Secret Santa 2020 - Story collection

[ProfAllister]

(Posted on behalf of MoashLannister/Detective Emo - he sent it to me back on January 26...)

Victim: Hacksorus
Prompt: Hisao is inexplicably and unreasonably excited about Christmas, and insists that the girl(s) (any combination of the main girls) get into the holiday spirit with him.

“IT’S HERE! IT’S ALMOST HERE!”

The loud shout immediately awakened everyone in the small apartment, much to their annoyance. One woke up to find that her bed was missing someone, while the other was startled awake. The two of them exited their bedrooms, with one rubbing her eye while the other wanted to, but was unable.

“M-Morning, Rin…” Hanako said as she stepped out, seeing Rin slip out of the door opposite her, already opened. Her eyes widened at the realisation that she wasn’t wearing anything, and immediately tried to look away. “U-Uh, R-Rin? You’re...not w-wearing anything.”

The aspiring artist looked down, as if she was noticing her nakedness for the first time, and simply shrugged. “You’ve seen me naked a lot of times,” She said. “When you help me shower, or put on my clothes. But this time you’re embarrassed, like a mother looking at her naked child, except the child is now twenty instead of two.”

Without saying another word, she walked back into the bedroom that she and her boyfriend shared to put on some clothes, at least that was what Hanako hoped. As ever, her analogy-prone way of saying things made her feel just a bit lost. Though this time, it was secondary to the shout she just heard, which was extremely uncharacteristic of the to whom that voice belonged to.

With a quiet yawn, Hanako walked down the hall and into the main room of the apartment, a small but cozy little place that has been her residence for almost a year. A place that she could truly consider her home, though it didn’t belong to only her. Indeed, the style and decorations of the apartment was a combination of the three who inhabited it, with Rin’s paintings adoring the walls, a bookshelf that contained books that Hanako would frequently purchase for everyone, and furniture that was primarily blue and sterile looking.

The last of those were chosen by the person she was walking towards, who resided in the kitchen. Or rather, the kitchen area of the main room, since there wasn’t a door or even a wall that separated the two. It was surprisingly well equipped for an apartment as affordable as this one, with an oven, two stoves and a fridge. The only additions they’d made since were a kettle and the various foodstuffs they’d bought.

Near the corner of the kitchen was the third resident of the apartment, who was currently finishing putting tap water into the kettle, preparing it to boil. The man noticed Hanako approaching and quickly set the water to boil before turning around to face her, a jovial smile on his face.

“M-Morning, Hisao.” She said, feeling a little unnerved about how unusually happy her friend was being. It wasn’t that he’d never been happy, far from it. But his expressions of joy were usually more...reserved than what they were now.

“Morning, Hanako! Great day today!” Hisao responded with an unusual amount of glee, opening a shelf and taking out several thin packets. “I’m making hot cocoa for the three of us. Actually, I was thinking about making breakfast for all of us. What do you want?”

Hanako continued to stare at her friend in confusion and just a little bit of concern, though she couldn’t see any reason to refuse his offer. “U-Um, I think I’ll be fine with bacon and eggs.”

“Bacon and eggs it is!” Hisao said as he took three cups from a rack and placed them near the kettle, each a different color to signify who it belonged to. “And after breakfast, we should go shopping! Candies, decorations, maybe even a small tree if we can afford it.”

It was at this point that Rin emerged from her room, now wearing a loose fitting shirt and pants. She walked towards Hanako and the two shared a look before turning back to Hisao, who was pouring cocoa powder and hot water into each of their cups.

“Morning…” Rin mentioned nonchalantly, unfazed by Hisao’s unusual cheeriness. “I wanted to sleep more, but then your shout made me awake, and now I can’t sleep even though I want to. It’s like melting ice into water, except the water doesn’t want to turn back into ice even though it feels better than being water.”

“Sorry,” Hisao apologized as he grabbed the three cups and walked over to their low dining table, setting them down. “I’m just really excited for today. What do you want for breakfast?”

Rin took a moment to think about it before answering. “Whale nuggets. I’ve heard somewhere about people eating whales, so I want to try that. But I also don’t want you to go out and buy a whale for me, so I also don’t want to eat whale nuggets. Hmm…”

“Well, Hanako is having bacon and eggs,” Hisao answered, shaking his head in amusement at Rin’s desire to consume a whale. “Would you want some too?”

“Yes,” Rin answered simply, causing her boyfriend to nod his head as he opened the fridge, pulling out several strips of bacon and some eggs from a carton. “You feel different, but you’re still the same Hisao. Something about today makes you different, like how some women are happy on some days and cranky on other days because they need to clear the blood inside their pants.”

Hanako blushed at that last statement, while Hisao just chuckled as he started putting the bacon onto an oiled pan.

“I guess I’m feeling a little excited today,” He admitted as he cracked a few eggs and placed them onto the pan alongside the bacon. “It’s Christmas Eve! One day away from Christmas!”

“Oh,” Rin replied, as if she was expecting a better answer. Without saying another word, she went to the dining table and sat down on the floor, using her legs to grab her cup of hot cocoa to sip it.

Hanako did the same, though she felt far more surprised than Rin did, and not necessarily because of Hisao’s reason for his change in attitude. As she sat down and sipped her own cup of cocoa, it finally registered that today was indeed Christmas Eve.

“T-Tomorrow’s...Christmas…” She muttered out, as if she couldn’t believe it. “C-Christmas...”

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it,” Hisao mentioned as he quickly took several plates off a cupboard, placing them near the pan. “I want this Christmas to be great. More than great, actually. I want it to be the best Christmas any of us has ever experienced.”

“Best Christmas…” Rin noted, taking another sip of her hot cocoa. “I can’t really think of a best Christmas, even though I’ve celebrated Christmas with my parents a lot. It’s like trying to find the best grain of rice in a rice bag, even though it’s only one grain.”

“Christmas…” Hanako repeated, feeling a little deflated at the idea. “I can’t remember celebrating Christmas.”

“Because you can’t, or because you don’t want to?” Rin asked in a neutral tone. “There’s a difference, like being able to set yourself on fire, but not wanting to because you’ll cook yourself and cannibals might come to eat you.”

The question was blunt and to the point, which Hanako expected and oddly appreciated from Rin. She had an interesting dynamic with the couple, and both understood her in different ways, with Hisao acting more openly empathetic with his words while Rin simply said what was on her mind regardless of how she might have felt. Both of them cared for her however, and she couldn’t have asked for better friends to see through her college years.

“I-I guess it’s because I don’t want to,” Hanako admitted. “M-Most of my Christmases were at the orphanage, which didn’t really celebrate it. A-After that was Yamaku, b-but Lilly left for Scotland and you and Rin were…”

“Breakfast is ready!” Hisao interjected loudly as he walked over to the dining table, three plates and a bunch of eating utensils in tow. He set them all down and sat beside Rin, the three of the bowing slightly before beginning to eat. Hanako didn’t feel the need to continue what she was saying, as she was sure the two of them could fill in the blanks.

“Mm, so what are we doing after this?” Rin asked in between bites of her bacon. “I know you have a plan, even though I shouldn’t know because I can’t read your mind, but I can somehow.”

“Well after we’re done with breakfast, we can head for the mall,” Hisao said as he ate his breakfast, at a pace far faster than usual. “Buy what we need for tomorrow, then maybe go someplace fancy for lunch. Didn’t you two want to try out that Thai place a few days ago?”

Rin nodded, recalling when the three of them went home from eating dinner at a ramen place they frequented. “They had rice in pineapple bowls, even though pineapples aren’t supposed to be bowls. Plus the inside looked so dark even with lights on, like the place was a vacuum cleaner that was always sucking up light.”

“I-I’ve always wanted to try out h-how they prepare their vegetable dishes,” Hanako said, as she took notice of that place several times over the semester, only pointing out that interest when Rin did. “H-Hopefully it’s not too full. It looked pretty crowded the last time, and today’s Christmas Eve!”

“I’m sure we can get a seat,” Hisao responded with both optimism and enthusiasm. “I already know what I want to get you two, but it’s going to be a secret till tomorrow.”

The sudden realization that they needed to get presents for each other occurred to the two of them, though Hanako expressed it more outwardly than Rin, who simply nodded her head. An idea of what to give to them was one that Hanako started to really think about, yet couldn’t find a clear answer.

She didn’t want something that was ordinary, which would make her seem uncaring, as if she just gave them out of obligation. At the same time, giving them something that pertained to their interests felt a little too safe, as if she didn’t put much thought into it. Besides, they often went out shopping for things pertaining to their interests anyways, like new art equipment for Rin and science books for Hisao.

Hanako wanted her gift to be unique, much like how each of Rin’s paintings were, many of whom she had given to the two. In fact, she expected her to give them more paintings for Christmas, yet would still consider it more unique than anything she could think of at the moment.

“Hmm, I want to go shopping already,” Rin said, cracking a smile with a strip of bacon sticking out of her mouth.

“I want to see what I want to get for you two, even though I’ll know then instead of now. I also want to see what Hanako will get for Hisao, and what Hisao will get for Hanako. But even though I’ll know, I won’t say what it is. Like how Hanako told me not to tell Hisao that she was the one that lost his keys two months ago.”

“R-Rin!” Hanako shouted suddenly, the secret suddenly out. Hisao seemed to take it in stride though, laughing a little.

“So that’s what happened to them,” Hisao said in realization. “Honestly though, I had a feeling it was one of you two. ‘A cat took it’ isn’t really the best excuse.”

As Hanako looked down in embarrassment, Rin also added. “Or the time that Hisao and I accidentally ate all of the cake Hanako had put in the fridge instead of just one slice, and blamed it on me.”

This time, it was Hisao’s turn to panic as he turned to Rin, while Hanako turned to Hisao with a look of betrayal. “You promised not to tell her!”

“Oh…” Rin muttered out. “I forgot, but now I remember when it’s too late. Like a fish that forgot to breathe but only remembered when it’s already dead.”

“You...ate my cake…” Hanako pointed out in disappointment, recalling the time when she bought that very cake back for them all to enjoy, fairly small but with layers of chocolate and vanilla. It was something Emi would have verbally killed them for eating, yet indulge in it herself. When she opened the fridge to find it gone, it almost drove her to tears.

“Sorry, Hanako,” Hisao said in a guilty tone. “My Christmas present will more than make up for it, I promise.”

“I-It’d better.” Hanako responded, even trying to emulate Emi by giving him a pout before letting out a giggle at the silliness of it all.

As always, the mornings were a comfortable atmosphere for the three of them, a contrast to their usually stressful lives at college. Despite some initial problems, living together proved to be a wonderful idea, as the three had grown even closer since their departure from Yamaku.

Hisao had gotten a wonderful girlfriend, Rin had two people willing to understand her, and Hanako had found people she thought she could finally trust. For the three of them, Christmas was not only a holiday to celebrate, but a mark of how far they’ve come together.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After breakfast and a change of clothes, the three of them set out to buy presents, not only for themselves but their other friends. While none of them had really active social circles within their college group, they still wanted to be courteous and buy a gift, even if out of a sense of obligation.

The more pressing matter was their old friends at Yamaku, namely Emi and Miki, who said that they might be dropping at their apartment without any hint of confirmation. All three of them agreed to buy something in anticipation, but also agreed to buy them a present as a group, to save on a bit of money.

And so they set out towards a mall near their apartment, where they did most of their shopping during the semester. Unsurprisingly, the place was extremely packed when they entered, with many families and couples present.

“So, here’s how this is going to work,” Hisao said as they neared a public bench, which was empty. “We need to keep our gifts anonymous until tomorrow. We cannot know what we’re going to get.”

“Why?” Rin asked as he looked around the place, her eyes wide with curiosity. There were many times where she would simply sit on a bench and sketch everything around her, drawing a lot of attention with her disability. Hisao would often accompany her as well, both to spend time with her and to keep her safe. “It’s like telling me you’re cooking something delicious tomorrow, but not telling me what it is. It just makes me want to know, like knowing what tomorrow’s lottery numbers are, except I’d rather win a lottery than eat something delicious.”

“It’s part of the Christmas spirit,” Hisao responded, looking almost like a child as his body refused to stand still. “Not knowing what you’ll get until the time comes, wondering about what your presents might be. There’s nothing more exciting than unwrapping a gift you know nothing about.”

“Really?” Rin countered, seeming unconvinced. “I think riding a motorcycle made of glass is more exciting, because I can’t ride motorcycles and they aren’t supposed to be made of glass, so it’s two types of impossible.”

An amused Hisao ignored that comment. “So, what I suggest is that two of us go shopping together to buy gifts for the one that’ll stay here. Once we’re done, we switch so that the next pair buys for the one left behind. So on and so forth until we’ve all bought a gift for each other. Then afterwards we can go and buy gifts for Miki and Emi.”

“T-That seems alright with me,” Hanako said, nodding in agreement. “I-If it’s alright, can you two go first. I need to think about w-what I want to buy?”

“Alright,” Hisao said as Hanako sat down on the bench, pulling a book from the bag strapped around her shoulder. Turning to Rin, he motioned to a long line of stores with his head. “Shall we go, Rin?”

Rin nodded, and the two head off, leaving Hanako sitting on the bench to read her book. As they headed for a line of stores, Rin suddenly leaned onto Hisao.

“You’re warmer,” Rin noted. “Not your body, but what’s inside your body. But it’s not like the inside of your body is hotter, otherwise you might be sick.”

“I’m just in the Christmas spirit. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so a certain song likes to say.” Hisao responded with a smile, a hand wrapped around Rin’s shoulder. He was hit with a sudden hit of nostalgia, remembering so many moments where he had done this, keeping each other close as much as possible.

Their relationship had blossomed near the end of their time in Yamaku, and while college did make properly spending time with each other difficult due to their assignments and other priorities, they nevertheless squeezed in whatever time they could afford, and almost always ended the night in each other’s arms.

Hisao was in love with her. Madly so, even. And while Rin’s shows of affection were more unorthodox and subdued at times, he knew that she saw him the same way. That one fact brushed aside all the other misunderstandings that they might have, which was surprisingly little nowadays.

“Mm, I’ve heard that song before. Sounded like someone trying to brainwash you into having fun,” Rin commented as they passed a store full of children’s toys, of which both knew was probably not the best gift to give someone like Hanako. “I prefer the more quiet Christmas songs, even though they say things I don’t really understand. Why is Mary being a virgin so important? Are virgins important? Does that mean I’m not important during Christmas?”

“It’s...complicated,” Hisao said, having some cursory knowledge on the significance, but deciding it’s best not to explain. Deciding to switch topics, he asked. “Any idea on what to get Hanako? Or were you planning on giving her a painting?”

“I thought about it, but I didn’t think it would be right,” Rin responded, shaking her head slightly. “Like giving potato chips instead of candy for Halloween, even though kids would probably like potato chips just as much.”

“Well, I’m sure we can find something.” Hisao said as he looked at the store to his right, and slowed down significantly. It was a clothes store, and had a lot of nice looking dresses, shirts and jackets on display.

“You want to buy clothes for her.” Rin said, a statement rather than a question.

“Well, she does wear the same thing a lot,” Hisao responded, noting the almost perfect routine-like manner in which Hanako wears her clothes, with a specific set of clothes for each day with little deviation. “I was thinking of getting her something new to wear.”

Rin stayed silent, closing her eyes to think about it.

“Do you think it might be a bad idea?” Hisao asked, feeling a little uncertain. The two of them have grown very close to Hanako, considering her their greatest friend. She helped them both individually and as a couple, and in return they’ve done a lot to ease the issues she had about others and herself. While Hisao didn’t think giving Hanako a piece of clothing might not anger or truly upset her, especially since she’s comfortable enough to live with them, he didn’t want to give her something that she herself wouldn’t like.

“It’s an idea,” Rin concluded with certainty. “It might be a good one, or it might be a bad one. But right now, it’s an idea. Like how a road is still a road whether or not it leads to a nice village or off a cliff.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Hisao said, and the two moved towards the store. “What about you, would buying clothes for you be a good id-”

“Bad idea,” Rin interjected before he could finish. “I know that road, and that road is going off a cliff and into a sea, except the sea is made of paint and holes.”

“Well, I guess that’s one thing off the list of things I shouldn’t get you.” Hisao responded as they entered the store, chuckling at how direct she was.

The store was unsurprisingly packed, though thankfully not to the point of having to squeeze through people just to get anywhere. A lot of the clothes on sale were for winter, though there were some that can be worn regardless of the season, which was where Hisao and Rin decided to focus on.

“Hmm, what would Hanako like?” Hisao wondered aloud as he looked over a rack of clothes. He felt Rin’s body pressing up against his, a sign that she wanted his attention. “Found something?”

Turning to Rin, he saw her eyes focusing on a piece of black clothing hidden amongst the others, and Hisao took it out to inspect it. His eyebrow raised as he took a proper look at what Rin was so keen on.

It was a dark leather jacket, the front separated by an open zipper on the left side. In fact, the jacket had a lot of smaller zippers on it, acting as pockets to store items in. It was also rather large, definitely something that’s meant to be worn over a shirt, whether zipped or unzipped. To Hisao, it felt as if it were something that a biker would wear as he raced on a motorcycle.

“Do you really think she’ll like this?” Hisao said, feeling a little doubtful. It wasn’t flashy or revealing, but it still had a certain eye-catching property about it, which might be the opposite of what Hanako wants in terms of attire.

“Mm, I think it’ll make her look dangerous and beautiful, like a rose with thorns that can kill you if you touch it,” Rin said, nodding in approval of the gift. “I think I know what I want to give Hanako now, but you’re holding it, which technically makes it yours even if you hadn’t bought it yet, like how money you borrowed is technically yours.”

Hisao simply rolled his eyes. “This can be your gift, and I’ll find something else here that can be my gift. Alright?”

Rin nodded, and with the leather jacket in his hands, the two of them went to another corner of the store to look for Hisao’s gift. The fact that Rin chose a jacket made him reconsider buying her another article of clothing, seeing it as redundant and unnecessary, but something about Rin’s gift made him want to buy an article of clothing that’s a bit of the opposite.

After a bit more searching, Hisao finally found what he wanted, a rather casual lilac dress with long sleeves and a lot of frills near the bottom. It was a very stark contrast to the jacket, being light, feminine, safe and pretty as opposed to dark, manly, threatening and dashing.

“Well, if she doesn’t like one, she’ll at least like the other.” Hisao joked to Rin.

“Mm, or she’ll like both, or not like both.” Rin pointed out, though she didn’t really look worried about the last possibility.

The two of them went to the counter and paid for the clothes. Or rather, Hisao paid for the both of them, as Rin had forgotten to bring money with her again. The clothes were put in separate, and thankfully blank, plastic bags. Holding them both, the two of them exited the store and made their way back to Hanako.

“You’re smiling,” Rin noted, once again observing her boyfriend. “I’ve seen you smile a lot of times, but this smile is special. Like having chocolate and vanilla ice cream instead of just chocolate.”

“I guess I’m just a little happier than usual,” Hisao said, knowing how moody he could be at the worst of times. Being in a relationship with Rin, as well as having good friends such as Hanako, has done wonders in making him cheery. But he knew that a part of him still defaulted to feeling melancholy, mostly when he’s alone. “I get to spend Christmas with people I like. Give them gifts, eat some nice food together, just...having fun.”

“Do you not like your parents during Christmas?” Rin asked, and Hisao’s smile faded a little at the mention of such a touchy subject for the both of them.

“I guess it’s a bit of a hard question to answer,” Hisao admitted, slowing his walking speed to a crawl. He knew that this conversation was going to take some time, so he wanted to finish it before heading back to Hanako. “I remember my first Christmases being pretty fun. My parents gave me gifts, like toys or baseball cards. It was honestly really easy to see who gave me what. We’d eat a lot of good food, either from restaurants or just Mom’s cooking. She always joked about gaining ten pounds the day after Christmas. After dinner we’d watch a movie together, two if I could manage it, before we all went to bed.”

Of course, with the benefit of hindsight and the worldview of a young adult, he also knew that their Christmas didn’t exactly end when he slept. They’d stay up for a few hours to be merry as a couple rather than as a family, which would be a reason why he’d often be the one to wake up first the day after, and why the door to their bedroom was unusually locked.

“Mm, I think my Christmases were like that,” Rin responded, staring blankly in front of her, as if she were looking at a scene that was not the one before her eyes. “I’d paint paintings for them every Christmas, because I did it once and Mama and Papa really liked it, so I’d feel like I need to paint during that time even when I didn’t want to. It was like a switch in my head that only turned on when Christmas is near, and someone else would control my body to paint, even though that someone else was still me.”

“But I was still happy, or at least most of me. Mama and Papa always gave me nice things, and we’d all sleep together in the same bed even though I had my own bedroom. It felt warm and nice, like how hugging a teddy bear is warm and nice even though actually hugging a bear would be really dirty and smelly and the bear might kill you.”

“Actually, I think one of my first ever Christmas gifts was a teddy bear,” Hisao noted humorously, a part of his mind wondering if he remembered what happened to that toy. When he didn’t his tone grew somber as he recalled memories more closer to the present. “Once I hit my teens though, Christmases kind of...stop. My family began working hard around that time, and they’d get too tired to really celebrate. They still give me gifts, but I think by then it was just because they had to in order to pretend that the holiday was still special to them.”

Rin gently nuzzled Hisao’s neck, which she often did when she felt that he needed some comfort that her words couldn’t properly convey.

“Thanks, and sorry for souring the mood a little,” He said with a comfortable sigh. “Anyways, I think we’ve kept Hanako waiting long enough.”

The two silently walked back to the bench, where Hanako was still reading, though she quickly noticed them and closed the book. Putting it back into her bag, she quickly stood up to face them, briefly glancing at the two bags Hisao was carrying.

“T-Thanks for buying those for me,” She said in appreciation. “I-I really like it.”

“You don’t know what they are yet,” Hisao responded, cracking an amused smile. “For all we know, you could end up hating mine. Or Rin’s. Preferably Rin’s.”

“I don’t want you to hate my gift,” Rin said, though she didn’t seem worried. “I want you to like my gift. And Hisao’s, but I also want you to hate Hisao’s. It’s weird, like wanting a volcano to stay dormant, yet also wanting it to erupt and kill an entire city. Like that one Roman one I had to do a painting about.”

“I-I couldn’t possibly hate it,” Hanako assured them both, giving them a confident smile, something that was a rarity during their days in Yamaku. “I-If it’s you two giving me gifts, t-then I know it’s because you two care about me, a-and that’s all I want as a gift. Whatever it is doesn’t matter.”

“Aw, and here I was hoping you’d pick which one was better,” Hisao said in a joking tone, brushing his hair back. “But I guess what you said is more in line with the Christmas spirit.”

“N-Now it’s time to buy gifts for you two,” Hanako said, sounding firm despite not quite knowing what she wanted to give them. “U-Um, who’s staying behind?”

“I can do it,” Rin volunteered, alreadying sitting on the bench to prove a point. “I’ll stay really still, like a marble statue that I had to paint, except it was a naked person painted like marble even though it looked nothing like marble balls.”

“You sure?” Hisao asked, who wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone in the first place. Rin simply nodded, and he decided not to worry. “Alright then. Shall we, Hanako?”

“Mm,” Hanako said, and together the two set out to find a gift that would excite someone like Rin, with her eccentricities and how she viewed the world. “Hisao, do you know what you want to give her?”

“Honestly...no clue,” Hisao answered, sounding a bit guilty that he didn’t have the foresight to think of a gift for his girlfriend. “I guess I’ll sort of take Rin’s approach, and just see whatever feels right.”

“Like seeing a p-pig and immediately wanting pork, even though you just ate it yesterday, right?” Hanako responded, trying to emulate the way Rin speaks. Hisao couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at that.

“Wow, that’s probably something she would say in that situation,” Hisao acknowledged as they walked past several confectionary shops, the distance between them short as they walked side by side. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You know her as well as I do.”

“I-I wouldn’t say that,” Hanako refuted. “Y-You two are much closer, b-being boyfriend and girlfriend and all…”

“You’d think that,” Hisao said with an amused snort. “Honestly, I still have moments where I feel like I’m back at square one, completely unable to figure her out. Even after so long, I really can’t say I have a perfect grasp of how she feels at all times.”

“T-That’s not really fair,” Hanako countered, letting her disagreement show in her voice, though not to the point of derision. “I-I think even normal couples will h-have moments like that.”

“Fair point,” Hisao looked around for any stores of interest, feeling annoyed that he couldn’t find anything that caught his eye. “Speaking of being back in square one, I still have no idea what to give her.”

Hanako similarly scanned around for some stores, finding herself similarly uninspired by them. The two of them looked at each other and nodded, deciding to walk around the mall a little more until they saw something they thought Rin would like.

They walked a long way, even using the elevator to head to the upper floor, all the while looking out for something. Hisao had a vague impression on what to get her. Something memorable, artistic, and practical if possible.

And then, something caught Hisao’s eye, and he immediately walked towards what he saw. Hanako was surprised when he went in a completely different direction, but followed him nevertheless, seeing the spark in his eyes as she caught up with him.

The two reached a store that was painted all black, from the walls to the door to even the glass, which had a very dark tint. Despite that, the sign was glowing a rainbow light, its color everchanging. It was definitely a very unusual store, and Hisao wondered if this store was established recently. Surely he would have noticed it if he walked by in the past.

“Shirakawa L-Lamps and K-Knick Knack.” Hanako uttered the store’s name, looking at the very eye-catching sign before seeing what Hisao was focusing on, a line of strange looking cylindrical lamps.

Each of them was glowing a different color, from orange to purple to cyan. Some even changed color, from subtle changes in hue to constantly switching colors, and all of them had something floating inside it as well, moving through the inside of the lamp as if it were swimming.

“I think I found what I want to buy for her.” Hisao said confidently, a smile forming on his face as he observed the lamps.

“T-They look really pretty.” Hanako replied, similarly enamoured.

The two of them entered the store, which was as dark on the inside as it was on the outside. It all served to highlight the many lamps, all glowing a different color as it tried to illuminate their black surroundings. Apart from those, the two also saw dolls, books, packs of cards, all having a very antiquated look to it.

“Greetings,” An elderly voice said, emerging from one of the shelves to greet them. The man was old, with many wrinkles on his face and body and hair as white as snow, but he still had a youthful aura about him as he smiled at the two with slightly yellow teeth. “I must say, it’s not every day I have some customers as young as you two.”

“Your lamps looked pretty cool,” Hisao responded, still glancing at them despite turning towards the old man. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like them.”

“Ah, well lava lamps have gotten a bit out of style for most people, much like me,” The old man responded with a chuckle. “Still, I find something timeless about them, which is why I opened up this shop. Please, go ahead and take a look around and ask me if you need anything.”

Hanako nodded and walked off to the far end of the store, observing what other items it had to offer on its shelves. Hisao meanwhile, walked up to the counter where the old man was walking towards, intent on asking him something.

“Hey, I was thinking of buying a lamp for someone,” He said nonchalantly. “Do you have any recommendations?”

“Well, that would depend on the person you’re giving it to,” The old shopkeep responded, his eyes lighting up with excitement. “So, who are they like?”

“Very special,” were the first words to come into his mind to describe Rin, although he knew that was extremely vague. “She’s an artist, and definitely thinks like one. Her mind sort of has its own little world that I’m a part of, but it’s not a world I’m always familiar with. She’s creative, thoughtful and beautiful, but also a little scary because of it.”

“Sometimes I feel like the words she says are in a different language, even though it’s not. I’ve become decent at interpreting it, but every now and then she says something that completely befuddles me. It’s like her heads constantly in the clouds, and I’m the one making sure she doesn’t just float out into space or something.”

It’s at this point that Hisao realized that he talked more than he thought he would, though the shopkeep seemed fascinated by his description. He scratched his chin, wondering what would make a perfect gift for such a person, before finally cracking a wide smile and walking away.

He returned a few moments later with an unlit lamp, with a similar cylindrical shape to all the rest. However, the inside of it was different, as instead of blobs of various sizes there were objects that looked like stars and moons, both circular and crescent.

The shopkeep plugged the lamp’s plug to a socket on the wall and lit it on, emitting a rainbow color that changed moderately fast, a new array of colors every few seconds. What was most striking to Hisao though was how the light reflected off the many objects within, projecting their shapes onto the black walls.

Hisao looked in amazement as an array of stars and moons covered his surroundings, in many different colors that changed just like the lamp. They weren’t static, moving slightly as they swirled inside the lamp, the stars on the wall looking almost like they were orbiting around the lamp that emitted them.

“Wow…” Hisao said simply, and in that moment knew that this was the perfect thing to give her. It was beautiful and radiant, yet ever changing and constantly in movement, much like Rin herself.

“I take it that you’re interested,” The shopkeep said as he turned the lamp off, the lights on the wall immediately disappearing. He unplugged it before walking it up to Hisao. “Since it’s Christmas, I’m willing to let this one go for a discount.”

“Really?” Hisao said, his hand already reaching for his wallet.

“I’m giving you this at a discounted price, so that you can give it to someone you care about. To make them happy. Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?” The shopkeep gave Hisao a wink before moving to the counter, placing the lamp as he worked the cash register.

Hisao couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy at the old man’s selflessness, and the smile on his face persisted even as he paid a rather large sum of money, with the discount softening the blow to his wallet. The shopkeep even had a box ready to put the lamp in and tied it with a green bow before putting it in a plastic bag.

Hanako appeared at the counter with her purchase as well, a doll that had another doll inside it, which itself had several dolls of smaller size inside it. Each one was different despite the similar shape, and the shopkeep explained that it was called a matryoshka doll. It was almost as pricey as the lamp, though the shopkeep offered a similar discount to her, but Hanako didn’t seem fazed as she bought it.

Both of them were confident in their gifts, and what it would represent to Rin. Bidding the shopkeep goodbye, they exited the store and began walking back to the bench where she was waiting.

“H-Hisao?” Hanako asked. “W-Why were you so excited this morning? I-I didn’t think you were the type to be so h-happy about Christmas?”

“I suppose not, huh?” Hisao said, still smiling. “I guess...this past year feels like a new start to me, and the last two years haven’t really been things to smile at, especially around Christmas time. Two years ago was around where I had my heart attack, and I could barely remember what I did for Christmas, or even what I got. The year after that, well…”

“O-Oh,” Hanako didn’t need to inquire further, as she immediately knew what he was referring to. The first and final winter he spent in Yamaku was a rough one, partially due to the rift that formed between Rin and him. It has long since mended, but the memory was still not one easily brought up. “I-I guess it would have been i-inappropriate to celebrate it b-back then.”

“Yeah, none of us would really be in the spirit, least of all me.” Hisao admitted with a sigh, his smile fading a little, though it was still present.

“I remembered a time when Christmas isn't just a holiday. It was a day where I could be happy with the people I love, and we could all spend the final days of the year being happy, regardless of how the year went. With this year being our first one in college, and a fresh start in a lot of ways, I figured it’d be nice to have that kind of feeling back.”

Hanako tensed up at the mention of that, her head turning downwards. “I-I’ve never really t-thought of it like that. C-Christmas was just another day to me, and I can’t remember if my parents celebrated it.”

Hisao looked at Hanako and couldn’t help but feel a little pity for her, even though he knew she wouldn’t like that. For someone to never experience the joys of Christmas, of opening a present with wondrous anticipation, it was almost unthinkable to him. It gave him a greater appreciation of his childhood, and reaffirmed his decision to be in the Christmas spirit.

“Well, that’s going to change,” Hisao declared loudly, almost emulating Emi in her brashness. “You’ve got me and Rin now, and Emi and Miki if they decide to come. We’ll make sure your Christmas will be something to remember fondly, and the Christmas after that, and the one after that as well.”

Hanako looked at him with wide eyes, before bursting into a giggle. It wasn’t one that mocked his declaration, but one that humorously recognized how committed he was in making such a loud announcement.

“T-Thank you, Hisao,” Hanako said, smiling a little more openly. “I-I know it’s not here yet, but Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas to you too.” Hisao responded gingerly as the two continued their way back towards Rin.

After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached her, in almost exactly the same position as she was when they left. Upon seeing the two, she finally got up from the bench and moved her body up and down, a weird motion that made them raise their eyebrows at her.

“I stayed still like a marble statue,” Rin explained as she continued to move up and down, almost as if she’s exercising. “But then my nose got itchy and I wanted to scratch it, but I wanted to stay still more, and the itchiness went away. But then I had this feeling in my body that made me want to move, even though my body didn’t really feel anything and I still wanted to stay still more, like a car engine starting even though the car wasn’t moving.”

Hisao took it in stride and walked to the bench, sitting down on it with a relaxed sigh. “Well, I’m feeling the exact opposite. I think I’ll just stay here for a while so you two can go buy my presents.”

Rin stopped and turned around to face him, blinking a few times. “What do you want as a gift?”

Hisao suppressed a smirk and simply shrugged. “I don’t know what I want, but I’m sure you can figure it out, Rin.”

“I’m not good at figuring things out, but I want to figure this out. I want to give you something you’ll like so you’ll like me, even though you already like me,” Rin stated, closing her eyes as she asked one last question. “Can I have some money? I’ll pay you back when we get home, or rather you’ll take my money from our room since I don’t like grabbing them with my feet.”

Hisao rolled his eyes and pulled out his wallet, and gave Hanako around 10000 yen, which would hopefully be in the price range of what Rin wanted to buy for him.

With that settled, the two of them walked away and left Hisao alone on the bench, who simply relaxed as he looked at the gifts he bought for Hanako and Rin, hoping that they would be happy with them. A part of him conceded that his presence was probably the best gift he could have gotten them, what with their own turmoils in the past, and the two sticking by his side was likewise a gift of incomparable value.

He felt his phone buzzing and pulled it out, revealing a message, then several others soon after. Opening it, he found that some of his Yamaku contacts, high school friends, and even his parents wished him a Merry Christmas.

One by one, he replied back with well wishes of his own, trying his best to make each one as personalized as possible. With the exception of his parents, they were most likely celebrating Christmas with their families and friends, and he felt a bit of longing that he couldn’t see them in person. Still, he sent those messages with the hope that they were happy, wherever they were.

“Year’s almost over.” Hisao muttered to himself as he finished his last reply, slumping a little on his bench. Despite that fact being obvious, it is almost like a revelation to him. Something that he’s just found out for himself.

Another year is almost gone. Another year marching towards the unknown. To death, sooner or later.

He tried not to think about his own mortality, despite his more active stance in trying to stave it off. It was something that needlessly affected his mentality, and more than that was something Rin would more than likely pick up on, perceptive as she was. Despite her acceptance of his condition and what came with it, openly bringing it up always turned things more dour.

He had enough of that in recent years, starting with his stay at the hospital, his old life slowly crumbling apart. Unintentionally at first, he endeavoured for his life to be happier after he and Rin formalized their relationship, and had succeeded so far. He had a future in science, a loving girlfriend, and a small but reliable social circle.

Still, every now and then he’d have those moments of contemplation, of worry. That something would happen which would break the comfortable routine of his life, with his heart condition at the center of it all. It wasn’t even the fact that he would likely have a lower lifespan than Rin, but the sheer horror of not knowing when it might act up.

Would a flutter in ten years remain merely a flutter, or would it fester into something worse? Part of it was illogical paranoia, but only because the lack of a clear answer made it so.

Still, life needs to move on, and so must he. Perhaps that’s the true reason he was so eager to celebrate Christmas, to impart memories that the people close to him could look back upon once he was gone. For him to look back upon, like turning one’s head back to watch a sunset on the way home.

Always fleeting, but always beautiful. It never lasts, yet that’s part of why it has value.

He used his phone again, this time to look at the pictures he’d taken using it, which he had come to do over the past year. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular, merely reminiscing on a year that had been nothing short of lovely.

A photo of Rin painting on the balcony one night, another photo of the first time they would go to the ramen place, and another one where they went to a park to have a picnic. As he scrolled through all of the photos and their memories, he started to realize that he was never in them, as he was the one taking the photos.

This caused him to think about how many photos of him were there, which wasn’t much, all things considered. He had a framed photo of him and his friends at Yamaku, and a mandatory picture for his graduation yearbook, but not much else besides that.

As he was pondering that fact, he saw Rin and Hanako in the distance, walking towards him. Hanako was carrying two more black bags, which he knew was his present. Much like a child, he couldn’t help but wonder what they were, though he’d appreciate the sentiment regardless.

“W-Well,” Hanako said as the two reached the bench, and Hisao began to stand up, pocketing his phone. “I-I think that’s all the presents for us. N-Now we need something for Emi and Miki.”

“Something for a person without legs and a person without a hand,” Rin said, looking up as if she could find the answer there. “Maybe some chocolate? People like chocolate, even if they don’t have hands or legs or ears or eyes. The only people who don’t like it are statues and my uncle, and they don’t like food in general.”

“Not a bad idea,” Hisao responded, and decided to add. “Hey, thanks.”

“Hm?” Rin seemed perplexed by the sudden thanks. “What are you thanking us for? Is it because we bought you a present? But you also bought us a present so it evens out, like putting two boxes on a scale even though their price and weight might be different.”

“No, no that,” Hisao said with a chuckle, finding his worries dissipating. It always did when he was around Rin. “Just...thanks for everything, I guess. It’s hard to say how much you guys mean to me. I don’t think I can picture a better Christmas Eve.”

Hanako widened her eyes a little, though Rin simply nodded. “Me too, even though I know a better Christmas Eve can happen. This one is perfect, even if it really isn’t. Like an egg that’s overcooked but you still love eating it.”

Hisao went and wrapped an arm around Rin’s shoulder, which she accepted as she leaned her body onto his. Hanako simply smiled as the three of them walked off together in silence, all of them thinking the same thing.

In different ways, the three of them had never thought they’d be at this point in their lives, content and happy. Not so long ago, they felt isolated and alone, in a world that seemingly didn’t understand nor cared about them. But now they were living together, and suddenly that world seemed a little brighter, and the future not as ominous nor scary.

Another year had passed, and the three would continue to look forward towards the future. For them, the presents or the celebration were secondary to the true Christmas spirit, spending time with the people that mattered most.

END

[brythain]

That's an excellent Christmas story. I like me a good Rin. It was so good I had to re-read it to find the least Rin line in the whole thing, which was this:

“Hmm, I want to go shopping already,” Rin said, cracking a smile with a strip of bacon sticking out of her mouth.

But apart from that (and it's already a stretch), I really enjoyed myself.

[Hacksorus]

Ah, my prompt was completed! It's a Christmas miracle!

Honestly, the prompt wasn't something I put a ton of thought into. I think I envisioned a sort of comedy-focused story, and when I realized Hanako and Rin would be interacting I thought that was what I was getting. In the end though, this really surpassed my expectations. There were some funny moments, but the enthusiasm and respect for the traditions of Christmas painted a much warmer and more comforting picture. For those of us who can't go back after facing the mundane realities of adulthood, Christmas can feel a little silly. But it still has the potential to facilitate a special sort of togetherness, and in this story we saw three people benefit from that who perhaps needed it more than most. Wonderful.

Hanako is still my favorite girl after all these years, and this story had an excellent depiction of her. I find myself as curious as Hisao about which of her two gifts she might like more, my guess could go either way. Like Brythain, I also appreciate some good Rin. I think I might need an insulin shot after that line about her nuzzling Hisao's neck when he's feeling down. Though to be honest I find it kind of hard to believe that Rin and Hanako wandering about a shopping mall together could go so well, even after two years of development

[Razoredge]

It comes from someone who's not currently a Rin fan (but your work is achieving a bit too much for my own sake to make me care about her, and even like her), but it was wholesome. Initially when I saw that Hanako and Rin were living together, I was like "Oh, it's comedy time". But what you did is better. You made something wholesome, cute, and heartwarming. I don't picture Hanako being friends with Rin at all, but you made this work. You made this work at a level I didn't expected. It works, as if it was obvious from the beginning, as if I was dumb to think anything else about them. Christmas is, in writing, one of my favorite periods of the year. And this piece is an example to explain why I love Christmas in writing, because of the Christmas spirit and meaning, and for moments of joy spent with loved ones. The interactions between Rin and Hisao are cute, especially what she does when she feels he needs comfort. And, I never thought I would be able to say that, but the interactions between Rin and Hanako are feeling... natural. Yeah.

I just have to say I loved this piece, and I'm on my way to like Rin thanks to you. And for that, thank you Emo. You did a great piece, as usual, and you deserve praise for that. The only down I would have to "complain" about is Rin being enthusiastic for a shopping trip. I don't sure it fits her well, but hey, it's up to you. Aside from that, it was a lovely piece, I really enjoyed reading it.

[Mirage_GSM]

I agree it was a very nice story - if a bit saccharine...

When reading this Secret Santa Submissions I always think about what I would have done if that prompt had reached me. Most of the time I feel thankful that it didn't
This time I almost immediately had a picture in my mind of Hisao organizing a Christmas party with the Student Council and dragging Shizune along behind him for a change.

[Hacksorus]

When reading this Secret Santa Submissions I always think about what I would have done if that prompt had reached me. Most of the time I feel thankful that it didn't
This time I almost immediately had a picture in my mind of Hisao organizing a Christmas party with the Student Council and dragging Shizune along behind him for a change.

That sounds wonderful honestly. Do you take commissions?

[Silentcook]

That sounds wonderful honestly. Do you take commissions?

Ahem.

Keep it to PMs, please.

[Hacksorus]

Oh, sorry. I thought it was clear enough that I was joking. Will play it more safe in the future.

[Feurox]

The Last to Leave

Empirically speaking, we are made of star stuff. Why aren’t we talking more about that?
Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts

The bell rings, and any interest I had managed to encourage in my class immediately dissipates. Chairs screech, and the chatter rises quickly as nearly everyone races for the door. Some of the slower-paced students pack up quietly, or finish their notes, but whatever momentum I had has well and truly vanished.

After a while that feeling gets a little less disappointing. If you want to be a good teacher, you have to learn to not take things so personally. Some kids just don’t care for physics, some just don’t care.

Maybe part of the job is that you’re supposed to make them care; maybe I used to see it that way too. Well, I don’t anymore. You’re either passionate, or you’re not, we waste too much time in our lives wasting time. That’s a valuable lesson you learn after you really needed it.

Life does that to you a lot, it teaches you a lot after you need it most. Maybe we’re all destined to grow older looking back with regret, looking back into a past that we half-imagined.

Still, there are a few things about the past I’m sure I didn’t imagine.

I slump back into my desk chair as the last of my class disappears into the hallway. It’s the end of the day, so most will be heading to club activities like band, or track. A few will be heading for the bus stop, or to their dorm rooms. There’s probably a fair number of students who rarely leave campus at all; I can think of a few in my class like that. I pull my sleeve up to check my watch, it looks like I have about thirty minutes to kill before I can leave.

The sensible part of me knows I should use this time to go over tomorrow’s lesson plans, but I just can’t seem to get into the mood. Instead, I reach into my bag and pull out a familiar, time-worn, book and open it around the middle mark. It’s been doodled on, flowers, sunbeams, snow-droplets… images from the window, the doodles of a child. I smile, and then I stop, and put it back.

I’m not in the mood for that either.

The empty time is the hardest. Not because you can’t fill it, but because you don’t want too. Or maybe because nothing can.

“Akio.”

I turn to face the door. Yamaku’s resident nurse is standing with his hand on the frame like some heartthrob. He does that on purpose to be funny, and sometimes, I admit, it is.

“Giro, you’re early,” I say, and scoop the last of my things from the desk into my satchel. “I take it that means we’re ready to head home?”

He nods and stands up straight. His rucksack looks ridiculously threadbare, but from what I gather it’s because he takes his work home with him, and he has a lot of work.

He’s a little shorter than me, and about fifteen years younger, but he makes for a good pal. He offers me a can of coffee as we head out. It’s the crap from the vending machines but I’m not one to turn down a free drink.

“Busy day?” I ask over the gentle hiss of the can. He cracks his open and takes what can only be described as a glug.

“More paperwork than usual, you have a new student tomorrow, it appears.” We take the stairs together, but he skips a little fast for my liking.

“Yeah, maybe this one will be interested in my lectures.”

“Nah, this one will be the literature type,” he says. “Shall we make a bet?”

I consider it for a moment, but better judgements prevail.

“I’ve lost to you on less risky bets, I’m out.”

It would be nice to have another science type, like Molly Kapur, but it’s unlikely. For whatever reason, most of the kids we get are more of the artsy types, literature, music, that kind of thing. Maybe I’m not selling the sciences enough, or maybe people have a predisposition to be interested in certain fields that is only further brought about by the unique situations that lands them here. I’m probably overthinking it, and under-criticising my teaching style.

“One day I hope to sneak into one of your classes, I hear they’re exhilarating,” Giro teases, taking another long glug and pulling his phone from his pocket. “This new night-nurse has a lot of questions for someone several years my senior.”

We laugh and continue the rest of our walk in relative quiet until we reach the main entrance, and I hold the door for us both. Giro taps another text into his mobile, before finally putting it away and finishing his canned coffee in a final swig. I force mine down as well; it should at least help keep me awake for the drive home.

“So, are we making a detour tonight or heading straight home?”

I consider suggesting the coffee house but shake my head. I’m already fairly exhausted and I doubt I’d make for excellent company right now.

“I’m tired, so I wouldn’t be much company.”

“You never are,” he jokes a bit flatly, before sitting down in the passenger seat. “How’s the new apartment?”

I start up the engine and half-laugh, half-cough.

“It’s cramped,” I admit, and Giro nods. “I haven’t really unpacked, so that probably contributes to the feeling.”

“Well, let’s hope it’s only temporary, heavy rains make for bountiful harvests.” He says with a thin smile, as I pull out of the gates and head off down the hill past the town.

“That isn’t a saying, I’m not even sure it’s true.”

“It doesn’t have to be true to be a saying,” he laughs quietly. I’m thankful that he doesn’t seem to mind the rather sombre attitude I’ve been carrying with me the last few days. Good friends do that, I think, they weather the stormy weather. There’s another made up saying.

“I guess,” I half-heartedly admit. I’m amazed at how dark it’s gotten, despite it not being that late, but it’s been threatening to rain again for a while; the menacing darkness is probably just that.

Sure enough, a single raindrop lands on my windscreen, and then another. And then the whole sky falls down.

“About time, I suppose,” I say, switching the windscreen wipers on. Giro is replying to another text but laughs non-the-less.

“It really never ends,” he laughs.

“The winter?”

“Work.”

“Oh.”

We keep driving into the rain, and I pull off the main road into the city side-street. Thankfully, Giro lives only a short drive from my apartment, though his place is considerably nicer and in a far nicer area.

I pull up just before his apartment and turn off the engine.

“Same time tomorrow?” Giro asks, still occupied on his phone.

“Let’s make it thirty minutes earlier, we can get a coffee before work.”

Giro laughs, and finally puts his phone away.

“You read my mind. We’ll get something warm instead of a can.”

With that, he opens the door and steps out. The rain pelts him, but he doesn’t seem to care and chuckles dryly again.

“Wonderful weather, so refreshing,” he says with a cheesy grin.

“Go for a run or something,” I joke.

“I may just,” he replies, before shutting the car door and walking calmly to his apartment entrance. Nothing phases Giro, he’s always so composed. He’s younger than me, but his life is so much more together.

I sigh and start up the car again. The rain has gotten heavier, and the evening has gotten a little darker too to a cool purple colour. That kind of colour is Rayleigh scattering, I mutter to myself. I wonder if any of my students would know that. It takes the car behind me honking before I realise, I’ve completely stopped, and I continue down the road a few streets until I reach my run-down little place and park up. Everything feels so close but miles away… I’ve felt that way before. The optimist in me hopes that this too shall pass, but you just can’t shake reality.

I climb the steps through the rain, and crash onto my couch.

A familiar film is blaring from the small box television, but I don’t catch much of it, and slowly zone out of reality.

A gruff looking American man yells out on screen, and I snicker as the recognizable line bounces around in my head.

“Yippee ki yay,” I mutter into the sofa pillow, and drift away into a world where it isn’t too late.

A world somehow separate from this one.

 

All that flashed into my eyes were the countless shapes of people walking by to nowhere. Again and again, I called out for Midori from the dead centre of this place that was no place.

Haruki Murakami, Norwegian Wood

I yawn and stretch out my arms. Mari giggles beside me and snuggles by my side.

“I thought this was your favourite?” she asks and pokes me a little too hard for my sleepy state.

“It is, but I guess I might have seen it too many times now,” I admit, “knock it off you monster. Who pokes a sleeping beauty?”

On screen, McClane crawls through the vents, his eyebrow bloody but his face determined. I smile, and Mari giggles again.

“Let me guess, you know every word?” she asks, well, accuses.

“Well, my English isn’t great…” I narrow my eyes and take a mock serious expression. “But yes, I do.”

The DVD stutters and skips, so I let out a sigh and untangle myself from Mari, much to her protest.

“Yippie ki yay,” I groan and shake my head.

“You’ve watched it too many times,” she laughs.

“It’s just a story that speaks to me,” I return, thumping the top of the player. I’m a physicist, not a tech wizard. “It’s a story that proves its never too late to be the hero,” I explain, and she laughs again.

I turn back to face Mari. She’s still wearing her lab coat, and she’s splayed out onto the sofa like she’s posing for an oil painting. There’s some ‘scientists grime’ on her sleeve, but it’s probably just ink or lead smudges.

Even in her work clothing, half-asleep, she looks gorgeous and timeless. Behind her, out the window, the city lights are roaring and it’s sprinkling with snow.

“Something on your mind?” she asks with a sly smile.

“I’m just admiring you,” I answer.

She blushes, and sits upright, stretching her arms out wide to be hugged. I’m more than happy to oblige, and I wrap my arms around her back as the movie continues to play, only to be interrupted by a loud thump from the hallway.

Mari sits up from the sofa with a smile and kisses me on the forehead.

“It’s your turn,” she says quietly. There’s a somewhat guilty look on her face, but I don’t mind at all, and separate myself from her to deal with the thumper in the hall.

I stomp to the doorway and begin huffing and puffing, making each movement and sound exaggerated, as the tiny sound of giggling comes from around the corner.

“There better not be any little ladies up past their bedtime,” I say in my evil villain voice.

Another giggle is cut off by a squeal as I round the corner and see the little lady in question. She’s tiny, and very, very guilty looking.

“Give me one good reason not to put you up for adoption, Emicia,” I joke, and the little criminal karate chops me in the leg. “Ow!” She splutters into a violent cough, but just as I kneel down to make sure she’s okay, it passes, and she smiles at me.

“Because I’ll beat you up,” she blurts out confidently, before hitting me again.

“You take after your mother, little goblin.”

“I heard that,” Mari laughs, “and trust me, I hit harder.”

I rub the back of my neck and exaggerate my sigh, before picking Emicia up and carrying her into the living room. Mari gives me an affectionate smile as I drop her down on the sofa, and John McClane continues to look out from the TV, paused.

“I don’t have to trust you, I already know,” I quietly mumble, before either of the little demons can whack me. Both do, and I mock yelp.

Emicia snuggles into her mother, and I resume the film. I’ve made Emicia watch it multiple times by now, but this is actually the first time Mari has sat down to see it. Actually, this feels like one of the first times Mari has sat down in a while… She puts her hand on mine and squeezes.

“Have you thought more about that job offer?” she asks, Emicia looks like she might be dozing off.

“I turned it down,” I answer and avert her gaze. “I think teaching might suit me but…”

“But money matters,” she sighs.

“Besides, if I do teach, it won’t be at some high-end snob factory, I want to really make a difference.”

Mari squeezes my hand again and bring it to her lips before letting go and stroking Emicia’s hair.

I take a look at my watch, and smile.

“What?” she asks, lowering her voice, but Emicia opens her eyes, nonetheless.

“It’s twelve,” I chuckle.

Emicia sits upright and doesn’t try to hide her excitement. She coughs violently again, but quickly settles down again, and Mari’s concerned look vanishes.

“Christmas!” she exclaims.

Mari laughs.

“Well, you know it’s a romantic holiday girly, I was hoping Akio and I could spend it without you,” she bops her daughter on the nose and earns herself a mean look.

“Now hang on,” I laugh, and release myself from the comfortable sofa. “I know it’s a western tradition, but I couldn’t help but get you both a present.”

Emicia claps her hands together excitedly, but Mari just looks on with a quizzical expression.

I round the corner into the hall and open up my satchel. At the bottom of the bag, two messily wrapped gifts have been waiting all night to come out. I place both behind my back as I re-enter the living room.

“Okay, first, little demon child.”

“That’s me!” Emicia jumps off her mother and grabs the present from my outstretched hand.

“Akio, you really didn’t have to…” Mari begins, but trails off as I offer her the second, smaller present.

She juggles it between her fingers, feeling the weight of it. It’s small, but, as she begins to peel the wrapping, I feel my heart jump up my throat.

Emicia hoists her own present into the air, the wrapping all over the floor now. It’s a book that reminded me of her, about a little girl who breaks the mould by speaking up where no one else will. She opens it and begins thumbing through the pages as she settles onto the floor.

“Thank you,” she whispers, already engrossed in the first page.

I nod, and return to Mari, who has opened the box and is… crying.

I kneel down and take her hand in mine.

“Yes,” she whispers. Emicia looks up, not understanding what’s really happening.

“Yes,” Mari whispers again.

“Yes,” she whispers once more, her heart forever bound with my own.

__________________________________________

I ended up scrapping about 7,000 words on this one, maybe to be reworked someday, hence the delay. I can't say this prompt spoke to me, and I'm dreadfully sorry it's so late Downix. (I also still haven't watched Die Hard).

I figured it was best to get this out so you at least have something, despite it not being worth the wait at all, and then I can move on from it as well.

For any curious, my prompt was:

Thought to take it up a notch this year and bring out the true spirit of the holidays with a Christmas movie themed idea. It needs to incorporate the ultimate Christmas movie, Die Hard, in some manner, but otherwise it is as open as can be. Kenji saving the school from terrorists, Hisao bumming out at movie night, girl’s night sleepover watching it, do whatever you want to!

Happy April, all. Bah Humbug.

[Downix]

*applause*
Love it!

[brythain]

7000 words? What a bummer!

[PsychicSpy]

At long last, a very late S11. My apologies to Crafty; I really should have gotten it done earlier, but I just had massive writer's block. I really hope that you enjoy this!

Prompt: Someone at Yamaku is having a bad time: either they were involved in a bad/neutral end, or someone else took the good end. Regardless, they need some time to come to terms with things. With the help of another character, however, they're able to let it go, and look ahead to the future.

An Ibarazaki Guarantee


“Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock! Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring!” The tinny Christmas music rang out of the radio in the student council. Hisao had never been great at English, but he could make out a few of the words in every verse.

If he was being honest, he didn’t feel like celebrating at all in the moment and wanted nothing more than to turn the music off, but Misha had been adamant about it. This was a Christmas party, so they needed Christmas music, she had reasoned, albeit with more loud laughter interspersed in her explanation.

Hisao sighed as he looked out of the window at the campus grounds, which were blanketed with snow. The moon cast its glow down upon the snow-crested hills that surrounded Yamaku, the stark light illuminating the spindly, bare tree branches and leafless bushes, giving a drab reminder of the harshness of winter.

“Hey, stranger. Long time no see,” a familiar voice said. Hisao turned to see Emi leaning against the counter, looking at him. She was dressed in the spirit of the holiday, with a snowman sweater and a Santa hat on her head.

“Hey, Emi,” Hisao responded, turning back to the window.

“It’s been a while, Hisao; I haven’t seen you try to outrun me in a while.” Emi slid over to him, looking out at the winter night too.

“I just haven’t felt like it.” Hisao mumbled.

Emi paused for a moment before going down a new avenue of conversation. “Pretty nice party, right? I think it was all Misha’s idea.”

“Yeah, the party is nice,” Hisao echoed, tapping his fingers on the countertop impatiently. He wanted Emi to leave him alone. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Emi’s smile grow into a look of concern.

“What’s wrong, dude? Something’s up,” she questioned.

Hisao didn’t look at her. “Nothing.”

“Are you still thinking about her?” she asked carefully.

Hisao knew it was pointless to lie; when Emi sniffed something out, she would hound it until she got what she wanted. “Yeah.”

“Hisao, it’s been months since Lilly left,” Emi said. “I understand wanting to be sad for a little while, maybe even a month, but it’s been several months.”

“Is that the only reason you came over here?” Hisao grumbled. “To criticize how I’m feeling?”

“No! I just wanted to see how you were doing and where your head's at,” Emi replied defensively.

“Well, I’m just fine, so you can go back to enjoying the party.” Hisao expected her to walk away at this point, but instead he felt a hand grasp his wrist and roughly pull him towards the door.

“C’mon! We’re going for a walk, Hisao!” Emi dragged him out of the room and down into the entrance hall, ignoring any of his protests. She pushed the door open and pulled him out into the frigid air.

“Emi! Let me go back!” Hisao turned to go back inside, but Emi got in between him and the door.

“No. We’re gonna talk about what happened, Hisao. You’ve been essentially working like some kind of stupid robot since Lilly left. You get up, go to class, do your work, then go back to your room and read or whatever it is you do in your room. You barely talk to anybody anymore.”

“I’ve just decided to focus on studying at this point, that’s all.”

Emi stamped her prosthetic foot, sending up a poof of snow flurries. “That’s not a good enough answer, Hisao. I know what self-isolation looks like.” She looked off in the distance wistfully, before turning back to him with determination in her eyes. “I’ll make you a deal: we go on this walk, we talk about what happened, and then I never ask about it again.” She stuck her hand out for a handshake. “I’ll even throw in some of my mom’s home cooking. Deal?”

Hisao thought about it, and against his better judgement, he half-heartedly shook her hand. They started to walk down the paved sidewalk, which had much less snow on them.

“I know that you spent time with a bunch of different people during your first week here,” Emi started. “Why don’t we start there?”

With some hesitation, Hisao began to talk about what happened between him and Lilly. He talked about the first meetings in the tearoom, shopping for Hanako’s birthday, and Lilly’s first trip home. Emi listened carefully throughout all of it, keeping an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face.

The words began to tumble out easier as he continued, describing their trip to Hokkaido, especially the incident with his heart and the scene in the field with Lilly, while leaving out some of their escapades. He continued on, describing their fancy date, his talk with Akira and how he found out about Lilly leaving. Summarizing the night Lilly had left was the hardest part, and Hisao didn’t even notice the tears rolling down his cheeks until Emi gently brushed them away with her gloved hands.

“Thank you, Emi.”

“No problem.” Emi stepped away as they turned the corner to walk through the courtyard between the school building and the gym. “So, what about after that? What happened after she left?”

Hisao looked down. “Well, we tried to keep calling one another, texting back and forth, but things were different- I mean, how could things not be different after she hid that our relationship was being built on a time limit?”

“Yeah, I can see how that would really impact you two.”

“Yeah. Eventually our conversations grew fewer and shorter, and a few weeks ago we just didn’t bother to call each other. She only sent a text telling me it would be better if we broke up completely and didn’t talk, for both of our sakes.”

“That really hurt, didn’t it?” Emi said quietly, looking at him with sympathy in her green eyes.

Hisao felt his chest tighten. “It did. It felt like it made the distance so much more permanent.”

“Did you feel that maybe, at some point, she would come back, or that you could go to her, or something like that?”

“Yeah, honestly, somewhere inside me I did think that, as pathetic as that sounds.” He felt Emi wrap her arms around him and pull him into a hug. Slightly surprised, he embraced the shorter girl back as they stayed silent, with tears slowly streaking down his cheeks.

“I don’t think it’s pathetic,” Emi said, muffled by his coat. “I know that with the loss I’ve felt, somewhere in my mind I’ve prayed that one day I’ll wake up and it will all be a dream.”

Hisao stayed quiet but hugged her a bit more firmly, wanting to console her as much as she did for him. After a few minutes, they broke apart, before continuing their route back to the school building.

Emi spoke up again as they turned the corner towards the door. “I can see how much this affected you.”

“It has, as much as I hate to say that, especially in this weather.” Hisao gestured around. “It’s very gloomy and dead during winter.”

“Maybe you should look at it in a different way.” Emi pointed to a tree on campus. “That tree looks skeletal now. The snow has blocked all green life from the world, and you look at it through the lens of your Lilly issues.”

Hisao considered this, then nodded. “I guess that’s true. What’s your point?”

“Winter might be this time where things look dead, but plants are strong. Those trees still survive without their leaves. When spring comes, the trees and things that look dead are reborn as vibrant and colorful. You could see winter as a time of renewal and rebirth, don’t you think?”

“I guess I see what you’re saying,” Hisao replied, stopping at the door.

“In the same way, it’s ok to be sad. It’s ok to feel hurt. However, remember that this time will end. It will lead to your rebirth and renewal. It won’t be like this forever; you’re an eligible guy. You can and will find somebody who really cares about you, and that’s an Ibarazaki guarantee!”

Hisao smiled. “Thanks, Emi, for the kind words, and for taking me out on this walk. I think that it really helped.”

Emi lightly punched him in the arm. “Of course, Hisao. Even though you don’t come run with me, you’re still my friend. I still care about your well-being. You needed this. Now c’mon; let’s go enjoy the rest of this party before Misha eats all the Christmas cookies!” Emi charged into the building like she was leading the cavalry.

Hisao chuckled before following her, leaving the cold of winter behind.

[Oddball]

Well, better late than never.

Overall it wasn't too shabby. It had a nice simple sweet feel to it.

[Craftyatom]

An Ibarazaki Guarantee

Excellent! I can't fault you for having some trouble coming up with ideas for the prompt, since it's a bit open-ended, but you definitely did it justice in the end!

I did find myself thinking that I enjoy fics where Hisao is sad - perhaps sad Hisao is easier to get right? But of course I loathe a sad ending, hence the prompt!

Thank you very much, and of course (as I know very well) - better late than never!

[Mirage_GSM]

Added the two late additions to the index.
Looks as if there are still at least five missing unless they are somewhere in the threads I haven't gotten to yet.
The Last to Leave has a more subtle sadness than is usual for Feurox. Still a very nice story. You really need to watch Die Hard at some point. Just the first one. The others are inconsequential.

An Ibarazaki Guarantee was also nice. I don't think the prompt was open ended at all. In fact it specified the whole plot including the ending except for the specific characters involved.