Disclaimer: GALS! and Kotobuki Ran are copyright to Fujii Mihona. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: This is a long one-shot that takes place on Christmas Eve. (In fact, if you're going by the manga, this is the Christmas eve when Ran meets Tatsuki-- but THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN, TATSUKI IS NON-EXISTANT IN THIS STORY!) Pairing is mainly Yuya/Ran; (there isn't enough of them!) but there are other couples too. Without further ado, I present to you the STORY.
Oh, quick thing: "QUOTES" means someone is TALKING! Italics means someone is thinking! Remember that now :P (Even though, if you're an author, you SHOULD know that)
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! CHRISTMAS IS IN TWO FRIGGEN DAYS AND I STILL HAVE ABOSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT TO GET RAN-CHAN FOR CHRISTMAS!"
Aso Yuya was, typically enough, panicking. And unfortunately for his best friend, Otohata Rei, he was having another "OMG-what-can-I-do-to-make-Ran-like-me" spasm.
"Yuya, will you PLEASE stop that?" Rei said, annoyed. "If Kotobuki still hasn't figured out you like her, then she's as dense as that brick wall over there."
Yuya grabbed Rei by his collar. "Don't say that! It discourages me. But seriously! What the heck am I supposed to get her for Christmas?"
"Get her what I'm getting her. NOTHING." Rei said, sticking his ear buds in his ears, to attempt to drown out his friend's incessant whining.
"Reeeiiiii!" Yuya whined. "C'mon, I'm serious!"
"Me too."
"That does it. Unless you want me to tell every single kogal in Shibuya that you're posing for an underwear catalog, YOU BETTER HELP ME."
Rei groaned. Being the #1 High School Hunk did come with its advantages, but being constantly mobbed and stalked by kogals everywhere did get rather annoying. Reluctantly, he pulled the ear buds out of his ears and said, "Alright, I'll (try) and help you."
"YAAAAAAAAAAAY! YOU'RE THE BEST, REI!" Yuya yelled, hopping up and down. He was #2 High School Hunk, but "So what do you have in mind?"
"Give her a certificate for some yen somewhere. God knows she needs the money." Rei said, remembering how many times Ran begged Yuya for money. (Of course, the fact that he always handed it to her on a silver platter sure didn't help anything.)
"A gift certificate?" Yuya said. "Is that ALL you can give me? A GIFT CERTIFICATE?"
"...yeah," Rei said, sensing an explosion.
"A GIFT CERTIFICATE! YOU EXPECT ME TO GIVE RAN-CHAN, MY ONE TRUE LOVE... A FRIGGEN GIFT CERTIFICATE!" Yuya screamed, giving Rei (and everyone in a 2-mile radius) a headache.
"Yes!" Rei snapped. "You asked me for an idea and I gave you one! Besides, what's wrong with a gift certificate?"
"Gift certificates are like last-minute presents! They have absolutely no thought to them! They're like, 'Here you go, buddy, I couldn't think of anything you particularly wanted, so HERE, have a stupid piece of PAPER!' Geez!" Yuya snapped.
Rei rolled his eyes. "Well, did it ever occur to you that Kotobuki would take money from ANYONE? Satan himself could burrow up and offer her a gazillion yen for her soul, and she'd hand it over. AND YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT."
Yuya howled in pure rage and misery. "ARRRGH! But I want to get her something so awesome, so incredible, that she falls completely in love with me! So when I ask her out, she won't laugh at me or feed me the "let's just be friends" BS!"
Rei rolled his eyes. "Then why don't you CALL one of her FRIENDS, and ask THEM what she wants?"
"RIGHT! THAT'S GENIUS!" Yuya screamed, hopping up and down. He whipped out his cell phone and punched in Miyu's cell number.
"Miyu? Hey, it's Yuya! ...what do you mean, WHO'S THAT? ...oh. It's Number Two. Of COURSE I have a real name! Don't be dumb!"
Rei rolled his eyes. Yuya DEFINITELY had a way with the ladies. Unfortunately, the way wasn't going in the direction Yuya wanted it to be going.
"OK, OK, I'm sorry I called you dumb. Can you PLEASE come down to Bunkamura? I need your help!"
Rei looked up, and noticed a pretty teenage girl with short blonde hair yelling on her cell phone, not even 10 feet away from where Yuya was, standing in front of the "Welcome to Bunkamura!" sign. "Yuya..." he said, pointing towards Miyu.
Yuya looked. "Whoa! Cool! Miyu, you're not gonna believe this, but there's this chick right in front of the Bunkamura sign who looks JUST LIKE YOU!"
Miyu jumped and turned around. (Rei knows this because he can see Miyu.) "WHERE!" she yelled, then noticed Yuya. "Oh. Hey Number Two!" she said, waving.
"Now she's WAVING AT ME!" Yuya said, shrinking behind Rei.
Rei smacked his friend's head. "You dunce, that IS Yamazaki!"
"Oh. MIYUUUUUUUUUUU!" Yuya screamed, running over to Miyu. "I need to ask you something! What does Ran-chan want for Christmas?"
Miyu thought for a second, then her eyes lit up. "Oh! I know! She wants a pair of those Bakashura Buffalo Sneakers, the ones with the 5-inch platform heels!"
Yuya's grin faded. "And I have absolutely NO idea where to get those!" he said, disappointed.
Miyu beamed. "Well, I do! C'mon!" She raced off towards the Bunkamura mall, and Yuya made sure to stay close behind. In a place as big as the mall, god knows what could happen...
"Riiight here! The Bakashura Buffalo Sneakers, only 30,000 yen!" the saleswoman said enthusiastically. Yuya had the mental image of his piggy bank being smashed to pieces with a large mallet. "Uh... I dunno..." he said, rubbing his head. "30 grand is a lot of yen..."
Then Yuya had another mental image. Ran holding hands with ANOTHER guy, (nobody in particular, it could be anyone) all the while saying, "Oh, thank you SO MUCH for these sneakers! You're the BEST!"
Yuya sighed and fished out his wallet. "30,000 yen it is."
30,500 yen later, (Yuya was talked into matching gift wrap) Yuya and Miyu left the store, Yuya taking caution to keep his considerably lighter wallet where it belonged.
"Geez, thanks, Miyu," Yuya said. "If you hadn't helped me out, I never would have figured out these, of all things, were what Ran-chan really wanted."
Miyu grinned. "No problem! Hopefully you and Ran'll get together by the end of the year!"
Yuya blushed. "I hope so!"
The next day was Christmas eve, and Yuya somersaulted out of his bed with joy (at 11:30 AM.) "WHOO HOO! TODAY'S THE DAY WHEN RAN-CHAN FALLS IN LOVE WITH ME!" he screamed, hopping up and down.
Mrs. Aso opened the door. "Yuya, SHUT UP!" she yelled.
"Sorry, Mom," Yuya said sheepishly, and his mother sulked out.
Yuya dug around in his closet and yanked out some clothes, then raced into the shower. He had to get ready for his big afternoon/night!
At around 5:30, Kotobuki Ran (who, finally makes an appearance) left her house, promising her folks she'd be in by nightfall, (but of course she wouldn't). She had quite a few things to do tonight, and her curfew sure as heck wouldn't get in the way!
She headed into Shibuya, saying "Merry Christmas" to the majority of people she saw, and ignoring comments like "Who wears a sleeveless Chinese dress in the middle of Winter?" Ran was so fueled with Christmas energy, not even the weather could get her down!
"Miyu! Aya! Satsuki! Rie! Merry Christmas!" she yelled, noticing her gal pals waiting for her in front of Hachiko, the Shibuya statue Ran was fond of sitting on top of.
"Hey, Ran!" Miyu yelled. "We were decorating Hachi!"
Sure enough, Hachi, along with the rest of Shibuya, had certainly gotten into the Christmas spirit. Huge Christmas trees decorated the plazas, holly and garland decorated the light posts, and fake snowflakes were plastered to the insides of windows.
Ran beamed with happiness. "I love Christmas! I'm soooo psyched!"
"Oh yeah, Ran, that High School Hunk, Aso-kun, was looking for you!" Rie said. She and Satsuki sighed dramatically and slumped against each other. "Why couldn't he be looking for US?" Satsuki whined.
"Number Two, huh? Where was he?" Ran asked.
Miyu pointed. "Right over there!"
Ran followed Miyu's finger, and sure enough, Number Two was standing a few blocks away, pacing back and forth and looking nervous. "Hey, there he is! Number Two!" she yelled, running over to him.
Aya watched Ran go. "Well, I best get going. I told Otohata-kun I'd meet him in Bunkamura for some window-shopping together."
"WAIIIIIT! WE'LL GO WITH YOU!" Rie and Satsuki yelled, racing after Aya.
Miyu sighed. "Why does Yamato-kun have to be a police officer in Shibuya?" she whined, trudging off towards the empty police box. "Only 3 more hours till Yamato-kun's free!"
Yuya jumped when he saw Ran running right towards him. "Hey Number Two! Merry Christmas!" she said happily, skidding to a stop next to him.
"Hey Ran-chan! Merry Christmas to you too!" Yuya said, keeping' it cool. "Hey, I thought you might like this... I got you a present..." Yuya turned around, grabbed the red-and-green gift bag he stuck the already-wrapped shoe box in. "Here you go!" he said.
Ran squealed with joy. "Oh my gosh! You got me something!" she said, kneeling down and opening the bag. She pulled out the wrapped shoebox, shredded the paper, and gasped at seeing the contents of the box.
"Oh. My. Gosh. Are these the Bakashura Buffalo Shoes?" Ran asked, staring at the box. Yuya nodded happily. "Yup! Try 'em on!"
Ran, however, was too overcome by extreme happiness to even try the sneakers on. Instead, she threw her arms around Yuya, and started kissing him a million times on his cheek. "OH, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" she squealed between kisses.
Yuya (whose face was now an unbelievable shade of pink) gasped out a "You're welcome, Ran-chan" before almost collapsing to the ground. All he could think was, "WOW."
Ran sat down next to him, unzipped her giant high-heeled white go-go boot and threw it over her shoulder and jammed her foot into the Buffalo sneaker. "Perfect fit!" she said happily. She tossed the other boot over her shoulder, tied the other shoe on and stood up. "Well? How do they look?" she said, posing.
"You look great, Ran," Yuya said, smiling. In all honesty, SHE DID. Her hair was pulled back, and messily styled around her head so it looked prettier than usual. She had a couple sprigs of holly in her hair, and the cute sleeveless Chinese dress looked great on her. She was wearing black socks and of course, the sneakers, (even with the 5 inch heels, she was STILL shorter than Yuya) and she had a couple bracelets on her wrists.
Ran grinned. "Thanks, Number Two-kun! Hey, listen, are you doing anything tonight?"
"No," Yuya said, a grin spreading across his face. "Why?"
"Well, there's a LOT of stuff happening tonight, and I don't wanna miss it! Thing is, Miyu's off at the Police box waiting for my stupid brother, Aya's off with Otohata, so... you want to come with?" Ran asked, smiling right at him.
"What? Like a date? YEAH! Of course I'll come!" Yuya said happily. Wow! His first EVER date with Ran-chan! Dreams DO come true!
Yuya's little ecstatic daydream stopped instantly when Ran grabbed him by his hand and hauled him up. "C'mon! Let's go!" she said happily, and ran off, dragging Yuya behind her, reciting her enormous things-to-do list for him.
Miyu, who had been watching from the Police Box, smiled happily. It was about time those two got together.
"First up!" Ran said, stopping at a HUGE mob. 'The Cookie Eating Contest! Whoever can gulp down the most cookies, wins a FREE, AMERICAN-EXPORTED COACH DESIGNER BAG! EEEK!" Ran ended her tirade with a squeal.
"Then go!" Yuya said, grinning. Ran beamed at him before racing off to register. "Wish me luck!" she said, dashing off.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A GOOD CHRISTMAS EVE! WE'RE HERE NOW WITH 8 YOUNG LADIES, ALL DETERMINED TO WIN AN UNBELIEVABLY GOOD PRIZE... YOU SEE, OUR FRIENDS IN AMERICA HAVE BETTER STUFF THAN WE DO, SO TODAY, WE'RE OFFERING A FREE, LIMITED-EDITION, NUMBERED DESIGNER BAG, BY COACH--" a few girls squealed at the thought of owning this --"FOR THE NUMBER ONE GIRL HERE! ALL THE GIRLS HAVE TO DO IS EAT THE MOST AMOUNT OF COOKIES BEFORE TIME'S UP!"
"READY? PUT 30 SECONDS ON THE CLOCK... GET SET... GO!"
Ran shoveled about 3 cookies into her mouth and started chewing frantically. "Unbelievable!" Yuya said, grinning. "She can shovel 20,000 cookie into her mouth and she's STILL cute as heck!"
The other girls seemed to notice Ran's eating spree and panicked. One girl started choking due to all the cookies shoved into her own mouth.
Ran was on Cookie #22 when time was up. "AND THE WINNER BY A MILE IS... KOTOBUKI RAN!" The announcer yelled, reading Ran's name off a card. Ran sprinted up yelling, "THE BAG IS MINE!" with cookie crumbs coming out of her mouth.
"SO, KOTOBUKI-SAN, ANY VICTORIOUS WORDS?"
"Well... hmmm... HAHAHA! I WON! BEAT THAT!" Ran yelled happily. The announcer handed her the bag, saying, "Enjoy, and remember, drip-dry only!" Ran turned around, found Yuya in the crowd, and ran down to him. "NUMBER TWO! I WON!" she yelled, diving into his arms.
"Great job, Ran! You won!" Yuya said happily, hugging her.
They hugged for about 20 seconds, when Ran jumped up, fully revived, and yelled, "ONWARD TO PARA-PARA NIGHT!" She grabbed Yuya's hand and raced off again, dragging Yuya behind her.
"Ran-chan, I'm not that great at Para-Para," Yuya whined. Ran was, much to his dismay, dragging him to the free, live Para-Para-TV concert, where everyone who was anyone in Shibuya was heading down to Para-Para and have a good time. Unfortunately for Yuya, he never learned to Para-Para, and therefore didn't want to make a moron of himself.
Ran rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Number Two, it's not that hard! Just do what I do!"
Yuya sighed and reluctantly went along. What could go wrong with some simple Para-Para fun?
The eight members of Para-Para-TV were on stage, ready to rock out with their gigantic speakers with recorded Para-Para music. "ALRIGHT, SHIBUYA, HOW'S EVERYONE DOIN' TONIGHT!" One guy screamed. Everyone in the audience, (including Ran) screamed.
"THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR! EVERYONE DANCE NOW!"
The music started, and everyone started Para-Para'ing, except for Yuya. "Number Two, just do what everyone else does!" Ran said, flicking her arm out.
Yuya shrugged. "What do I have to lose?" he figured, and starting doing what EVERYONE was doing... hopping up and down, flailing his arms up and down, pumping his arms side to side... until he started getting carried away! He jumped back and forth, took huge strides and jumped backwards, did a back flip and landed in a split on the ground, where he thrust his arms up in the air.
Ran couldn't believe it! True. Number Two just gave a healthy demonstration of idiocy at its best, but he looked COOL! "Number Two, that was awesome!" she said, squatting down to give him a high-five. Other people had also seen Yuya's Para-Para gone Wild, and so, unfortunately, did Para-Para-TV.
"WILL THE YOUNG GENTLEMAN AND HIS BLONDE FRIEND PLEASE COME TO THE STAGE!" the same guy from Para-Para-TV yelled. The spotlight reared around and flashed on Ran and Yuya.
"Uh... they talking about us?" Yuya asked. Ran looked star struck. "Oh... my... GOD! Number Two, c'mon!" Ran grabbed Yuya's arm, hauled him up, and dragged him on stage.
"Hey, wait a second! You're Aso Yuya! And you're Kotobuki Ran!" said the singer. "NOW, FOR THE SAKE OF SHIBUYA, LET'S SEE A PARA-PARA!"
Yuya groaned. "Alright... Ran-chan, let's get this over with..." The music started, (it was louder on stage) and the Para-Para fun began. Unfortunately for Yuya, his leg tripped Ran, which caused her to fall forwards into the crowd, of teenage boys.
"RAAAAAN!" Yuya screamed, Para-Para forgotten. Fortunately for him, the teenage boys were boys who'd previously been beaten by Ran, and threw her back up to where Yuya was.
"RAAAAAN!" Yuya screamed again, (probably for dramatic tension) and just as Ran flew back through the air, (Ran: "GET ME DOWN!") Yuya lunged and caught her in his arms.
(Before you continue reading, imagine this: Yuya, red-faced and embarrassed, is holding a disheveled Ran in his arms, bridal-style, on a huge stage with Para-Para-TV on it, surrounded by hundreds of Para-Para'ing fans, while a Live TV camera is recording this moment for the world to see. Cute, huh?)
The crowd was quiet for a few seconds, and Yuya felt his face getting redder by the minute. "Uh... I'm gonna put you down now, Ran-chan..." he said nervously, but before he could, the crowd exploded with cheers.
"WELL, WOULD YA LOOK AT THAT! THAT'S GOTTA BE THE BEST DANG PARA-PARA I'VE SEEN IN QUITE A WHILE! ASO-KUN, KOTOBUKI-CHAN... ANY WORDS?" screamed the spokesman for Para-Para-TV.
Yuya glanced at Ran, who shrugged at him. Yuya shrugged as well, set Ran on the ground, and, pointing right at the crowd, yelled... "ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?"
The crowd exploded again, and Para-Para-TV's speakers burst out into another song. Ran grabbed Yuya's shirt and mouthed, "Let's Go" but Para-Para-TV wasn't about to let them leave.
"BEFORE YOU TWO CHAMPS GO, LET'S HAVE THE PARA-PARA KING AND QUEEN CROWNED!" The spokesman yelled, and two people produced a gold crown and a silver tiara and plopped them on Yuya and Ran's heads.
"...Ran-chan, what's going on?" Yuya asked. Ran shrugged. "Beats me! Might as well enjoy it!" She jumped up and down a few times, waved at the camera, and finally, the two were allowed to leave. "THANK YOU, AND GOOD NIGHT!" the spokesman yelled.
"Geez," Ran grumbled. "What a night!" Yuya grinned. "I'm not complaining'!"
Ran grinned right back. "Me neither! This is turning out to be a damn fun Christmas Eve, Number Two-kun!"
(Author Note: Wow... this is one big one-shot :D)
"So, what's next?" Yuya asked. Ran thought for a second, unable to produce anything instantly, until she saw a massive mob in front of Shibunota, Shibuya's biggest department store.
"I JUST REMEMBERED!" Ran screamed, and she grabbed Yuya's shirt and dragged him towards the giant mob. Yuya's eyes widened as he realized that mob was mainly 100 kogals!
"Uh, Ran-chan, is this a good idea..?" Yuya asked, but he had no say in the matter-- Ran dragged him in regardless.
"The great thing about today is that all the stores are on Christmas Eve liquidation," she was saying. "Stores want to get their old-year stuff out fast, so they can fill up on new-year stuff! So today, and only today-- they're not open Christmas-- everyone who visits the store gets to come in and pick something, absolutely FREE!" she finished excitedly.
Before Yuya could say anything, (along the lines of "let's go") Ran dragged him over towards the jacket department. "OMG! Number Two, look at that jacket!" she squealed, hopping up and down.
Yuya looked. "You mean the one all those girls are fighting over?"
The jacket in discussion was a waist-length leather jacket, that zipped up at the front. Looking at the mob of girls in front of it, however, Yuya figured Ran wouldn't get it. Ha, not if he could do anything about it!
"Ran-chan, I got an idea! C'mere!" Yuya told Ran his idea, which Ran thought was genius. "Okay! I'll go wait over there then!" Ran raced off, and Yuya groaned. Still, he'd do anything for Ran...
"HEY EVERYONE! IT'S ME, HIGH SCHOOL HUNK NUMBER TWO, ASO YUYA! MAN IS IT HOT IN HERE! I WOULD TAKE OFF MY SHIRT, BUT I DON'T THINK I CAN GET THIS BUTTON UNDONE!" Yuya screamed in the loudest, most conspicuous way he could. He and Ran made eye contact, Ran ready to attack the jackets. You could cut the tension with a knife.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! IT'S REALLY HIM! IT'S ASO-KUN!" one girl with black hair said, squealing. "LET'S STRIP 'EM DOWN, AND AUCTION HIS CLOTHES ON THE INTERNET!" another screamed. "LET'S AUCTION HIM ON THE INTERNET!" another said. "LET'S JUST STRIP HIM DOWN!" yet another screamed.
Three, two, and one-- Yuya was mobbed by insane teenage girls, with one goal in mind-- get his clothes off! "RAN-CHAN! HELP!" Yuya wailed, trying to escape.
Ran attacked the jacket stands, where one girl remained, grabbing the jacket. "Hey!" Ran said angrily. "Number Two's over there!"
The girl shrugged. "Don't care! My heart belongs to Otohata-kun!" Ran raised an eyebrow, then reached out and snatched the jacket from her hands. "Hah! Merry Christmas!" she yelled.
Ran looked at the mob, then noticed Yuya on the ground crawling for his life. It looked like the girls had been successful in ripping his shirt off, and now they were determined to get his pants off! Ran, who had been watching these girls in love with Number Two attack him, felt oddly annoyed. That was weird, she never used to mind before...
With a shrug, she pulled the jacket on, (perfect fit) and stormed over to the mob, where she reached her hand into the mob and dug until she felt a mass of blonde hair. "That's gotta be Number Two," she said, and felt around until she felt someone grab her arm. "Ran-chan!" Yuya wailed, clinging to her arm. "Help!"
Ran, still grabbing Yuya's hand, pulled him to his feet (he was now shirtless, and his pants were falling down, showing everyone his cute bunny boxers) and looked at the mob below. Ran (who had been staring absentmindedly at Yuya's chest-- who would've known he had a 6-pack going?) shook her head to wake herself up.
Yuya shivered. "It's cold!" he whined, rubbing his bare arms to try and warm up. Ran giggled. She never really noticed how cute Number Two was until she'd seen him embarrassed and half-naked in front of a gazillion girls. "C'mon, Number Two, you can get a free shirt in here." Yuya nodded and pulled his pants back up, blushing since he knew she was looking at him. "What?" he asked.
Ran giggled again. "Nothing... 'cept your bunny boxers are so cute!" Yuya blushed ferociously and zipped his pants. "Uh... shirt..."
Yuya grabbed a shirt and pulled it on, Ran grabbed his hand, and they ran out the door, leaving the angry mob still lying there. One girl raised triumphantly, yelling, "I HAVE ASO-KUN'S SHIRT!"
"Thanks for saving me, Ran-chan," Yuya said, running a hand through his blonde hair to mess it up again. "20 more seconds in that mosh pit and I'd be a goner."
"Yeah, no problem," Ran answered, not really listening. What's wrong with me? she wondered. I've never felt this way around Number Two before!
"Ran-chan, are you listening to me?" Yuya asked, noticing Ran was zoned out. "Huh?" Ran said, waking up.
"I SAID, do you want to get something to eat?" Yuya asked. "OK!" Ran said excitedly. She was always in the mood for food!
"Alright then! I told Rei I'd meet up with him a little later, before midnight..." Yuya said, and noticed once again Ran wasn't paying attention.
"Number Two! Look!" Ran said, pointing.
Yuya looked. A photographer was standing in front of the gigantic Christmas Tree, taking pictures and selling them to people. "You want to get our picture taken?" Yuya asked.
"OK! C'mon!" Ran yelled, dragging him over to the tree.
After about 20 minutes of boring, silent waiting time, (Yuya couldn't think of anything to say to Ran) the cameraman finally said, "Next!"
"That's us! C'mon!" Ran said, and dragged Yuya in front of the tree, posing with a big peace sign and her hand on her hip, apparently forgetting about Yuya. "Oh, shoot! C'mere, Number Two!" she said, and flung her arms around Yuya's waist and rested her head on his shoulder. Yuya, (hoping the radiant blush on his face wouldn't show up on the camera, put his arms around Ran.
"Alright, say cheese..." the photographer said. "Cheese!" Ran and Yuya said in unison. The photographer took the picture, it printed out of the camera, and before he gave it to them he said, "Alright, pay up!"
"How much?" Yuya asked, fishing out his wallet. "Just 1,500 yen for 'em both. Christmas discount," the photographer replied.
"1,500 yen?" Yuya said incredulously. Ran thought for a minute, then grabbed Yuya's shoulder and hissed in his ear, "Follow my lead!"
Yuya shrugged and stayed quiet as Ran said, "1,500 yen, huh? So... how 'bout you let me see 'em? Just to make sure they're good..."
Reluctantly, the photographer let Ran see the pictures. "Wow, those are some nice pics... great use of flash! Don't ya think, Yuya?"
"Huh? Oh, um, yeah, they're great!" he agreed. "I'm glad you think so. Now PAY UP," the photographer said.
Ran turned to Yuya and yelled, "RUN!" Both of them ran, continuing a fast pace until they were far, far, away.
"Man, that's the third time today!" the photographer grumbled.
"Here ya go, Number Two! Merry Christmas!" Ran said, handing a picture to Yuya when they stopped running. "Thanks Ran-chan!" Yuya said, looking at it. His face had a definite pink tone to it, but hey, he was ALSO hugging Kotobuki Ran, so he was happy!
"Oh yeah, about getting something to eat... Rei said he was going to take Aya-chan out to some movie and then they were getting something to eat at the McDonald's in Shibu-cen. Wanna go see if we can find 'em?" Yuya said, grinning a little.
"Alright! C'mon!" Ran said. She grabbed Yuya's hand again and they took off.
Unfortunately for Ran and Yuya, they DIDN'T notice one of the Gangals, (the really tan chicks) and a date, hiding behind the fountain they were walking by.
"So you DON'T like being mobbed by girls?" Ran was saying, as they walked down the street. "NO," Yuya answered. "I HATE it! All these girls, attacking me, trying to take my stuff, trying to kiss my face, trying to tickle me, rip my hair out... this crazy girl took my drivers' license the other day!"
"...Ran? Where did you-- AAAH!" Yuya yelped. Ran had slowed down a little and tackled him from behind. "Y'mean, you hate it when I do... THIS?" Ran said, laughing evilly as she tickled Yuya.
"Raaaan! Cut it out!" Yuya whined, in between fits of laughter. "I'm really ticklish! Stop it!" Although his face was getting pink from laughing so much, it was also quite embarrassing for Ran to have her arms wrapped around him, tickling him.
"That does it Ran, I'm outta here!" Yuya whined, and broke off into a run. "Number Two! Come back!" Ran wailed, chasing after him.
Yuya ran past the Gangal, without even noticing her, but when Ran ran by her, she stuck her leg out and tripped her.
"AAAAHHH!" Ran wailed, and fell flat on her face.
"Ran? What happened?" Yuya asked, turning around. Ran stood up, obviously annoyed. "I tripped!" She noticed the Gangal. "AAAAAHHH! It's YOU!" she said angrily.
"Yeah! Get your friggen snout away from Aso-kun!" Gangal said angrily. "WHAT? I thought you liked Otohata! And besides, I happen to LIKE Number Two, so screw off!" Ran said angrily.
Yuya's ears perked up. "She likes me!" he said happily. Ran overheard. "O' course I like you, Number Two! You're one o' my best friends!"
"As for YOU," she said, turning to the Gangal, "You've got some nerve! I'll beat your butt just like I always do!"
"Oh yeah? TAKERU!" the Gangal said, whipping up her boyfriend. "Oh snap, it's Kotobuki! I'm not getting punched in the face again!" Takeru whined.
"Then take Aso-kun! If he's siding with Kotobuki, he's a lost cause!" Gangal said angrily, pushing Takeru towards Yuya.
Ran looked a little worried. "Number Two..."
"It's alright, Ran, I got this guy," Yuya said, glaring at Takeru. Ran still wasn't sure about it, but was interrupted by Gangal attacking her.
"AAARGH!" Ran said angrily. She got up and angrily swung at the girl, who blocked and swung back.
Yuya was watching Ran fight, almost mesmerized that a girl that cute could fight so damn well... then forgot about Takeru, and got pounded in the head. "Ow!" Yuya said angrily, turning around and kicking him in the throat.
The Gangal stopped fighting Ran and yelled, "TAKERU! Get UP!" causing Ran to knock her over. She got up, and pushed Ran right into the cold waters of the fountain.
"ARRGH!" Ran said angrily. "RAAAAN!" Yuya wailed, running over to her. "Are you OK?" he asked, pulling her out of the cold water.
"Y-yeah, but my leg's hurt... LOOK OUT!" Ran yelled, pointing. Yuya could tell Takeru was right behind him, so he reached behind him, grabbed his arm, and hurled him over his shoulder, and he landed with a SPLASH in the cold water. "Who says pretty boys can't fight?" he said triumphantly.
"Number Two!" Ran said incredulously. Who knew he could do THAT! she wondered. Maybe asking him to hang out with her today WAS a bad thing-- she was falling for him!
"You... stupid... I HATE YOU, KOTOBUKI!" Gangal screamed, and swung at Ran again. "Whoa!" Ran said angrily, standing up despite her hurt leg. "I didn't throw your boyfriend in the pool!"
"I DON'T CARE! I'm gonna TAKE YOU DOWN a few pegs, Kotobuki!" she screamed. "Don't trip!" Ran yelled, and swung her leg out, causing Gangal to trip right into the water, knocking right into Takeru, plunging them both in the water.
"Alright!" Ran said happily, hi-fiving Yuya. "Yeah us!" Yuya agreed.
The Gangal got up angrily. "THIS ISN'T OVER, KOTOBUKI! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME!" Unfortunately for her, her cheap tan (which appeared to be spray-on) was washing off, so she looked like a leper.
"Yeah, whatever, just remember... next time you're gonna buy a spray-on tan, make sure it's WATERPROOF!" Ran said, and she and Yuya both started laughing.
Takeru snickered a little, which earned him a punch in the face from Gangal. "LET'S GO!" she shrieked, got out of the pool, and stormed off. Takeru ran after her, clotting up his nosebleed.
"We got 'em!" Ran said happily, giving Yuya another hi-five. "I appreciate the help there, Number Two... and the dinner tip you're gonna pick up!"
Yuya grinned at her. "You got it, Ran-chan! What do you want to eat?"
"Hmmm..." Ran thought. "How 'bout the McDonald's in Shibu-cen?" she suggested. "We can throw water on Otohata and Aya's love scene!"
Yuya snickered. "I doubt it'll be that great, knowing Rei... but alright! Let's go!"
"One problem," Ran said sadly. "My leg hurts! I can't move!" she whined.
Yuya thought for a minute, then without a word leaned down, scooped Ran into his arms and carried her off. "Number Twoooooooo!" Ran whined. "Put me down!"
"Otohata-kun, this has been such a great night," Aya said dreamily. "Uh huh. I'm glad you had fun," Rei said, almost glad the night was almost over. He did like Aya quite a bit, but it was irritating having to make sure she was alright the whole time.
"This would be a great time for Yuya to show up..." Rei grumbled. Aya didn't hear.
At that exact moment, Yuya came in the door, carrying Ran. "Great," Rei growled. "He comes in LATE and brings Kotobuki!"
"Hey guys!" Yuya said happily. "What's wrong with Ran?" Aya asked.
"Nothin', I just got a little hurt in a fight..." Ran said, as Yuya set her down on a seat next to Aya.
"A fight?" Aya said incredulously. "On Christmas Eve?"
"Tell 'em all about it, Ran, I'll get us something to eat," Yuya said. "What do you want?"
"Two cheeseburgers, large fries, and some hot cocoa," Ran answered. "Thanks Number Two, you're the best!"
Yuya's face turned a little pink as he scurried off to get in line. Ran smiled happily. "Is he cute or what?"
Aya and Rei exchanged glances that said, "They like each other". Ran raised an eyebrow. "Alright, WTF up with the look?" she demanded.
"How was your night with Number Two-kun?" Aya asked casually.
"Fine..." Ran replied, a little uneasy. "Ummm... we, uh... were on TV... and..."
"A little embarrassed, Kotobuki?" Rei said.
"What the heck is your problem?" Ran said angrily. "We had a good time. Leave me alone."
"Kotobuki, you've probably already determined this, but... Yuya loves you," Rei said. "I want to make sure you didn't do anything tonight to break my best friend's heart."
"W-what?" Ran said, shocked. "N-number Two? He- he can't!"
"He does."
"No way!"
"Yes way."
"B-but... I always thought me and him were like, brother-sister! Not..."
"Kotobuki, if Yuya thinks of you as his sister, he has some pretty incestuous daydreams. Now stop acting like a kid." Rei said, annoyed.
Ran looked over at Yuya, still shocked.
"He loves you, Kotobuki. He's over there buying dinner for you with his own money because he loves you. He bought you those 3 billion dollar shoes for you because he loves you. He beat somebody up the other day because the guy insulted you because he loves you. Every time he sees you with another guy his heart breaks because he loves you. And I'm telling you all this because he's too shy to do it himself."
"B-but..."
"Kotobuki, as much as you want to deny it it's true. Yuya loves you, and if you don't love him quit wasting his time. You spent a whole day with him, I can't believe he hasn't told you yet."
Ran couldn't believe this. Yuya, love HER? No way!
"Otohata... how... how am I supposed to do this?"
"Do what?"
"Tell him that I love him too."
"If you're going to-- wait, WHAT did you say?"
"I do love him. I guess I always have... but today, I realized how nice he was, how cute he was... but I have no idea what to do! How am I supposed to tell him?"
"Figure it out, Kotobuki. I've helped you out this much-- the rest is up to you," Rei replied.
"Speaking of, here comes Number Two-kun!" Aya said.
Ran looked scared. "Oh no. What do I do?" she asked.
"Act natural." Rei replied.
"Hey, Number Two!" Ran said, waving at him. Yuya smiled at her. "Hey, Ran. You feeling alright?"
"Yeah, just fine," Ran replied, keeping it cool. "Those fries for me?"
"You bet. Dig in," Yuya said, unwrapping his Chicken Sandwich, or whatever the hell they're called, the author stopped caring.
Rei checked his watch. "20 minutes 'til Christmas."
Ran nodded. "I heard that a bunch of guys in blimps are going to dump a ton of artificial snow on Shibu-cen! We gotta go see that!" she said excitedly.
Yuya grinned at her. "Well, eat fast!"
20 LONG MINUTES OF POINTLESS CONVERSATION LATER
"Number Two, c'mon! It'll be Christmas in 2 minutes!" Ran said happily. "Alright, let's go!" Yuya said, standing up. He scooped Ran up again, and without another word they raced outside.
Rei glanced at Aya. "C'mon, we don't want to miss the fireworks," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her to the window.
"Fireworks?" Aya said, confused. "I thought it was snow!"
So naive. "I meant fireworks as in Yuya and Kotobuki," Rei explained.
Outside, a big clock was counting the seconds. "20 more seconds!" Yuya said excitedly. Ran was leaning against him, (she was too independent to be carried, but she didn't mind snuggling with the guy she currently loved) planning her next move. Look out, Number Two... Ran thought.
"Sure is a nice night, eh Ran?" Yuya said, smiling down at her. Perfect timing, he thought, looking directly at the sprig of mistletoe above them. "Ran, I... I... I... I luh..."
That was all the inspiration Ran needed. She leaned over, but before she could finally kiss Yuya...
...when a tall, short-haired blonde slammed into them and pushed them out of the way, knocking Yuya to the floor and knocking Ran on top of him. "Ouch!" Yuya and Ran complained.
(that was Miyu)
"Yamato-kun!" Miyu squealed. "Mistletoe! You're kissing me tonight!" Yamato looked embarrassed (not even noticing his little sister on the ground, snuggling with the boy who kept getting stuck in high places)
"AAARGH," Yuya complained. "Ran, I-"
Not even caring that she was in front of her brother and her best friend, or the fact that they were lying on the ground, or the fact that they were no longer under the mistletoe, Ran leaned over and planted a kiss on Yuya's lips as the clock struck midnight, and the snow was dumped out of the blimps.
Ran was quite surprised at her initiative, but was even more surprised when Yuya grabbed her and pulled her closer. They stood there, kissing in the artificial snow, not a care to the rest of the world.
To Ran, the snow made every thing perfect. She was cold, she was scared and nervous about her first kiss... but once their lips met all of that disappeared. Those thirty seconds felt like forever and to Ran, it felt like the world stopped spinning and time stopped ticking just for them.
Ran pulled his face closer to hers, making sure their lips never lost contact. When they finally pulled apart, Ran heard everything, the snow falling, Yuya's breath on her face, the cheers of people around, everything. They just stood there looking at each other entwined in each other arms.
Inside the McDonalds, Rei and Aya watched. "Geez," Rei muttered. Aya, on the other hand, was looking at Rei with a determined look on her face. Without another word, she leaned over and kissed Rei on his mouth.
"A-aya?" Rei said, shocked.
"Merry Christmas, Rei-kun," Aya said happily.
(I put that in there for all the Rei/Aya fans :P)
BACK OUTSIDE
"Ran... I love you..." Yuya said breathlessly, still in a happy shock after what happened. "I... I love you too, Numb-- I mean... Yuya," Ran said, correcting herself.
"Y-you do know my name!" Yuya said happily. "Well, yeah. Besides, I can't call you Number Two... when you're Number One for me," Ran said happily.
Yuya leaned in to kiss her again, but before he could...
"RAN!" a voice screamed. Ran sat up, annoyed, and looked terrified. "Oh great. It's my dad," Ran whined. "Hurry, get up!" she urged, pulling Yuya from the ground.
Yamato and Miyu (still hadn't kissed yet, mind you) looked up. "Great, it's my dad," Yamato grumbled. "Hey, you're over 18, you can do what you want!" Miyu reminded him.
"RAN!" Kotobuki Taizo said angrily. He and Ran's mother both stormed up, looking angry. "Who is this boy?"
"Wait, Taizo, he looks familiar," Kiyoka, (Ran's mom) said. "Why... YOU'RE the boy I pulled over for speeding last summer!"
"Err... yeah, that's me..." Yuya said sheepishly.
"And YOU'RE the same boy who was arrested for crank-calling those people for money with my daughter last spring!" Mr. Kotobuki said angrily.
"Yeah, but we got off innocent for that!" Yuya said angrily. "It was an IMPOSTER!"
"You're STILL a bad influence for Ran! You're a criminal!" Mr. Kotobuki said.
"You're a speeder!" Mrs. Kotobuki said.
"You're Ran's new boyfriend!" Sayo, appearing out of nowhere, (as usual) said, running up and giving her sister's new boyfriend a hug.
"HA! Take THAT!" Ran said triumphantly. "Mom, Dad, have some faith in me! If Yuya was a bad guy, I'd kick 'em to the curb! Trust me, for once!"
Mr. and Mrs. Kotobuki exchanged glances. "...alright," Mr. Kotobuki reluctantly agreed. "But if we hear about any trouble you two caused, you're through!" Mrs. Kotobuki added.
"Oh, and none of this... how do you kids say it? Making out! None of that, you hear?" Mr. Kotobuki said.
Yuya and Ran exchanged glances. "OK," Ran agreed.
"Mom, Dad, where've you been?" Sayo asked, shocked. "Didn't you just see 'em? They were kissin' like there was no tomorrow!"
"SAYO!" Ran screamed angrily. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!" Sayo wailed, running for her life. "COME ON!" Ran said, grabbing Yuya by his arm and chasing after Sayo.
"DID YOU HEAR THAT, MOTHER? QUICK, LET'S GET OUR DAUGHTER BEFORE SHE DISOBEYS US AGAIN!" Mr. Kotobuki hollered. "COME ON, YAMATO!" Mrs. Kotobuki added.
"Aww, MAN!" Miyu whined, as Yamato took up the chase.
"Is your family ALWAYS this noisy?" Yuya asked, sprinting to keep up with Ran. Man, she's FAST! he grumbled. Note to self: If he was going to be Ran's boyfriend, he would have to run faster!
"Yeah, but you get used to it after 16 years," Ran yelled, still chasing her little sister.
Yuya shrugged. So maybe when he was 32, he'd get used to the crazy Kotobuki family, but hey, he had Ran-chan, so it wouldn't be too bad at all. "Whatever!" he said, still running.
Miyu watched the whole crazy parade, with a gloomy sigh. "Dammit! Am I EVER gonna get that kiss from Yamato-kun?" she said angrily.
THE END
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