Disclaimer: The works of Type-Moon and Jō Taketsuki are their own despite my most fervent wishes. This is a fan work and if anyone does pay me for it the only thing it will accomplish is to get me into trouble. This is being done purely for fun, constructive criticism is welcome, and flames will be ignored. Please be gentle though, this is the first fanfic I've put on the net.

Let me be quite clear that this little work is not part of the story canon, it's more like a glorified Omake that I decided I wanted to write because I had just put up my Christmas Tree and I was in the holiday spirit. I suppose that if it's well received I might slot it into place in the official timeline, but since I plan for Shirou and Illya to find a way back to their home dimension before winter rolls round that might be a bit hard to manage.

Don't worry; the next proper chapter should follow soon after this. Well, with any luck at least.

On another note, alas, poor Rider didn't get much of a chance to show off in the current Fate/Stay Night anime. I know that it's running on the Unlimited Blade Works route, but I was hoping that they might alter it a bit to give her more of a chance to show off. Oh well, maybe she isn't really dead and that was just a fake death so she can be used as a plot device later. Wishful thinking I know, but I really would like to see some more of my favourite gorgon being awesome. Ah well, if worst comes to worst I'll simply have to wait for the Heaven's Feel OVA to come out.

I have to say that I'm also worried for poor Illya, I'm hoping that there'll be a change to the plot to let her live, but it looks like she might end up falling to Gilgamesh after all.

Now, in regards to my last chapter. I'm pleased that it was pretty well received by the vast majority of my readers. Some people were less than thrilled with me focussing on a holiday, but for the most part even they were most understanding.

I would also like to thank all the people that sent in suggestions for what I could do. A number of them were useful and they all supplied me with plenty of inspiration for both this special and the next chapter. I think I've got the plot more or less sorted out, but feel free to send any ideas you might have since it's not yet set in stone.

The big surprise was just how popular my Omake was. I think I got almost as many people complimenting it as I did for the main chapter. It would seem that Harem Master Shirou was surprisingly popular. Anyway I confess that I had no plans to continue the story, but no less than three different people got in touch with me about writing their own continuations of the Omake. I was more than happy to give them the all clear, and I have to say I'm looking forwards to seeing what they come up with.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy what I've written up; please consider it my Christmas gift to you all. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Now, back to writing the next chapter. And special thanks to my Beta for helping me get this ready in time.


Christmas Special: Christmas at the Emiya Manor

"Shirou, come on Shirou!"

The eighth Campione was brought out of the blissful embrace of slumber by the weight of his adopted sister bouncing up and down on his stomach as she shook him with all the force her slim arms could muster.

"Huh? Wazzat?"

It was unusual for him to be having such a hard time waking up, but he remembered a . . . party last night? Oh yeah, that was it. He'd decided to host a Christmas Eve party and had invited Godou and his harem round as well as Yu Yinghua, who had been in Japan for reasons of his own. The seventh Devil King had arrived with not only his usual companions but also with the younger Mariya sister as well. Luo Hao's young student had come alone, but had brought a number of extravagant gifts to give to his Master's sworn brother and her sworn ally.

For his part Shirou had made sure that the house had been lavishly decked with various festive decorations and that the Christmas tree in the main ballroom had been nothing short of spectacular. The food that Asuka had prepared had been both plentiful and delicious and all involved had gorged themselves quite happily. There had also been a most impressive selection of drinks that Yusuke had acquired for the event. They'd all sat and eaten in the warmth while outside a light dusting of snow settled down from the night sky.

All in all it had been an extremely pleasant affair.

As it turned out the combination of the sumptuous meal, the many many drinks that he'd sampled, including something from Mexico whose name basically translated to 'really serious snake bite', that stuff had packed enough of a kick to make its way past even the enhanced fortitude of a Campione. He vaguely recalled that Yusuke had mentioned it could be used as fuel for a hot air balloon if needs be.

"Come on!" Illya's insistent pulling gained momentum as she slipped off his bed and did her best to drag him from the nice warm comfort of his covers.

Wait, if last night had been the Christmas Eve party then that meant that today was . . .

Shirou sat up in bed so sharply that Illya, who was still pulling at one of his wrists, nearly lost her balance as she was yanked forwards.

"It's . . . Christmas?"

The thought forced its way through his foggy brain as he considered just what it meant. Christmas had always been fun when Kiritsugu had been alive. Back then the former Magus Killer had been largely traditionally Japanese in the holidays he chose to observe, but Christmas had been one of the exceptions to that. Shirou had always derived a certain pleasure from the holiday season. There had always been a nice atmosphere about Fuyuki City as the decorations had gone up in the shops and homes and the lights had come out to decorate the streets. There had also been plenty of opportunities to help out in places that had been short handed, and for Shirou that had been just as important as everything else.

Taiga had often helped the two Emiyas set up a small Christmas tree in their home and, once Shirou had become a good enough cook, had always come round to share the Christmas dinner. All in all he'd had several happy memories of the holiday, enough that it had a special place in his heart.

After his adopted father had died something had gone out of it though. Taiga had still come round, but both of them hadn't been able to get the same enthusiasm that they'd had before, not with the memories of the missing Kiritsugu hanging over them. Sakura hadn't been able to join them either, not when her grandfather had forbidden her to visit him during the Christmas holidays.

Simply put for the last few years there really hadn't been much cause for him to get too excited over the winter festivities. There'd be a gift from Taiga-nee and a few cards, but that was pretty much it.

Now though, now things were different.

The Einzbern family had not had much in the way of Christian inclinations, hardly a surprise given that they were a clan of Magi. But even so Christmas had been observed in their household, though it had been a sombre and formal affair that had consisted mostly of the family gathering back at the clan castle and exchanging research related gifts after an admittedly lavish meal. There had been no partying, no games, no decorations.

In simple terms; there had been no fun.

Illya had been aware of the more festive Christmas traditions due to the small but joyful times she'd had with her parents before they had gone from her life. Kiritsugu had done his best to make the Christmases of his small family times of joy and goodwill, though the other Einzberns had looked upon it with disfavour. Illya had talked most animatedly about the small tree that her father had set up in her room and which he had decorated with several shiny baubles that he'd made himself using spare materials from his workshop. She could remember waking up on Christmas day to find her simple stocking filled with sweets and fruits and how a number of parcels had been piled up under her small tree.

Those had been happy memories, treasured memories that she'd held onto despite the passage of years and the mistaken knowledge that her father had abandoned her. Now, free as she was and with access to near limitless funds via the dreaded puppy dog eyes that her adopted brother had yet to develop even the slightest immunity to, the snow haired girl had been caught up in the general atmosphere as Tokyo headed towards Christmas.

In all truth Shirou hadn't had any trouble going along with her wishes. Though he dearly missed Sakura and Taiga-nee he couldn't deny that he'd found himself with more friends in this new world. Illya was dear to him as the family he'd never known he'd had, Kaida and Manaka were growing to be close friends and the staff of his household were close to him as well. Even Guinevere and Tiamat were pleasant company to have around most of the time, despite their sometimes odd behaviour.

Quite without meaning to he'd somehow found himself with a new family growing up about him. Granted it was still incomplete, but it was a family none the less.

How on earth had that happened?

"Yes! It's Christmas so come on!" he was brought out of his still somewhat sleepily rambling thoughts by his white haired adopted sister grabbing his wrist and tugging at him once more.

"Let's go open the presents!"

Presents? Oh, that's right. Just after he'd helped set up the huge Christmas tree in the main ballroom everyone in the manor had started to put presents under it. Illya had kicked it off by sticking a present for him wrapped in brightly coloured wrapping paper first, then Manaka had put one meant for Kaida. Then Shirou had put one for Illya and after a little thought had put ones for his two maids as well.

From there things had sort of snowballed, Kaida had gotten presents for everyone, then Yusuke had added his own and was followed by the former members of the Circle that made up his staff. Shirou had reciprocated and then his two immortal houseguests had somehow managed to get mixed in as well, and before he knew what was going on there must have been over a hundred brightly wrapped packages under the decorated tree.

His adopted sister had simply loved it. Indeed, he actually had a picture on his cell phone that he intended to keep secret until he had need for some blackmail material. It was a rather nice shot of Illya staring at the mound of presents with a slightly glazed look to her eyes, a wide smile on her lips and a tiny bit of drool leaking from the corner of her mouth. Yep, definitely something he could use in the future.

Anyway, it was hardly a surprise that she was eager to dive into the pile of presents as soon as she could. Glancing over at the clock on his bedside table he saw that it was eight thirty in the morning, he supposed that all things considered he should be grateful that she'd waited this long before waking him up. Though he could have done with an hour or two more he'd at least gotten enough sleep that he could function.

"Alright, alright Illya, I'm up. I'm up."

Raising his arms in mock defeat Shirou swung his legs out from under his sheets and sat on his bed facing his adopted sibling.

"How about you give me a chance to put on some clothes while you change into something better too? Yusuke said he'd be taking some photos, do you want them to be of you in that?"

For his part Shirou was clad in a somewhat softer version of his white and blue sleeved top over pyjama bottoms. Illya was currently wearing a set of pyjamas with the faces of various magical girl heroines dotted all across it. Granted it made her look adorable, but given her small vanities he doubted it was what she wanted to be photographed in. With a sound that could only be described as a very cute 'squeak' Illya dashed out of the room so fast that for a moment Shirou could have sworn he saw a puff of dust hanging in the air.

Shaking his head at his adopted sibling's antics the young King of Steel stepped into his bathroom and gave himself a quick face wash before moving to his cupboard and fishing out a pair of trousers and a more serviceable sweatshirt. He'd only just finished straightening it out when Illya came charging back in, now dressed in her normal white skirt and purple dress shirt. Her hair still looked a bit wild, giving the suggestion that she had forced the shirt on in haste rather than taking the time to button it up.

All in all she looked rather adorable.

"NOW come on?!"

"Aright, alright, you win. Is anyone else up?"

"Your sister's enthusiasm was enough to rouse me from my own bed. Though I must confess that I find myself interested as to what it will be like to actually take part in this holiday, over the centuries I have seen it many times, but I've never seen much point in taking part."

The effortlessly sultry voice came from the still open door to his room. Standing there was Tiamat, her red clothing accentuating her every curve magnificently but without a trace of vulgarity. Her face looked to be mildly amused, but with a hint of interest carefully masked behind it.

Honestly Shirou was a bit surprised to see the fallen goddess out and about like this. Though she had been caught up in the festivities enough that she'd decided to contribute her own gifts to the growing pile under the tree she had still been spending most of her time in her workshop.

"Oh . . . so you'll be joining us?"

Illya made no bones about her lack of enthusiasm at the notion of the mature beauty joining in on the festivities, her tone made that pretty clear.

"Indeed, this may be a celebration of a rite that once belonged to Saturnus before it was usurped by a new faith, but it seems to hold great meaning despite this and I'm interested to see how it is conducted." For her part the fallen goddess was as unaffected by her tone as battleship armour was by a light drizzle.

Her words had some impact though, it was small things like that, words spoken so casually that they could easily be overlooked, that reminded the Emiya heir that this young appearing woman was actually older than Christianity. She remembered the winter festivals when they had been in celebration of pagan gods rather than the birth of mankind's saviour.

"So you've never taken part in it?" Shirou asked as he slipped on a pair of slippers.

"There was never any real need for me to do so," the Mother of Dragons replied, "It was a mortal festivity. When I was alone save for my servants I saw no appeal in it. Later, when Brynhildr joined me, neither of us had any interest in such gift giving; our focus was always upon our restoration to full power."

"But now you want to?" Illya asked, her earlier lack of enthusiasm for the fallen goddess' company momentarily overshadowed by curiosity.

"I am a guest in King Shirou's house, it would be most discourteous not to partake of this celebration that he and his household are so clearly putting such effort into."

The small smile upon Tiamat's face suddenly took on a bashful quality and a slight blush touched her cheeks.

"Besides, it is only right and proper for a guest to show her host the proper courtesies whilst beneath his roof. Tis an obligation, nothing more."

Shirou might have had something else to say, but at that point Illya's patience had apparently run out. Seizing her adopted brother by the wrist once more she bodily dragged him out of his room and towards the manor's ballroom where the Christmas tree with its horde of presents awaited.

-()-

As it turned out everyone had been quite keen to receive the presents that had bee prepared for them. Illya in particular was practically vibrating in place with the desire to dive into the pile and start tearing the wrapping off not just her own but also off every one that came within arm's reach. Still, she somehow managed to restrain herself and instead sat down on the thick carpet that had been spread out across the ballroom's hardwood floor.

Glancing around Shirou noted that there was one very obvious absence. Yusuke, Asuka, Kaida, Manaka, they were all here as were the nine former members of the Circle that served as live in assistants to Yusuke and as spare staff for Asuka. Oddly enough all of them seemed to share in at least some of his adopted sibling's enthusiasm, because even the often stern housekeeper was openly smiling. All of them had been roused from sleep by Illya's dashing about and all had chosen to be part of the morning festivities.

But there seemed to be a noticeable absence of his other immortal guest.

"Where's Guinevere?"

"I knocked on her door to see if she wanted to join us," Yusuke said, his bright red dressing gown shifting as he adjusted his posture in his armchair for maximum comfort. "She said that she was going to join us in a bit but . . ."

"Ah, no needed to speak further, Guinevere has arrived!"

As though summoned by the very mention of her name the child-like immortal stepped into the large room. What really caught the eye though was the pair of large parcels that floated along behind her, each wrapped in the glow of her magic.

Perhaps the word 'parcels' wasn't quite accurate enough to describe them. Though they were wrapped in bright package paper each one was more of a crate than a package. Each could have contained a full grown man with relative ease if he had been willing to sit in one. They were so large in fact that the queen of the Divine Ancestors had to hold both the double doors open for them to give them enough room to get in. Everyone watched in somewhat muted shock as she settled the two huge presents down on either side of the Christmas tree.

"Guinevere apologizes for her late arrival, but she ran out of wrapping paper and needed to acquire more so she could complete the wrapping of her presents."

What made her words sound oddly surreal was the realization that each of the apparent crates must have needed several rolls of wrapping paper to fully cover them. For a moment Shirou contemplated asking her just how she'd managed to procure more wrapping paper on a Christmas morning, when all the shops were shut, then decided that he really didn't want to bother with that right now.

But he did make a mental note to ask the Committee to make some discrete enquiries into whether or not there had been any unusual thefts of wrapping paper reported, probably something like an entire store being emptied. If they did find anything he'd have to see about payments being made and the matter being quietly handled.

"Aren't those a bit . . . excessive?"

It was Yusuke that asked the question that was on everyone's mind, but the queen of the Immortal Ancestors simply smiled at him, no hint of offence or irritation to her expression.

"Hardly, if Guinevere is to properly honour her host on this most celebrated day then a suitable gift must be offered. Besides, Guinevere is still much in debt to Sir Shirou for the lance of his Majesty that he gifted to her at the Feast."

As he heard that Shirou couldn't help but stare at the huge packages and wonder what was in them.

"Alright, I'm giving my gift first!"

The slightly studded atmosphere was broken as Illya, who had been practically vibrating in place with pent up energy, grabbed a gift from under the tree.

"This is to Asuka, from me with lots of thanks for all the lovely food you always prepare."


-()-


From there the gifts had been handed out with light-hearted good cheer. For the most part the gifts had been mainly mundane rather than magical. Illya, for example, had tried to introduce Kaida and Manaka to the joys of anime by providing each of them with box sets from three different series. Illya got a new dress from Kaida, while a surprised Tiamat got a pink plushy dragon from Asuka. Yusuke got some fine crystal wine glasses from Guinevere and Shirou was given a small silver statue of a knight by Manaka. There were smiles and thanks, but for the most part the gifts had been what could be found in any home where the residents were relatively wealthy.

There were some exceptions though. Shirou's first resurrected soul had almost broken down into tears of joy when he unwrapped his gift from his king to find it to be an unopened bottle of 1944 Goût de la liberté. Rather than offer thanks or other words he'd simply collapsed back into his armchair whilst hugging the wine bottle as though it were some sort of treasured teddy bear. Though he had come back to his senses after a little bit he had still refused to let go of the bottle, as though afraid thieves would steal it away if he released it for even a moment.

Another surprise had been Kaida's gift to Manaka, a complete collection of the Harry Potter novels, all of which had been signed by the original author. Having grown used to the competent and professional bodyguard that he was always seeing around the manor Shirou was really taken aback when Manaka had actually squealed with delight as she hugged first her friend and then the small pile of hardback books. The sudden behaviour, that was so discordant with his image of her, was almost as surprising as the realization that a real witch was a fan of a fictional wizard.

But as the pile of gifts shrank it became clear that some gifts stood out amid the crowd. The pair of crate sized packages from Guinevere, a chest bound in iron with the note attached saying it was from Tiamat, a small package saying it was from Shirou to Illya. They sat there like unexploded bombs waiting to detonate.

"I believe that it is now time for us to impart our gifts to our most generous host." Tiamat stated, her gaze locking with Guinevere's with all the intensity of a pair of blades crossing.

"Guinevere quite agrees, but who shall be the first to offer their gift?"

A moment of silence followed as the two immortals both considered. There was advantage to be had in being first or being last to give their present. Of course in both cases the quality of the gift that they had would be of great import as well. For a moment both simply stood there, mentally evaluating their confidence in what they intended to present to their host.

"I'll give my present to onii-chan first."

The tension of the moment was shattered like glass as Illya passed between the two immortals, blithely unaware, or at least utterly uncaring, of their locked gazes.

Their eyes met once more, only this time there was an agreement in them that they should put aside their differences and unite against their common foe. With the kind of understand usually reserved for either highest level martial artists of flat out telepaths the two fenced wordlessly for who would go first. It was a close thing, but in the end the elder of the two inclined her head slightly to the Witch Queen in acknowledgement that this time she had come out ahead.

"Guinevere would like to give her gift to Sir Shirou first, if you don't mind."

The Divine Ancestor wasted no time in gloating over her victory, but instead moved forwards to quickly secure her position before Illya could reach the remaining presents. For a moment it looked as though the white haired young magus was going to argue the point, but after a moment's thought she nodded her acceptance and stepped back.

Guinevere offered her own nod of thanks, but it was quite clear from the growing smile on her face that she was immensely pleased with herself at being the first to present her gift to her host.

"It took a bit of thinking on Guinevere's part as to what would make a suitable gift for Sir Shirou," the golden haired immortal stated as she levitated the two gift wrapped crates over towards the young Emiya, "however in the end a suggestion from my dear Sir Knight was just the inspiration that was needed. If you would . . ." she gestured at the crates.

For a moment Shirou didn't quite get it, then he realized what the Divine Ancestor meant and started to enthusiastically tear the wrapping off. As the colourful paper came away to reveal the simple wooden crates beneath Guinevere used another spell to open them up, their wooden faces folding away to reveal what was inside.

Metal chinked on metal as each crate was shown to contain two large piles of . . . armour? The King of Steel just had enough time to look a bit confused before Guinevere cast a third spell. In response to her magic the individual pieces of armour floated up into the air and swiftly assembled themselves around a set of stands that had also been in there with them. As the suits came together the Witch Queen began to explain her gift.

"Guinevere was not too sure as to what would be an appropriate gift, but then Sir Knight suggested that Sir Shirou possesses no other armours besides his Authorities. Since you have been named the King of Steel would it not be more suitable for you to possess armour that you can don without having to employ one of the powers usurped from Mordred?"

The armours were assembled now, and every one of them gleamed in the early morning light as it streamed in through the ballroom's large windows. The first two were clearly sized for Shirou's personal use. One was cast in gold and had a heavy velvet-like cape in blood red attached. The other was steel polished to a silvery finish and of a more angular design than the curved golden one. Beside them was a third suit, this one smaller and clearly of a feminine design. It was predominately white with an elegant design edged in light purple. The final armour was not for a human, but was rather for a horse.

"Guinevere took the time to make sure that not only does Sir Shirou have a formal set of armour, but also a more practical one as well as a set for both his sister and his steed. Though I admit that none are on par with the Authorities you wield these suits are all imparted with potent spells that are beyond the ken of all but the most gifted of mortal mages."

Her smile became a grin.

"And if Sir Shirou doesn't need to wear them he can always have them set up as decorations. Really, it's a true shame to have so fine a home and not have at least one suit of armour to brighten up the place."

For his part Shirou couldn't help but find himself caught up in appreciation for the gifts given to him. Unlimited Blade Works might specialize in weapons, but it could also record defensive aids such as shields and armour, granted the cost for Tracing them was greater, but his Reality Marble still recorded them. And right now that aspect of it was telling him all about the suits before him.

By any Mage's standards these were positively works of art, masterpiece examples of their kind. The two armours intended for him were engraved with a number of spells and enchantments, all crafted to take full advantage of his magic resistance while adding their own strength to his increased vitality. Other workings made the heavy armour light as paper while a final set ensured that dirt and other grime could find no purchase upon it.

The enchantments upon the smaller armour meant for Illya was of a totally different design. Some spells boosted vitality and healing while others acted as lenses to grant her spells a small power boost. As with him the amour was supernaturally light, yet tough as anything a knight could ask for, and also possessed the same charms to keep it unblemished.

The body armour made for a horse was clearly intended to be worn by Snow. There were openings in the back for his wings as well as lengths of metal that would sheath the edges of his wings to grant them some protection. Since the armour was clearly not meant for human use it seemed to copy less easily into his Reality Marble than the other suits, but even so Shirou could divine some of its enhancements.

The spells there felt more . . . ethereal than those upon the other suits. They weren't as grounded in the physical world, nor were they meant to affect something from it. Well, that made sense. Snow wasn't truly a living being, despite having a clear intelligence and personality, he was a manifestation of divine power that existed as something of an extension of Shirou's own being. For the armour to be worn by him it would need to be able to interact with such a being.

These gifts weren't Noble Phantasms; though Guinevere was a being beyond mortal magi such creations were beyond her without a great deal of preparation. But as Mystic Codes these armours were the kind of things that many Clock Tower mages would be willing to sell their firstborns to own.

"I . . . wow! Guinevere, these are incredible. Thanks, I . . . just . . . thanks."

It was taking some effort on Shirou's part not to slip into his 'false King' persona simply to have an easier time expressing his gratitude. He'd promised himself that for Christmas he'd be Emiya Shirou rather than the King of Steel, and he was going to stick to it. But right now it would be so much easier if he could give a grandiose and regal thanks rather than the stumbling speechlessness he had to deal with.

"Oh, Guinevere is most happy that you like them. Merry Christmas, Sir Shirou."

The pride in her voice was clear for all to hear, as was the slight smugness that laced it. She thought that she'd stolen the show with her gift before any other had any chance to make their own attempt.

Such a display was not lost on Illya, who started forwards again.

"King Shirou, please accept this humble token of my thanks and esteem."

One could only admire the smoothness and grace with which Tiamat moved. It wasn't that she was fast, it was rather that somehow she was ahead of Illya despite the fact she hadn't seemed to move quickly at all. In a single motion she had stepped up to the Christmas tree and pulled out the small chest that had been waiting there.

"Forgive my not wrapping it," the fallen goddess commented as she turned it to face her host, "I didn't think that your gift would appreciate it."

With a somewhat smug smile making its way across her face Tiamat indicated for both him and Illya to open the chest.

"This gift is to you both, one that I think you shall both enjoy."

With his curiosity now thoroughly roused Shirou leaned forwards and undid the simple clasp holding the lid closed. As he did so his adopted sister joined him and reached for one side of the lid. Moving together they opened the chest and stared at what was within.

The eighth Campione's first thought was that his divine guest had given them some sort of cat. What was curled up amidst a nest of soft cloth was furry, about cat sized and seemed to be purring. Then the rounded up form moved and a . . . wing came out?

Before Shirou's astonished gaze the large ball of fur uncoiled to reveal its true form.

It took him a couple of seconds to put all the pieces together. A long body vaguely similar to a small otter. Wings that seemed to be an odd combination of bird and bat. Hind and forelimbs ending in strangely articulate claws. An elongated head with long jaws and small horns. A long serpentine tail almost as long as its whole body. And all of it covered in soft and slightly fluffy golden brown fur. As he watched the creature rose up on its hind legs and gripped the lid of the chest with its fore claws. Its eyes lazily surveyed the room before swivelling back to focus on Shirou and his sister. Its head cocked to the side for a moment, then its eyes shut as its mouth opened in a wide yawn.

A dragon.

A small cute dragon.

A small cute and furry dragon.

"EEEEEEEE!"

The sound of pure childish delight that Illya made was high enough that for a moment the young Emiya thought he felt his teeth vibrate. Glancing to the side Shirou saw his adopted sister was visibly holding herself back from pouncing on the small creature; her face was an odd mix of covetousness and adoration.

"This is my gift to both yourself and your sister, a pet suitable for a King would you not say?"

"A dragon . . . ? You're giving us a dragon?!"

The words came out with no conscious thought on the young God Slayer's part. The sheer incredulity within him forced them out before he could think of anything else to say.

"I may be weakened King Shirou, but I am the Mother of Dragons. However this young child is something quite different from the normal beasts that I create with my Authority."

Reaching out Tiamat ran a finger tip down the spine of the small dragon, an action that elicited an appreciative purr from the small creature.

"Rather than being born for battle or terror this young one is meant to grant companionship and affection. Save for myself the two of you are the first other beings he has ever seen, and so you are now surrogate parents to him. He shall not grow to more than twice his current size and feeding him shall be of little trouble. He is intelligent as any beast can hope to be and will be utterly loyal unless severely mistreated."

Moving in the somewhat clumsy way of the very young the furred dragon clambered out of the chest and half walked half slithered over towards the adopted siblings. For a moment it wavered between the two, then it seemed to make up his mind and in a single motion leapt into Shirou's lap.

Well, to be more accurate it tried to, however in mid leap its legs got tangled with its tail and rather than landing gracefully in the King's lap the small dragon ended up flopping across his legs. The poor thing almost looked to be about to fall off, but an instinctive reaction caused Shirou to reach out and catch the small beast before it could fall. The moment provided was all it needed and in the next minute it had scrambled up onto Shirou's lap and was happily purring away like a percolating kettle.

Almost mesmerized Illya reached out to it. The small dragon sniffed at her outstretched hand, then after a moment's consideration started to rub its nose against it.

"A dragon? A household dragon?"

What else could he say? This was . . . absurd wasn't large enough a word to encapsulate it. This was not some living creature; this was a creation from a goddess's Authority. Oh, it had some ties to physical existence, but in the end-

"Something of a different breed to the normal children I create," Tiamat informed him, her smile now that of a proud artist displaying their latest work. "This young one is no mere creation of my power given form. He has flesh and blood, will age and die, will sleep and eat. He will grow and learn and live just as any other mortal creature would. He is no part of me now, he is his own and yours."

So . . . this wasn't simply an Authority. This was a living being, a pet. A fantastical and miraculous pet, but a pet to be sure. Well, if that was the case that meant there was only one question to be asked.

"Can . . . he breathe fire?"

If this was intended to be a house pet then it being able to set the place on fire by accident could be a severe problem.

"There is no need to worry, I though that you'd not appreciate this child setting your home aflame, so I ensured that his breath weapon would be something less troublesome."

As though in response to her words the small furred dragon made a sound somewhere between a sneeze and a burp. There was a sudden blurring in the air, then the fronds of the Christmas tree shook as though someone had just thrown a tennis ball into them.

"His breath can produce air hammers, but for the time being he can only do as much harm as a child with a toy might be able to accomplish."

Unable to contain herself any longer Illya reached out and gathered the small dragon into her arms. There were a few moments of awkwardness as she tried and failed to balance the squirming little beast, but after a few shifts both found a comfortable position and the gift settled down and once more purred as the snow haired girl cuddled and stroked him.

"That's . . . awesome."

Honestly, that was the best he could come up with? To be sure it was accurate, but it sounded so juvenile. Still even as he thought that Shirou unconsciously reached out and stroked the dragon's furry head.

Unseen by him Tiamat and Guinevere exchanged looks. The fallen goddess's clearly said; 'Hah, pet dragons top magic armour'. The replying glare from the Witch Queen said; 'You win this round, but I'll win the next'.

It was at that point that Illya realized that all competition as to who would give the next present had ceased. For a moment she seemed torn between the desire to continue to cuddle her new pet and her wish to give Shirou his gift. It was a close matched contest, but in the end she reluctantly put the dragon back down on her adopted brother's lap before picking up her own small gift.

"Merry Christmas onii-chan!" she declared, holding it out to him.

As she handed the gift over Shirou grinned as he pulled his own out from his seat's cushions and handed it to her in return.

"And a Merry Christmas to you too nee-chan."

There was a moment of quiet as both the adopted siblings simply stared at each other, enjoying the simple pleasure of once more having family with whom to share a gift with on this day.

Then the moment broke and Illya started to tear the wrapping from her present to see what was inside. It was . . . a DVD box set, quite a big one. The title across the front was 'Slayers, the complete series'.

Huh, that was a bit of a surprise. She'd heard about it of course. Slayers was regarded as one of the 'oldies, but goodies', one of the older anime series that had remained well-regarded despite being more than a decade old.

"It took a bit to find that, but I thought it was just too appropriate," commented the red haired teen, "A petite magic user who's awesome, how could it not? I was going to get you some card game, but this caught my eye."

Illya felt her face go red as she looked down at the gift. Shirou thought she was awesome? Ooooo, this was GREAT! She was going to have so much fun watching this series. Who knew, maybe it would give her some ideas for some new Mysteries or Mystic Codes.

While the Einzbern heir was contemplating her new gift her adopted brother was pulling the wrapping off his own present.

Huh, it was also a box set of DVDs, it was those American films that he'd read about on the internet but never had a chance to watch. The front cover showed a number of colourfully dressed individuals, a man in gold and red armour, a green skinned giant, one man with a shield and another with a hammer. This could be interesting.

"Thank you, Illya," he grinned at her as he set the gift down on the arm of his chair. "These I'm going to enjoy."

There was a moment of contented silence as everyone simply enjoyed the moment. Oddly enough it was Kaida that broke it in the end.

"So . . . now what do we do?"

It was a charmingly innocent question, probably due to the fact that the Miko-Hime was genuinely unsure. Having been raised in a traditional Japanese Shrine this was the first time that she'd ever taken part in a western style Christmas morning.

"Well, first we all take our presents back to our room so we can have fun with them or sort them out," Illya explained, "Then we have a good breakfast as soon as we get hungry, that should keep us going until dinner time. That's when Asuka and Shirou are going to serve up the main event!"

Once again silence descended on the group, but this time it was due to all of them being busy imagining the repast that would soon be served up. All of them had seen the positively HUGE turkey that the housekeeper had had delivered the day before yesterday, along with copious amounts of vegetables and other ingredients. All that was needed to make one big meal. One big meal made by the superb culinary talents of the King of Steel and the housekeeper supreme.

"Come on Illya, I think this guy needs a name."

In the eighth Campione's arms the small furry dragon continued to purr.


-()-


As Shirou and his sister made their way out of the room he was unaware of Guinevere's stare resting on him. Oh, she knew that Tiamat had won this round; she'd known it as soon as she saw that dragon's fluffy head poke out of the chest. Really it had taken all of her self control not to go over there and try to cuddle it herself.

Anyway, she might have lost this round but she still held the advantage. The Mother of Dragons wasn't aware of the many aspects of the holiday, all the smaller traditions that a resourceful Divine Ancestor could take advantage of. In the folds of the festive red and green dress that she was wearing were stowed several cuts of mistletoe, each firmly attached to a charm that would let her stick them up anywhere she wanted with minimal difficulty.

All she had to do was find where to put them and just when to do it. If she was careful and cunning she should be able to make it look innocent enough that nobody would realize what she'd done until after she managed to get Sir Shirou to give her a few kisses. Then she'd have to take the mistletoe down so that no-one else could use it.

The perfect plan!

The Witch Queen could feel a blush starting to creep across her face as she imagined it, Sir Shirou taking her in his arms, the warmth of his body as he held her close, the soft tickle of his breath as their faces drew closer, the feather light touch of his-

(Ho ho, it would seem that my most precious child is contemplating some most amorous thoughts.)

It took all of her self control not to start in surprise. Guinevere refused to show such a loss of decorum, not in front of Tiamat, her pride would not allow it. Careful not to make a show of it the Queen of the Divine Ancestors carefully looked about trying to spot the reflection her knight was using to speak to her.

(This way my child, twould seem that your host makes fine decorations.)

Ah, there she saw 'him'. The baubles and decorations that hung on the Christmas tree had been made by Sir Shirou and his sister using their magic rather than being purchased in some store. From one of the branches near to her hung a beautifully polished orb with a golden surface, and on it, rather than a reflection of the room was the visage of her protector.

(Tis good to see you partaking of the seasonal festivities,) Sir Knight commented, 'his' tone conversational, (Twas a shame that the fallen goddess was able to outdo your gifts, but there is little shame in being outdone by a goddess.)

A hint of mischief entered 'his' tone as 'he' continued.

(Truly a shame. Had you been you been able to capture the young King's attention then perhaps other parts of him could be captured as well, his eyes, his lips, his heart?)

Alright, this was almost cruel. Sir Knight knew that she couldn't react or answer 'him', not without revealing 'his' presence and that was one of the trump cards that she still wanted to keep hidden until it was needed. As a result her protector was shamelessly taking advantage of this in order to tease her while she could neither protest nor react.

(Now tell this knight, dear child. Which do you prefer, the young King's eyes or his hair?)

At times like this she was almost regretful that Sir Knight had regained so much of 'his' lost energy.


-()-


Though flushed with pride at her victory over the childish immortal Tiamat was not about to sit upon her laurels and let the advantage slip away from her.

Her small creation had been a resounding success, enough so that even King Shirou's troublesome sister hadn't been able to find fault with him. Well, that was hardly a surprise; she had been quite honest in her description of the tiny dragon's nature after all. She had taken great pains to ensure that her offered pet would not grow beyond a convenient size and that his nature was one suited for a life as a companion rather than a ravening predator.

However despite the advantage her young creation had granted her the fallen goddess could see that Guinevere was by no means daunted. Obviously she had some backup plan, some other line of action. What though, that was the question. Just how was the one time companion to the King Who Manifests at the World's End planning to get closer to King Shirou?

Well, she couldn't let the childlike witch get too close to her host, such a thought was unthinkable.

. . . Because it would weaken her own position! Yes, that was it! It wasn't as though she was doing it because she was jealous or anything like that. Such a thought would be absurd.

Seeing that the Queen of the Divine Ancestors was distracted by something Tiamat chose to take the opportunity to make her way back to her chambers. She needed time; time to get her thoughts in order and time to conceive her own plans.

It wasn't a very long walk back to the rooms that King Shirou had so graciously provided her with, but it was slowed down somewhat by her having to walk carefully to avoid dropping anything from her armful of presents. Truly this was an absurd situation. The last time she'd been given so many gifts she'd had a retinue of willing slaves catering to her every whim and more than happy to carry her new belongings for her. Now here she was carefully balancing a large snow globe of Tokyo Tower on a silk shawl to avoid dropping a small rack of perfumes along with a couple of books.

And to top it all off she was doing this while the pink plushy dragon balanced on top seemed to be mocking her for her efforts.

This was definitely not how she had expected her life to be once she regained her divinity.

Shaking her head in somewhat wry amusement Tiamat entered her room and laid the small pile of gifts upon her bed. She had to admit that there was something to be said of this festivity. There was an atmosphere of good will and cheer that was truly a pleasure to be a part of.

There was to be another feast later, though given that it would follow the one they had yesterday she imagined that the other guests at this house would not be having much of a breakfast in order to save their hunger for the coming meal. As she understood it the food that had been served last night had been delicious, but it hadn't been the traditional faire of this festivity. What would be served later today was a 'true' Christmas dinner.

That might be a good time to make further inroads with her host. Perhaps she could leverage the success of her present to him and his sister into letting her claim the seat on his other side. Illya always sat on his left side, so the right was often free to whoever got there first.

Now . . . what should she wear?

And why was it that she got the impression that the stuffed dragon toy was staring at her?


-()-


Illya grinned like a lunatic as she slid the DVD into the player that she had hooked up to her extra large plasma TV. Given her passion for anime she'd spare no expense in setting up a first rate entertainment system. Leaning back on a mound of cushions and cuddling the polar bear plushy that Shirou had bought her shortly after they had arrived in Tokyo the young heir to the Einzbern family clicked the player on and sat back to watch the first episode.


-()-


Opening the set of DVDs Shirou looked them over. There was a definite order to them, a sequence in which they should be watched. The one with all the colourful heroes standing side by side was the last one, so . . . that meant that this one was the first, the one with the red and gold armour on the front.

Let's see . . . 'genius industrialist' . . . 'Tony Stark' . . . 'save the world as a hero' . . . Huh, this sounded like something he might enjoy. Pressing the start button the eighth Campione leaned back in his chair and began to watch.

As the opening credits began to roll and the furry dragon curled up on his lap Shirou allowed himself to feel that this Christmas was off to a very good start. Idly he found himself wondering how his fellow Japanese King was doing.


-()-


Godou was indulging in the pleasure of a good long lie in.

Normally on Christmas day Shizuka would be waking him up early, demanding for him to attend the unwrapping of the presents in one of her few displays of childishness. However one of her less known quirks was that after a large and rich meal his little sister tended to sleep like a brick whilst digesting it.

So that meant a nice lazy morning in his nice warm bed. No need to get up, no need to worry. He'd taken special care to set things up so that not even Erica would disturb this morning. He'd be meeting up with her and the other girls later, but for now he could enjoy the simple pleasure of dozing in bed without fear of interu-

"Kusanagi Godou."

WaaaAAAAHH!

At the unexpected voice the seventh Campione went from comfortably drifting between awake and asleep to wildly alert in the space of an instant. However as he did so, his training kicked in and he tried to put some room between himself and the one that had surprised him. Unfortunately he'd done that while still cocooned in his sheet and so had only managed to get himself all tangled up before overbalancing and falling off the side of his bed.

"Merry Christmas, Kusanagi Godou."

His head resting on the floor the young God Slayer stared at the other side of his bed and saw a pair of feet, clad in simple black school shoes and long blue stockings. Those were feet he knew; he'd had to dodge those small shoes on a number of occasions due to her 'training' sessions.

"Athena-chan?"

Struggling free of the blankets Godou stood and faced the child-like goddess. However before he could say a word she addressed him in her quiet and calm voice.

"Since it is now a time of festival in this land I have decided to follow its tradition and gift a present to the one that is important to me. Since you are my precious prey I have gone to great trouble to acquire a suitable present for you."

That . . . was actually quite touching. Godou didn't quite know what his relationship with the fallen goddess could be described as, but maybe it was moving towards something a bit friendlier than it had been. He'd have to give her something as well; he had a couple of gifts that he'd bought in case someone unexpected showed up. Which of them might she en-

RrrrrRRRRRRNNNKKK!

Once more his thoughts were cut off, but this time it was by a violent tremor running through the building as a dull rumble echoed through the air. This was followed by the light coming in through his window being cut off as something huge moved to eclipse the daylight.

"This beast was once the spawn of a sea god. I tried to consume its power, but it was not compatible with my own. Instead I have brought it here so that you may use it to further sharpen your fangs. Is it not a marvellous present?"

Outside the window came the sound of bricks and glass being shattered as the huge form smashed into one of the adjacent houses. The seventh Campione was on his feet and turning towards his door, his muscles already tensed for action.

"Shizuka!"

"There is no need to worry. I have place a barrier about this place so that Kusanagi Godou can fight without fear of helpless mortals or damage to the structures. Please feel free to go as wild as you wish. After the battle is finished all damage shall be undone."

The sad part was that she was most likely being completely sincere. She probably genuinely thought of this as a thoughtful and generous gift.

As a huge scaled limb that was more paw than arm smashed in through the wall, Godou consoled himself with the thought that bad as he had it Shirou had to have it worse. All Godou had to worry about was Athena and his mortal followers. The King of Steel had Tiamat, Guinevere AND his slightly creepy sister. Even as he activated the Bull this thought soothed his frustration with the world.


-()-


"ONII-CHAN! Dinner's ready!"

Opening his door Shirou turned the DVD and TV off with the remote, then casually tossed it onto his bed. That had been an interesting film. Very interesting. It had given him some ideas, but that would have to wait for later. Right now his stomach was rumbling and the scent of delicious food was calling.

As he left his room he noted that Guinevere and Tiamat were leaving theirs and joining him in the short corridor to the dining room. Oh, and what was that hanging from the top of the dining room's door frame? Some sort of plant?

Ah well, couldn't be that important, right?