In dedication to Christmas day, I decided to write a little something in honor of the holiday. Sorry about the time, but it was a last minute idea. Because there are not enough stories on Kharg/Paulette, this Christmas program will be dedicated to them, along with the couples Bebedora/Maru, and Darc/Lilia. Sorry to all you Darc/Delma fans. However, if I get any requests, I may just write up a one shot for the couple, provide someone gives me a basic storyline. After all, I do like Delma, just not as much as Lilia. I would like to say right now that I do not own Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits or Sony, or the song, "White Christmas". The story is all that I made.
Season's Greetings,
Sand Fox
Count of the Desert Sands
Marry Christmas
Kharg's House
"I still don't see the point in this, Kharg!" Darc barked at his twin. "I'm warm enough with what I have on!" Before he could help himself, the Deimos ruler shrived and found himself covered in goose bumps.
"Right," Kharg sneered skeptically, eying his bother, "Like I'll believe that. One sec…" The boy started looking through his closet.
The two were in Kharg's room. Kharg was looking for some suitable winter clothing for his twin, as the half breed had somehow forgotten to bring warm clothing in spite of Kharg's warnings. It was the holiday season, and Lilia had managed to arrange a little get-together. Kharg still didn't know exactly how she managed to get Darc to agree with the idea, but then again, he wasn't complaining. Seeing Darc trying to do Christmas stuff would be a blast.
"Ah ha! Here we are!" Kharg cried in triumph, pulling out one of his many sweaters. It, like many of his winter clothes, had been hand knitted by his mother. Unlike most of his clothing, however, it was dark green with a holly berry one the front, making it look somewhat cute. As such, Kharg had never worn the wretched thing.
Darc took one disgusted glance at the pullover and said in a very matter-of-fact kind of way, "There's no way I'm putting that on." He gave another shiver, but this one wasn't from the cold.
"Wana bet?!" Kharg cried playfully, now trying to shove the sweater onto his brother.
"Gerofme!" Darc shouted as he struggled to slip out, but amazingly, Kharg managed to slip the sweater on him.
"Ah, isn't that cute!" Kharg teased in a girly voice as Darc looked at himself in a mirror, eye twitching. The thing was even worse now that it was on him.
"Hehe," Darc laughed in a low and dangerous way. "YOU'RE DEAD, HUMAN!" Kharg was tackled to the floor before he knew what was going on.
Darc had pinned his brother's arms to the ground with his knees and was pulling his fist back in what would be the first of a flurry of punches when a female voice reached his ears. "Well aren't you two getting along? Oh, how sweet!" There was a flash
"What do you mean, Lilia?" Darc snapped as he turned his head, careful not to let up on Kharg. There was another flash, and Darc saw that the human woman was holding what Kharg had called a "camera."
"Well," Lila said slyly as she slipped in the room, "Don't brothers play fight when their having a good time?"
"This ain't play fighting!" Darc growled, severely annoyed, "This is murder! Now, give me my sword!" While he was pinning Kharg to the ground, the half Deimos's blade had slipped out from his side and now lay at Lilia's feet.
"Get of me, you maniac!" Kharg struggled, trying to wriggle a hand free so he could reach for his own weapon. Maybe making Darc wear a cute Christmas sweater was not the brightest thing to do, but he wasn't going to just lay down and let his brother kill him!
Lilia looked down at the sword, then up at Darc. "You really think I'm going to help you with 'murdering'-" she finger quoted the word, "-Kharg? Sorry, but that's not on my things-to-do list. But," she added with a smile, "letting you taste test my homemade cookies is."
Kharg couldn't help but let out a howl of laughter, despite his predicament. "You really think that's going to get Darc off me?!" Sometimes, Lila was just too naïve.
While Lilia fumed at Kharg, Darc had the strangest look on his face. "Uh, what's a cookie?"
The Item Store
"Please don't make me wear that thing!" Maru whined as he tried to reason with Paulette. His teenage guardian was trying to make him put on a red sweater with a reindeer on the front of it. Strangely, the animal had a light bulb for a nose that would flash red when squeezed.
"Stop whining, brat," Paulette growled aggressively, glaring down at the boy. "You need a new sweater, and this one's on clearance!"
"B-B-But," the self-proclaimed king of chaos forest stammered, trying to find the right words.
"But nothing!" Paulette interjected, "You ruined your other sweater, so you make due with what I give you!"
"How do I look?" asked a monotone voice from behind. Paulette and Maru both turned over to see Bebedora walking out of the changing room. She had come along with Darc on the Pyron, and like him, she was unprepared for the snow. So, while Kharg had some extra clothing for his brother, Paulette had to take Bebedora out shopping. Now, the girl was garbed in a rather frilly black winter coat and dress. She had a matching black hat on with a wreath of holly atop the brim. She looked very much like an antique Christmas doll.
"Wow, Bebedora," Maru smiled, taking her winter look in. Before he could help it, he added, "That's really cute!"
"Cute, what is cute?" the girl asked as her best friend blushed.
"Um, well, uh," Maru stumbled on his words, unsure of what to say.
"GOT YA'!" Paulette cried as she shoved the reindeer sweater on the unsuspecting boy.
"Hey, no fair!" Maru shouted, looking humiliated at himself.
"Does it fit?" the young woman asked.
"It looks awful!" Maru cried, trying to rip the thing off.
"It's cute," Bebedora cut in, causing both people to turn their heads over in her direction. She just looked at them. "What? Cute is good, right? So, I think it looks cute."
Kharg's House
Darc, Kharg, and Lilia were all now in the kitchen. After a good deal of negotiating, the young lady was able to persuade the Deimos ruler to let his brother up and find out just what a cookie was, though he vowed he'd kill her if this was some sort of trick. Lilia just smiled and led them over to the kitchen.
"This here is a cookie," she said, holding up a small sweet shaped like a Christmas tree.
"It looks disgusting," Darc growled flatly, unwilling to think that such a cute little thing could be edible.
"You'll never know until you try it," Lilia teased, holding the cookie out for him.
Darc pushed her hand over his brother. "You eat it," he commanded, glaring.
Kharg glanced at his brother confused. "What's wrong with you?"
"I don't trust the woman," Darc hissed, purposely trying to be rude to Lilia. Then he added, "Or you! You eat it, and if you die, I will avenge your death…maybe."
"Darc, you-" Kharg began, but Lila interrupted.
"It's ok," she said, moving between the two now advancing twins, "If Darc's scared of a little cookie, let him be." She shot a smile at him.
"Nice try," Darc grinned, "but it's going to take more then that to-!" Before he could finish, Lilia shoved the Christmas tree cookie into his bragging mouth.
"So, how does it taste?" Kharg asked, smiling broadly. His smile vanished, however, with the look of disgust that grew on Darc's face as he chewed on the food.
"Darc, what's wrong?" Lilia asked, worry tracing her words. She was devoutly hoping he wasn't allergic to any of her ingredients.
Swallowing hard, Darc gasped and shouted, "TOO SWEET!" He grabbed a cup of water on the counter and gulped the whole thing down as Kharg laughed his head off. "What the heck was in that?!"
"Just the basic ingredients for sugar cookies," Lilia said, confused. "You've never had anything that tastes like that?"
"No," the half Deimos growled, looking for more water, "Deimos don't waste their time and effort making such things. And stop laughing!" he snapped at Kharg, still doubled over.
The doorbell rang. "I better get that," Kharg laughed, going over to the front.
"Fool," Darc glared at his brother as he left.
"Oh don't be that way," Lilia cooed as she measured out a cup of flour. "You have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes."
"Shut up," Darc snapped, "you're the reason I ate that thing in the first place!" He pointed a finger at her accusingly
"Well," she smiled back, looking completely unnerved, "perhaps you shouldn't let yourself be so open. You're supposed to be King of the Deimos after all."
Infuriated with the truth in her words, Darc just growled. This human girl, -no- this human weed, was the only creature in the world that could get to him so. Wanting to scare her, Darc scanned his brain for an idea. Remembering that sneaking up behind Delma gave her the shivers, Darc quieted down and waited of the opportune moment to maximize the effect.
Lilia soon had the batter for her next batch of cookies ready and spooned them out onto the baking sheet. She put the sheet into the oven and started to get up when she felt a light breathing on the back of her neck. Bolting up and around, she found herself inches away from Darc, who had noiselessly glided right behind her. With a flurry of movement, the half Deimos pushed her against the wall and was now cornering her. She gasped as he spoke. "Ha, 'perhaps you shouldn't let yourself be so open;' like you're one to talk." His face was now inches from hers.
Lilia blushed and felt her knees give way.
Acting on reflex, Darc caught her. "What, afraid?" he smiled, thinking she had collapsed out of fear.
"D-Darc…" Lilia said shyly, stuttering with embarrassment as she looked into his eyes, still blushing, "Wh-what are you doing!?"
Suddenly, the young man realized just what it looked like he was doing, and started blushing too.
"Uh…are we interrupting something good?" Maru's voice asked.
Darc and Lilia to move apart rather quickly. "No!"
Meanwhile…
Kharg's House, Entry Way
"Season's greetings," Paulette chimed as Kharg answered the door.
"Nice to see you, Paulette," he said in turn, "Come on in, Lilia's making cookies and Darc's…well, I really don't know what Darc's doing." Then he added as Maru walked in, "Nice sweater."
"See, Kharg likes it," Bebedora insisted as she entered. Maru just smiled shyly, amused at her innocence.
"Right," Paulette said, "So tell me, Kharg, what do you think of Bebedora's outfit?" She motioned over to the girl.
"I do this, right?" Bebedora asked as she moved about. She walked forward, flourished her dress, bowed, turned around and walked back to where she was originally.
"Spot on," Paulette cheered, clapping.
"Well, don't you look nice?" Kharg smiled, pleased that she seemed to like her dress.
"No, I look cute. That's what Maru said," Bebedora chimed matter-of-factly, in the all knowing way of a child.
"Oh really?" Kharg grinned, glancing over at blushing archer.
"Uh, I think I hear Lilia calling for help," Maru said hastily, "Adios!"
"Why don't you go show Darc your dress, Bebedora?" Paulette suggested, wanting some alone time with Kharg.
"So," Kharg asked as the youngsters left, "You think we have a little romance budding?"
Paulette blushed and stammered, "Wh-what?" She was so lost in her thoughts that she thought he was speaking about their own relationship. Realizing her mistake, she corrected herself. "Oh-I mean, yes, I do!"
Kharg was taken back by the response. It sounded like she was thinking about something else for a while there. "Is something wrong?"
Paulette averted her gaze. "No, nothing, nothing at all. I'm fine" she lied without hesitation, but in her mind, she was crying, Yes, something's wrong! I love you, and you don't even notice!
"You sure?" Kharg asked, walking forward, "You look like your sick or something." He put a hand to her cheek to feel her temperature. "Hmm, you're hot," Paulette's entire face was enveloped in a blush of red, "I think the cold might be getting to you."
"I'm fine!" she near screamed, moving away from him, knowing that if he held her any longer, she would either faint or kiss him. And as many times as she fantasized about the second opinion, she couldn't do just go up to him and do that!
"Paulette…" Kharg said sadly, touching is shoulder, confused by her reaction.
There was an odd silence. Unable to find anything else to do, Kharg let his gaze drift over to Paulette. She was originally garbed in a black winter coat which she had taken off and hung, revealing her garment underneath. Paulette was wearing simple clothing, a long sleeved shirt of red and heavy black pants. Kharg was ashamed of himself when he realized that he was staring at her shapely body. Where did those curves come from? When did she become such a woman?! he thought to himself, averting his gaze.
Unable to stand the silence any longer, Paulette moved over to the radio and started to flip through the channels. "No, no, no," she sighed, each station playing something that she certainly didn't what to hear: a Christmassy love song.
"What are you looking for?" Kharg asked, walking over to her.
"I don't know," she said in turn, flipping some more.
"Hold it," Kharg said, moving his hand over hers, "Don't you like this one?" The song playing was White Christmas.
"Why, yes," she said, not moving. She cherished the feeling of his hand on hers.
Smiling, he moved over to the center of the room. Then, before the he could help it, Kharg blurted out, "Let's dance!"
"What?" the young woman asked, hardly daring to believe her luck. Was Kharg hitting on her?
Kharg wasn't sure what to say at first, or why he came up with the idea at all. "Well, you know," he began oddly, "You like the song and all, so I thought you might want to, well dance, so…" he trailed off. "Oh, never mind, you probably don't-"
"I'd love to dance!" Paulette nearly shouted, jumping up.
Taken back, Kharg held out his hand, in which Paulette placed her own. Kharg noticed that in spite of her having a very tomboy-like exterior, her hands were slender and feminine; more so then any other hand he had ever felt.
Pulling her close, Kharg felt odd as he placed his free hand on her shoulder, and blushed slightly as she placed her own around his back.
They danced slowly, in tune to the rhythm, feeling deeply unsure. "You dance beautifully," Kharg said out of the blue, wanting something to happen.
"Thank you," Paulette whispered, thinking she would cry with happiness.
Then, without thinking, the young man's hand slipped down from her shoulder and to her side while he pulled her slightly closer. Gazing up into the eyes she so loved, Paulette was sure this wasn't real. He's going to try and kiss me and then I'll wake up. You know what!? If I'm sleeping, don't wake me up! Dreams do come true!
"Paulette-" Kharg whispered in her ear, but just then there was a camera flash.
Meanwhile…
Kharg's House, Kitchen
"Uh…are we interrupting something good?" Maru's voice asked.
Darc and Lilia to move apart rather quickly. "No!"
"Hmm, a shade of pink and yellow, like a rose changing," Bebedora sighed, smiling cryptically, "What feeling it that?"
"What are you talking about?" Darc snapped, annoyed with her riddles. At least Kharg isn't here! Then he noted the puppet girl's new clothing. "What's with the new get up, Bebedora?"
"Oh, this?" she asked, looking down at her dress. "Just my winter clothing."
"Oh, it looks absolutely darling!" Lilia squealed with delight.
"No," the little girl corrected her, "Maru said it was cute. Why does no one agree with him?" Maru blushed deeply, shrinking with embarrassment.
While Lilia tried to be polite and just beamed at the boy, Darc was not so considerate. "Oh, does the little prince boy have a crush on the doll princess? Isn't that the cutest thing?"
"Not as cute as that sweater you got on!" Maru snapped back, with shut Darc up for a moment.
"Doll princess? Crush?" Bebedora asked, pulling her head up, "What are those? I'm not those, I'm Bebedora."
While she said these things, Darc realized that Maru's sweater was even worse than his. "What's with the nose on that thing? Is it so you can see in the dark?"
"Oh shut up!" the boy snapped, "At least I don't go around cornering girls and trying to kiss them!"
"Why you impudent little-!" Darc dove for the boy, who leap out of the way and bolted out of the kitchen with the half Deimos hot on his heels. Lilia ran in pursuit, her discontent remarks falling on deaf ears.
Bebedora just stood there for a moment. "Hehehe," she giggled, walking forward, "The red rush of anger, the tender green of concern, and the black storm of fear. What a show of colors!"
Maru was running as quickly down the hall as his little legs could carry him when suddenly he stopped, completely shocked at what he saw. Darc caught up to him and had wrapped his fingers around the boy's throat when he too stopped and just stared in shock. When Lilia came into the room, she instantly quieted.
There, in the middle of the room, Paulette and Kharg were waltzing together. What was even stranger was how close the two of them were.
Everyone (Including Darc, who didn't pay that much attention) had always known that Paulette had a thing for Kharg, but lacked the guts to tell him. So, why were the two dancing together?
"Since when did they start dating?" Darc whispered to Lilia, who shrugged in response.
"About the same time as you two," Maru joked softly, only to have Darc tightened his grip on the boy's neck.
Kharg moved his lips very close to the girl's ear to whisper something, but Lilia thought he was kissing her, and thusly took out her portable camera and took a picture.
The flash brought the pair back to reality, realizing they had an audience. "What are you doing!?" Kharg asked, moving a good three feet away from Paulette.
"I was going to ask you the same, Lover-boy," Darc teased, taking great pleasure in his twin's embarrassment.
"It's not like that!" Kharg reassured the crowd, much to Paulette's disconcert. "We had nothing to do and since she liked the song, I asked her if she'd like to dance. Right Paulette?" Kharg turned to his friend, who agreed with him in spite of herself.
"What's going on?" Bebedora asked cryptically, now entering the room.
"Kharg and Paulette are dating!" Maru said happily.
"What did I just finish saying!?" Kharg shouted.
"If you don't know what you said, then how should I?" Bebedora asked with a sigh, confused as to why adults act so strange. Everyone doubled over in laughter at this remark. Bebedora lifted her head about three inches up in bewilderment. "What?"
"Nothing," Maru managed, "everything's fine!"
"Speaking of which," Lilia interrupted, wanting to get back on track, "We still need to make diner and get the tree."
"What do you mean by 'tree'" Darc asked, unsure of how crazier this holiday could get.
"I'll explain on the way," Kharg said, grabbing his twin and starting for the door.
Darc wouldn't let himself be moved. "I'm not going out in this!" He pointed at the sweater he was wearing.
"Ah, come on. No one's going to notice," Kharg reassured him with a smile, knowing full well that everyone in town would see them.
"Liar!" Darc hissed, knowing full well what his brother was up to.
"Hmm," Lilia said, "I think I can solve this-one sec." She dashed over to her room, and came back a second later with black overcoat, scarf, cap, and gloves in hand. "Try these on."
As Darc did as he was told, Kharg was confused. "Where did those come from?"
"Oh, they were going to be his Christmas gift, but I think he needs them now," Lilia explained. "So, why don't you three-" she pointed at Darc, Kharg, and Maru, "-go get the tree, while us girls get cooking."
Half an Hour Later
Chaos Forest
"So," Darc said, summarizing all that his twin had said as the trudged through the snow, "Humans chop down some tree that took years to grow just so they can set it up in their homes for a few days, then degrade it by slapping a bunch of pretty lights on. Then they lie to their children and say that some old fat guy in red will have his army of slaves make toys for them if they act good. Then they say he'll somehow slip down the chimney, put the toys around the degraded tree, and scramble back up the chimney, in spite of his age and fatness."
"Wow," Maru said with wide eyes, "I never realized it, but Christmas sounds really dumb when you think about it."
"Whatever," Kharg said with a wave of his hand, used to Darc's uncanny ability to make anything human sound bad. "Ah, there's a good one!" He pointed over to a tree that was about six feet high and full and green.
"It looks kinda small," Darc said just to question Kharg's judgment.
"It looks heavy," Maru said, wanting to avoid heavy labor.
"Don't worry," Kharg said with a smile, "Darc and I will carry it-"
"Will I?" Darc said nastily.
"-all you have to do is make sure nothing gets in our way," Kharg continued without paying any head to Darc. "So," Kharg looked at his twin, holding out the axe, "Will you do the honors?"
Darc looked at the axe evilly. "You're not serious, are you? Trusting me with a sharp object? Well don't I feel special!" He grabbed the 'sharp object' and was sincerely tempted to try and scare Kharg with it, but decided against it. With a heave, he began chopping.
"So tell me," Kharg asked Maru as his brother did all the work, "why was Darc throttling you?"
"Oh." Maru said with a grin, "I walked in on him and Lilia almost, but not really, making out."
"WHAT!?"
"Yah, gave me a shock too," Maru smiled. "You should have seen Darc. The look on his face was priceless."
Kharg's brain was still trying to register the latest bit of news. "Darc and Lilia? You mean to tell me that mean, spiteful, vicious, rude, I-hate-all-humans Darc, tried to kiss sweet, kind, I-love-any-and-everyone, damsel in distress Lilia? I can't see that happening."
"That's 'cause it didn't!" Darc shouted as he finished chopping the tree down. "So why don't you stop gossiping and start helping, you lazy human Wanabe!"
"Oh, real creative insult, Darc," Kharg moaned with an eye roll as he lifted one end of the tree, "What, did you think that up all by yourself?"
Choosing to not dignify his brother with a response, Darc said something that he knew would shut the young man up. "Hey, why are you so interested in Lilia anyway? I thought you and Paulette were going steady?"
"Whadya mean?! Kharg blushed slightly.
"Well," Darc smiled, "you two looked awfully familiar half an hour ago. Your hands were all over her, for crying out loud!"
"Hey, that was just a dance!"
"You know, Kharg," Maru cheered, "You're one bad liar!"
"Shut it!" Kharg snapped, severely aggravated.
Maru stayed quite for a time. After a few minuets of walking, during which Darc constantly pointed out that Kharg wasn't lifting his side of the tree, and Kharg kept on saying that Darc was pulling the thing to much, Maru finally spoke up. "Hey Kharg, how do you think Paulette feels about you?"
"What?!" The teenager was so taken back by this statement that he dropped the tree on his twin's foot.
While Darc let out a stream of swears that could shame Delma, Maru repeated his question. "How do you think Paulette feels about you?"
"She's my friend," Kharg said dumbly, blissfully unaware of the truth.
Darc smacked him on the back of the head.
"What was that for?" Kharg demanded.
"For dropping the tree!" Darc snapped nastily. Then he smacked his twin again, only harder. "And that's for being a moron!" he explained as Kharg opened his mouth.
"He's right, you know," Maru sighed. This was going to take a long, long time.
Much Later
Kharg's House, Entry Way
"Pull, you weakling human, pull!" Darc commanded as the twins did their best to get the tree in the house in one piece. At first, Darc had suggested they just chop it up and stack the pieces together, but for some reason, Kharg and Maru didn't like the idea.
"Why don't you try pushing?!" Kharg yelled in turn, aggravated that this one tree was giving them so much trouble.
"No, you two, you're doing it all wrong," Maru said, trying to point out that the thing was stuck. "Here, let me help!"
Even after his help, the tree was still giving them trouble.
"What's all the commotion about!?" Paulette called, coming into the entry from the kitchen, followed by the other girls.
"This tree is demonic!" Darc snapped, his face full of pine needles. "Help us out!"
"What?" Lilia asked as the girls moved in, "the great King of the Deimos can't handle a little pine tree?"
"Shut up and pull!" Darc shouted, once again annoyed that she knew just how to get at him.
Finally, they were able to tug the thing in. However, the finally pull cause a rather shocked Darc to land a blushing Lilia. "What the-!" Darc shouted, leaping up.
"Ooh," Maru sang, using a childish voice, "Darc and Lilia, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-Whoa!" He had to duck as Darc's sword flew at him.
"Um, right," Lilia said, trying to regain her composer, "Well, diner is ready. We best all get to the table!"
Darc really wanted to kill the boy, but in the end, Lilia was able to persuade him to relent his attack. Diner was all good. In fact, Darc couldn't remember the last time he ate anything with such flavor. Of course, he didn't tell Lilia that. For some reason, he liked making her mad.
After diner, it was decided that Maru and Bebedora would get the presents, Paulette and Kharg would set up the tree, and Darc and Lilia were to clean up the table.
Kharg's House, Attic
"Help me up, Bebedora," Maru said, trying to climb up to where Lilia had hidden the gifts.
"I don't see the point of this," Bebedora sighed as she helped him.
"The point of what?" Maru asked, turning to face her.
"Of gift giving," she said in turn.
"What don't you get about it?" Maru pondered, wondering what she was getting at.
Bebedora looked down and sighed. "What's the point? I don't see the reason to give gifts just because of a day."
"Oh," Maru said, now understanding. He thought for a time. "Well, you don't give gifts because of the day."
"You don't?" Bebedora said, tilting her head.
Maru smiled. "Mostly, you give gifts on Christmas because you appreciate someone and what to show then that there special."
"To show them their special?" the doll-like girl said slowly, starting to understand. "How does that work?"
"Well," Maru explained, "You give them something that you thought that they'd like, to show that you thought about them. It's more symbolic than anything."
"Oh." The two quieted down and started a chain of passing the presents down the latter. Suddenly, Bebedora stopped, staring at one. "Hey, this one has my name on it!"
"Sure it does!" Maru said happily, moving down to look at it with her, "That's 'cause it's from me."
"You…" the little girl said, sounding deeply touched, "You got me…a gift?"
"Yeah," Maru chimed. Then he noted the look on Bebedora's face. "…Is that ok with you?"
"You got a gift for me…" Bebedora sighed, a tear running down her face, "…but I…I didn't get you anything."
"Hey," Maru said, trying to comfort his friend, "its ok! Its not it's the end of the world!"
"But you said that people gave gifts to the people they think are special!" Bebedora said, looking at him. "And you're my best friend!"
"Bu-but," Maru tried to find something to say, but his mind was blank. Then, miraculously, something clicked into place. "Not all gifts can be seen, you know!"
"Huh?" Bebedora was really confused now.
"Well um," the boy said oddly, "sometimes, we give people things that aren't really gifts, but are still important to them."
"Like what?"
"Um," Maru scratched his head, thinking. "Like hugs! Hugs are things people give without really giving them."
Bebedora was even more confused. "Hug? What's a hug?"
"You've never had a hug?" Maru cried in disbelief.
"No," the girl shook her head. "So, what is it?"
Maru blushed slightly. "Well, it's kind of hard to describe what it is. It'd be easer to show you." He was blushing even brighter now.
"Sure," Bebedora agreed, wondering what was going to happen.
She did not, however, expect to be enfolded in his arms. "Maru?" she asked hesitantly as her arms wrapped around him without her thinking, "I feel, warm and fuzzy. Why?"
Maru smiled as he moved away. "That's what a hug does to you. It makes you happy."
Bebedora smiled. "I like hugs." And with that, she gave him another one, only stronger and closer. "Marry Christmas, right?"
"Yeah," Maru said, a tear rolling down his face, "Marry Christmas. You know, the best gifts don't come in boxes."
Meanwhile…
Kharg's House, Kitchen
"So, did you like diner?" Lilia asked cheerfully as she washed the dishes while Darc cleared the table.
At first, Darc was going to strait out lie, but when he saw the smile of expectation on her face, he just couldn't. So instead, he grunted, "It was fine."
"Just fine?" Lilia asked, looking no less cheerful, which irritated Darc to no end.
"Yeah, just fine."
"If you say so," she smiled, once again irritating Darc.
Why did I get stuck with the weed!? he thought bitterly, Even Kharg would have been a better partner! At least he's easy to tease!
"So," Lilia went on, ripping the half Deimos from his thoughts, "What do you think of Christmas?"
"It sucks!" he snapped with a mischievous grin, glancing at the young woman, hoping for a response.
"If you say so," was all she said, knowing he was trying to get to her.
Darc growled in disappointment.
"But why don't you like it?" Lilia asked, moving over close to him.
"Because it's all about feely, touchy, lovey stuff!" Darc spat, "And that's not how Deimos are!"
Lilia looked undeterred. "You know, you can still be strong and be in tuned with your feelings. I bet your father was."
"What makes you say that?" Darc asked, now speaking in a more interested tone.
"Well," the beautiful girl smiled as she explained, "Your mother was a strong woman, but she was also empathetic-" Darc's hand gripped his shoulder as Lilia spoke of his mother, "-so your father had to be able to understand her. After all, they were very much in love."
"Yeah," Darc sighed, seeing no way to argue with her, "What's your point?"
Lilia sighed and when on. "My point is that you can try and show a little bit of a soft side."
"But I don't wanna," Darc grinned, wanting to be uncooperative.
"Well, if you say so," Lilia sighed, turning back to her work.
Darc was stunned. "That's it?" he asked dumbly, "You're not going to twist my arm with your woman tricks and mind games 'till I give in? That's what you normally do."
"No, I give up," she said with her back to him, and good thing it was, because she was grinning as her plan was taking effect.
Darc stayed quiet for a time, then shouted, "Alright, I give! What do you want me to do?"
"Well, if you really want to," Lilia said, deeply pleased her ability to get Darc to meet her half way in arguments, "let's try and talk."
"I know I'm going to hate this," Darc growled in discomfort.
"You'll never learn with that attitude," Lilia said pointedly, motioning him mover to a seat. After they were both settled, she began, "So tell me, what were you trying to do earlier?"
"When?" he asked, unsure of what she was talking about.
"When you were cornering me," she explained. "I'm not sure I know what you were doing, and just wanted to be sure."
"What do you think I was doing?!" Darc snapped, "I was trying to scare you for making me eat that vile thing!"
"Oh," Lilia said, slightly disappointed. "For some reason, it kind of looked like you were going to-"
"Kiss you?" Darc finished her sentence for her. "I know. I didn't mean for that, I'm not that kind of guy."
"I know," Lilia said sweetly, "It's just that…" she turned the deepest shade of red, "It's just that…part of me wanted to kiss you…"
"WHAT!?" Darc yelled in protest. This was too much of an insult. "What are you saying? That I'm interested in some human like you!?" He got up and turned to leave.
"No, Darc! That's not what I'm saying," Lilia cried, grapping his hand. "I love you!" she said as he turned to face her, "That's what I mean! I don't know how you feel about me, but that's how I feel about you!"
Darc's glare softened a tiny bit. "Why are you telling me this now?" he asked, but it was more of a demand.
Lilia looked at him strait in the eyes. "Simply put, I don't want us to be like Kharg and Paulette."
In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Darc barked out a laugh. "Is that so? Well, guess what. I don't feel the same way about you!"
He was at the door when Lilia spoke. "Then why did you want to kiss me?"
He turned and whispered coldly, "What did you say?"
"Why did you want to kiss me?" she repeated, tears now in her eyes.
"What made you thick I wanted to do anything like that!?" For some reason, he felt like is chest was going to explode if she started crying. He really hated himself for being so weak right now.
"When you were holding me," she explained, "and realized just how close we were, you didn't let go. Not until Maru came in."
"That was just...just…" Darc tried to find the right words.
"Don't try and hide your feelings, Darc, please," Lilia pleaded with him, coming a few steps closer to him.
Darc felt his mouth go dry. He didn't know what to say. "Lilia…I'm a Deimos, or at least mostly one, and you're a human! How can it work out between us?"
"I don't know," she admitted, "But your mother and father made it together."
"For how long," Darc hissed bitterly, saddened.
"The world's different now," Lilia insisted. "I know we can make it if we give it a shot!"
"Lilia…" Darc sighed, squeezing his shoulder. "I don't know what to say."
Lilia looked above him and smiled. "Do you realize your standing under mistletoe?"
"Huh?" Darc looked up and saw a clump of berries directly above him. "So, what's your point?"
"Do you know what mistletoe is meant for," she asked teasingly, moving forward.
"What," Darc asked, part of him wanting to move away from her, and part of him wanting to see what was going to happen.
"Well," Lilia smiled, now so close to him they were touching, "Let me show you."
She closed her eyes and put her hand behind his head, pulling the half blood she loved toward her.
Darc didn't fight against her. Instead, he put his arms around her and pulled her as close as possible. There lips were so close…
This was the first time Darc had ever been kissed in his life. Never could he remember even his own mother touching his cheek with her lips. But now, this sweet, beautiful woman, so delicate and graceful, was giving him her lips so freely. They kissed passionately for a long time, never wanting to separate.
But for some reason, Lilia moved away from him.
Darc was confused. "What's wrong?"
"I forgot to say something," she said kindly, beaming at him.
"What?" he asked, beaming back.
She moved close. "Marry Christmas."
"Yeah," he said softly, "Merry Christmas."
"You know," she grinned, "Your still under the mistletoe."
Darc smiled. "You know, maybe this Christmas thing doesn't suck all that much." He pulled her close.
Meanwhile…
Kharg's House, Family room
"No, that's not right Kharg," Paulette sighed, amused at his hopelessness at decorating.
"What do you expect," he said with a grin, "I mean, after all, my twin is Darc!"
Laughing, the teenage woman got up and walked over. "Here, let me help."
As she helped him decorate the Christmas tree, Kharg started to talk. "So, uh, how was everything while I was gone."
Paulette smiled. Kharg was really trying to hold a conversation. "Well, nothing much. Bebedora tried to make a batch of cookies out of corn starch, but that's about it. You?"
Kharg smiled, remembering what Darc and Maru had teased him about. "Oh nothing."
After the tree was done, the two sat down and looked at their finished product. "Well, I'm glad that's over with," Kharg sighed.
"At least it looks pretty," Paulette pointed out. "Besides," she when on, "each of these ornaments has a memory to it. Like this one!" She motioned over to a red one. "This was our first Christmas together."
As Paulette started in a monologue of memories, Kharg was thinking about something himself. "Paulette," he said, interrupting, cutting her off, "There's something I need to say."
"What is it?" she asked, turning to face him.
"Do you remember when I first found out about my," he paused momentarily, and then went on, "Deimos heritage?"
"Oh," Paulette sighed, lowering her face in shame. "I was so stupid! Abandoning you when you needed me-"
"Stop right there!" Kharg ordered fiercely.
"What?" she asked, bewildered. Never had he talked to her like that.
"Don't ever blame yourself for that," Kharg ordered, looking her in the eye. "I was freaking out. You should have been scared!"
"But, you reached out to me and-"
"So what?" Kharg snapped, looking at her wildly, "I was acting like a mad man! Besides, you and I already talked about this! Remember?"
"Yes," Paulette concurred, eyeing him suspiciously.
"So don't talk about it anymore, ok?" Kharg said flatly. "That's not why I brought this up."
"Then what's the reason?" Paulette asked, unsure of what to expect.
"Please, sit down," Kharg said, indicating to the seats. When they were down, Kharg went on. "After I left, you when around town and told everyone that I wasn't a monster. That I was human."
"So?" the girl replied nonchalantly. "That's what friends are for."
"But that's not all the story," Kharg insisted. "Maru said people chased you out of town, and some even threw rocks at you! But you kept at it till they listened. It takes more then a friend to do that."
Paulette found herself blushing. When she spoke, it was in a soft whisper. "What are you trying to say?"
"Paulette, when I found out you did that all for me, even though I was half a Deimos," Kharg said, speaking very seriously, "I felt so at peace with myself."
"You and I have known each other forever!" Paulette exclaimed. "Of course I'd do that!"
"That's what I mean!" Kharg explained. "When I was freaking out at the ruins, when you look at me, you were so afraid. And that hurt me…deep, real deep. I didn't even know how much until I learned that you stood up for me. I was so…happy that you still cared about me." He took her slender hands in his own.
"Kharg?" Paulette asked nervously. In all their years of friendship, Paulette had never seen him like this. It was like he was opening his heart up to her, letting himself be vulnerable to her.
"Paulette, when we danced," he said softly, "I wanted to tell you something. Something I wanted to say since when I came back to Yewbell after realizing my father was a Deimos."
"What is it," she asked softly, feeling a tear go down her face.
Kharg let go of her hand and gently wiped the teardrop away and then placed his hand back in hers. "Since we were little, I though of you as my older sister. But now," he looked at her intently, "now, I see you as more then that, and more then by best friend. I realized just how important you are to me."
Paulette blushed rosy, taken back by what Kharg had said, but Kharg when on. He had a question he needed answered. "Paulette," he said softly, moving very close to her, "Maru asked me something I never considered before. I was a fool for not thinking about it." He paused, breathed deep, and went on. "Tell, me, and be honest, what are your feelings for me?"
The way he was looking at her, his eyes, the windows of his soul and heart, locked to her own, Paulette knew she couldn't lie to him, she knew she couldn't hide her feelings anymore, not that she wanted to. "Kharg," the young woman sighed, finally saying the words her heart had been longing to say for so long, "I love you. I love you more than anyone else in the world, and I always have." Tears were running down her face, sweet, pure tears, like stars enchanted into rain
"Paulette," Kharg said, moving his right hand up to her cheek, "I…I'm sorry I can't find better words, but truth be told…I love you too." He pulled her face near while moving toward her. The couple closed their eyes.
They kissed. Not just any kiss, but a pure, loving, soft kiss.
Paulette moved away, smiling. "Kharg," she said with a smile so radiant Kharg could see nothing else, "Marry Christmas." And then they kissed again.