Warmth on Christmas Eve
Hey everyone, it's Christmas time and I thought I do a one-shot BNA: Brand New Animal story. I hope you all enjoy it and leave a comment behind to say what you think about it.
Summary
It's Christmas time and Michiru is excited for it. She had hoped to spend Christmas with Nazuna and her parents, who were coming to visit her in Anima City. But things don't go as planned, and Michiru winds up feeling abandoned and alone near Christmas Eve. Yet that all changes when Michiru realizes that she isn't alone as she celebrates Christmas within Anima City. Not when the young tanuki wolf's guardian is around to help comfort her. That is when Michiru discovers a new warmth from the friends, and family she has made in Anima City.
Winter had come to Anima City and all of the civilians were getting ready for the Christmas holiday. Michiru was also excited about Christmas as well, though for a different reason. She was excited about spending Christmas with Nazuna and her parents, who said that they would come to visit her in Anima City. It had been half a year since Michiru had last seen her parents. So, she was filled with joy that they were coming to Anima City to spend the holiday with her.
'It also helps that Mayor Rose is allowing humans into the city now too.' Michiru thought to herself as she helped Melissa and Gem decorate the tree. 'I can't wait for my parents to arrive and take them on a tour through Anima City. But before that, Nazuna and I will do a bit of Christmas shopping tomorrow.'
The thought of spending time with her best friend made Michiru smile. Last year had been difficult for the young tanuki girl when she had suddenly changed from being a normal human to a beastman. She had been forced to drop out of school and hide in her bedroom for a year until she discovered the Anima City's website. It had also been the same year that she hadn't been able to celebrate Christmas with her parents.
'But this year will be different,' thought Michiru with a large smile upon her face. 'I'll be able to spend Christmas with my parents and Nazuna.'
Michiru was wearing new clothing she had bought with her own money, which she had earn by working at the Beastmen Cooperative. She wore a white long sleeved V-neck sweater over top a grey undershirt and blue jeans. But she still wore her old sneakers.
Michiru had just placed another decoration on the branch of the Christmas tree when she felt something land on her head. The young tanuki looked up and smiled when she saw Kuro sitting on her head. The crow sat with his eyes closed and a content expression upon his face.
"Hey, Kuro," greeted Michiru cheerfully.
The crow let out a coo as he sat perched on top of Michiru's head. Melissa chuckled at the humorous sight before she spoke up.
"He sure likes to sit on your head a lot, doesn't he?"
"Yeah," replied Michiru with a shrug of her shoulders. "I guess you could say that it's his favorite place to rest now."
"Well, it seems he's developed a fondness for being around you," spoke Gem as he peeked out from around the Christmas tree.
"Probably," said Michiru with a smile as she turned her gaze upwards to look at Kuro. "Or maybe he just sees me as another perch to sit on when he's tired of flying around."
"That could also be another reason," said Melissa with a chuckle.
The trio began to laugh before Michiru remembered one occupant that wasn't with them: "Hey, where's Shirou? I thought that he would be helping us with decorating the tree this afternoon."
"He said he had work today," replied Melissa as she placed another ornament on the tree. "But he'll be home before dinner tonight."
"I'm not surprised," spoke Gem as he handed Michiru another box full of decorations. "What with the Christmas Festival coming up and more humans coming into Anima City. He's going to be quite busy with helping the police in making sure that it goes well this year."
"Can't really blame him," said Michiru as she placed a small figuring on one of the branches of the Christmas tree. "After what happened at Anima City's ten-year anniversary. Anyone would be a little on edge about another terrorist attack happing again."
"Yes," replied Melissa with a nod of her head. "Luckily nobody had gotten hurt from that incident."
'And I was lucky that Shirou saved me back then too. Otherwise, I would have been crushed by that jumbotron.' Michiru thought quietly to herself as she remembered what had happened when she had first come to Anima City.
It had been a close call, but she was glad that Shirou had saved her back then, despite the two of them getting off on the wrong foot. Michiru continued to decorate the tree with Melissa and Gem before they finished. After that they all sat down together with a cup of green tea. They talked about random things for a bit before the topic of tomorrow came up.
"So, what will you be doing tomorrow, Michiru?" asked Gem curious as he lifted his cup up to his lips.
"I'm going to be doing a bit of Christmas shopping with Nazuna," replied Michiru with a smile.
"That's nice," replied Melissa with a friendly smile. "I think it would be a good idea for you two to spend time with each other."
"Especially with how busy she's been these last few weeks," added Gem after taking a sip of his tea.
Michiru nodded in agreement before staring down at her cup with a distant expression upon her face.
'Hopefully it will help in closing the gap between us too,' thought Michiru quietly to herself.
Half a year had gone by and in that time, Michiru found that Nazuna had been busier with her idol career. In that time, Michiru felt like their friendship was dwindling as Nazuna focused on being an idol than spending time with her. Michiru was hoping that tomorrow would help her rekindle their friendship with each other.
Night soon came over Anima City and we now find Michiru standing on the roof of the Beastman Co-op. She stared out at the city that was now covered in freshly fallen snow with a smile upon her face. The young tanuki wore her red sports jacket with a dark blue scarf wrapped around her neck. She let her thoughts wander as she reminisced about her old life back in her hometown with a smile. She remembered how she would play around in the snow with her friends, while her parents watched from the sidelines with amused smiles upon their faces. That had been one of the best years of her life. Along with spending time with her parents, who would take her out skating on a frozen pond that was just outside of town.
'I really miss those days,' thought Michiru quietly to herself.
Suddenly, she was brought out of her musings when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. Michiru turned to look over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Shirou walking towards her. He was in his human form and was wearing his usual sweater, chinos and shoes. But instead of wearing his usual trench coat, he wore a midnight blue jacket with a fur lined collar. Shirou had his gloved hands shoved into his jacket pockets as he came to stand beside Michiru.
"Hey, Shirou," greeted Michiru cheerfully.
Shirou only nodded with a tired expression upon his face. Michiru noticed this and gave the wolf beastman a sympathetic smile before speaking again.
"I'm guessing you had a hard day of work, huh?"
"You have no idea," grumbled Shirou as he pulled his right hand out of his pocket and tiredly ran it through his hair. "But at least things are moving smoothly, and there doesn't seem to be any suspicious behavior as of late."
"That's good," said Michiru with a smile. "Hopefully we won't have to worry about anyone ruining the Christmas Festival."
"That still doesn't mean we should let our guard down though," said Shirou in a firm voice as he shoved his hand back into his pocket.
Michiru gave Shirou a pout before letting out a defeated sigh as she turned her head away from him. She knew better than to get into an argument about him loosening up and not worrying about things going wrong.
'There's just no getting around his stubborn attitude. Not when it comes to his job of being the protector of the Anima City,' thought Michiru quietly to herself.
Michiru and Shirou stood together in silence for a moment before the wolf beastman spoke up suddenly: "Melissa and Gem told me that you planned on spending the day with that Fox Idol tomorrow."
Michiru rolled her eyes up in amusement when Shirou said 'Fox Idol'. She knew that Shirou still wasn't on friendly terms with Nazuna. But the young tanuki also knew that Nazuna wasn't exactly putting much effort in getting to know Shirou either. The two usual ignored each other whenever they stood in the same room together. Still though, it was better than having the two of them clawing at each other's throats. She turned to look at Shirou with an excited smile upon her face.
"Yeah," replied Michiru as her tail wagged gently behind her. "I'm going over to her apartment tomorrow to ask her if she wants to come Christmas shopping with me."
"And if she says no?" asked Shirou as he looked down at Michiru with narrowed eyes.
Michiru's tail stopped mid-wag as the young tanuki looked up at Shirou in disbelief. She then turned her head away from him as a displeased expression appeared on her face. But it also held a hint of worry at the thought of Nazuna saying 'no' to her offer. Michiru quickly shook her head as she turned to give Shirou a wavering smile.
"I-I'm sure she won't say 'no' to shopping," said Michiru in strained voice before looking away from Shirou again. "Besides, she'll probably be glad to have a break from being an idol for a while."
Her smile then dropped as doubt began to rise up inside her heart before adding in a quiet voice: "...maybe."
Shirou's expression softened slightly as he stared down at Michiru, who now leaned against the railing with her chin resting on top of her arms. The wolf beastman had noticed how Michiru's friendship with Nazuna had been dwindling in the passing year. The fox girl had been more focused on being an idol than hanging out with her tanuki friend. Michiru would insist that Nazuna was just busy, but as days passed, he noticed that the young tanuki was becoming less like her usual self. Shirou had always been more used to seeing the young tanuki being more energetic than being depressed. The sight of seeing his friend being sad would always pull at the wolf's heart whenever he saw her this way. Michiru continued to look out at the city with half-lidded eyes before they widened slightly when she felt Shirou resting a hand on her head.
"I guess all you can do is ask her tomorrow," said Shirou as he gently patted the young tanuki's head.
A small smile appeared on Michiru's face as she felt warmth rise up within her chest. Despite him being gruff and unfriendly most of the time, Shirou was actually someone Michiru could really talk to whenever she needed to get something off her chest. The young tanuki felt like she had created a somewhat strong bond with the wolf beastman during her time within Anima City.
The two beastmen stood on the roof for a while before they decided to head back inside. Michiru was given a new guest room a few days ago after discovering how cold her rooftop bedroom became during the winter season. She had to admit that the bed within the new guest room was more comfortable than the one up in the rooftop bedroom. Michiru changed into her new pajamas, which were a long-sleeved white top and light blue pajama bottoms, before slipping underneath the covers of the bed. The young tanuki let out a sigh as she snuggled into the blankets with a smile appearing on her face. She was positive that things will be alright tomorrow.
Tomorrow soon arrived that day as Michiru headed over to Nazuna's apartment that afternoon. She made her way up to the second floor of the apartment building before she came to stand in front of Nazuna's door. She raised her right arm up and knocked on the door's surface with her knuckle.
"Who is it?" Nazuna's voice called from the other side of the door.
"Hey, Nazuna! It's me, Michiru! You mind if I come in?"
"Oh, sure," answered Nazuna in a casual voice.
Michiru opened the door to Nazuna's room and walked in before pausing at what she saw in front of her. Laying on the ground were three traveling bags with one already full, while the other two were half full of clothes. One of the bags was filled with some of Nazuna's idol dresses that she would wear for her concerts, while the other held her casual clothing. Michiru frowned at the bags for a moment before glancing up at Nazuna, who was looking over some of the clothes she had pulled out from her closet.
Nazuna was wearing a long-sleeved lavender blue sweater and blue jeans. The fox-girl was inspecting an idol dress she held in her hands as Michiru stared at her friend in confusion. Nazuna frowned at the dress before throwing it onto the bed again.
"I'll leave this dress behind," said Nazuna before she picked up another one.
Michiru watched Nazuna for a moment before she spoke: "Um...Nazuna, what are you doing?"
"I'm packing, what does it look like?" replied Nazuna in a voice that held a hint of exasperation in it.
"What do you mean 'you're packing'?" questioned Michiru as she stared at her friend in disbelief. "W-where are you going?"
Nazuna turned to look at Michiru with a raised eyebrow, while frowning at her before answering the tanuki's question.
"I'm going to New York to perform at the Christmas and New Year concerts," answered Nazuna in a casual voice. "I sent you an email on your phone two days ago telling you about it."
Michiru frowned before she pulled out her smartphone and began to look through her emails. After a minute of looking, a scowl formed on Michiru's face when she didn't see the email that Nazuna had claimed she sent to her.
"I don't see your email on my phone anywhere, Nazuna," said Michiru as she held her phone out to show her friend.
Nazuna frowned as she took Michiru's phone. She began to scroll through it and saw that her message wasn't on there.
"That's strange. I was sure that I sent you an email two days ago." Nazuna said before shrugging and handed the smartphone back to Michiru, who took it and placed the phone back into her jacket pocket. "Oh well, at least you now know what I'm doing this Christmas."
"That's not the point!" exclaimed Michiru as she glared at her friend. "You should have told me in person that you were going to New York to perform."
"I was busy with other things," said Nazuna as she turned away from Michiru. "Being an idol is not easy you know, so I don't have time to meet with obsessed fans. I especially don't have time in my schedule to hang out with you every day. Honestly, sometimes you can be so selfish, Michiru."
Michiru's eyes widened slightly at what Nazuna had just said before clenching her hands into fists. Michiru glared at her friend for a moment before bowing her head as her bangs covered her eyes from view. Nazuna didn't take any notice as she was looking at another dress that she had pulled out from her closet.
"Anyway, I guess I should give you your Christmas gift since you came all this way to my apartment to get it," said Nazuna in a bored voice.
Nazuna placed the dress she was holding down on the bed and walked towards her bedroom desk to grab a flat rectangular present. It was wrapped in pink wrapping paper with a small white bow on top. She held the present out to Michiru with a bored expression upon her face.
"Here, take this and leave me alone for a while. I have a lot of packing to do, and I need to find the right dresses to wear for my performances in New York."
Michiru didn't reach out for the present or look up at Nazuna. Instead, she turned and began to head towards the door. Nazuna blinked in confusion as she watched Michiru walk away from her before speaking again.
"Wait, don't you want your present?"
Michiru paused as her hand rested on the door handle before she spoke in a voice that held an edge of disappointment in it: "I don't want your gift, Nazuna."
Nazuna raised an eyebrow at her friend: "That's a surprise. Usually, you would bug me about giving you gifts on your birthday or when Christmas came around."
"Let's just say people change," said Michiru without turning to look at her friend before opening the door. "I'm sorry for bothering you, and I hope you have a good time in New York."
Once she was outside, Michiru closed the door behind her with a harsh slam, which caused Nazuna to flinch slightly in surprise. Nazuna stared at the bedroom door in confusion before shrugging and placing the gift down on her bedroom desk again.
"I'll deliver Michiru her gift this evening before I leave tomorrow," said Nazuna as she picked up the previous dress that she put down. "I'm sure she'll like it. Especially since her parents told me that they were also going to be spending Christmas in New York too."
Michiru walked out of the apartment and made her way down the street with her hands shoved into her jacket pockets. Her eyes were cast down towards the ground as she walked in a random direction. A sad expression was etched upon Michiru's face as she shoved her hands further into her jacket pockets.
'I guess she really has changed,' thought Michiru quietly to herself. 'She loves her idol career more than hanging out with me.'
The young tanuki continued to walk down the street for a while before coming to the park. Michiru soon came upon one of the park benches and brushed away a bit of snow off from the seat before sitting down. She let out a small sigh as she leaned back against the bench, while staring down a her hands that rested in her lap. Michiru began to think over what Nazuna had just said to her and the young tanuki couldn't help but clench her hands into fists.
'Does our friendship really not matter to her anymore?' questioned Michiru angrily as a single tear rolled down her right cheek. 'Does she only see me as another annoyance in her life?'
Michiru continued to sit on the bench as her body trembled in anger and sadness before she heard the sound of feet walking up to her. Michiru decided to ignore the footsteps as she thought that it was only a civilian passing by.
"Michiru?" spoke a young female voice curiously.
Michiru blinked in surprise and looked up to see Nina standing in front of her. Nina was wearing a light blue winter Lolita long coat dress and light blue winter high heel boots. Hanging from her left shoulder was a light pink purse.
"Oh, hey Nina," said Michiru before raising a hand up to wipe away the tears.
"Are you okay?" asked Nina as she walked over to Michiru with a look of concern on her face.
"Yeah," replied Michiru as she gave Nina a small smile. "I just...have a lot on my mind right now."
"Like Christmas preparations?" questioned Nina with a cheerful smile. "I know what you mean. I've been busy with some Christmas shopping myself and I still have so much to do."
Michiru raised an eyebrow as her small smile changed into a playful one: "I'm guessing you snuck out of your house again to walk around Anima City by yourself, huh?"
"Hmm...kind of," answered Nina with a smile. "I told my dad that I was going shopping, but I didn't really tell him that I was going out by myself."
"Why am I not surprised," said Michiru with a chuckle.
"Oh, I know!" exclaimed Nina as she clapped her hands together. "Why don't you come Christmas shopping with me? That way I won't be alone and it'll be more fun to have some company with me."
Michiru looked at Nina in surprise and frowned slightly as she thought over the dolphin-girl's offer. After a minute of contemplation, Michiru smiled and stood up from the bench.
"Sure," said Michiru with a nod of her head. "I would love to go Christmas shopping with you."
"Then let's go!" exclaimed Nina cheerfully as she grabbed Michiru's hand and began to lead her down the path. "I know this great shop just down the street that has some cool clothing accessories."
Michiru followed Nina as she felt a small comfort in hanging out with at least one friend for today. Though the words that Nazuna had said back in the apartment still stung within the tanuki's heart.
'It's best not to think about her right now,' thought Michiru quietly to herself. 'I should just focus on shopping and nothing else.'
It was a hour later that Michiru came back to the Beastmen Co-op before nightfall. Hanging from each of her arms, Michiru held four large shopping bags. She closed the door behind her before letting out a tired sigh.
"Whoa...Nina sure loves to shop," muttered Michiru quietly to herself before a smile appeared on her face. "But I have to admit, it was fun hanging out with her today."
Michiru took off her shoes before walking over to a row of slippers, which sat on the carpet near the front door. She just slipped on her blue slippers when Michiru suddenly felt the familiar weight of a certain crow land on her head.
"Hey there Kuro," greeted Michiru as she looked up at the crow. "How has your day been at the Cooperative?"
Kuro only responded by letting out a quiet caw with his face harboring a bored expression. Michiru smiled up in sympathy at the bird on top of her head.
"I guess you were pretty bored around here, huh," stated Michiru with a chuckle.
Kuro cawed once again as if to say 'yes' as he settled down within Michiru's hair. The young tanuki giggled before she began to walk down the hallway. She soon came to the doors of the living room and opened them to see Melissa on the couch reading a book.
"I'm back," announced Michiru with a smile.
"Welcome home," greeted Melissa as she looked up from the book she was reading. "Did you and Nazuna have fun shopping today?"
"Uh...well," started Michiru before she paused for a second then answered Melissa's question. "She was busy with other things today so she couldn't come shopping with me. Also, she's going to New York to attend two concerts for Christmas and New Year's Eve."
"Oh I see," said Melissa as a sad smile appeared on her face. "I guess you had to do a bit of Christmas shopping on your own then, huh?"
Michiru shook her head as she gave Melissa a reassuring smile: "I actually went shopping with Nina today. She showed me some clothing and gift shops that I didn't know about within Anima City."
"That's good to hear," said Melissa as a relieved expression appeared on her face. "I'm glad that you had a friend accompanying on your shopping trip."
"Yeah, me too," said Michiru with a smile before she became tense. "Uh...Mrs. Melissa. Mr. Gem and Shirou aren't here right now, are they?"
Melissa looked at Michiru curiously for a moment before answering her question: "Well, Gem went out to visit some friends at the moment. As for Shirou, he's out helping the police with making sure that security is strengthened before the Christmas Festival. Why do you ask?"
"I wanted to make sure that they aren't here when I'm wrapping their presents," answered Michiru with a smile. "I don't want them coming into my room and seeing what I've bought for them."
"That would be a big problem if they were here," said Melissa with a chuckle.
"You can say that again," spoke Michiru before she turned to look up at Kuro. "I also can't have you in my room right now either, Kuro."
Kuro opened his eyes and looked down at Michiru curiously as if asking 'Why not?'.
"I also bought you some presents, and I don't want you seeing them until Christmas," explained Michiru in a gentle but firm voice. "Would you mind waiting in here with Mrs. Melissa until I'm finished?"
Kuro gave a lazy nod before he flew over to where Melissa sat and landed on the back of the couch. He then closed his eyes and fell asleep on his new perch.
"Thanks, Kuro," said Michiru before she looked at Melissa. "I'll be in my room for a while, but let me know when Shirou and Mr. Gem come back, okay?"
"Sure dear," replied Melissa with a nod.
"Thanks. See you later," said Michiru as she closed the door and headed to her bedroom.
Melissa chuckled in amusement, then went back to reading her book. She read about two pages before the doorbell to the Co-op building rang. Melissa placed a bookmark within the book before putting it down on the couch. She then stood up and headed towards the front door. When she opened it, it revealed Nazuna standing there. The fox-girl was wearing a light pink winter coat and white snow boots.
"Oh, hello Nazuna," greeted Melissa with a smile.
"Hi," said Nazuna with a smile of her own.
"Have you come to visit with Michiru?" asked Melissa curiously.
"Oh, no. I just came by to deliver Michiru's present since I have to catch my plane at six tomorrow morning," answered Nazuna as she pulled out Michiru's present from her jacket pocket. "She forgot to take it after leaving my apartment in a huff for no reason."
"I see," said Melissa as she took the gift from Nazuna. "I'll make sure that she gets it then."
"Thanks," said Nazuna before she added one more thing. "Also, tell Michiru that she can open her present any time when she's not distracted with other things. Just so long as it's before Christmas."
Melissa gave Nazuna a curious look before nodding her head: "Oh, of course."
"Thanks again," said Nazuna as she turned and headed back to her apartment.
Melissa watched Nazuna for a moment with a light frown upon her face before letting out a sigh and spoke in a low voice.
"That girl. She's always so busy that she doesn't really have time to be around Michiru anymore."
Melissa then turned and closed the front door before she looked at Michiru's gift with a raised eyebrow.
"I wonder why Nazuna wants Michiru to open this gift before Christmas?"
After looking at the gift for a moment, Melissa decided to give Nazuna's gift to Michiru later after the young tanuki had finished with her wrapping. She then went back to the living room to finish reading her book.
An hour passed before Michiru finally emerged from her room with a happy smile on her face. She walked into the living room and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead.
"I'm done," said Michiru as she turned to look at Melissa, who gazed up at her with a smile.
"Did you get all of Shirou's, Gem's, Kuro's and my gifts all wrapped?" questioned Melissa.
"Yep," answered Michiru with a nod of her head. "I'll be placing them under the tree after dinner tonight."
"Alright then," said Melissa before she quickly remembered Michiru's gift. "Oh...I almost forgot. Nazuna came by just an hour ago."
Michiru blinked at the mention of Nazuna and frowned slightly: "Why was she here?"
"She came by to drop off your present," answered Melissa as she picked up the gift from the coffee table and handed it to Michiru.
Michiru took the gift and looked at it for a moment before Melissa added one more thing to the young tanuki.
"She said that you can open that gift anytime as long as it's before Christmas."
Michiru stared at Melissa in surprise before looking down at the present in her hand again. She then turned her eyes on Melissa again and gave the wombat beast-woman a smile.
"Thanks. I'll take a look at it later," said Michiru. "I'm just going to head to my room and take a quick nap before dinner."
"Okay dear," said Melissa with a nod of her head.
Michiru turned and began to head towards the door before Kuro suddenly decided to perch on her head again. The young tanuki looked up at the crow in surprise before shrugging. She then walked out of the living room and headed towards her bedroom. Once she left, Melissa's smile dropped as a look of concern appeared on her face. She may not be Michiru's mother, but Melissa couldn't help feeling like something was wrong. She noticed how Michiru hadn't reacted enthusiastic at the mention of her friend's name.
'I wonder if something happened between them,' thought Melissa quietly to herself.
Michiru sat on the bed within her bedroom as she looked down at Nazuna's gift. Kuro sat on the bed beside her as the crow looked up at her curiously. A light frown was imprinted upon Michiru's face as she stared down the gift before Kuro let out a small caw. Michiru looked over at him for a moment, then glanced down at the present again. After a moment, Michiru began to slowly unwrap the paper to see what was inside. She blinked in confusion when she saw a white envelope. Michiru stared at the envelope for a moment before opening it to see what it held inside. She pulled out the item within the envelope and saw a plane ticket for New York City. Michiru stared at the ticket for a while, then placed it on the bedside table before flopping down onto her bed. Kuro flew up into the air at the sudden action before landing back down on the bed again. He then gazed at Michiru in concern. He let out another caw that held a note of worry and sadness in it. Michiru didn't look at Kuro as she pressed the side of her head into the pillow. After a minute of silence, Michiru finally spoke in a voice that held sadness and a hint of anger within it.
"Nazuna really has changed when it comes to not telling me these things. She said that she'd sent an email to me through my phone, but when I looked through my messages it wasn't there. Now she gives me a plane ticket to go to see her in New York City? How can I go after what she said about me being selfish when it comes to wanting to hang out with her?"
Kuro sadly stared at Michiru before he hopped over to nuzzle against the tanuki's cheek. Michiru raised her hand up and petted Kuro as a small smile appeared on her face.
"Also, I can't really go to New York anyways," continued Michiru as her small smile brightened to a larger one. "My parents are going to be coming here to Anima City to spend Christmas with me. I want to show them what a wonderful place this is and to have them meet Mayor Rose, Melissa, Gem, Shirou, you and everyone else that I became friends with here. I'm sure they would also like to see the Christmas Festival too. It'll be just like when I was little."
Michiru's eyes then started to droop as she began to feel sleepy but added one more thing before she let sleep overtake her.
"I really hope they come...I've missed them."
Michiru's hand soon dropped down onto the bed and her breathing evened out into quiet snores. Kuro settled down beside Michiru as he too fell asleep upon the bed. Michiru slept for about an hour before she felt someone gently shaking her shoulder. It was accompanied by a familiar deep voice that softly spoke to her.
"Michiru, wake up. It's time for dinner."
Michiru let out a groan before she slowly opened her eyes and saw Shirou sitting on the edge of her bed. She let out a loud yawn before she slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Kuro was sitting on Shirou's right shoulder with the crow's eyes shut to show that he was sleeping.
"Hey, Shirou," said Michiru as she gave him a sleepy smile. "I guess I overslept, huh?"
"You could say that." Shirou answered in a monotone voice.
"Okay," said Michiru as she let out another yawn. "I'll be there in a second."
Shirou didn't move from his spot on the bed as he gazed at Michiru with concern shining within his eyes. Michiru noticed this and grew a little nervous under his gaze.
"Um...do you need something?" questioned Michiru in a shy voice.
Shirou sighed as he turned his gaze away from Michiru before he spoke: "Mrs. Melissa is worried about you."
Michiru blinked in surprise as she stared at the wolf beastman for a second before speaking: "What do you mean?"
"She said that you weren't enthusiastic about hearing that your friend had come to visit the Cooperative," answered Shirou in an even voice as his face took on a serious expression before looking at Michiru. "I'm guessing something happened between you two, huh?"
Michiru looked at Shirou for a moment before looking down at the surface of her bed and nodded her head. Shirou's expression softened slightly before he spoke once again.
"She said 'no' to going out shopping with you, didn't she?"
Michiru shook her head sadly before she spoke in a small voice: "I didn't ask her to come Christmas shopping with me."
"Then what happened?"
Michiru didn't answer right away, but Shirou could tell that whatever had happened between the young tanuki, and fox idol wasn't good. Michiru's hands clenched into fists before she finally answered Shirou's question.
"I got mad at her for not telling me that she was going to New York to perform for both the Christmas and New Year concerts. She said she sent an email to me, but when I looked through my messages, I didn't see it there. She...then said some choice words to me that got...under my skin."
Shirou knew that Michiru wasn't telling him the whole truth, but he wasn't going to push her. After only half a year with her, Shirou had learned that Michiru can become quite defensive when it comes to him diving too deep into her privacy.
"Alright," said Shirou gently.
Michiru blinked as she looked up at Shirou in surprise before speaking: "You're not going to...?"
"No," answered Shirou with a shake of his head. "But if you ever want to get something off of your chest, just let me know."
Michiru stared at Shirou for a long moment before a smile appeared on her face: "Okay."
Shirou gave Michiru a small smile before patting her on the head with the young tanuki's tail wagging slowly. She felt a little better at knowing that Shirou was willing to listen to her if she ever had a problem.
Four days had passed as the day of the Christmas Festival was nearing. Michiru spent that time hanging out with either Nina or the bears during those days. She had to admit that spending time with them had help her after Nazuna had left for New York. Even though Michiru still felt the pain of what Nazuna had said to her, it had lessened after a few days. It was on the fifth day that Michiru's parents were to arrive on the train that comes into Anima City. The young tanuki was excited about seeing her parents again after being away from them for half a year. Michiru was rushing down the street as she ran towards the train station, while dodging around a few people along the way. She was about to dash across the street when she was suddenly grabbed by the back of her jacket. She was quickly pulled out of the away from a speeding car, which nearly ran her over as the driver drove to avoid stopping at the red light. Michiru let out a sigh before looking up at Shirou, who had been the one to pull her back just in time.
"Thanks Shirou," said Michiru with a small smile.
"You need to slow down," scolded Shirou as he gave Michiru a pointed look before letting go of her jacket. "The train station isn't going anywhere, and the train that your parents will be on won't be coming for at least another hour."
"Yeah, I know," grumbled Michiru as she pouted up at the wolf beastman before smiling brightly up at him. "But I'm just so excited to see them again. I can't wait to show them around Anima City and introduce them to the people I've befriended."
"Well, just be careful," said Shirou with a tired sigh. "We don't want your parents to visit you in the hospital near Christmas time."
"Okay," said Michiru in a sulky voice.
They were soon walking at a slower pace towards the train station with Shirou keeping Michiru close to his side. As they walked, Michiru told Shirou about her parents and what they were like. She also explained to him about what she used to do with them during the Christmas season. Shirou listened while making sure that the young tanuki girl didn't get distracted when it came to crossing busy streets. He could tell that Michiru really loved her parents and he couldn't help feeling a little nervous about meeting them. This will be the first time in a thousand years that he would interact with humans again. He can only hope that Michiru's parents didn't dislike beastmen.
It wasn't long before the duo finally arrived at the train station. Shirou took a seat on a nearby bench while Michiru stood beside him. He silently watched as she bounced slightly on the tip of her feet in excitement. The wolf beastman couldn't help smiling in amusement at his young companion's actions. Despite the tanuki girl being eighteen, she still acted like a little kid sometimes. It wasn't long before the train finally arrived at the station and Michiru's tail began to wag furiously.
"It's here!" exclaimed Michiru with a large smile.
The train slowly came to a stop before opening its doors to let out its passengers. Michiru watched as many beastmen walked out of the train, along with a few humans who came out last. Michiru began to search through the crowd of humans to see if her parents were among them. She even used her hawk eyesight to see if she could spot them. After a minute of looking around, Michiru didn't see her parents anywhere within the crowd. The young tanuki's excitement dwindled as it was replaced with confusion and concern. Shirou, who had also been looking through the crowd for Michiru's parents, stood up from the bench and came to stand beside the tanuki. He looked down at Michiru for a moment before he shifted into his beastman form. Shirou closed his eyes and used his sharp sense of smell to see if he could pick up the scent of Michiru's parents. After a minute of searching through the scents of both human and beastman, Shirou couldn't pick up the scent of Michiru's parents within the crowd. He shifted back into his human form before looking down at Michiru, who had morphed into a wolf beastman to see if she could find her parents. Michiru concentrated hard on finding her parents' scent through the crowd, but like Shirou she wasn't able to find them. She soon morphed back into her tanuki form and stood quietly beside Shirou. A look of sadness appeared upon her face, along with the confusion that shone within her eyes.
"I... I don't understand," voiced Michiru in a small voice. "They told me two weeks ago that they would be coming to Anima City before Christmas."
Shirou sadly gazed down at the young tanuki before gently placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Michiru didn't respond to his touch as she only gazed around at the empty train platform like a lost child. After a minute of standing on the train platform, Shirou wrapped an arm around Michiru's shoulders and began to gently lead her back to the Beastman Co-op. Michiru was quiet the whole way as she leaned up against Shirou's side. Her eyes casted down to gaze at the ground in front of her. Shirou looked ahead with a neutral expression upon his face, but his eyes held a deep concern for his young tanuki friend. They soon arrived at the Beastman Co-op and Michiru headed to her bedroom, while Shirou explained to Melissa and Gem about what had happened. Michiru quietly closed the door to her bedroom and headed over to the bed where she flopped down on top of it. A sad expression was imprinted on Michiru's face as she tried to figure out why her parents hadn't been on the train.
'Did they forget the date they were supposed to come?' thought Michiru as worry began to rise up within her chest. 'Or did something happen on the mainland that made them miss the train?'
Michiru laid on her bed for a while before she decided to call her mother's smartphone. She sat up on her bed, brought out her smartphone from her jacket pocket and began to type in her mom's phone number. Michiru then morphed into her human form and held her phone up to her ear. She waited for about three rings before her mother finally picked up.
"Yes, this is Mrs. Kagemori," spoke the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Um...hi mom," said Michiru in a nervous voice.
"Oh, Michiru!" exclaimed Mrs. Kagemori in surprise. "This is a surprise. Why are you calling so late at night all of a sudden?"
"I just wanted to call and..." Michiru paused as she processed what her mother had just said before frowning in confusion. "Wait...night? Mom, it's the middle of the afternoon here in Japan. Why are you saying it's nighttime?"
"You're still in Japan?" asked Mrs. Kagemori before she took on a scolding tone. "Michiru, did you oversleep and miss your flight to New York City yesterday?"
Michiru froze when her mother said, 'New York City' as her eyes widened in shock and disbelief: "W-what are you and dad doing in New York City? I thought that you guys were going to come visit me in Anima City."
Mrs. Kagemori became silent on the other end of the phone for a moment before she spoke in a nervous voice.
"Um...yes, well...your father and I had a change of plan. We found out that Nazuna was going to be performing in New York City for Christmas and New Year's Eve, so we decided to travel to New York to see her two concerts. We asked her to tell you that we'd be heading to New York City and to bring you along. We assumed that you two would be taking the plane together."
Michiru felt her heart shatter after hearing what her mother had just said. Her body began to shake in anger before the young girl slowly spoke in a wavering voice.
"Y-you...you promised me that you and dad were going to come to Anima City for Christmas."
"I know Michiru," said Mrs. Kagemori in a gentle voice. "But you can come visit us in New York and see Nazuna performing on stage. Though you'll have to stay in your human form when you're around other people."
Michiru bit her bottom lip as she tightened her grip on the edges of her smartphone. She soon spoke in a tight voice as she tried to keep her anger in check.
"I... I'll think about it, okay? Anyway, I got ta go and help Mrs. Melissa with a few things here in the Cooperative."
"Okay, honey," said Mrs. Kagemori. "I hope you come to New York and spend Christmas here with us."
"...Goodnight, mom," voiced Michiru before she lowered her smartphone from her ear and ended the call.
Michiru sat silently on her bed as she stared down at her phone for a moment. After a moment, tears of anger started running down her cheeks. Michiru then raised her hand up and got ready to throw her phone across the room. Michiru's arm was quickly halted when a strong, but gentle hand grabbed her wrist. Michiru looked up and saw Shirou standing behind her in his wolf form. His eyes stared down at the young human girl in concern as he sat down on the bed beside her. Shirou had sensed that Michiru was in distress and quickly ran to her room just in time to stop her from throwing her phone. In the process, he had instinctually morphed into his wolf form before he grabbed Michiru's wrist. When the young girl turned to look up at him with tears streaming down her face, the wolf beastman knew something was wrong.
Michiru stared up at Shirou for a moment threw her arms around the wolf's upper body. She buried her face into Shirou's chest as she began to cry out tears of anger, frustration, pain and sadness. Shirou sadly stared down at Michiru for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. He held her while gently patting the young girl's head in an attempt to calm her down as she cried into his thick mane of fur. The two sat on the bed for a while before Michiru finally calmed down and changed back into her tanuki form. She now sat leaning up against Shirou as the wolf beastman hugged her against his side. After a minute of silence, Shirou finally decided to speak.
"What happened, Michiru?" asked Shirou in a gentle voice.
Michiru didn't speak for a moment, but when she did it was in a voice that was filled with anger and sadness.
"I called my mom to find out where she and dad were. It turns out that they had decided to go to New York City to spend Christmas there, and to see Nazuna's concerts."
Tears once again started to well up within Michiru's eyes as she glared angrily down at the bedroom floor. Shirou quietly stared down at her in sympathy but chose to remain silent as this was something Michiru needed to get off her chest.
"They promised me that they would come to Anima City and spend Christmas here with me. First Nazuna didn't tell me that she was going to New York. Then my parents didn't call ahead of time to tell me that they had changed their minds about coming here. Why didn't they tell me they had other plans? Why did they...?"
Michiru wasn't able to finish whatever she wanted to say for her throat soon closed up and she broke down into quiet sobs. Shirou tightened his hold on Michiru slightly as a quiet growl rose up within his throat. The wolf beastman felt a hint of anger towards both Nazuna and Michiru's parents for causing his young tanuki friend to cry. But he also held a bit of apprehension at the thought of Michiru deciding to leave the safety of Anima City, and travel to New York by herself to see her friend and her parents. Shirou knew that Michiru could take care of herself, but the thought of her being so far away from him where he couldn't protect her made the wolf beastman uneasy. Shirou rested his muzzle on top of Michiru's head as the young tanuki once again pressed her face into his chest.
After an hour of crying, Michiru slowly fell asleep from exhaustion. Shirou, who had morphed back into his human form, gently laid her down on the bed and covered her with a blanket. Once she was covered, Shirou quietly walked out of the bedroom and headed towards the living room. Melissa and Gem were waiting for him there when he entered. Melissa had been sitting on the couch with her husband before she stood up and looked at Shirou in concern.
"Is everything alright?" asked Melissa in a worried voice.
Shirou let out a sigh as he took a seat in one of the chairs. Kuro perched on the back of the chair as he looked down at Shirou with a worried expression upon his face.
"No," replied Shirou after a moment of silence. "Michiru just discovered that her parents aren't here in Japan anymore."
Shirou began to tell Gem and Melissa about how Michiru's parents had decided to travel to New York City to visit Nazuna, while not telling Michiru in the process. The Horner couple sadly listened as sympathy for the girl that they have under their care came over them. They soon spoke after Shirou finished explaining the situation to them.
"The poor dear," spoke Melissa as she turned to look down at the floor. "She must be, so heartbroken about all of this."
"Yes," said Gem from his place on the couch with a light frown upon his face. "Though I can't help wondering if she'll decide to leave, and travel all the way to New York City to see her parents."
Shirou frowned slightly at what Gem had said. His heart ached at the thought of Michiru leaving Anima City, but he knew that he shouldn't force the young tanuki to stay. Not when she had so badly hoped to see her parents again after being away from them for half a year.
"We'll just have to wait and see," said Melissa as she glanced over at her husband. "Though it would be sad to see her leave before she got the chance to see the Christmas Festival here within Anima City."
Gem nodded his head in agreement, while Shirou only sat silently in the chair with a neutral expression upon his face. He soon decided to head back to his study and think over the events that had transpired. A few hours passed before dinner time came around. Shirou went to Michiru's bedroom to wake the young tanuki up for dinner. He slowly opened the door and saw that Michiru was already awake and sitting on the edge of the bed. Her gaze was cast towards the floor, but the slight twitch of her ear indicated that she heard the door opening. Shirou let out a soft sigh before walking into the bedroom and sat down on the bed beside Michiru. The two were silent for a while before Michiru finally decided to speak. But it was in a voice that was soft and slightly cracked.
"Sorry for what happened earlier. I just...lost my cool for a moment."
"It's alright," said Shirou gently before a light frown appeared on his face. "But what are you going to do now?"
Michiru looked up from the floor to glance at Shirou in confusion. The wolf beastman glanced at Michiru with a serious expression upon his face.
"Now that your parents and your friend are in New York, are you going to go there to spend Christmas there with them?"
Michiru turned to look down at the floor again with a sad expression upon her face. She didn't say anything for a moment, but when she did it was in a voice that was filled with sadness and acceptance.
"I have thought about it, but after thinking it over a little bit I've decided that I'm not going to New York City."
Shirou looked at Michiru in surprise before asking: "Why not?"
"Well...for one thing I don't think I'd be very comfortable with being in my human form all the time," answered Michiru with a small smile. "As I said before. Whenever I go into my human form it always feels like I'm wearing high heels, so I can't be in it for very long. Also...I don't want to cause a scene in New York if I accidently morphed into my beastman form. I might put my family in danger if and Anti-beastmen group suddenly found out and start coming after me."
Shirou silently stared at Michiru as he let the young tanuki talk to him. He felt slightly relieved that she wasn't going to leave Anima City, but he was also sympathetic. This was a hard choice for Michiru to make after all, and she might not get the chance to see her parents again.
"And... another reason why I don't want to go is because I want to experience the Christmas Festival here within Anima City," added Michiru as she looked up at Shirou again with her smile growing a bit. "I want to learn more about how you and the other beastmen celebrate it."
Shirou stared at Michiru in surprise before smiling slightly: "We probably celebrate Christmas a little differently than humans do."
Michiru giggled before speaking again: "I'm guessing you're going to be busy with security and making sure that nothing goes wrong at the festival, huh?"
"Probably," answered Shirou before adding. "Though I will be keeping an eye on you to make sure that you don't get into trouble during the festival."
Michiru playfully pouted at Shirou before turning her head away, while crossing her arms over her chest in the process.
"Oh, come on. I've been getting better in keeping out of trouble for the last few months."
"Yet you somehow wind up sticking your nose into places whenever your curiosity gets the better of you."
"Meanie," muttered Michiru under her breath.
Shirou responded by gently flicking her ear, which caused the young tanuki to yelp in surprise before glaring at him. But her glare soon faded into a smirk as she pounced in an attempt to knock Shirou off the bed and onto the floor. That plan fails as Shirou caught the young tanuki and held her in a firm, yet gentle embrace as he used his free hand to ruffle Michiru's hair. Michiru struggled to get out of the wolf's beastman's embrace, but soon gave up after a while and decided to nuzzle against his chest. Shirou soon switched from ruffling Michiru's hair to gently straightening it out again before letting Michiru go.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," said Shirou as he stood up from the bed. "Make sure you wash up before coming down."
"Okay," said Michiru with a nod.
Once the wolf beastman had left the room, Michiru turned to look at her smartphone, which she had placed on the bedside table after her outburst. The young tanuki stared at it for a moment before picking it up. After a minute of typing, she sent two text messages. One of the texts she sent to Nazuna and the second one she sent to her mother. Once she had sent them, Michiru placed her phone back on the table before getting up from the bed and headed to the dining room for dinner.
The day of the festival finally came and everyone within Anima City was in Town Square that night having fun. They were all in their beast forms and were enjoying the festival with their friends and family. There was a large tree standing in the center of Town Square and an ice rink that filled up half of the square. Stalls were stationed around near the edge of the area, which all held food, games, clothing and toys for anyone who wished to buy or take part in. There were also a few humans who were walking about and looking around at the stalls or skating on the ice. Michiru was browsing around one of the stalls as she gazed at one of snow globes that had a mini sized model of Anima City inside it. Michiru smiled at it before turning around when she heard laughter coming from the ice rink. Curious, she walked towards the edge of the rink and what she saw made her smile in amusement. Laying in a pile upon the surface of the ice was Jackie and the bears. They had somehow accidently collided with each other and had caused all of them to fall on top of one another. Luckily none of them were hurt and they only laughed along with everyone else upon the ice.
"Those guys," said Michiru with a light chuckle.
"Hey, Michiru!" called out Nina from the ice.
Michiru turned and saw the young dolphin beast-girl skating up to her. Nina had decided to try skating in her human form to see what it was like, and Michiru had to admit that despite her being on skates for the first time, Nina was really good at skating. Nina came to a stop in front of Michiru before speaking with an excited expression upon her face.
"Come and skate with us. It's really fun and you can rent a pair of skates just over there."
Nina pointed to a booth that was run by a penguin beastman as he gave a human customer a pair of skates. Michiru smile before looking back at Nina again.
"Okay," said Michiru with a nod before heading to the booth. "I'll be on the ice in a minute."
It didn't take long for Michiru to find a pair of skates that were in her size. She quickly put them on and made her way towards the ice. The young tanuki cautiously stepped onto the icy surface before pushing forward. Michiru wobbled a little, but soon got her balance as her legs started to get used to being on the ice again. Michiru and Nina soon met up with each other and began to skate together. Jackie and the bears also joined them as they all skated, while laughing and talking with each other in the process. Michiru was impressed that Nina was able to perform skating moves upon the ice. The dolphin beast-girl told Michiru that skating on the ice felt like swimming in water to her. The young tanuki skated with her friends for about an hour until her legs grew tired. Michiru left the ice and changed out of her skates into her shoes again before wandering around the square once more. Michiru met up with Melissa and Gem at a stall that was selling hot chocolate and sat down with them to talk. After that, she encountered Marie, who was selling merchandises of Nazuna's idol goods. The mink beast-woman tried to sell one of the merchandises to Michiru, but the young tanuki politely declined and continued walking around. She then saw Pingua flying through the air above the square with the other bird beastman and waved up to him. Pingua responded by doing loop through the air in his way of saying 'hello' to her.
The activity within Town Square continued for a while before the jumbotron suddenly turned on to reveal Mayor Rose in her beast form. Everyone, both human and beastman, all turned to look up at the jumbotron as they paused in their activities. The mayor began to speak as she gave a speech to everyone who was present.
"Welcome one and all to Anima City's Christmas Festival. For years, humans and beastmen have lived apart from each other and have celebrated this holiday separately. But this year, we have all come together to celebrate Christmas and bridge the gap between our two people during this evening event. Though we are still a long way from developing peace with each other, let us commemorate this year in hopes for a brighter future. With that said, let us celebrate this festival and look forward to new beginnings!"
Everyone, both human and beastman, cheered excitedly at the mayor's ending speech before they all began to go back to having fun. Michiru smiled as she gazed around at everyone in happiness. Though her good mood was quickly shattered when she felt someone sticking their hand into her tail. Michiru instantly turned around, just in time to see the same monkey thief she had encountered when she first got to Anima City pulling her wallet out from her tail. He then started running away with it as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Ugh, not again!" exclaimed Michiru angrily before she began to chase after the monkey. "Come back here with my wallet!"
The monkey beastman turned to smirk back at the young tanuki and blew a raspberry at her before turning to look forward again. But his running was quickly cut short when he was suddenly lifted up from the ground by the back of his jacket. The monkey turned to glare at the one who had grabbed him, only to freeze up in fear when he saw Shirou, who was in his wolf form, glaring at him. Michiru came to a stop and watched as Shirou began to growl at the monkey.
"I believe you have something that belongs to a friend of mine," said Shirou with a dangerous edge in his voice. "I suggest that you hand it over now before I get angry."
"Okay, okay!" shouted the monkey as he quickly handed the wallet to the wolf beastman. "Here's the tanuki's stupid wallet."
Shirou took the wallet before he dropped the monkey unceremoniously to the ground before adding one more thing.
"If you pit-pocket anyone else at the festival, I'll personally throw you in jail myself. You got that?"
The monkey quickly nodded before he leapt up from the ground and ran away from the wolf beastman. Michiru smiled as she walked up to Shirou, who turned to look down at her.
"Thanks Shirou," said Michiru as the wolf beastman handed the young tanuki back her wallet. "I'm glad you came around just in time before I lost my wallet again."
"Then we would have had a repeat of you searching for your wallet and getting into trouble again." Shirou spoke in a somewhat humorous and somewhat serious voice.
Michiru shivered and nodded her head in agreement as the memory of almost being sold appeared within her head. Shirou gently rested his hand on the tanuki's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. Michiru returned it with a smile of her own before speaking to him.
"I'm guessing your still on duty, huh?"
Shirou shoved his hands into his pockets before answering Michiru's question with a smirk: "Well since you nearly got robbed again. I have no choice but to accompany you to make sure that you don't get into trouble."
Michiru playfully pouted at Shirou before punching him in the arm. He responded by pulling his right hand out of his pocket and playfully ruffling Michiru's hair. She ducked underneath his hand before grabbing his arm and began to pull him towards one of shopping stalls. Shirou let Michiru pull him as they walked together, while enjoying the warmth of each other's company.
In New York City, Nazuna was getting herself ready for the tonight's show. She was in her human form as she put on some make up to make herself look good for the show. Nazuna wore a bright red open back short puffy dress, white high heel shoes and a silver metal flower tiara on her head. She just finished dusting on a light covering of blush on her face before placing the brush down.
"There, that should be good for tonight," said Nazuna with a smile.
She then picked up her phone to look at the time before noticing a text message blinking on the screen. Nazuna looked at who had sent the text and sighed in exasperation.
"A message from Michiru," muttered Nazuna in annoyance. "I bet she sent a message to tell me to come back to Anima City. Honestly, she can be so selfish at times."
Nazuna then let out a sigh before placing the phone down on the table. She decided to look at the message later after she finished her performance for the Christmas music festival. Nazuna check herself over one more time before she stood up and headed out of the dressing room. But if the young idol had just taken a moment to open the message, then she would have read what Michiru had sent her.
'Hey Nazuna
I've decided to stay in Anima City to experience how the beastmen celebrate Christmas. I also want to see how they celebrate New Year's Eve in Anima City too. I'm sorry that I can't be at your show tonight in New York. But I just want to say have a good time at your two concerts.
Michiru'
In one of the hotels within New York City, Mrs. Kagemori was sitting at the dining room table with her smartphone in her hand. Her husband was downstairs visiting with some friends before they headed to the concert. Mrs. Kagemori was looking through Facelook before she noticed the text message on her phone. Becoming curious, she opened it to see that it was a message from her daughter. Mrs. Kagemori frowned slightly as she thought that Michiru had sent her a message begging her and Mr. Kagemori to come back home. She decided to open it to see what her daughter had written and what Mrs. Kagemori read made her blink in surprise.
'Hey mom
I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be able to visit you in New York for Christmas or New Year's Eve. It's not because I'm angry at you and dad for not telling me that you changed your plans for Christmas. But because I still have a lot more to learn about beastman. Also, I don't want to put you guys in any danger if I accidently morph back into my beastman form. I know it might seem like a stupid excuse, but to be honest with you I really want to stay in Anima City with the friends that I've made here. They're like my second family and I know that you guys would love them too. I hope you and dad will one day come to Anima City to visit them. Until then I hope you two have fun and say 'hi' to Nazuna for me. Tell her I'm sorry that I couldn't make it, and that I hope she'll have tons of fun at the Christmas and New Year concerts.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Love: Michiru'
Mrs. Kagemori stared down at the message for a few more minutes before a sad smile appeared on her face. She then scrolled down to the bottom of the message to see a photo of Michiru, in her beastman form, standing with a large group of beastmen. There were both young beastmen and older beastmen standing near, beside and behind Michiru. But the one beastman that stood close beside Michiru was a tall wolf beastman, who smiled slightly at the camera. A single tear rolled down Mrs. Kagemori's cheek, which she gently wiped away.
'My little girl has really grown up,' thought Mrs. Kagemori as she stared down at the picture.
Anima City
The Christmas Festival soon came to an end, and everyone had already headed home for the night. Michiru was on the roof of the Beastman Co-op as she stared up at the star filled sky with a smile imprinted on her face. The festival had been fun, and she got to hang out with all of the friends she had made in Anima City. Michiru leaned up against the railing as she continued to gaze up at the sky. She then sensed someone coming up behind her before feeling them wrap their arms gently round her waist. Michiru looked up to see Shirou, who was still in his wolf form, standing over her.
"Are you doing, okay?" asked Shirou softly as he looked down at Michiru.
"Yeah," replied Michiru as she leaned her back against the wolf's warm body. "I was just thinking about something that's all."
"What about?"
"About how things have really changed for me this year. I know that I'm not able to spend Christmas with my parents and Nazuna this year, but I'm glad that I was able to celebrate it with everyone here in Anima City."
Shirou's face changed to a neutral expression as he rested his muzzle on top of Michiru's head. The young tanuki looked up at Shirou curiously before the wolf spoke in a low voice.
"Do you regret not going to New York City to see them?"
Michiru looked down as a sad smile appeared on her face before she answered Shirou's question.
"A little bit, but I'm also glad that I decided to stay here."
Shirou stayed silent as he gazed out at the city in front of him. After a minute, Michiru spoke again, and what she said next made Shirou blink in surprise.
"There was also another reason why I decided not to go to New York. To be honest with you...I would have felt even more alone without you and everyone to celebrate Christmas with me. Sure, I would have had my parents and Nazuna with me, but it just wouldn't be the same without the friends I've made here within Anima City. Not to mention that I wouldn't have you around to keep me out of trouble."
Shirou let out a deep chuckle as he gently nuzzled the top of Michiru's head with the underside of his chin before speaking.
"Anima City would wind up being a boring place without you here, Michiru."
Michiru smiled up at Shirou before he added one more thing that caused her to stare at him in surprise.
"Also...I would've missed having you around too. You're the only one who was able to really help me understand that not all humans are bad. So, the thought of you leaving Anima City made me worry that something bad would happen to you if I wasn't there to protect you. You're the only human that I've come to see as a friend, and I don't want to lose you."
"Shirou..." started Michiru as she stared up at the wolf for a moment before smiling.
Michiru then turned around within Shirou's embrace and hugged him, while the wolf beastman held her against his warm body.
"You don't have to worry about me leaving any time soon," reassured Michiru as she nuzzled into Shirou furry mane. "I'm here to stay no matter what."
Shirou smiled down at Michiru and rested his head on top of her hair. As they held each other, Michiru felt a deep and comforting warmth rise up within her chest. Despite not having Nazuna or her parents to celebrate Christmas Eve with her, Michiru was thankful that she still had friends who comforted her during this season. She was also thankful that Shirou would always be there for her whenever times got tough. Having the protector of beastmen as a friend and guardian was something that Michiru was glad to have, and she wouldn't change it for the world.
fin
Here you all go. I hope you all enjoyed the story and have the best Christmas you can this year. Merry Christmas everyone and stay safe!
White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!