Exilus Animas Academy, Red Veil Territory, -OMITTED- Location (Earth)

"C'mon guys, what'll it be? I don't think the Masters will be happy if they find out what we're doing!"

"Leon, you know better what I'd want." Sparda said, sitting at the couch lounging about for a little break.

"Leo, if you'll be a dear little brother, get me and my man some vodka martini. You know the difference, right?" Vesper snuggled against her boyfriend, his arm across his shoulders after the two spent time in the kitchen preparing for the kazoku's little Thanksgiving party.

The ninja of the team drooped his shoulders defeatedly. "Seriously? Seriously? One shaken with one thin slice of lemon and one stirred with an olive? How do you think I can keep track of that?"

"Do you need me to write it down for you?" Sparda snapped half-assed.

"Who're you, my boss?"

"Now now, Leo." Vesper tutted, wagging her finger. She smiled when her younger brother facepalmed at her action.

"Alright, fine. Two vodka martinis coming up."

The couple watched as he disappeared into the kitchen, the doors sealing shut behind him as he joined the rest of the kazoku in the kitchen. Now the two of them can have a moment alone.

"Do you think he'll actually get it through, Spar?" She asked, sighing against his chest as she snuggled.

"Just watch as he switches it and gives us the opposite of what we asked. Should we give him an earful if he does?"

Vesper snickered at the idea and brought the brim of her cowgirl-like hat down; something she really loved to do since she got a new helmet for her subclass. Her previous one was the standard-issue helmet, which challenged her subclass to fight blindfolded. Well, more or less obscuring one eye and letting the other barely be able to see anything. She loved a challenge. Maybe it was pure luck that she got her subclass assignment. But eventually she grew out of the helmet. "Not too much of one, babe."

"For once, I agree with you. Besides, we saw what happened when he got too careless." He traced a finger diagonally across his nose, mimicking Leon's scar. "Then again it wasn't his fault."

"And for that, I won't forgive you." Vesper threw her nose in the air, 'pouting' at the comment and crossing her arms.

Sparda smirked, knowing how she isn't one to hold a grudge for long, and brushed a lock of her raven black hair away from her neck. "Come on, Ves," he breathed, making her breath hitch and shiver. "You know that was an accident. I wouldn't hurt your brother to the degree that I would leave a serious scar."

She shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the table rapidly, sighing and giving in to her boyfriend's words. "Then again, you two made amends and swore that you would use practice swords next time you would duel."

"Only because you made us make amends." Sparda chuckled, pulling her in close and made them look eye to eye. He tilted her hat's brim high enough that it aligned with her forehead. "You know, I don't know if me giving you that hat made you addicted to it or in love with it. If one of the things I said is true, then I find you wearing your glasses when you build guns cuter."

"You know I'm far-sighted, so I need those glasses to do my gunsmithing. That and I only have eyes for you, Spar." Vesper batted her eyelashes at him, making her soulmate laugh and pushed down the brim to cover her eyes like it was a lever. "Though if you want, I'll wear my glasses with the hat you gave me."

"You know, the more you keep doing that the more I think you're younger than me rather than being the same age as me."

"I only act like this when I love my boyfriend so much."

Sparda hummed. "I'll take your offer into consideration." He leaned in and kissed her, hand sneakily going against the back of her head and tilting the hat upward before stroking her hair. Vesper's eyes fluttered shut and she moaned contently, her hands raking through his blonde locks.

"Sore ha, o ni nin wo mi te taku nai desu. I do not need to see that, you two." Cloud grumbled, his speech still raspy like he was Death incarnate. Both the leader and gunsmith-mercenary-morale booster pulled away, glaring at the brawn of the team. Vesper was ready to pull out her custom Vasto Prime revolver to shoot at his feet but Sparda put a hand on hers.

"If you have a problem with me and Vesper having our moments, then…"

"Why don't you make a move on Lightning?" She finished.

Cloud scoffed at the statement and put the food in his hands on the table. "Kyoumi nai ne. Not interested."

"You do realize I'm within earshot, right?" Lightning appeared from the kitchen, bringing in her own plate she made from the kitchen for the occasion. She set it down next to where Cloud put his and shot a glance at the couple. "I swear, you two are a handful when we're not in the battlefield…"

"Sorry I'm late!" Aqua came in through the door, a portable cooler in her hands and she kicked the door shut. "The mess hall was getting suspicious when I asked for some beverages so I had to make up an excuse that I was going to use some for my experiments."

"So much for being renowned for your mastery in Elemental-wielding." Lightning grumbled. "I thought your reputation would give people a reason to listen to you."

"Don't make it sound like I'm some evil sorceress, Light," Aqua glanced at her. "Or else I may sabotage the food you cooked."

Vesper got up and stretched, throwing her arms across the shoulders of both the Nova and Trinity Dark Knights. "You know, I think it's time for you to stop before I go gunslinger on you in the next rumble match we have."

"As if!" Lightning and Aqua chuckled in unison, taking their gunsmith by the arms and reversed what she did.

"If you ask me, me using Molecular Prime─"

"And combining it with my Energy Vampire…" Aqua added, poking at Vesper's nose playfully.

"I'm done for, I get it! But then again, you're both done for if Sparda uses his Exalted Blade!" Vesper counters.

"It's like you can't fend off on your own without your Excalibur, Mesa." Lightning joked. "A gunslinger and a swordsmaster in love… A recipe for pandemonium, if you ask me."

"Oh, please. I took out an entire squadron of Perrin Sequence chumps with my Peacemakers faster than you could even say 'it's high noon.'"

Sparda coughed into his hand, successfully preventing the girls of the kazoku from actually getting into a fight at this time of night. He stood next to Cloud, arms crossed once he got their attention. "Well then, ladies," he started, glancing over at the Rhino-user and then at another side of the quarters where their familiars were enjoying themselves and ignoring the chatter coming from their masters. "I don't mean to interrupt your little playful quarrel. Truly. But we should celebrate."

"Not just yet. We're missing one last person." The rest of the kazoku turned their attention towards the kitchen. An instant later, they heard pots and pans clattering followed by a string of curses in rapid succession like an auto rifle with an insane rate of fire.

"Argh, son of a─! Dammit!" Leon busted through the door, hopping on one foot and keeping the vodka martinis in both hands. "I swear, this is the last time that I prepare vodka martini on Thanksgiving for you lovebirds!" He held out the two glasses. "Left one is shaken, right is stirred. Obviously my left and right."

Vesper and Sparda thanked Leon for the drinks, taking a sip to confirm it was truly their drinks. They looked at each other and nodded, setting them down on the table.

"Okay, everyone's here. Let's get to it."

Leon and Cloud got out some glasses and pulled out some low alcohol wine, each member of the kazoku taking their turns filling their glass. Some candles were placed on the table, Aqua lighting the wicks with her Elemental-wielding. They gathered around the table, watching the tamed flames illuminate the food spread out. Their familiars soon appeared on their shoulders, ready to join in on the celebration.

"Here goes nothing." Sparda raised his glass. Everyone else followed suit, starting with Lightning, Vesper, Leon, Aqua, and Cloud. Some of the candles were lit with a different color than the normal flames. And there was a good reason for it. One was gray, another faded yellow, and others in crimson red, gold, and cyan to name a few.

"Here is to the ones that we hold dear to our hearts. Ones that will never fade from our memories, for they are with us this Thanksgiving in spirit," he continued, raising it a little higher. "To Hayden, my best friend and Nera, a good partner I could ask for."

"To Trionus and Lotus Pendragon, my loving parents that inspired my brother and I to right the wrongs left behind from the Tenno-Dark Knight War." Lightning added beside him.

"To my mother, Alexandrea Bond, who gave me and my brother life and protected us to her last breath from the Conclave's enemies." Vesper faintly smiled, and Leon nodded in agreement with his sister.

"For my mother and father, who died in their exploration to unravel the secrets of Elemental-wielding for Red Veil and their daughter." Aqua added.

"…Seikatsuto mokutekiwo atae te kure ta watashino ryoushin ni. …To my parents, who gave me life and a purpose." Cloud finishes.

A moment of silence passed in the room, the candles with different colors burning until they had extinguished. Once the flames were extinguished, the familiars perched on their shoulders gave a cry commemorating their masters' parents and friends.

"Guys, I cannot be grateful enough to stand among not just friends, but family. A family that had grown and supported each other since our childhood. You guys are the best." Sparda smiled, looking at the table with his friends. No, his family. "Everyone, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Kanpai! Cheers!"

A/N: I thought I could do something for Thanksgiving this year for Destiny: Skyfall, so here you guys are! It may not be an official chapter (that will remain in this fanfic permanently), but eh why the hell not! I'll see you guys next time (which could be sooner than you think)!