U/N: So because adding "Happily Ever After", "Here Comes the Bride", and "How Cody Met Their Mother" makes 22 chapters, we had an awkward extra chapter in this story so two characters were spread out to accommodate that and for some reason they were both mine? Oh well. So Mai gets a second full chapter, and this is it. I was literally writing it at four o'clock in the morning because I couldn't sleep so it's probably complete garbage xD But I dunno, I like Mai, so there's at least that aspect of it. So here!

Title: Here Comes Santa Claus

By: UrazamayKing

Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.

Chapter 17: The Crest of Christmas Past

Mai Ichijouji:

The dreams were swirling around in my head like a wild hurricane of memories and thoughts, and I hated every minute of it. I felt a lump inside my stomach as my guilt began to fester and grow, and all I could think of or see was a giant ball of oppression and angst composed of the worst memories of my entire life and all at once I fell to my knees begging the thoughts to stop, but because I had no control of my mind I could see no end in the nearest depths of the cave I was trapped inside.

I could see my siblings all trapped inside the blur of thoughts and I could see my parents waiting in the wings for their moment to be swept inside as well.

I heard a thud and looked sharply over my shoulder but saw only darkness. When I looked back to the ball of sadness I stared up to the sight of Clio, swirling in the darkness, Poromon in her arms. I heard another thud and turned sharply once more, seeing nothing inside the darkness of the cave. This time I felt eyes watching me, like someone really was there, but I had no proof. I swallowed thickly and looked quickly back toward the messy ball, but found myself screaming as I stared into my own reflection.

I jolted awake, breathing heavily and drenched in a thin layer of cold sweat. My body was rigid and still, wrapped in the puffy deep green sleeping bag that had been offered to me. I couldn't find it in myself to move as I tried to absorb my surroundings. I initially could not discern where I was, because all I knew was that it wasn't my bedroom. I heard breathing all around me and with the sight of the nearby tree, looming in the darkness I found my answer pretty quickly. I was still at the Yagami house, preparing for Christmas.

I slowly pried my arm out from my side and ran my hand through my hair, feeling like I had a ticking bomb inside my head that was bound to explode at any second. Even through my aching headache, all I could really focus on was the total silence that surrounded me but as I waited, looking around to the window that showed how dark it still was, I found myself shivering in the cool breeze that came my way.

Nearby I could see Josei sleeping soundly in a peaceful slumber. She was curled in a ball, but seemed cold still. I grabbed a nearby blanket that seemed to have fallen from where she held it close to her and pulled it up to cover her more thoroughly.

I felt a yawn creeping up on me as I began to rub my eyes in the darkness, but I nearly choked—effectively stiffening the yawn—at the sound of a sudden thud, just like the one from my dream. I rounded on the sound instantly finding myself staring toward the hallway that led to the door. I swallowed thickly and slipped from the sleeping bag. Someone was at the door and I had to let them in—or tell them to go away. I was one of the oldest here, and one look to Emiko and Azura said that they weren't about to wake up any time soon. Haruki was also older than me but he was snoring softly at the other end of the room. I decided to brave it out.

I stepped silently over all of the children and crept toward the door where I poked my head around the corner, into the hallway. I was scared for a moment at what I saw, but it was nothing to worry about. There were no axe murderers, or sociopathic digimon come to seek revenge on Taichi. I would have told him of course that he wasn't home, but who knew what sociopaths would believe these days? But no, there was nothing there aside from the door, but it had swung open in the night and the cool breeze suddenly made a lot more sense. The door swung further open once more and a soft thud sounded as it hit the wall behind where it stood.

I moved swiftly down the hallway to close the door and glanced over my shoulder as I moved because, no matter how normal it was that a door was open, it was still creepy. As I grabbed the door I heard a creak come from up the stairs and I looked sharply toward them, seeing only darkness after the first few steps. As if that wasn't scary enough, the wind began howling and I felt chills run down my spine.

I turned quickly, to close the door, but I stopped as I stared out to the lake just outside the house. Where the pier usually was there was a massive stone slab instead. The stone looked like a giant amulet, but the edges were curved and engraved right in the center—even though part of it was buried under the ice and water I could still tell—was the Crest of purity. My Crest.

I felt my fingers stiffen around the door as I stared, trying to decide if I should examine the stone or simply turn back into the house. When I finally made up my mind, taking one tentative step out into the snow I felt a brief tap on my shoulder.

I screamed. I didn't care who I woke up because I was scared and maybe I needed help, but as I spun quickly around my scream faded away completely. Standing behind me was a little girl wearing a red fringe covered dress. Her boots were clunky and she was wearing gloves that were just too big for her. She had a bag slung over her shoulder, and her hair pulled up mostly, but left two perfect stands to frame her beautiful face with two big brown eyes.

I knew her.

If I was unsure, the giant pink hat sure gave it away. "Hello, Mai," Mimi said to me in her high pitched voice. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

I nodded, "Sure," I agreed, unable to take my eyes away from her massive hat. "What were you thinking when you got dressed this morning?"

Mimi waved my thoughts away and ignored my question, taking my hand and leading me out onto the snowy porch. I was still wearing my pajamas, which I felt a little embarrassed by. The pants were blue with little penguins decorating the fabric, and I was wearing a black Teenage Wolves t-shirt on top. My bare feet sent jolts of discomfort through my whole body as they touched the snow, but Mimi didn't seem to care. She skipped along, toward the stairs of the porch, dragging me behind her. I pulled back sharply, freeing my hand from her. Mimi stopped on the top step and looked back to me, "What are you doing?"

"What are you doing?" I countered.

Mimi looked embarrassed suddenly and giggled, "Oops, I forgot to tell you, didn't I?" I nodded. "I want to show you something really important." She threw her hand out for me to take, but I could only stare for a moment. She seemed so genuine. So sincere. I knew I had to take her hand, but a big part of me wanted to go back and hide somewhere, like in the warm sleeping bag. But I didn't. I reached out and took her hand. "Perfect," Mimi smiled as the world around us began to shift.

I felt rather panicked, but the look of total calmness in Mimi's eyes was enough to end my worrying. The world was gone entirely now and I saw only flashes of bright colours, like green and orange and pink, and then all at once the world had stopped at my old school. Mimi and I were standing on the playground, and I knew it well, but it looked different somehow.

I looked to Mimi for answers, but she pointed dead ahead and I followed her gaze to where three girls were running toward us. The middle one was Mimi I knew, and she was wearing a white frilly top and pink pants. Her friends were laughing alongside her, and they came to a stop all at once next to a shy little girl with big glasses. I didn't know who she was, but her dark hair and general persona reminded me of me.

"Your glasses make you look boring," one of Mimi's friends said in a whiny voice.

"And reading is for losers," her other friend chimed in.

As one, both girls turned to Mimi, expecting her to join in and she looked like she might just walk away. But she didn't. "Your hair doesn't even compliment your eyes that well." Her voice came out like a strangled whisper, like it pained her to say, but her two friends didn't seem to notice. Both girls laughed and rushed off, leaving Mimi behind. She paused and stared to the girl and then nodded, running off.

"That was sad," I said as I stared to the crying girl.

The Mimi in the big pink hat nodded her head, "You see," she said, "I didn't know that being myself was more important than changing myself to ensure that others liked me."

"Right," I said, agreeing with her. "You needed to learn your Crest."

"Sure did," Mimi nodded, smiling my way. "Let's see how you fared, shall we?" I felt skeptical, afraid of what moment of my life we would see, but when the scene seemed to fast-forward in time and the walls of the school wore out from the sun and a basketball net sprouted from the ground, the crying girl on the playground shifted to me instead. I could obviously tell the difference, though the other girl had looked like me. Mimi gestured toward me and I nodded, looking onward but feeling rather anxious still. I didn't recognize the moment of my life.

But once Osamu showed up, waddling around the corner, I knew I could pinpoint the day. Mother had taken him to school for the first time, signing him up for his first day. This was before we had all transferred to the new schooling system upheld in the Digital World.

"Hey Osamu!" the small version of me shouted out when she caught sight of her brother. He broke out into a massive grin and hurried toward her, excited to see what she had found. It was nothing that would be of use to him of course. She was holding a pencil and a pad of paper. "I have some questions," she said when he came near enough. "What's your favourite colour?"

"I like all colours," Osamu said thoughtfully.

"You have to pick one or it won't work," Mai pointed out.

"But—"

"No 'buts'!" Mai objected sharply. Osamu immediately broke down into tears and his sister—me, of course—was rather kind to him, patting his back thoughtfully and bringing him in for a hug. I relaxed, realizing the scene wasn't exactly as bad as I remembered. "Osamu, you haveta give me your opinions," she said quietly, "it's important because if you don't do it I'll never be able to be the reporter I'm supposed to be!"

"I just have like, lots of opinions!" Osamu said, pulling away from Mai.

"That just won't do," she told him, "Maybe I'll just make your opinions for you then." Osamu nodded his head, willing to play along if it made her happy.

I felt my nose crinkle because it just wasn't a happy memory. It wasn't that I was particularly horrible to him by any means, but that didn't mean I was good to him either. I had been one of the—or possibly the only—reason why he was unable to speak his mind and make his own opinions. My willingness to be myself and always speak my mind, and to find the root of everyone else's minds and thoughts was the leading cause to Osamu's troubles. So where Mimi was unable to be herself, I was the opposite. I was myself so much that I expected everyone else to also be like me, and to also share my exact views and patterns. I had a favourite colour, so obviously Osamu did too.

When I turned to Mimi to ask her what the point of it all was, I found that she had changed completely. Instead of a big pink hat on her head she had wavy locks of pink hair. There were little stars amidst the streaks of red and she was wearing possibly the most patriotic American attire I had ever seen. She was like a walking flag. "We're not finished," she told me, reaching out for my hand again.

I hesitated, and she saw that. She seemed upset that I wasn't coming with her. "I don't want to see myself screw up again."

"Then don't come," Mimi said, shrugging her shoulders and turning away from me. "I'll leave you here in the past then, that's fine with me." I rolled my eyes. She wouldn't actually leave me, but I knew her well enough to know that she wanted me to come. I took her hand and the world began shifting again. It wasn't too odd actually since I had been to several of the worlds that made up our nine. Besides, Mimi loved time travelling, so nothing seemed too unorthodox to me yet. At least not to the point where I would have to question anything.

This time the world stopped in a bedroom, and it was one I knew well. It was not my own, but it was one I had visited a few times with a close friend. That friend was sitting on her bed, her blonde and purple hair pulled back into a ponytail. The room was still and quiet and calm, and something about it all told me that it was very present.

Suddenly what was happening made sense to me. "Are you the ghost of Christmas present?" I asked Mimi who was barely paying attention.

At the sound of my voice she looked up sharply and confused, "You got me a present?" she asked, but I ignored her, looking back to Clio who had had Mimi's attention a moment before. Clio was sad. She was sad because of what I had done to her. I felt that same guilt that had been in my dream before build up in my chest and I moved to sit next to her. She could not see me it seemed and she was unable to feel my presence. Perhaps I wasn't here at all.

Laying in her lap was a drawing pad that she had been sketching in, but written in dark letters all over the image were the words 'no one' and I felt like someone had smacked me over the head with a heavy plank of wood. Why would I have said that? I could have told my family that she was my friend. She wasn't 'No One'. She was anything but that. She was everything. Why did I have to ruin the best thing that had happened to me in a long time because I was too scared to talk about the way that I felt and be pure about the person that I was?

I looked back to Mimi and nearly screamed again. In her place was a tall hooded figure, dressed in a long black robe. There were heavy chains dragging behind her and a ridiculously sized scythe her hand. My heart was beating quickly at the sight and I was already planning an escape, but as the figure turned to me—which nearly made my heart stop—I saw that Mimi was under the hood. She flashed a smile my direction and then pulled the robe aside to see how she had gotten so tall. "I'm on stilts!" she said in her bubbly voice. I felt my face fall to a glare at her words and she nodded forcing a serious expression. She looked older now, nearly an adult, and she reached out her hand to me. I could not see it under the mass of fabric, but when I reached out, the world shifted anyway.

I was in a boring house with boring beige walls and a boring white couch sat, facing the open window overlooking a blank grey wall. I couldn't help but feel that everything was over exaggerated, but as I turned back to the couch I saw a man sitting with a newspaper opened up in front of him. He looked kind, and gentle. He looked like a good man. He was wearing a cardigan and everything.

Then, from the kitchen I heard a sound. Clink. Like porcelain. Then, a moment later, a woman came into the room holding two cups of tea. The woman was me. She sat next to the man and handed him one cup and kept the other for herself. The man thanked her, smiling upward and leaning over to kiss whatever part of her he could reach. The girl—me—was the most interesting part of the room and she sat on the arm of the couch so his kiss met her let and she looked down to him in discontent. She was unhappy.

I was unhappy.

It was a perfectly good life, but it was not the life I wanted for myself.

"Now Mai," Mimi said to me. "I've told you before." I turned to her then, seeing that she was the Mimi I knew, and she was no longer wearing her ridiculous attire. "I love you, and I care for you. I don't care who or what you love. I want you to be comfortable with the person who you are and I know your friends and family feel the same."

"I know," I said in a weak voice.

"Then what are you waiting for?" Mimi asked in shock, "Don't wait around for this life that you don't want—don't let everything good pass you by! You have to seize the opportunity while you still have it. You can't let yourself be insincere just because you're scared of what people think. If they don't love the confident, intelligent, and sometimes bossy girl that you are, then they can back away like the haters that they are. Who cares who you love—that's not who you are, but it is a part of you. Don't mess around with it just because you're afraid. Be you Mai."

"You're right," I agreed, nodding fervently.

"And now what?" Mimi asked.

"I have to talk to Clio!" I shouted.

The last thing I saw was a smile forming on Mimi's face, and then all at once I was flying out of my sleeping bag, all the way back in Taichi's living room. I gasped out and felt the familiar sensation of waking form a dream. It had all been a dream. As I sat in the light of the rising sun I realized that it made much more sense to be a dream now, after I'd woken up. But it didn't matter. Dream, or not, I needed to get to Clio.

I moved quickly, grabbing by bag that I had kept at my side and I quickly found Taichi's office, using his computer to bring me into Clio's house. I didn't even hesitate to begin making my way up the stairs, because I knew it would be okay. Her parents liked me, and hopefully Clio still did too. I was still hoping to not be seen until I knew what I was going to say, but ultimately it didn't matter.

I just had to apologize.

I slipped into her bedroom—and it was then that I realized I was still wearing my foolish pajamas and that I had no idea what I looked like, or what I wanted to say. I also realized that I definitely had no way of knowing if this was okay. Just because her parents liked me didn't mean they would be okay with me breaking into their house...

Nervously I moved toward Clio's bed where she was sleeping and I fell to my knees. I was trying to plan what to say, but as I watched her breathing peacefully I realized that there was nothing I could say that would make it right. I had hurt her because I was stupid and I didn't think it was fair for me to be here right now. I didn't feel comfortable having hurt her. I would never do it intentionally. I would never do it again. It felt like a blow to myself just thinking that she might still be affected by what I had said.

I reached into my bag to grab the present I had made for her and decided I was going to lay it on her bed and take my leave, but as I turned back I found that her eyes had popped open.

For the billionth time—I swear—I had to stop myself from screaming, but Clio seemed more confused than startled. She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands and sat up, looking around like the world was lost to her. She was never a morning person, and she had probably just gotten to sleep here because of the time difference.

"Clio," I said in a quiet voice, catching her attention. She looked to me and nodded, but still seemed confused. I held up my gift and she looked to it, confused. "I just... I don't know what to say." I told her, feeling tears in my eyes. "You're right that this is a romantic holiday for my culture. That means I should be spending it with you, not my friends. I know you're probably spending it with your family anyway, but I had to see you. I-I made this for you," I shoved the little book closer to her, "It's nothing really. It's just a story about our relationship, and it's made with my words and your drawings—sorry th-they're only photocopies because I wanted to keep the real ones you gave me. I-I'm sorry for hurting you. You don't deserve someone like me hurting you. I think that's what I do though. I hurt other people and maybe I don't even notice, but I'm sorry. I did notice this time."

Clio stared to me, her eyes blinking madly like she was still trying to make sense of the situation but she finally took the book to look at it.

"You don't deserve to be treated the way I treated you," I told her in a weak voice, "you don't deserve to be treated like a secret—like a 'No One'. You're not no one. You're Clio. You're the one that I love. You're the one that I love and I want you to know that. I love you, and I'm not ashamed of that. I'm not ashamed of me or you or the way that we feel."

Once more, Clio was silent, but her eyes were watering as she flipped through some of the pages of the book. Finally she looked up to me, and her lip was quivering. I didn't know what to think anymore.

"Well," I said, "I-I guess that's all I had to say. I'll let you get back to sleep—"

As I stood to leave, Clio took my hand and pulled me back toward her. I fell into her bed where she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me, surprising me entirely. I felt my face turn red and a smile formed on both of our faces. When she pulled away I couldn't help but laugh. "I love you too," Clio said in a breathy voice.

Relief seemed to pull all of that guilt and desperation right out of my system as I stared to her beautiful and wonderful eyes. I took a deep breath, savouring the moment. Then I said, "So, what now?"

Featured Evolution Line: Josei: Pururumon—Pinamon—Muchomon—Diatrymon—Parrotmon—Ornismon