SubZeroChimera here! This fic, formerly a oneshot, has decided that it wants to have a little more than just one page to it. Because of this, I will get rid of its "complete" status, and it will probably never get it again. This is because, on random occasions, I will be updating it with extra chapters. Sorry to those who thought that they'd read this story and never have to come back because of it being complete. I regret to say that this will become one of those "dropped projects" that we all love to hate, at least for the moment. As soon as I feel I can come up with no more content, I will call this complete, but for now, you'll have to check back occasionally to see if there's anything new. Thank you for your patience, and may you have a happy day!
Thanks to Captain Greene for helping me with ideas!
Christmas eve
Axl watched, eyes wide open and sparkling hopefully.
"No, Axl."
His eyes widened further, growing more deep and shiny.
"I said no, Axl."
Axl's lips quivered, his eyes pleading.
"What do you not understand about the word no?"
He hung his head, looking sorrowful, adding a small whine for effect.
"For God's sake, Axl, get out of my room!"
Axl didn't budge. He stubbornly held his ground, keeping up the pretense of a lonely puppy.
"You asked for it..."
Ciel was walking down the hall of the guardian base. Upon hearing the sound of a door being forcibly opened, she ducked, just in time to avoid the sailing body of the navy reploid. He crashed into the wall, leaving a head-shaped dent in it. It blended in with the other dents on the not-so-smooth surface. Allouette, who was following Ciel, rushed to his side.
"Uncle Axl, did Zero throw you out again?" she asked innocently.
"Guh...Yeah..." he managed to say. He squirmed into a sitting position from his previously crumpled one, rubbing his head. "He threw a little harder than usual, though..."
"Axl, why don't you get a room, or even a house, of your own? I'm sure it will cause you less grief," Ciel inquired. Axl, whose arguably thick skull allowed for better recovery time, got up.
"Because I wanna room with him, that's why." he snorted. Ciel sighed.
"But you know as well as I do that he likes his space. Have you tried asking X or the guardians, yet? I'm sure that one of them wouldn't mind."
"X is boring, and there's no way I'm gonna live in the guardians' house. They creep me out, especially Leviathan..."
Ciel smiled, "Don't worry, she scares me too. So why do you want to room with Zero so much, anyways?"
"'Cause he's my friend, and because I've got nowhere else to go. Besides, it's not like you don't want to sleep in the same room as him, either."
Axl found himself flying back into the wall. His cheek was fluorescent red from where Ciel had slapped him. She stomped off, blushing furiously, while Alouette stayed and watched him try to get his head out of the side of the building. The wall had finally succumbed to the amount of times he'd hit it.
"Do you need any help, Uncle Axl?"
"No, I'm fine! Just have to wiggle a bit more!" the response was muffled from the insulation and metal.
"Okay then, I'm gonna go find sis now." Allouette left, leaving a struggling Axl to his own dilemma.
"Wait! I think I might need some help after all!" he cried out, too late. Allouette had already gone.
"Well, poop. Now how do I get out?" He thrashed his legs to no avail. "If only I had a DNA I could use... but I lost them all in the desert..." Axl tried to push against the wall with his hands and feet, futilely twisting his neck all the while. It would be a long day...
X X X X X
The four guardians walked down the hall, Leviathan at the lead. Harpuia and Fefnir were attempting a civilized conversation (Fefnir was failing horribly), while Phantom was silent, soaking up the sights. Each of the four was in casual attire, jeans and a t-shirt. Their shirt colours were blue, green, orange and purple respectively.
Leviathan, ahead of the group, spotted Axl first. She turned to her friends, finger on her lips. They noticed this, although Fefnir bumped into her before he did. After smacking him roughly over the head, she snuck up on Axl, who, after a half-hour of squirming, was tired out. It was but the work of a moment for her to grab his ankles and pull him out.
Axl yelped loudly, then span to see his assailant. When he saw her, his eyed went as wide as saucers. He jumped back into the hole to try and get away, but Leviathan only grabbed him again and pulled. After failing that escape, he faced Leviathan.
"L-Leviathan! N-nice to see y-you! What are you d-doing here?"
"I came here to visit Zero, of course!" She happily exclaimed. "I didn't know that you were here too, though. What are you doing here?"
"Same thing, really..." he muttered. He was interrupted when the door to Zero's room opened. The red hero looked up from his newspaper, seeing that the guardians and Axl were just outside. After a long, drawn-out period of time, he backed up and shut the door.
This triggered a reaction in the others. As Leviathan ran to the door, Axl quickly got to his feet and ran down the corridor. Well, would have, if not for Phantom grabbing his collar.
"Not so fast there, buddy." He chided. Axl began whimpering. Next to Leviathan, Phantom was the worst.
"Oh come on, open up! I just wanted to say hi!" she complained.
"Yeah, and the last time you did that, I ended up in a tree."
"But that was just an accident! If you hadn't of been in such a hurry to run-"
"Who wouldn't be in a hurry to run? The sound of a ball and chain isn't exactly comforting, you know!"
"For the umpteenth time, those were just my keys? See?" she brought out her keys, rattling them, "Just my keys! Honest!"
"Keys? What a load! I'm not coming out, no matter what you say!" he shouted back. Leviathan puffed out her cheeks, frustrated. Knowing that he wouldn't come out unless for a full-out war, she looked around for an excuse nonetheless. Her eyes lit up the moment they fell on it.
"But we're gonna be torturing Axl!"
"Where do I sign up!" His door swung rapidly open, with him leaning out of it. Leviathan had to jump out of the way to avoid the door. Axl moaned in despair.
Leviathan grabbed him, yanking Zero out of his room. "Actually, instead of torturing Axl, I thought we could do something even more fun and go Christmas shopping! C'mon then!" She pulled him down the hall, despite his indignant protests. Her brothers followed suite, Phantom still holding (aka dragging) the whining Axl.
From around the corner, Ciel watched them leave. She smiled as Alouette tugged on her skirt. "Shouldn't we stop them, sis?"
"No, we shouldn't. Zero needs to get out more." Alouette looked up at Ciel, concern in her eyes. Ciel noticed this, "Don't worry, he can take care of himself. He's not a legendary hero for nothing."
Alouette smiled, relief in her eyes. "Okay sis, I believe you."
X X X
The mall was huge, several stories of sheer shopping chaos. People went to and fro, many of them carrying bulging purses or bags. An enormous window on the roof, while covered in snow, still let rays of sunlight in, flooding all of the levels with light. Here and there, escalators, benches, and even fountains were dotted, adding to the jovial but crowded atmosphere. Multitudes of voices in a spectrum of various frequencies drowned out each of their neighbors, sounding for all the world like a stadium full of screaming fans.
"Home sweet home..." sighed Leviathan happily. She dashed off into the crowd, leaving behind an extremely confused Zero.
"So she drags me here to go Christmas shopping, then forgets me at the door?" he asked.
"Well duh! You can't go shopping for someone's presents when they're right beside you!" chortled Fefnir.
"I should think that was obvious." added Harpuia.
"Great, now I feel like an idiot." Zero grumbled.
"That's because you are an idiot. And by the way..." Phantom had somehow popped up right in front of Zero, "use a fake name while you're here. It's hard enough to get shopping done without legions of fans dying to get your autograph or something like that."
"Trust us on that one..." Fefnir said ruefully.
"Fair enough. Zed sound good?"
Harpuia nodded. "That's not shabby for such short notice. Mine's Harp, Fef's is Wolfe, and Phantom's is Dark. Leviathan's short is just Levi, and if you meet X, you can call him Elf. Not that he chose that name, mind you." he was smirking, and Zero had the feeling that there was a joke behind the name.
"What about me?"
The group turned to Axl. "I hate to be the one to say it," Zero pointed out, "but you were never famous enough to get fans."
Axl's face turned into a comical portrayal of unhappiness (complete with frown, shaded eyes, and gloomy air). The group laughed, then set off into the mall, each taking a different path. And, of course, they left Axl behind.
Five minutes into the mall, and Zero realized he had a problem; he didn't have a clue as to what to get his friends for their presents! He knew what to get for Axl and X (wherever he was), but he wasn't close enough with any of the guardians to know their preferences. Which was causing the crimson warrior to panic.
"Aw shit, now what do I do? Levi would kill me if I got her the wrong thing! And that isn't even close to what Ciel would do..." he looked at all of the shops, desperate for ideas. It wasn't until he saw a familiar figure in the crowd that he could breathe a sigh of relief.
"Oi! Elf!"
The figure looked around, his brown hair swishing as his blue eyes searched the crowd. "Dangit, if that's you guardians again...!"
"No, stupid, it's me! Over here!" X's eyes finally found their target as he pushed past members of the vast crowd, stopping only when he was at his old partner's side. X rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue at Zero's behavior.
"Tsk tsk, now I know it's you. The guardians never call me stupid. Or shove aside crowds, for that matter." The members of said crowd were giving Zero filthy looks, but soon passed on their way.
"To heck with them. Hey, if the guardians haven't called you stupid yet, then they can't know you too well. Whatcha doing here?" Zero cheerily asked.
"For your information," X started, "I'm here looking for a job. I just finished my shopping a week ago, but my account is a little low."
"Good luck getting a job, then. How's your resume working?"
"Not well. I have to put my real name on it, but people think I'm just joking when I do that. No one's really taking me seriously here. I haven't put much of my hunting exploits on it either, so believe it or not, it's a bit empty, too." he lamented.
"That's harsh. Would it help if you put down a fake name?"
X frowned, "No, you twit, it wouldn't. Firstly, if they tried a background check, they wouldn't get anything. Secondly, it's illegal! Not like you'd know anything about the law, though."
"Nope." Zero grinned.
"Good ole Ze-" X started to say. But right when he started to say his friend's name, the crowd surrounding them grew awfully silent. He paused, and Zero took the opportunity to chide X.
"Uh, Zed, remember? ZED. Geeze, you're always forgetting my name," he hastily cut in. X caught on to the ruse immediately.
"Oh, right, Zed, sorry about that." both he and Zero sweatdropped, hoping that the crowd bought it. They did, although a few of them seemed disappointed.
"So, uh... why are you here?" X asked as the legions of shoppers returned to their everyday lives. "You have a job with the guardians, so I doubt that you're here for the same reason as me."
"You're right there," he replied, "I'm out Christmas shopping, but I don't know what to get for everyone. I don't know the guardians enough to know what they'd like, short of dressing up in a bow again... And that won't happen, mark my words." he uttered with a scowl. X smirked knowingly.
"Well, I've certainly got some free time. Come on, then, let's go." he patted Zero's shoulder, then began pushing him forwards.
"Go where?"
X shook his head. "Boy, I've got some work to do" he muttered to himself.
X X X
It took Axl 10 minutes to realize that he'd been left behind. His former doom and gloom attitude disappeared instantly, leaving behind pure indignation.
"Those jerks! They left me here! And all by myself, at that! Ooh, they're gonna regret it!" He stomped off angrily onto the crowd, looking for the ones who ditched him. Have no luck at this (not that he tried too hard), he set out further to find them. Unfortunately for him, the wonders of the mall distracted him almost immediately.
"Ooh! Candy!" he said as he leaned into a window, almost drooling at the sweets on the other side. Then, looking to the side, he saw another shop not far off. "Look at the plushies!" Axl cried joyfully as he arrived at the transparent pane. "Neato!" he said again as he raced to another shop. And so it went, the curious reploid zipping from store to store, rarely arriving at the same one twice. It kept going on like that, even after he was well and truly lost. The only thing that stopped him was a large, neon sign in front of a thick glass door. It read "Master Merlin's Joke Shoppe". The shop's displays were full of snake filled cans, faux mustaches, joy buzzers, water flowers, whoopie cushions, fake lottery tickets, funny sunglasses... the list went on and on.
Axl's eyes became as wide as baseballs, shiny stars dancing in them. "Heaven really does have a place on earth!" he whimpered, (almost) too excited to shout. With a raucous whoop, he dashed into the shop.
Even in his wildest dreams, the navy reploid had never imagined that he would see such a storehouse of prankster wares. After the initial shock, Axl ran down the first aisle he could, grinning madly. He took stock of each and every item, his devious mind thinking up possible pranking situations for them, and for the most part, they were at Zero's expense. It wasn't until he walked down the third aisle, his carrot hair bobbing, that he met anyone else.
"Huh? What're you doin' here, Dark?"
The guardian quickly turned around, a look of surprise on his face. "What? Oh, er, I was just-"
"You weren't looking for a present for little ole' me, were you?" He asked slyly. Phantom was about to (attempt) an answer when Axl cut him off again.
"Oh, never mind, I don't want you to ruin the fun!" he turned around, heading towards the entrance. If Phantom was going to get him a gift, he didn't want to see it! It was always more fun to guess!
"Actually I wasn't. I was just, er, looking for gift ideas. I didn't know you liked jokes..." Phantom uttered quietly. Axl stopped dead in his tracks, his head slowly turning to look back at Phantom.
"Of course I like jokes! Didn't Zero ever tell you?" he yelled. Some other store-goers gave him strange looks, but kept to their own affairs. In a second, Axl was back in front of Phantom. "I don't just like them, I love 'em! Live 'em! A day without jokes is a day not worth living! Zero had to have told you that!" he ranted on, oblivious of the world around him.
"Actually, Zero hasn't really told any of us anything." he muttered. "He's been locked up in that room of his for months, whenever he isn't working..."
"And just why do you think he's been locked up?" Axl asked pointedly.
"Well, I always thought that it was because he doesn't like to socialize."
"Eh, that too, but it's because I'm back!" Axl leaned forwards, whispering in Phantom's ear, "He's secretly scared of me!"
Phantom snorted derisively, "Scared? Of you? I highly doubt that! As far as I know, he isn't scared of anything!"
"You don't know that much then. He's scared of me, all right. As well he should be, after all the jokes I've pulled on him!" Axl boasted with a wide smile.
"Yeah right, I've tried numerous times to prank him, and it never works."
"That's 'cause you're not using your head!" Axl poked his head with a finger, "You can't get him if you don't try something original! He's wise to all the classics!"
"I put tar in his conditioner, and even that didn't work! If that's not original, then strike me down." Phantom opened his arms wide, as if waiting for something to happen.
"Of course it's not original! I already got him with that one 17 times!"
"What? 17 times!" Phantom spluttered. His eyes shot wide open, and he gazed at Axl in awe.
"That's what I said! I've gotta admit though, the first time was the funniest." Axl replied, dreamily remembering the day. "Good times... Good times..."
Without warning, Phantom placed his arm over Axl's shoulders, showing off an unusually wide smirk. "Hey kid, nice job! Maybe I'll take you in as an apprentice, hmm?" he joked, causing Axl to become defensive.
"If you couldn't prank Zero even once, then I see no reason to become your apprentice! I'm perfectly fine on my own!"
"A pity..." Phantom sighed, frowning. "It's so hard for a ninja like me to get a good apprentice these days..."
"You're a ninja?" Axl gasped. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Phantom smiled. He had the kid right where he wanted him! "Of course I'm a ninja! Why do you think my name is Phantom?"
"I dunno, I thought you were just afraid of the light."
Phantom's temple bulged, but he bit back a retort. Deciding digression was the better part of valor, he moved on. "So whatta you say, kid, want to be my apprentice?"
"Do I ever!" was the gleeful response.
"Then come along, we've got a lot of work to do!" Phantom marched towards the door, beckoning with his hand for Axl to follow.
"But Dark..."
"What?" Phantom turned, his smile slightly smaller.
"What about the Christmas shopping?"
"Oh, right, the shopping..." he replied. He'd completely forgotten about it! "Well, we'll do that first, then we'll get to work. Sound good?"
"Yup!"
"Then off we go!" he cried jubilantly, heading towards the door. Axl followed behind him, and the new partners-in-crime left the store, swallowed by the crowds outside.
X X X X X
Leviathan pranced happily down the mall. Large bags filled with goods bumped against each other and her side, rustling gently. She had to admit, she was pretty good at shopping. She headed for the nearest bench, then sat down. All that shopping had tired her out!
"Wow, today was a good day..." she exclaimed to herself. Leviathan gazed around the mall, watching the actions of the many different passer-bys. After a few visual sweeps of her surroundings, her eyes rested on a booth not far from where she sat.
"A gift-wrapping booth! How convenient!" she got up, grabbed her bags, and headed towards it. The booth's clerk saw her arrive.
"Hello, mam. Would you like me to wrap those for you?"
"Yes please!" she replied. Leviathan handed the clerk her bags.
"It may take a while to wrap all of these. Are you alright with that?" asked the clerk.
"Yup, I'm fine with that." Leviathan nodded. After the clerk took the gifts, Leviathan paid her and walked back to the bench. Just as she sat down, she yawned.
"Phwoooaaww... Geeze, I'm tired." her eyelids began to droop as she leaned back in the seat. "Maybe a little nap won't hurt..." she said as she succumbed to sleep.
From one level above, Harpuia and Fefnir watched her fall asleep.
"Good ole Levi, sleeps anywhere she feels like." laughed Fefnir. Harpuia smirked beside him.
"A sign of these peaceful times, I suppose. But perhaps one of us should still stay and watch her?"
Fenfir snorted. "I think she's more of a danger to others than they are to her."
"A valid point. Let's keep shopping, then." Harpuia drifted off into the crowd.
"Oi! Wait up!" Fefnir ran after him, nearly tripping on a potted plant in his path.
Zero stubbornly stood outside the shop, his arms crossed unmoving across his chest. In one hand he held a bag, the other was being tugged on by X.
"I am not going in there."
"Get a grip, Zed, it's only a plushie store!"
"And what will everyone think when I go inside there?"
"Quit worrying, guys go in there to get their girlfriend's presents all the time."
"But I don't have a girlfriend!"
"No, you just have two girls who compete voraciously for your attention. Now get a move on, time's a-wastin'!"
"Why do I have to go in there, anyways?"
"Because of those two girls that like you so much! Weren't you listening to me?"
"Sorry, I didn't hear you, could you repeat that?"
"Oh for the love of... Fine then, if you're too afraid to enter this silly shop, then I guess we'll have to move on."
"Who are you calling afraid?" Zero shot back angrily. He uncrossed his arms, bulling past his friend to get to the shop, "I'll show you that I'm not afraid!"
X laughed to himself, rolling his eyes. "Knew that'd get him," he whispered, then followed Zero into the store.
The store was filled with vibrant colours, numerous round and shiny eyes stared out at the world from the shelves stocked with hordes of large and small stuffed animals. Some were fluffy, poofy, furry, shaggy, or an impossible combination of all of the above. The plushies were in the form of every animal imaginable, and then some. A few of them held items, like flowers, candies, smaller animals... And hearts.
Zero's eyes were drawn to a single line filled with large, soft huggables. It wasn't really the hearts they held that drew his eyes, but the fact that they were based on cyber-elves. He smirked.
"I think I just found Ciel's present."
"And Levi's." X added, walking up beside him. He went and picked up a frog elf plushie, ridiculously oversized and sporting eyes that could make the hardest criminal go soft. Zero picked up an orange fox-shaped one, with cutely slanting lines in place of eyes.
"But wouldn't that count as getting them the same thing?" he asked.
"Nah, it'll be okay." X replied as he walked towards the till. "Now come and pay for these."
"Don't get your wings outta wack, Elf, I'm coming." Zero headed over to the counter as well.
"Wings out of wack? That's a new one." X said as Zero stopped beside him.
"I thought it was appropriate, considering your name." Zero smiled, then turned to the cashier. He paid for the stuffies, then had them put in a bag. The bag was nearly half his height because of the size of the two stuffed animal elves.
"Yes, well, the guardians are going to regret calling me that, once I'm done with them." he retorted. As the two turned and left the store, X suddenly stopped, then ran back in. After a minute, he reappeared. Zero gave him a confused look, which X answered by bringing out the small stack of resumes.
"You never know." X stated.
"Opportunist." Zero grumbled.
"Better than being broke."
"I suppose that's true. Oh well, back to business." The two friends continued on their way, walking slowly so that they didn't miss seeing any deals.
Phantom and Axl wandered down the mall, their Christmas shopping finished. By agreement, they had decided not to get anything for each other, deciding instead that they would save their money for their "Pranking fund" (as Axl affectionately put it). They had just dropped their gifts off at a wrapping booth when Axl spotted Leviathan.
"Hey, would ya look at that!" he pointed out to Phantom. But when Axl faced him, he found that Phantom was preoccupied talking with the booth's clerk. A devious idea crossed his mind. He giggled darkly and crept over to his target. Quickly looking around to see if he was being watched, (which he wasn't) he leaned forward and gently placed his index finger on her forehead. After concentrating, it began to glow slightly at the tip, a side-effect of acquiring her DNA.
When he was nearly finished, he looked around again for people who may have seen him. No one had, but to his horror, Phantom was only milliseconds away from turning around and discovering his scheme. The DNA acquired notice popped up just as Phantom's eyes moved...
Axl made a sudden move. He began poking her repeatedly, attempting to cover up his actions. He feigned ignorance as Phantom came towards him, feeling his hand land on his shoulder.
"Axl, what are you doing to my sister?"
The navy trickster acted as though he was surprised that Phantom had grabbed him. "Well, she wasn't moving, so I was just seeing if she was okay."
Phantom exhaled exasperatingly. "Poking someone isn't the best way to find that out, you know." his hand lifted, and he moved beside Axl. "And besides, if you had taken the time to look, she's breathing in a manner that's characteristic of a sleeping person. Which I thought would have been obvious."
Axl left out an inward sigh of relief. "Oops. Guess I've got some work to do if I'm gonna become a ninja."
"You certainly do. But it's no big deal."
"It was fun while it lasted, though." Axl mumbled. He gazed around the mall for something interesting to do, but seeing nothing, decided to sit down. He squeezed in on one side of the bench, while Phantom sat between him and Leviathan.
"Guess we just wait now, hey?" He said to Phantom. However, Phantom was once again not listening, as he'd also fallen asleep.
Axl pouted. That was the third time today that he was ignored! He crossed his arms, suddenly interested in revenge plots. It wasn't until ten minutes later, when the clerk at the booth signaled for him, that his thoughts strayed elsewhere. He got up and headed towards the stall.
"Are you friends with that lady there?" the clerk asked as he arrived.
"Sorta..." he replied.
"Then could you take these to her, please?" Axl was handed her bags of wrapped gifts, "she dropped them off here, but when I was done with them, she was asleep. I didn't want to wake her up, though."
"Probably would've been the death of ya. Don't worry, Ill take these to her."
"Thank you. That's really appreciated. Oh, by the way, yours are done too. Would you like them?"
"Eh, sure, why not?"
Axl regretted his words immediately. As the clerk gave him back the presents, he found that he was very nearly unable to walk. He waddled over to the bench, then sat down to try and make the load a little easier to deal with.
"Aww, nuts." he complained as he was buried under the goods. Axl couldn't move because of the weight (and in case he accidentally broke any of the gifts). He was stuck.
Again...
Fefnir and Harpuia nearly burst out laughing at what they saw.
Zero was stood not far from they were, holding a large pile of boxes and bags. He couldn't see anywhere, since the stack was too high for him to look over. It was a stable pile, although it was still rocking precariously due to his movements. A pair of small children were harassing him, running around him and causing all sorts of mischief. X was trying to calm them down, but whenever he got too close to one of them, they sprinted away from him, often running between Zero's legs to get an obstacle between them and him. Which only caused more grief for Zero.
"Oh dear, we'd better go help them." Harpuia managed to say, doing his level best not to giggle.
"No, wait, there's something we have to do first." Fefnir reached into his pocket, bringing out a cell phone. He aimed it at Zero, taking a shot with its camera.
"Now we can go help him." Fefnir grinned. Harpuia returned the gesture, then began trotting towards the assailed pair.
"Need a hand?" he inquired when he was within range. X looked over at him, and one of the children took the opportunity to scurry back towards Zero.
"That would be appreciated, thanks." he replied.
Fefnir ran up beside Harpuia. "What are they attacking him for?"
"They think he looks like Zero." X told them. The other two nodded knowingly, until they were interrupted by Zero.
"Uh, guys..."
"What?" they asked as they turned to him.
"Would you mind taking this one off my head, please?" Sure enough, the smaller of the two children, who was around four years old, had somehow managed to get up on the unfortunate reploid's head.
"Oh, right, right away." X went back to his friend, grabbing the child. But as he pulled the kid off, he held on to a large bunch of Zero's hair. Fefnir brought out his camera again as X attempted to pull him away from Zero, but the child had other ideas. He gamely held on to the blond lock as X tried to loosen him. Zero shut his eyes against the pain of having his hair almost ripped from his scalp. It was only after Fefnir had gotten several good shots that Zero was saved.
"Joshua, let that man's hair go!" The boy instantly let go. The other child ran over to her mom as she hurried over to the group, apologizing profusely.
"I'm sorry, I should have taken better care of them, I only looked away for one minute-"
"It's okay, mam, no permanent harm done." Harpuia cut in, taking the boy from X and handing him to her.
"Tell that to my hair." Zero muttered.
"Thank you, sirs. I'm really sorry..." She said as she took the children away. As she left, the four men could hear her chiding her children.
"What did I tell you about running off?"
"But mom, that man was Zero!"
"Zero? Now Joshua, don't lie."
"But he's telling the truth!"
"Not you too, Sandy. Now come on, we have to go find your father."
"But-!"
"No buts, now come along."
"Awww..."
Their voices faded into the crowds', and Zero sighed with relief. "Thank the fates that that's over." X bobbed his head in agreement.
Fefnir turned to Zero. "Thanks for the quality pictures, buddy." he taunted as he held up the camera.
"Oh, you didn't-! You delete those right now!"
"Maybe later."
"Why you-!"
"Uh, guys, what time is it?" X suddenly asked. The others stopped their bickering as Harpuia looked at a big mall clock.
"Um, it's ten to five. We need to go and find the others before the mall closes." he responded, sounding slightly urgent.
"Right!" They ran off, searching for their friends. After approximately seven minutes of dashing about the mall (Zero was able to balance his load since he wasn't being harassed anymore), they found two of them.
"Hey, Dark! Levi! Wake up!" Fefnir shouted at them. The two woke up with a snort, blinking around rapidly to find the ones who'd called.
"Phwoooaaawwo... what're you yelling about, bro? Phantom groggily complained.
"Unlike you, we were paying attention to the time." Harpuia replied. Phantom became alert immediately, while Leviathan yawned again.
"Hey guys, what's up?"
"Nearly being late to leave the mall, that's what." Zero retorted. The two sitting on the bench got up, Phantom looking around.
"Huh? Where did Axl go?" he asked.
"Oh shit, Axl! We forgot about him!" Zero spun around, and was about to dash away in search of the navy reploid when the pile of gifts next to Phantom moved.
"Leviathan, I thought we agreed no pets." Harpuia said as he crossed his arms. Leviathan was about to protest when the pile groaned.
"Oooooh, why do I feel like fat guy's bed?" Axl's head popped out from under the pile, and he looked down after a quick peek at his surroundings. "Oh. That would be why."
"No kidding." Zero commented, somewhat in shock at the amount of weight that Axl had endured. "Looks like you need a hand."
"Yeah, I might just be thankful for that." was the sarcastic return. The others came forward, taking the gifts off of him. Axl, after being freed from his burden, stood up and stretched.
"Man, it feels good to be free!" he swung his arms, then leaned down to touch his shoes. An announcement monotonously rang from the mall's PA system.
"The mall is now closing. Please finish your purchases and leave the building."
"Okay, let's go!" Axl cried jubilantly, then headed towards the nearest exit.
"Hold on, what about helping us with these gifts?" Zero asked.
"Screw that, I'm not getting stuck with that lot again!" he began running, while Zero's face took on a reddish shade.
"Get back here, you little twerp!" he roared as he gave chase.
"C'mon, guys, we'd better follow them." X mumbled. He grabbed some of the gifts while the guardians got the rest, then they followed the path the runners took.
Christmas day
Small, fluffy ice crystals drifted by the frosted window. The snow landed soundlessly on the ground outside, muffling the footsteps of anyone walking nearby. The air inside Zero's room was colder than usual, a chill that didn't bother him one bit. In fact, the total silence it brought was a relief from the usual chaos he tolerated. The gifts he bought yesterday were now wrapped, set on either his desk or floor (depending on their size). Soft light crept in through the window, giving his room a calm and soothing atmosphere.
Zero blinked, then yawned. He turned in his bed, shuffling further under the covers. They were soft and warm, adding to the peace of the morning. The red reploid delved deeper into the comfort of his bed, content with the quiet.
"WAKE UUUUUUUPPP!"
Something landed heavily on his bed, causing the mattress to launch Zero into the air. He landed with a sproing, bouncing again before he got himself under control.
"What'sgoingonwho'stherewhere'sthefire?" he garbled out in his confusion.
"IT'S FINALLY TIME! IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY! GET UP ALREADY!" Axl yelled. He had an enormous, goofy grin plastered on his face. Axl began jumping around like a puppy, somehow managing to stay on the bed. "It's Christmas, it's Christmas, it's finally Christmas!" he chanted, finally hopping of the bed and bounding down the hall with cartwheels, backflips and more.
Zero groaned, clutching his stomach where Axl had launched off of it. He got up, rubbing his eyes to dispel his fatigue. Another yawn, and he stood up, groping around for his clothes. After grabbing a shirt, a coat, and some sweatpants, he leaned out of his room to see what was going on.
"I see you're finally up, Zero." Zero turned towards Ciel's voice. She was wearing a different dress than usual, red with fuzzy white trim. Her hair hung in a loose ponytail, tied up in a puffy white scrunchie. Beside her, Allouette wore a similar outfit, with a big red bow instead of the scrunchie. Even her cat toy was "dolled" up, with a green and red woven collar and a pair of jingle bells.
"No thanks to Axl." he replied. Zero stretched, reaching his arms towards the ceiling.
"He's been pretty excited since the moment he woke up." Beside Ciel, Allouette looked up.
"But isn't Uncle Axl always excited?" she asked.
"True, true..." Ciel replied. She patted Allouette on the head. "Now, weren't you going to go play with someone?"
"Oh right! Grandpa Andrew was going to take Perroquiet and Menart and me sledding!" Allouette dashed off, leaving Ciel alone with Zero. They both smiled as she left.
"Just think, Zero, not long ago, those children and Andrew would have been retired if they'd left the safety of the base... But thanks to you, they're safe to do what they wish."
Zero blushed, "Come on, Ciel, you already thanked me a thousand times for that. It was nothing-"
"Oh, so falling alongside an exploding space cannon through the earth's atmosphere is nothing? Not to mention your other achievements." she pointed out.
"Am I ever going to win this argument?"
"Not when I'm around." she stated with a smirk.
"Trust me Zero, whenever someone starts a fight, if a woman's there, she'll finish it."
Zero turned and blinked at Leviathan. "Where did you come from?"
"From where we're going." She grabbed Zero's arm and began pulling him down the hall (similar to the way she did yesterday). Ciel ran and caught up.
"Just where do you think you're going?"
"To the Christmas party at our house. Why do you ask?"
"Because you're kidnapping my best guardian, that's why."
Beneath Leviathan's headlock, Zero was struggling to escape. "Don't I get... a say in this?" he gasped.
"Nope," Leviathan cheerfully answered, "and neither does Ciel."
Ciel looked puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"
"She means that you can either come willingly, or be taken very unceremoniously." Phantom had snuck up behind them, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Look, I'd love to come to the party, but there are things I need to get done here first!"
Cerveau leaned out of his laboratory's door as they passed. "And who says that I can't get them done? Go on and have some fun, I dare anyone to say that you don't deserve it."
"How many more people are going to get involved in our conversation?" Zero asked the ceiling.
"A lot more, if you keep taking the main route through the base." Hirondelle said as he walked past.
"Me and my big mouth." Zero grumbled.
"He has a point, though. If we keep along the main drag, we'll probably get a lot of attention." Phantom noted.
Ciel giggled, "That's why Hirondelle is our intelligence expert!"
The group stopped. Leviathan finally released Zero, and they all looked around for a faster way of getting through the base. Ahead and to their right was a hallway.
"Where does that lead to?" asked Leviathan.
"Mostly the storehouses and the garage." Zero replied.
Phantom nodded, "Good then. You take Ciel and head over to our house while we go look for X and Axl."
"But Phantom...!" Leviathan complained.
"Don't worry, we'll catch up with Zero later. We've gotta grab his presents too, right? Now come on." he said, taking her hand and heading back the way they came.
Zero raised his eyebrows. "They want Axl at the party?"
"Something wrong with that?" Ciel wondered.
"Should've brought my armor..."
"Come on, he can't be that bad!" Ciel laughed as she arrived at the hall.
"You don't know Axl." Zero followed her, and they went down the corridor to the garages.
X X X
Zero's hoverbike raced across the frozen countryside, creating a wave of snow behind them. The freezing wind slashed at their faces, and the snowflakes falling from the sky danced around them. An endless sheet of white blanketed the land, but fortunately, Zero's bike had a GPS. They arrived at the house, parking by the gate.
Ciel let go of Zero and got off the bike, rubbing her hands together and breathing out little clouds. "Brr! It's so chilly!"
Zero swung his legs over the bike's side, jumping off to land beside Ciel. "A good thing we brought our coats then, hmm?"
"A very good thing."
They trudged up to the house, following a path of trampled snow to the door. When there, they knocked. A minute later, Harpuia answered the door.
"Ah, Zero, Ciel, you've arrived. So good that you could come."
"Not that we had much choice." smiled Ciel. From behind Harpuia, Fefnir roared happily.
"Zero! Ciel! You're here! That's great! Now could you shut the door already, you're lettin' the heat out!"
"Yes, yes, just give us a second to get in, won't ya?" Zero yelled back. Harpuia moved aside as the two entered the home, then shut the door behind them.
"Pardon him, he's in the other room setting up for the party. We're mostly done, but there's still a few wrinkles to even out." Harpuia stated. Zero and Ciel took off their sodden coats, and Harpuia pointed to a coat rack. It was to the left of the door, and was set up with a towel under its base. Zero stole Ciel's coat and took it to the rack, along with his own. Ciel protested.
"I'm perfectly capable of hanging up my own coat, you know."
"But I'm already here, am I not?" he smirked.
Ciel smiled as she shook her head. "Men..."
Just then, they heard sound of a fist banging on the door. Harpuia went over and opened it, letting Axl, X, Phantom and Leviathan enter the house. He closed the door when they were all in.
"You're looking a bit wet." Harpuia observed. All four of them were, as Harpuia had said, soaking wet.
"Blame Axl, he's the one that fell off his bike." Leviathan grumbled, pointing at Axl. After looking at him again, Zero noticed that Axl was indeed wetter than the others, also sporting a cap of snow and slush.
"It wasn't my fault! You guys were going too fast! Besides, how was I supposed to know that the snow was a meter thick?"
"'Cause you fell into it!"
"C'mon guys, it really isn't his fault." X defended. "How was he supposed to know that we'd hop off our bikes to get him out?"
"Oh, I don't know, because he asked us to!"
"Cut it off, you three" Phantom interrupted, "now that we're here, we can go dry off." Phantom yanked off his vest, placing it on the rack, and headed upstairs. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to my room to get a dry shirt." As he turned the corner on the top hall, he was seen trying to get his shirt off (the water had plastered it onto him).
"He's got a good idea. See you in a bit!" Leviathan winked at Zero as she ran up the stairs.
"Do either of you need a spare shirt?" Harpuia asked.
Axl shivered violently, which turned into a full-out splattering of droplets as he shook the water off of himself. "Nah, I'm good." he grinned, dryer than he had been.
X flicked one of the droplets of water away his arm. "I wouldn't mind one, though."
Harpuia crossed his arms, looking down at the new wet spots on his shirt. "Very well, follow me. I may be needing a new one, too." he and X went towards Harpuia's room (which was also upstairs).
That left Zero, Axl, and Ciel alone in the entrance. "So whatta we do now?" asked the navy trickster.
"You could get your butts in here and help me set up!" Fefnir called from the end of the lower hallway. The trio sighed, then left towards where Fefnir's voice had come from.
Half an hour later, those that went to get new shirts arrived in the room. Zero was perched precariously on Fefnir's shoulders, both putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. Ciel was mixing the punch, monitoring Axl as he looked longingly at the rum-and-eggnog.
"No, Axl, you're too young for alcohol."
"But I'm over a hundred years old!"
"Like I said, you're too young. Age isn't a measure of maturity, you know."
"Fine, fine." Axl muttered, backing off and heading towards the TV, which was showing a yule log. "But that means you can't have any either..."
"What was that?"
"Hey, look who's finally arrived!" Fefnir half turned towards the door, waving. Zero, who had just finished putting the star on the tree, wobbled around frantically to keep his balance. The result was that both of them fell to the ground in a heap.
"Oof!"
"Gwah!"
They thrashed on the floor in a tangle of limbs and garlands. Finally, after a minute or two of struggling, they broke free. Zero still had a garland wrapped around his head.
"Sorry, did we come at a bad time?" Leviathan asked.
"No, no, perfectly fine, not a problem." Fefnir replied sarcastically.
"Geeze, I was only asking." Leviathan walked forward, picking up Zero and hugging him. "Did you miss me while I was gone?"
"I may have missed you being gone..." he mumbled under his breath.
Leviathan let him go, not having heard the comment. She reached into one of her jean's pockets, taking out two Santa hats. She took one, putting it on, then took the other and shoved onto his head. "Look what I got for you!"
Zero lifted the rim of the hat so he could see, "A Santa hat? What's this for?"
"For the holidays, silly! You can keep it, if you like!"
"Uh, sure, thanks."
He shifted the hat around so that it was more comfortable. Harpuia and X, who were holding the presents from Zero's room, went over to the tree, placing the presents below it. They blended in with the other presents.
"There we are! The last of the presents are ready to be opened!" X pronounced triumphantly. He stood up, slapping dust off of his hands.
"Then let's open them!" shouted Axl. He rushed to the refreshment table, grabbed a glass of punch, and sat down by the tree. He looked at them (the group was still standing up) with a what are you waiting for look.
"Eh, we might as well." Fefnir sat down. He shuffled around, then began sifting through the presents.
"Perhaps we should sort them into piles first?" Harpuia asked.
"That would be advisable." Phantom added.
The group grabbed some drinks, then set to the task. After a few moments later, they were done. 8 separate piles were spread across the floor, their respective owners sitting beside them. A couple of them looked at their piles eagerly.
"Who's going to go first?" asked Zero nervously.
"ME!" shouted Fefnir and Axl, diving into their piles.
"I think the question is who will be last?" Phantom observed. He too began ruffling through his gifts. Soon, everyone was looking at their different gifts, some with more abandon than others. Zero looked at his pile, picking out a long, thin box. Unused to the amount of presents, he opened it slowly, more interested in what the others were doing than what he was.
After several minutes, it was finally opened. He lifted it out. It was a red tie, silky in feel. Looking at the box, he saw it was from Harpuia.
"Do you like it?" Zero looked up at Harpuia's voice.
"Uh, yeah, I do. Don't have one of these..." he replied. Harpuia smiled and nodded, returning to his own business.
"Aww, look at this! It's so cute!" Leviathan snuggled the cyber-elf plushie, even though it wasn't fully out of its wrapping.
"Mine's cuter!" Ciel shot out, hugging her own plushie and sticking her tongue out at Leviathan.
"Is not!" Leviathan replied, returning Ciel's gesture. She turned to Zero, smiling sweetly. "Thank you, Zero!"
"Thank you!" Ciel echoed.
"Ur, yeah, no problem." Zero said in return. He shyly turned away from the looks of the girls, suddenly more interested in a stray garland on the ground.
"Something wrong, buddy?" Fefnir asked. He was buried in a bunch of wrapping paper, apparently searching for a gift he's dropped. "You've barely touched your stuff, there."
"No, nothing's wrong. I guess I'm just not used to this many gifts..." he responded meekly.
Axl popped out of his own horde of crinkling wrapping paper, grinning mischievously. "Zero the He-ro's as shy as a fly-y!"
The box that used to contain the tie whacked Axl loudly on the head. He fell backwards into the paper as Zero's temple bulged.
"I am not shy, I'm just not used to this many gifts!" he repeated angrily. The rest of the group chuckled as Axl tried to sit up, swaying. Ciel looked over at Zero's pile.
"Fefnir's right though, Zero, you've barely touched your gifts. We've almost finished ours." She hugged the plushie tighter with one hand, using her other to feel some new pearl earrings.
"Who gave you those?" Zero asked her as she let go of the intricate ear jewelery.
"I did!" Axl smiled smugly. "Turns out that a honking big diamond sells for a really huge sum!" He brought out a gold necklace from under his shirt. It had a large red diamond in it, perfectly spherical and with the diameter of a large coin. "Even if you don't sell all of it!" he placed the necklace back under his shirt.
"What did you do with the rest of the money?" X inquired, rubbing his unique broach with a gem embedded in it.
"I put in in a bank."
"Good for you! That was a responsible thing to do." Zero added. "I'm kinda surprised, actually."
"I only put it in there so you wouldn't nag me about it." Axl frowned, crossing his arms.
"Which is still good, since it saves me the trouble of dragging you to the bank."
Out of nowhere, Leviathan stalked over, seeming displeased. She arrived in front of Zero, pointing at him forcefully. "You're changing the subject. You still have presents to open!"
"Wha-? Me, change the subject? Never! I just got sidetracked, that's all."
X smirked at Zero, "If I remember correctly, you always change the subject when it's something about you. Especially when I used to ask about who made you."
"It's a touchy subject!"
"Riiiight..." X replied, unconvinced, "C'mon Zero, it's not like you were made by an insane scientist bent on world domination or whatever. I'm your BF, you can tell me!"
Zero shrank behind his presents. "Like I said, it's a touchy subject, X."
"And again, you're changing the subject!" Leviathan threw her hands in the air, frustrated. "When are you actually gonna open your presents?"
"It wasn't me that changed the subject! Blame X!"
"Trust me, no one believes you when you blame him." Axl added sagely. X shot him a dirty look, while Leviathan sat down in front of Zero's pile, picking up a present.
"Excuses excuses, my present is next. And since you took so long to open yours, we're gonna watch you open every one. Kapeesh?"
Zero only shrank further behind his pile, looking dejected. Axl sang out tauntingly.
"Zero the hero is acting so shy, when his girlfriend came over, he started to cry!"
A Christmas ornament shattered on Axl's head, sending him flying back to his paper pile. Zero's misery was forgotten as he attempted to get past Leviathan to massacre his friend.
"Damnit Axl, I don't have a girlfriend!" he roared. Leviathan held him back.
"You don't have one yet..." she whispered slyly to herself. Zero calmed down, sitting back down behind his pile and pouting.
"Sorry about the ornament." he stated, uncaring.
"No worries, it was worth it." Phantom replied, hiding a notebook behind his back. He looked over at the still KO'ed Axl.
"Totally." Fefnir said, also looking at Axl. "I think he'll be out for the count, though."
Axl suddenly blinked, sitting up instantly. "I'm alright!"
"Never underestimate the regenerative powers of an idiot." Zero muttered as the guardians and Ciel looked at Axl with astonishment. Axl, oblivious to his injuries, stared over at Zero.
"Weren't you going to open your presents now?"
"Right." he nodded. He took the present from Leviathan's hand, fingering the folds in the wrapping. A rip later, and he was looking at a package of ribbons.
"For your hair!" she said in response to his confused look. He took one of the ribbons and tied it around his hair, careful to tie the knot tightly.
"I haven't seen your hair in a ponytail for ages. Brings back memories," X mentioned as Zero finished tying. Axl smiled enormously.
"Yeah, you used to always tie your hair. That is, until that one time I pranked you."
"Don't remind me." Zero sulked. Axl ignored him entirely.
"Oh, that was the day. I put a snake in your box of ribbons to give you a little jolt. But you weren't looking when you grabbed a ribbon and put it on! Hah, you should've seen yourself dancing to get that thing out! I wish I'd brought a camera!" he laughed. Everyone but Zero laughed along with him.
"Poor little snake was probably scared to bits!" Ciel giggled.
"Yah, and it bit him because of that! Then he was swinging his arm around to get it off, and of course it let go and sailed right back into his hair..."
"The rookies were scared to death. They thought the yelling was the bogeyman, believe it or not!" X chortled.
"Yes, well, can we move on now?" Zero asked impatiently. The others tried to stop their laughing, Ciel gasping for breath.
"Yes, uh, moving on." Harpuia coughed, trying to regain his composure. Phantom, who'd finished scribbling on his notebook, nodded in agreement. Zero grabbed the next gift on his pile.
The present, as Zero could tell from the packaging, was a poorly wrapped T-shirt. He tore open the bright foil paper, unfolding the orange shirt. It read "I'm hot", and had a little yellow and red flame beneath the writing. "Uh, thanks..." Zero muttered. Fefnir didn't seem to hear the forced nicety in his voice, as he beamed.
"Knew you'd like it! I saw it and thought it was cool, so I got it for you!"
"Yeah, I'll be sure to wear it sometime..." under a thick jacket thought Zero.
"Mine's next." Phantom leaned forward, picking up a cylindrical present with a curly bow on top.
Zero took off the paper, fingering the plastic lid. He knew what would come next. Zero opened the can, not even flinching as multicoloured snakes sprang from inside. Everyone else except Axl and Phantom jumped slightly as the snakes flew.
Axl leaned over to whisper in Phantom's ear, "72 times, buddy. Sorry."
"Eh, it was worth a shot." Phantom replied. He reached into his pocket, grabbing a small parcel. "Hey Zero, sorry about that. Must've gotten my packages mixed up."
"Like hell you did." Zero glared. Phantom tossed over the parcel and Zero caught it deftly. He opened it, revealing a delicately engraved but strong looking comb. Zero's brows raised. "Wow, what a coincidence! My brush broke just two days ago. Thanks, Phantom!"
Phantom scratched his hair, smiling, "Well, I heard that you needed a new comb, so..."
"I didn't tell anyone I needed a comb." Zero responded, nonplussed.
"Oh, er, well, your hair was looking a little messy." Phantom said quickly. Zero gave him a suspicious look, but let the matter drop. Instead, he turned back to his presents, picking out one in a blue bag.
"Three guesses who that was from." Phantom murmured loudly. X glanced over at him, then chortled.
"Yup, that's from me, Z. Hope you like it!"
"I'm sure I will," Zero nodded. He placed his hand in the bag, taking out some small brushes, a microfiber rag, and a small container of polish. "For my armor, right X? You know me way too well!" Zero laughed, placing the items back into the bag.
"Yup! For your armor! And small enough to take with you on the road."
"Me next, me next!" Axl cheered. He leapt forward from his pile, accidentally bringing a few scrunched-up paper balls with him. After grabbing the larger of the two remaining gifts, he handed it expectantly to Zero. His eyes had a puppy-like shine to them again.
The red hero took the package, stripping a ribbon off the little gold-coloured box. He opened it, then took out a gold pendant and an intricate chain. The pendant was fair-sized, shaped like a sword with a small red gem in the hilt.
"That diamond is another piece off of the one I found! Couldn't think of another jewel that suited you better."Axl chirped as Zero put the necklace on. "The gold is strong enough to be used as a letter opener, too!"
"Hey, thanks Axl!" Zero replied. He patted Axl on the head, causing him to grin broadly. Axl retreated joyfully to his pile, swatting at some of the paper balls on his way back.
"And last but not least..." Zero picked up the last gift gently. Ciel smiled as Zero opened it up, slowly taking off the wrapping and opening the tin that was concealed within. Inside the festive tin was a gift card.
"I'm sorry Zero, I really didn't know what to get you." she mumbled. Zero looked over at her.
"And what's wrong with that? I'll just pick something up on the way home, that's all. Thank you for the gift!"
She blushed, happy that he was satisfied with the card. Zero put the tin's lid back on.
"Now, was that so hard?" Harpuia said. "It seems that all of your presents are open. And without a fuss, too!"
"Hey, does that mean we can have some fun now?" Fefnir asked.
"I don't see why not." X pointed out. Harpuia nodded after X finished.
Fefnir whooped, "Yeah! Time for fun!" he jumped up, heading over to the beverages, "and alcohol!"
Phantom shook his head resignedly, then followed Fefnir's lead. The rest of the group did the same as they poured themselves drinks, grabbed snacks, and started up conversations. Despite his best efforts, Zero remained apprehensive, staying more on the outer edges of his yakking friends and simply sipping his drink or answering someone when they addressed him. This carried on for some time, until Ciel's cellphone rang.
"I'm sorry, excuse me for a moment please," she said, heading for the hall. When Zero noticed her go, he followed her. She talked to someone on her cellphone for a few minutes, then hung up. As she turned around, Zero addressed her.
"Who was that?" he questioned.
"That was Cerveau. He asked me to be at the base in a few hours to light up the tree there. Something about the soldiers saying that the boss had to be there or else they'd use Cerveau for the star." she giggled.
Zero chuckled, "Knowing those guys, it's no empty threat."
"Especially if the cyber elves help them," she added. "So, when would you like to leave?"
"Huh? Leave?"
"Yes, leave. We could wait an hour, or we can leave now. I've never known you as being one for parties."
"But what about the others?"
"What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, don't you have a gift card you can use?" she smiled. Zero returned the gesture.
"Then let's get the heck outta here!" He turned and went back into the room. "Hey, Harpy, sorry but we've gotta go. Cerveau needs us to do some errand or other."
Harpuia appeared to be disappointed. "That's a shame, I'd hoped you'd have been able to stay for longer."
"Yeah, well, duty calls." Zero shrugged.
If Harpuia seemed disappointed, Leviathan was doubly so, "That's not fair! Can't you stay a little longer?" her lower lip twitched slightly.
"Sorry, no can do. I'll see you guys later, all right?" Zero moved forward to get his and Ciel's presents, but X stopped him.
"Don't worry about those, Z, I can take care of them." X winked. No one else saw it, but Zero knew that he'd caught on to the ruse. X always covered for him when he had "business" to attend to during a party. Zero acknowledged him with a return wink, smiling.
"Thanks bud, I owe you one."
"Don't mention it." he replied. After a few more goodbyes, Zero left the house, Ciel beside him. They left, heading first towards the base, then veered off towards the mall when out of sight of the house. Not long after, the mall came into view, and they went and parked in a parkade not far off.
The mall was busy, although not as busy as before. Christmas carols rang from the rafters, bright lights and wreaths decorated the paths, and deals were all over the place. Ciel and Zero walked around the mall, looking into various windows. After they'd stopped at a coffee shop to get hot chocolate, they walked past the plushie store.
"So that's where it was from, huh?" she asked, referring to her stuffed animal.
"Yup." he grinned. Then he had a thought.
"Do you think I should get something for Allouette too?"
She turned at him, a surprised but happy look on her face. "I think Allouette would love it if you did. You were always a sort of father figure to her."
Zero walked purposefully into the store. "Then it's settled." He went and picked up a plushie, taking it to the counter. He took out his gift card and paid for it.
As he left the store, Ciel peered at him. "I got that gift card for you, Zero, you don't have to go spending it on other people."
Zero twisted around to face her, giving her a simple smile. "Ciel, I've never been one for material things, so I can't really think of anything to spend it on for me. So spending it on something for Allouette will be more than worth it."
"Why's that?"
"To see the look on her face, of course." he turned to continue their tour of the mall, but Ciel grabbed his arm. Before he could respond, she'd moved and kissed him lightly. She hugged him, relaxing for a while before she spoke.
"Merry Christmas, Zero."
Zero smiled, content with the one small gesture that meant so much."Merry Christmas to you too."
To all of you readers out there; Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, holidays, whatever. Remember, it's not all about the gifts, it's about family! They may not be there forever, so enjoy every moment that they are!
Okay, enough of the meaningful stuff. On to explaining why it took so long to update. Well, I'd like to see you try and write 26 pages in one week. I either hit a couple writer's blocks face-first (and I have bruises to prove it), or I just didn't have time to do it. But now that it's here, I hope you like it, and feel free to point out if I made any mistakes or "weird sections". Just don't be a (bleep) about it, okay?