Group A:
Yukari Takeba was a girl that longed for independence. Thanks to her mother's relationships with men, Yukari wanted nothing more than to be nothing like that and find her own way in life. And for the most part, she'd been holding to that, living now as a college student and model with a stable television role on the most recent Neo Featherman series, thanks to her archery talent. But of course, she was still a trusted ally of the Shadow Operatives.
For these reasons, Yukari found herself getting attached to the numerous individuals that were met in the other worlds that Mitsuru, Akihiko, and Aigis had first approached. It was quite an odd circumstance to say the least, but Yukari had found quite a number of good friends from these individuals. She had even found herself in a comfortable big sister role for many of the girls she met, thanks to her experience and firm head on her shoulders.
That being said, with the Christmas holiday fast approaching, Yukari did not hesitate in the slightest to help find gifts for all these "kids." Alongside her were the rest of the Operatives, plus Makoto, Mai, Tsubaki, and Noel from the NOL. Normally, the three of them would have been with the other girls closer to their age, but had claimed to be looking more for "professional input" in their searches. To an opposite degree, Labrys had ran off to the others to get a more social approach instead.
"So..." Yukari said, "we just about got everything for the Investigation Team. They were among the easiest to find gifts for, and Team RWBY shouldn't be much trouble either. Hyde will be pretty tough to find a gift for, on the other hand."
"Why do you say that?" Makoto asked, casually walking beside her with her arms reclined behind her head.
"While he does have interests," Yukari replied, "he doesn't really want many things. He claims he doesn't need things."
"He's far too humble," Mitsuru observed, "even for his own good."
"Yeah, so he'll be tough," Yukari observed.
Nearby, Noel giggled. This caught Junpei's attention, as he adjusted the bags he'd been "convinced" to carry over his shoulder in order to look at her. "What's up?" he asked.
"Oh nothing," Noel replied. "It's just... Yukari really is like a really thoughtful big sister."
"Yeah," Junpei said. "She may be rough around the edges at times, but more often than not she's very considerate and positive."
"So why doesn't she like you that much?" Noel asked bluntly, causing Junpei to keel over like he got slugged on the back of the head!
"Because Junpei has, as would be said, a 'one track mind'," Aigis replied monotonously.
"And like always, everyone's against me," Junpei said meekly.
Akihiko merely chuckled as the group continued walking along. They were now hunting for gifts for Team RWBY, headed towards shops they felt would fit the four the best, different ones from each person on top of that. Yukari and Mitsuru were naturally the most considerate given their "big sister" status for the younger women, with the NOL girls offering their say from their numerous times they hung out with the Huntresses. Aigis and Junpei had some... unique suggestions, for different reasons, which were predominantly ignored much to their disappointment. Akihiko didn't say much, but did voice his own input mostly where Yang was concerned, since he spent a lot of time training with her.
Ruby was one of the most... spontaneous for gifts to get selected, considering she was a major pop-culture dork, moreso than Yang, in addition to her outright "knightly" outlook on life with stuff like "justice" or "chivalry" being highly romanticized in her head. As such, Yukari thought that finding her a gift unique to their world and not Remnant would work out well. So Yukari went over to a movie section, spotting a movie she knew Ruby would love!
She grabbed for the movie, which was based on Arthurian legend, with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table and all that jazz. As she went for it, a different hand reached for it as well, causing Yukari to recoil in surprise. She looked over, recognizing the man standing next to her from descriptors alone.
It was Qrow Branwen, Ruby and Yang's uncle. The aged, drunken Huntsman who had a penchant for vanishing without a trace for months on end. For good reason, mind you.
"Oh, sorry," Qrow said, with the typical slur in his tone.
"Oh, it's nothing," Yukari said. "I'm guessing we both had the same idea for a gift, eh?"
Qrow narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yukari. "Do I know you?" he asked.
"You might," Yukari said. "I'm friends with your nieces. Yukari Takeba. Nice to meet you."
"Oh..." Qrow said slowly. "I getcha. Nice to meet ya too. Guessin' you were gonna get that movie for Ruby?"
"Yes sir," Yukari replied. "I thought it'd make the perfect gift for her."
"Well I'll let you grab it then," Qrow replied.
"Are you sure?" Yukari asked. "I mean, you're family, so you win out."
"Ah, it's nothin'," Qrow replied. "I can always find somethin' else. I already got a few other ideas in mind. You go on ahead."
His eyes went over Yukari's shoulder, catching Mitsuru looking at him from close by. Qrow smirked at her gaze, before walking away. Yukari looked back at Mitsuru as the Queen approached.
"You see?" Yukari asked.
"Yes," Mitsuru replied. "He's quite like Ragna. Except older. And even more gruff and unkempt."
"He looked kinda sad to me," Yukari said.
"Quite," Mitsuru said. "If half of what I've heard about him is true, he has gone through quite a lot. Yang and Ruby may be the only things he has left that gives him real hope."
Yukari nodded solemnly. Sad as it is, she knew a number of people not unlike that. And she could only add him to the list of people she knew who she wished to have only happiness and peace.
She heard from Mitsuru and Akihiko about how much Ragna reminded them of Shinjiro, and Qrow was very much the same. Even moreso in some ways, where they live cursed, without real hope for their own personal future.
Yukari shook her head as she recalled these memories. It was the Holiday season fast approaching, so she had to be celebrating. Remembering the good in life, and putting the bad aside.
As Yukari considered this, and the Operatives finished getting their gifts for Ruby, the NOL girls had ran off elsewhere, all of them debating on what they should get for Blake.
"How could you suggest something so... lewd!?" Tsubaki demanded.
"Uh, have you seen Blake's collection?" Makoto asked. "She's a real smut fan."
"But a gift should be more flattering than... that," Tsubaki replied.
"I may be inclined to agree," Noel said. "I mean, I'm sure Blake wouldn't like to get a smut book as a gift. Especially when she'll have an audience to watch as we're opening presents."
"Eh, you're probably right," Makoto said.
"Which is why my idea of fine china, is much better," Tsubaki said.
"Are you nuts!?" Mai demanded. "With how much destruction they bring, that'd get broken within the day!"
"That's a good point," Noel said. "Plus, with how high strung Blake is around that dog they have, it'd probably happen by her own hands."
"How about this?" a new voice asked. Noel looked to the side and saw a guidebook from one of Blake's favorite fantasy novels held in front of her face.
"Oh! I think Blake actually said she wanted this!" Noel said.
"Thanks... you..." Mai added, getting rather startled by the... person the quartet saw in front of them. She was singlehandedly the BIGGEST woman they had ever seen, with a positive mane of wild black hair behind her head where a visor was somehow able to sit comfortably, with nothing more than tape wrappings around her chest, revealing the six pack that looked hard enough to break stone on her stomach, with a messy trenchcoat that looked like it could be related to Akihiko's, and messy, baggy pants!
The girls were so stunned by the size of this woman. The aura she gave off looked like a hungry wolf, and the girls were all stunned silent. The woman was not insulted, however, as she gave off a deep chuckle.
"Nice to meet you all," she said. "Asuka-chan and the other students from Hanzo told me about how funny you were. I'm Daidouji. Their upper-classman and would-be graduate."
"O-oh..." Tsubaki squeaked. "W-well... n-nice to meet you."
"Goddammit you're ginormous," Makoto said bluntly.
"Makoto Nanaya!" Noel and Mai said, slapping their hands over the demi-human's mouth!
Daidouji just laughed again. "It's no trouble," she said. "I know I'm a great deal... bigger than the average woman my age. But I took my training seriously. Be that as it may," she added, turning around, "I'll see you all around."
"O-okay," Noel said, before coming to a realization. "Wait a minute! How did you know what to get Blake? Have you ever met her?"
"Only in passing," Daidouji replied. "I'm a ninja. So I happen to keep my eyes peeled for certain intervals. Particularly to spy on you all."
"Huh?" the girls asked, as Daidouji simply continued walking away.
As Daidouji continued walking, she soon fell into step beside Qrow while he walked in the same direction, the two walking alongside each other. "So," the shinobi said, "how have you been?"
"Same old," Qrow replied.
"Found the right gifts yet?" Daidouji asked.
"Eh, just about," Qrow replied.
"So we can get back to work?" Daidouji asked.
"We've done enough for one night," Qrow said. "I want a drink now."
"Sure you can do it without getting punched in the face this time?" Daidouji asked.
"It's not my fault," Qrow replied. "It's just people I tend to meet happen to be awful trash."
"Then maybe you shouldn't go to every bar you find," Daidouji said.
"What're you, my mother?" Qrow asked.
"I am your handler," Daidouji replied, "so it counts."
"Whoever said you're my handler?" Qrow asked. "You're, what, ten years younger than I am?"
"That remains to be seen," Daidouji replied.
Qrow rolled his eyes. How he ended up being saddled with this girl as his partner, was something he would never understand. Not helped now, as she reached out to grab his hand in an almost flirtatious manner, only for Qrow to smack it away. She gave a laugh, and Qrow couldn't help but join in turn.
Group B:
It wasn't just the adults, and then some, who were hunting for gifts. The boys and girls from their normal group had split up to find gifts for each other in their respective groups. Everyone had seemed to go on their own path, with a few numbers working with one another.
Team RWBY had naturally teamed up with Asuka, Heart, Labrys, Weiß, Yumi, Katsu, Saki, and Yozakura. The girls of the Investigation Team plus Labrys had ran off to find gifts for their own team, that left the other girls on their path. Ruby was naturally bouncing around with ideas, her counterparts Heart and Asuka listening intently to her as she rambled on. Yang and Katsu would throw in their say every now and again, but majoridly it was left to those three.
The girls were naturally letting those with more energy be the driving force for the time, as they scrambled to find gifts for different individuals. Naturally, each of them had their individuals they wanted to find gifts for above any other.
Weiss wanted nothing more than to find a good gift for Yu. The Kingpin of Steel was somebody that Weiss had felt increasing intrigue out of, particularly increased since he had invited her to Inaba, where they had acted so intimate it still left Weiss feeling red in the face just from remembering it.
So in honor of the winter holiday, Weiss wanted to find a good gift for him. But the struggle came in from the fact that Yu, being such an enigma, made finding the right gift quite the mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a question. Hence, Weiss was practically glued to her scroll in a vain attempt to get any kind of idea from his teammates, even Yosuke.
SnowEmpressSchnee: So... just so we're clear, nobody has a clue?
IronLegCarnivore: Sorry Weiss. I told you how he's never really "resonated" with anything I gave him, but he was still grateful all the same.
PrincessAmagi: Agreed. I think your best bet is just to give him something you like. He'll be appreciative, no matter what it is.
SnowEmpressSchnee: But I want this present to be important! It's my first real gift to him!
GentleGiant: Weiss-senpai, I think you're overreacting.
SnowEmpressSchnee: Don't tell me I'm overreacting, Kanji. Nobody tells me I overreact to anything.
DetectivePrince: I feel like that's a lie.
SnowEmpressSchnee: I mean nobody tells me I overreact and gets away with it!
DivaRisette: Weiss-chan, I feel like Yukiko-senpai and Chie-senpai are right. Just get him something you like!
DetectivePrince: I'm surprised you're helping Weiss-senpai, Rise.
DivaRisette: Well only because I know I'm in the clear. Narukami-senpai and I are inseperable.
SnowEmpressSchnee: I'm gonna pretend I didn't read that. Also, why do Naoto and Kanji call me "senpai" and not you, Rise Kujikawa?
DivaRisette: ...eh? (- -;)
SnowEmpressSchnee: I thought as much.
IronLegCarnivore: Yo, Yosuke. You've been quiet. Got nothin' to say?
JunesPrince: Well, I've been thinking.
IronLegCarnivore: That's rare.
JunesPrince: Choosing to ignore that. Get him something that shows your connection. He values friendships above anything else. This kinda fits with what Yukiko-san and the others were saying. So I figure that, if you're so wrapped up with getting him something important, go for something that shows your bond.
SnowEmpressSchnee: ...Wow. That...Actually makes a lot of sense. Thanks Yosuke.
JunesPrince: No problem Weiss-san. Good luck.
"Hey guys, I can do the thing!"
Weiss looked up from her scroll as she saw Heart attempting a Buster Wolf from the King of Fighters series right into an unfortunate Asuka's belly, causing the two to crumple to the ground in a heap! Weiss felt her eye twitch, as she looked back at her phone and replied to Yosuke with: "Thanks. I think I'll need it."
Blake had her fair share of issues as well. She still hadn't settled her feelings about Sun, but he showed himself a trusted confidant during the time she had accidentally revealed her identity as a Faunus to her teammates, plus he was devoted with the number of occasions he would just run up to her like in the school dance. But it was more than just Sun she was worried about.
She also wanted to get presents for all her teammates. They had become more than just a team and allies to her in the time she'd known them. They were all like sisters to her. People she could never imagine her life without now.
And then there was all the people she had met after the whole Phantom Field incident. People who had become dear friends to her. Makoto, Hyde, Mitsuru, Murakumo, Tsubaki, Orie, Ragna, Yumi, even Seth (to an extent).
Coming from such a rough upbringing, where people like Ilia and Adam had just up and betrayed everything she stood for, it was hard for her to move past that and find people to really love. Now that she cherishes so many other people now, people she knew would never betray her, she wanted to do something in this holiday to pay them back. But with such a lofty task on her shoulders, well, it gave her a great feeling of anxiety.
"Blake," Weiß said. "I get the sensation that you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Your skin has paled and you're perspiring. Do you need to sit and drink some water?"
"W-wha?" Blake replied, looking up at the Valkyria from her musings. "O-oh, no. It's nothing, Weiß. It's just... I am really exhausted. I have so many friends, people that have essentially become my family, so I want to give them something great. But I am having a really hard time figuring that out."
Weiß looked over at the shenanigans going on with Heart and the others, as guffawing Yang and Katsuragi picked her back up, while Ruby was fussing over the recovering Asuka, with Weiss, Yozakura, Saki, and Yumi, in their own ways, saying that "wasn't the best idea."
"I understand how you feel," Weiß said. "Being a Valkyria, I was not given what you would call a 'normal' life to live. Even after I was rescued from the Drexler Institute, I haven't lived 'normally'. Which is why I cherish so many moments like Heart teaching me to bake, or Scharlachrot trying to give me a 'day off'. Meeting you all gave me something precious."
"I suppose we can both relate in a way," Blake added. The two were silent in understanding for a moment, merely just letting their empathy flow. That is, until Blake came to a startling realization.
"Wait," she said. "Where exactly is Scharlachrot right now?"
"Oh," Weiß said. "She's being looked over. I couldn't have her following me while I look for a gift for her."
"This is so stupid!" Scharlachrot yelled.
"Calm down," Yuzuriha said, patting her on the shoulder. "Your sis is just looking for a gift for you. Just give her time."
"But I can't stand the idea of her being with those other guys when I'm not there!" Scharlachrot yelled.
"Nah-uh-uh," Yuzuriha said, patting Scharlachrot on the head. "Just relax there. There's no need to be worried."
"Get off me you bimbo!" Scharlachrot yelled.
"Is big sister gonna put baby in the corner?" Yuzuriha asked.
"I'd like to see you try!" Scharlachrot yelled.
"Taokaka!" Yuzuriha said.
"Nyan!" Taokaka declared, appearing from the ceiling to flatten Scharlachrot underneath her.
From across the room, Kokonoe was watching the exchange with a rather miffed expression. It boiled over until the point she couldn't contain it anymore and had to yell. "Why are you all in my lab?!"
"Are you sure that was the best idea?" Blake asked.
"I needed something to do," Weiß said, "and everyone else was busy. Yuzuriha assured me she would take care of her."
"Yuzu doesn't strike me as the type of person to trust with something like that," Blake said.
"She gave me no reason to believe she would lie," Weiß said.
"That's not exactly what I meant," Blake said.
All the same, Blake figured that it wasn't best to argue with Weiß. She only meant well, even if she didn't know any better. So there was no reason to make a big deal out of it when they were relating to one another.
Yang herself was being uncharacteristically mysterious to everyone else. While anyone could smell from a mile away that Weiss had infatuation with Yu and Blake was mutually interested in Sun, with Ruby and Hyde being a blatantly obvious reciprocated crush, Yang was making it obvious that she was pursuing a relationship a guy without actually saying who the guy was. It was enough to make everyone crazy considering how chatty Yang could normally be.
"So you're not gonna tell?" Katsu asked.
"Nope," Yang replied, doing the typical Rose-Xiao Long family 'p' pop.
"Not one bit?" Saki asked.
"Nope," Yang popped again.
"You know that this isn't like you," Yozakura."Typically it's hard to get you to... not, say anything."
"That's the idea," Yang joked.
"AAAAHHHHH! I CAN'T TAKE IT!"
Everyone jumped out of their skin as they saw Heart run over, jumping onto Yang's chest, holding herself up by grabbing Yang's shirt with her feet planted against the blonde's body, looking her dead in the eye! "You have to tell me!" she said. "I need to know about love! You can't not tell me about love!"
Yang snickered, picking Heart up by her scruff as if she were a dog and plopping her on the floor. "I wouldn't go that far," she said. "It's just a crush right now. I'm interested in the guy, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it love."
"But you're interested in a boy!" Heart said sadly. "I have to know!"
"Nope," Yang said again, patting Heart on the head as she walked past.
"Wow," Yozakura said. "That was... quite the sight."
"When it comes to romance," Saki said, "Heart is like an addict."
"Hehe," Katsu laughed.
And as for Ruby, that was a no-brainer. As mentioned before, she was looking for something for Hyde, nobody remotely surprised by that. The two had been getting closer still since Ruby's birthday on Halloween, so even if Ruby herself didn't even understand her own emotions, it was clear that Hyde was her top priority.
While Hyde wasn't as confusing as Yu was, as Yukari had mentioned before, Hyde was the type of person who didn't really need anything as he put it. He wasn't a very material person, thinking of many things that he would want for gifts. But that certainly wasn't going to stop the Rose Red of Team RWBY from trying to find something he could appreciate.
The one thing holding her back was, obviously, her companions. Trying her hardest to think of a gift was difficult when most of her friends were not very helpful. Or at least, acted very helpful.
Asuka, Yumi, and Saki were nice enough in terms of Ruby's endeavors, but were mostly being held back by the antics of those like Heart, Katsu, or even Ruby's own sister, Yang. Thus, Ruby was kept from any assistance in coming up with ideas or having the ideas she did think of be supported. So the Huntress-in-training was left alone to think of a plan.
She struggled to think of what Hyde enjoyed and did everything in her power to consider what he might appreciate no matter what. It was difficult, so she figured that she may save her gift for him for last in order to give her mind time to rest.
"Uh, Ruby?" Yumi asked, tapping her on the shoulder. "Are you alright? You suddenly got this really intense look on your face."
"Huh?" Ruby said curiously. "O-oh, yeah, Yumi. I'm just... still thinking of what to get Hyde."
Yumi gave a good natured giggle. "You really care about him, don't you?" she asked.
"Of course," Ruby replied, missing Yumi's subtle hint. "He's one of my best friends! I gotta find something that he'll like! Gah! Why does he have to be the vague one!?"
Yumi laughed again. She looked over her shoulder, spotting the others still animatedly interacting with each other. "Tell you what," she said, "how about we ditch them and go looking by ourselves?"
"Really?" Ruby asked.
"Yes," Yumi said. "Just long enough for us to find something for Hyde."
"Let me come with you!" Asuka said, running over to the others.
"Sure thing!" Ruby said. "Thanks!"
Telling the others they would be splitting paths for a minute, Ruby and the shinobi hurried over to a clothing store for a moment to look for something. Ruby listened to what Yumi and Asuka had told her about looking for something that would strike a cord and be remembered. And as shallow as it was, Ruby was going with red.
Hyde did incorporate red into his usual outfits, with a red button-up shirt in his casual wear being one of his favorite things. Plus, there was his EXS, Void Red. So the two at least had that in common, and when it comes to Ruby looking for something to wear with red, it was like a special ability.
Looking in the hoodies, she found one that stuck out to her. It was a zipper hoodie, with almost like a reverse flame pattern, starting at red in the top and dissolving into black as it moved further down toward the hem. She smiled as she saw it, holding it up and looking it over, even slipping it on just for good measure and was satisfied with the size.
"Hey Yumi!" she said. "How about thi-what the heck are you wearing!?"
She saw the shinobi looking happily in the mirror while wearing a headband with cat ears on them! To make matters worse, she even went "meow" while looking at herself in the mirror! "Cuteness is justice," she giggled.
"Okay~" Ruby said. "Hey Asuka, do you think this-what!?"
Turns out, Asuka was looking equally as bizarre as she was wearing a headband of her own with bunny ears on top! "Huh?" she said, looking curiously at Ruby.
Ruby just blinked, turning around and putting the hoodie on the hangar. "I think I'll just trust my gut," she said.
Group C:
The boys were having just about as much luck as the girls in terms of thinking of gifts. Naturally, they teamed up in order to find gifts for their respective friends, but the difficulty in doing so was the fact that none of them had any good ideas. And for the majority of their time, they were stuck in that corner.
"So just so we're clear," Naoto (K.) said, "none of us have any clue what we're doing?"
"That about sums it up," Jaune said sadly.
"Nobody has a clue what to get the girls, eh?" Kanji asked.
"That is indisputably true," Neptune said bluntly.
Narukami looked skyward, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I suggest," he said, "that we all put our heads together."
"What makes you think that'll help?" Yosuke asked.
"If we bounce ideas around," Yu said, "perhaps that'll help us to think of the right gift."
"Okay then," Hyde said. "Let's try it. Who do we start with?"
"Why not Makoto?" Naoto asked. "She doesn't strike me as the type to be hard to find a gift for."
"Alright," Jaune said. "Who wants to snowball an idea first?"
"I got it!" Kanji said. "A fur coat!"
The others were stunned. "What?" Sun asked. "Why?"
"Well," Kanji said, "she's got the ears and the tail. Why not complete the set?"
"You just want her to look more like a squirrel," Neptune said, "don't you?"
Kanji felt his face implode! "N-no!" he said. "It's not like I'd find it adorable as hell or anything!"
"Okay, that idea's down," Jaune said. "But, maybe the clothing idea isn't the worst one. Y'know considering that Makoto tends to not... wear much."
"You got a problem with that?" Sun asked.
"Ignore him," Naoto said, backhanding Sun in the face. "But, maybe something like a dress or a skirt?"
"Does Makoto honestly strike you as a skirt or dress kinda girl?" Hyde asked.
"Well, I guess not," Naoto said.
"What about a sweater?" Neptune asked. "I remember this one time, when she came over for movie night with our team, she was wearing this big baggy sweater and seemed to really like curling up inside of it."
"Hmm, possibility," Yosuke said, rubbing his chin.
"Okay, maybe a sweater," Kanji said. "Any other hints?"
"What about a book or a movie?" Yu asked. "She seems to really like action stuff."
"That is true," Naoto said. "She likes them just about as much as Chie from what I've gathered. But what should we get? Like, a big set of something?"
"What about this?" Neptune asked, pulling something up on his scroll. The others looked, before their faces flushed with monumentous amounts of shame!
"N-Neptune Vasilas!" Yosuke said. "That's hentai!"
"Yeah," Neptune shrugged.
"And it's yuri!" Jaune added.
"Also yeah," Neptune said, as if it were the most obvious thing. "You guys do know that Makoto is bi, right? She's told me to my face a few times she's interacted with Mai where she-"
"Agh!" Kanji yelled. "What you and she talk about in your spare time is there, just don't tell it to us! And there's no way we're buying her any o'that shit! Do you know how much the other girls would kill us!?"
"Ah, probably right," Neptune replied.
"Gah!" Yosuke said. "Okay, enough of that! Sweater, we'll get her. And I already know a set of manga to get her. Manga that is NOT hentai, thank you very little, Neptune."
"Hey, I gave you the sweater idea," Neptune said. "I think I'm in the clear."
"Don't you think this is over," Yosuke said.
"Okay," Hyde said, "so we got a gift for Makoto. What about the others?"
"Let's try Ruby-chan next," Yosuke said. "We all got her some nice gifts for her birthday already, but what about Christmas?"
"Well," Jaune said, "we all know Ruby is really into pop culture and fantasy stuff. Also she loves weapons like you wouldn't believe. So what do we get her based around that?"
"Well," Yu began, before Naoto interrupted him with, "No."
"What?" Yu asked.
"No," Naoto repeated. "I know full well what you had in mind before, and let me stop you there. No."
"Woah," Kanji said, "what did senpai want to get her?"
"While I'm guessing it was a joke," Naoto said, "Narukami had the bright idea of getting Ruby a sex book."
"You wanted to what?!" Hyde yelled, looking particularly violated by those prospects.
"Oh for the love of me!" Jaune yelled. "What is with you guys!"
"She doesn't strike me as educated," Yu replied.
"Not the point!" Hyde said. "Why would you be so possessed as to think of that!?" Yu merely shrugged in response.
"Well," Sun said, "anyone have any... better ideas?"
"I've got one," Hyde said, eliciting the others to look at him curiously. "She has this whole kick for capes and what not, why not get her one?"
"A different cape?" Jaune asked.
"Kinda," Hyde said. "Y'know, maybe one that she can wear with her own? So maybe something like one of those half, jacket things? Or a scarf of some kind?"
"Not a bad idea," Sun said. "Work on it. And I've got the perfect thing for Blake?"
"Oh really?" Kanji asked.
"Well that was easy," Yu said.
"Huh?" Sun asked. "How do you mean?"
"Part of this," Yu said, "was just to get you guys to suggest ideas for your girls. And I've already got my plan for Weiss-san as well."
"Wait..." Hyde said. "What do you mean... our girls?" He, Yosuke, and Sun all began to blush under the implications, as Yu smirked proudly, turning and taking his leave.
December 24th: Christmas Eve.
Ragna felt somewhat self-conscious. He tugged at the collar of his sweater, silently wishing he could just change back into his coat. For this Christmas party he was invited to, everyone was dressing festively in sweaters, and Ragna was just happy he was able to convince Ruby and Yang to not put him into a stereotypical ugly Christmas sweater and instead just opt out for a basic, red knit sweater.
He was sitting in a dining room off to the side of a large, living area in one of the Kirijo Group's bought out mansions that she had offered for everyone to spend their Christmas Eve at. For the most part, Ragna was still not the most comfortable when it came to large crowds of people, but if there was one thing that he found himself incapable of, it was saying "no" to Mitsuru. And naturally, she demanded that Ragna come over and spend time with the group at Christmastime. Not just the eve, but the following day as well, when everyone would break down into their smaller families for a more intimate time together.
"Yang-chan, stay away from the eggnog!" Mitsuru herself snapped, walking into the dining hall to find Ragna. She herself was wearing a dark gray sweater, with some matching pants, each of which hugged her figure.
"Ah. There you are~" she mused. "So this is where you ran off to."
"Yup," Ragna said. "And it was going so well until you showed up."
"Well," Mitsuru said, pulling up a chair next to him, "it's how I tend to operate."
"And we're all the better for it," Ragna said.
Mitsuru gave a laugh, staring at Ragna as she held her head up in her hand, leaning against the table on her elbow. "I am happy you decided to come over, Ragna-san," she said. "You live such a life of toxicity that it's better for you to take these opportunities when people offer them. Particularly when you have friends out there willing to open up to you."
"Yeah," Ragna said simply, not really letting on how he was thinking about those prospects.
"Hey you two!" Akihiko said, leaning into the doorway, revealing that even he was wearing a sweater of his own, his decorated with a wolf's head on the front. "Come on in! The kids are gonna be opening their presents, and I want to see this!"
"Okay," Mitsuru said, pulling Ragna up roughly by his arm, dragging him into the lounge area.
First up was Yosuke, who was handing his gift out to Makoto. Naturally, they were both wearing Christmas sweaters of their own, with Yosuke wearing an orange sweater with the Junes logo plastered on the back, with Makoto wearing a light brown sweater decorated with different kinds of nuts.
She opened her present, revealing it to be sets of manga from Fists of the North Star and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure! "Oh, no way!" she said. "You got these for me, Yokee! Ah, thanks!"
"Yeah," Yosuke said. "The others had some rather colorful ideas of what to get you, so I went with something I knew you'd like. By the way, there's this one too," he said, holding out a smaller, softer gift. "This one was from all of us, not just me."
Makoto opened this one too, finding a rather extravagant, zip-up sweater, that was a pastel blue color with light designs of the Starry Night by Van Gough. "Woah," she said, looking it over.
"I know you're into stars and stuff like that too," Yosuke said. "So we pitched in to get you that."
"Ah, you guys!" Makoto said happily, pulling Yosuke into a tight hug!
"Who knew Hanamura-kun could do thoughtful," Chie said, whispering to Yukiko and Labrys, who both roughly hushed her!
"Makoto!" Noel said. "Show us what we got him!"
"Yes! Please!" Mai added.
"Oh boy," Yosuke said, being handed a box by Makoto. The first thing he pulled out was... hair dye. The same color of his hair.
"That was from me!" Mai said.
"...Thanks, Mai-chan," Yosuke said. "Really... appreciate that."
The second thing he pulled out was... bicycle brakes.
"That was from me!" Noel said. "Now you won't crash as often."
"...Thanks, Noel-chan," Yosuke replied. "Appreciate that one... too."
The last thing he pulled out was... okay, that was definitely interesting. He pulled out a season pass to an adventure park he'd been eyeing.
"That was mine," Makoto said. "You said you never liked to be bored so I figured, why not? Plus, you get to bring some friends for free. So if I ever get free time, hit me up and I'd love to join you!"
"Ah man," Yosuke said. "Makoto this was great!"
Mai and Noel looked to one another, equally smirking as they fist-bumped each other, proud of their part for pitching in the extra bucks so Makoto could get that for him.
"Okay, who's next?" Mitsuru asked, she and Ragna leaning in the doorway.
"Yoink!" Sun said, bounding over to Blake.
"Oh... joy," Blake said, smiling all the same. She took her gift from Sun, looking inside to see a beautiful bracelet set inside. There were four in total, ones decorated with the emblems of her and her teammates. "Wow..." she said quietly. "Sun, these look expensive, how did you get these?"
"I may have saved up some cash," Sun said. "I figured, hey, you might like something for you and your teammates and I just thought something a bit like-"
He was cut off as Blake pulled him in for a hug. "Thank you," she said. "Really, thank you."
Sun smiled, leaning away from the hug once she released him. "And now I feel like a jerk," she said, handing him his gift. Turns out, inside, was a set of tank-tops. Clearly a message for him to start wearing shirts more often. "Oh, ha-ha," he said. "I give you the thoughtful, meaningful gift and you in return you give me-"
He was cut off again when Blake handed him a framed photograph of the both of them at the school dance from a few months ago. It was a perfect photo, with the lights just right in the angle of the photo as the centerpiece was the two of them dancing, taken by who knows who. "I stand corrected," Sun said, taking the photo.
"Merry Christmas you moron," Blake said, hugging Sun again.
"Kanji?" Ruby asked. "Are you crying?"
"N-no..." Kanji replied, wiping his eyes, as Weiß patted his arm.
"I guess I'm next," Yu said, standing up and approaching Weiss, who was frozen like a statue as he approached her.
"Okay," Weiss said. "W-what did you get me?"
Yu smiled, as he handed her the present which she proceeded to unwrap. It was a brilliant crystal statuette with a snowflake engraved in the center, where in the base was Weiss's name engraved on it. "Oh wow," she said. "This is quite the sight."
"I thought of you when I first saw it," he said. "Plus, the snowflake can be very symbolic in its own right for the Christmas season and all that. So it can be a reminder of when I gave it to you."
"Yu, this is quite touching," Weiss said. "Thank you."
She handed Yu his own gift, which he proceeded to unwrap. Inside were tickets for a cruise that would take them from Vale to Menagerie on Remnant. "The only thing I know you like to do is fish," Weiss said, "and once you get to Menagerie, you can feel free to do that. These tickets will allow you a full week's stay in Menagerie. Just, uh, don't catch any of the fish related Faunus by mistake."
"How many tickets do I spy there?" Yosuke said. "Are there enough for the whole team?"
"There should be," Weiss said with a shrug. "Naturally I thought of that when I got these. So... d-don't let them go to waste Mr. Narukami."
"These are very thoughtful," Yu said. "Thank you, Weiss-san." Weiss honestly smiled upon hearing that.
By majority rules, everyone practically shoved Ruby and Hyde into the center next. The two looked awkward, but gave a laugh at one another.
"Okay," Hyde said, "I guess we're next."
"Looks like it," Ruby said. The two swapped gifts, with Ruby opening hers first.
Inside, she was stunned to find a brilliant white hoodie vest on the inside. It seemed to be her size, made of soft but not suffocating cotton. And the part that stuck out the most to her was her rose pattern sewn in red on the left breast pocket.
"Oh, wow," she said.
"They didn't have it in red," Hyde said, scratching his cheek. "But, I figured, it could still work. Right?"
"O-oh, yes," Ruby said. "The white is... well, it actually means a lot. Thank you, Hyde."
Hyde smiled, opening his own gift. Inside was the same hoodie that Ruby had gotten him from the mall.
"Oh, wow," he said. "Ruby, this looks awesome."
"Thanks Hyde," Ruby said. Hyde looked up at her, surprised to find her already wearing the hoodie he got for her. He smirked, slipping on his hoodie, the two giving each other a high five.
Yang smirked as she watched her little sister interacting with Hyde, before her eyes fell upon Akihiko. Whistling casually, she stepped over to him, tapping him on the shoulder. "Sup' Aki?" she said, holding out a gift to him. "I gotcha a little something."
"Oh, really?" Akihiko asked, taking the gift. "Thanks."
He opened the package, finding a high-end food processor on the inside. "I figured," Yang said, as Akihiko analyzed it, "since you're such a protein junkie you could use something like that. It can make your shakes and some juicy stuff outta whatever you want."
"Man, Yang," Akihiko said. "That's cool. Thanks. I grabbed something for you too."
Yang took the gift bag that Akihiko handed her, pulling out a swanky looking pair of aviators. "Ooh~" Yang hummed.
"I saw on your social media," Akihiko said, "that you have a pair of aviators you wear a lot. Put them on, check those out."
Yang put on the aviators, spooked as she saw a feed suddenly pull up. "No way," Yang said. "These are smart glasses?"
"Yeah," Akihiko said, holding out a remote. "You can control what you find with this."
"Awesome, Aki!" Yang said. "Oh, I'm gonna abuse these babies."
The two gave a hug, before Akihiko split off. Yang turned around, seeing Ruby, Blake, and Weiss all staring at her.
"What?" Yang asked.
"So..." Blake said. "The guy you were pursuing is... Akihiko?"
"Have you seen those abs?" Yang asked. "They could chisel stone."
"Good to know you have your priorities straight," Weiss said, still looking at the statuette Yu got him.
"Oh bite me," Yang said, shoving her shoulder. "You know I'm joking... But I'm simultaneously not wrong."
The group spent the rest of the evening having a great time with one another. More gifts were tossed around, with everyone enjoying themselves.
At one point during the night, Yu walked over to Yosuke while drinking a cup of cocoa in his hands. "Hey Yosuke," Yu said, "I heard that Makoto had a leak on Smash Bros. on her phone."
"What!?" Yosuke said, running over to Makoto, as she was standing patiently in the doorway. "Makoto! Narukami told me you had something!"
"Oh, yeah," Makoto replied. "I got something for you alright~"
Yosuke's smile faded the next moment upon hearing her flirtatious tone. He came to a startling realization the next instant, looking upward. Sure enough, right in the doorway was a set of... mistletoe. He looked over his shoulder, his face turning beat red, only to find Yu delivering a low-five to Mai.
"You... mother..." Yosuke said slowly.
And then it happened. Makoto grabbed the side of his head, planting a sweet peck to his cheek. She remained like that for a few seconds, before releasing the Persona user with a cheeky giggle.
"You want more than that," she said, "wait til' New Year's."
"That's cheating!" Ruby yelled. "That's not what I paid for!"
"Paid?" Yosuke asked.
"She and Mai set me up for it," Yu said.
"You weren't supposed to tell him!" Ruby said.
Overall, the night went on with the group having fun with one another, spending this night with fun and mischief, expecting a relaxing day to follow.
Christmas Day followed and the worlds were in a mutual calm serenity, born from the snow muffling all activity. Ruby was expecting to spend her day with her teammates, which she was setting out to do. In the meantime, however, she was looking for somebody else. She skipped along the snowy path in Vale, her gifted hoodie zipped up tight to her body, as she soon arrived at her destination.
Noel was waiting right there, with Ruby hurrying over to her! "Hey Noel!" Ruby said. "Good to see you!"
"Oh, good to see you too, Ruby," Noel said. "What'd you want to see me for?"
"Well..." Ruby said, bouncing around. "I heard from a friend that your birthday is actually on Christmas! So..."
She pulled out a gift box that she handed out to Noel! "Happy Birthday Noel!"
Noel had a stunned look on her face as she took the gift. "Oh, Ruby," she said, "you didn't have to do that!"
"Oh, don't worry," Ruby said. "I wanted to!"
Noel opened the gift, finding a brilliant violet hairpin on the inside. "Wow~" she said.
"I thought you'd like it," Ruby said. "Go ahead, try it on!"
Noel put the pin on, grinning wide. "Thank you Ruby," she said. "This really means a lot to me."
"It's no worries," Ruby said, the two entering a hug.
"Hey," Noel said, looking Ruby over, "I see you're wearing the hoodie Hyde got you."
"Yup," Ruby said, pulling her hood up. "It makes me feel warm. No matter the cold."
A/N: Merry Christmas everyone.
And so the long-awaited Christmas chapter is here. This one gave me a lot of laughs while writing it. The different processes the cast members went through made me smirk quite a bit.
For starters, we finally see Qrow and Daidouji make appearances! I decided to have them work alongside each other because... I don't really know. Considering in their respective franchises they have both worked as freelancers for their respective leaders, it just kinda flowed together. I also kinda see Daidouji, due to her visual similarities to Raven and Yang, she could almost operate like Qrow's illegitimate daughter. Let me know if you want more shenanigans between the two of them, cause' I think it'd be really funny.
Overall, the rest of the chapter was mostly just the characters plotting things out as they naturally would. I know I could've had more characters here and there like the Investigation Team or other side-characters, but this was exhaustive enough as it is.
A few last notes, we get a bit more of MakotoxYosuke in this (Still haven't thought of a name for their pairing), which you can expect a bit more of in the New Year's chapter I can assure you, and Ruby kindly wishing Noel a happy birthday. Thanks for those that informed me of that.
As well, a few fun facts! The bit where Yumi and Asuka were wearing those ears was in reference to the first episode of the Shinovi Master anime that I watched for "research purposes." I couldn't not include something like that because it opened up at Christmastime. In addition, the whole thing about Makoto being bi is something I actually found through research under her trivia section, so I decided to play off that as a gag, but I'm still totally shipping her with Yosuke, dontcha worry.
Overall, this chapter was nice and made me feel fuzzy, which was the intent.
Review Time!
To Mystech Master: Thanks for the suggestions! I typically try to angle more towards comedy in this because that's what I labelled it as, but I am not against attempting more deep angst in the future. I actually had a different idea of my own, but suggestions are always appreciated!
To jadasimone16: Yeah, I totally failed to revisit Ruby and Hazama interacting, but I have plans to correct that.
To SolarS: Thanks for the feedback, and I can totally imagine situations where Nanako meets some of the more... colorful cast members while Yu and the others freak out like paranoid parents! XD
To Spider999: Thank you so much! It means the world to me to hear that, and I appreciate the suggestions!
To fernandamichelleraya: That's what I was hoping for with Weiss and Yu! Thanks a lot!
To mikkeljerome13: The name Royal Flush is perfect! It makes so much sense and now I am forever and always calling them that! Thanks a million!
To AzuriteInsanity: Glad to hear the "Royal Flush" ;) is growing on you, that's what I was hoping for as well. Also, I now have plans for Sun and Seth interacting in the future. There's a joke with Seth I wanted to experiment with, and that'll fit perfectly. Thanks a lot!
With that said and done, thank you all for your continuous feedback, let me know what you think, and I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday with friends and loved ones. Until New Year's, see you then!