A/N: So I know we just had Naegiri Week, but I couldn't let the year end without pumping out a Christmas-themed oneshot in the Danganronpa Gaiden universe! This takes place after Makoto and Kyoko get engaged, but before Hope's Peak gets rebuilt and Makoto officially becomes Headmaster. Happy Holidays, and Enjoy!

The Ultimate Detective and The Ultimate Hope Gaiden: Naegi's First Christmas

…Damp…Cherry Blossoms?

That was the closest thing that Makoto could think of as a soft, pleasurable sensation coursed in his veins after starting on his lips. His eyes opened wide, the young man jarred awake as his vision came into focus. Looking around as best he could while keeping his head still, Makoto saw violet lips pressing against his own in a soft kiss, long locks creating a protective violet curtain around his head, and a long slender body kneeling over him. His attention was immediately attracted to the lavender, loving eyes who gazed down at him, love swimming in their pupils.

Oh, so Kyoko decided to kiss me awake…

Deciding to not question it and just love it, Makoto closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers, trying to absorb as much of her cherry blossom-scented lips as he could before she pulled away.

…Just as it was getting good, too!

Makoto let out a groan of frustration and opened his eyes again to see Kyoko grinning from ear to ear, still above him on her hands and knees. She tucked a few strands of loose hair behind her ear as she said her next three words.

"Merry Christmas, Makoto."

Grinning as his sense of awareness finally caught up with him, Makoto used his hands to steady himself as he sat up, his head level with Kyoko's. He gently took both of her scarred hands into his own and peppered her knuckles with gentle kisses, making Kyoko blush and give a bashful smile.

"Merry Christmas, Kyoko Naegi!"

Letting out a giggle of mirth, Kyoko took the opportunity to tug on his hands, pulling him out of bed as she began to tug him out of the bedroom and into their kitchen. Makoto laughed the entire time, excited for the memory of his first Christmas with Kyoko.

XXX

Kyoko and Makoto lay cuddled against each other, curled up on the couch in front of the TV, with a DVD of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer playing. A blanket wrapped around the both of them to share touch and body heat, the two each held a mug of hot chocolate in their free hands, Kyoko deciding to forego her sacred Civet Coffee to share the experience of hot cocoa on Christmas morning with her fiancée. The betrothed couple took synchronized sips of their beverages before a knock rang at their door, catching their attention.

Putting down his mug on the coffee table and reaching for the remote, Makoto paused the movie and reluctantly unwrapped his side of the blanket, allowing him to get up off the couch as he announced, "I'll get it", walking towards the door. Who could it be? Hina? Hiro? Hajime?

Makoto opened the door of their apartment complex to see a young woman with matching green eyes and brown ahoge, dressed in a multi-colored Christmas themed nightgown and slippers. Makoto's eyes sparkled as he wrapped his arms around their guest.

"Komaru! You're here? Come in! Come in! Is Toko with you? How'd you get here?"

Giggling at her excited big brother, Komaru answered "I got Toko to pull some strings and convince Byakuya to give me a helicopter ride over here. It was surprisingly easy too; he didn't even put up a fight. Said something like, If I refuse, I'd have to put up with Kirigiri giving me an earful for making her beloved's little sister cry. Do whatever you want."

Makoto giggled at his sister's haughty imitation of Byakuya while Kyoko smirked at Byakuya's borderline fear of her ire.

"Toko decided to spend the holidays with Byakuya by the way. He tried to refuse, but stopped protesting after realizing she was just gonna tail him anyway."

Kyoko giggled into her palm as Makoto closed the door, urging her "Go sit on the couch with us! I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa, then we can continue watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!"

Smiling in amusement at how excited her older brother was, Komaru sat down on the end opposite from Kyoko, looking to her future sister-in-law and sharing a soft smile as they waited for Makoto to come back with the extra hot chocolate.

"Merry Christmas Kyoko."

"Merry Christmas Komaru."

XXX

The trio watched the credits roll, the movie having ended as the Naegi family finished sipping their respective mugs of chocolate. Makoto sat in the center of the sofa, wrapped back up in his blanket with Kyoko who sat at his right, while Komaru sat to his left, having declined to share in their blanket wrapping despite Makoto's insistence that they could share. All three smiled at the movie's ending, but none more so than Kyoko who, except for giving a smirk earlier when Komaru came by, hadn't stopped grinning since she kissed Makoto awake.

In a rare teasing smile reminiscent of his fiancée, Makoto nudged Kyoko with his elbow and teased "Hey, I thought I was supposed to be the grinning one in this relationship. So how come YOU'RE the one who can't seem to stop smiling all day?"

Giggling, Komaru joined in, teasing "Yeah, Kyoko. I don't ever remember ever seeing you this expressively happy. Not when Makoto brought you home to meet us that one time, and not even when you announced your engagement!"

Blushing, Kyoko gave a bashful smile and stared down at her hands, confessing "I guess…I'm just really happy…that this is my first Christmas I'm spending as a Naegi. I guess…it still feels like I'm dreaming, and I can't contain my mirth when I keep telling myself that this is real…"

Makoto and Komaru smiled at the new addition to their family. Legally, since Makoto and Kyoko were only engaged and not officially married yet, her surname was still Kirigiri. However, ever since she expressed her desire to take Makoto's last name out of love and gratitude for him, Makoto had made it a point to call her "Kyoko Naegi" whenever they were sharing a romantic and intimate moment, as an expression of how much he loved her and considered her to be his beloved wife in all but name. Plus, since her grandfather had recently disowned her after disapproving of her union with Makoto, she no longer considered herself to be a Kirigiri in any way, shape, or form, and latched on to the Naegi moniker even more tightly, something that Makoto was only too happy to oblige.

Changing the subject, Komaru interjected "This really does feel like a Naegi Christmas, though it's a shame we don't have a tree yet."

Since the world was still recovering from the Tragedy, stability hadn't been restored to the point that specialized businesses, like faux tree shops, could operate and profit, so those who were well-off enough to celebrate the holiday had to go without the western icon.

Kyoko smiled and nuzzled her fiancé, assuring them "Well tree or no tree, my first Christmas with you is a memory I'll treasure forever."

The Naegi siblings smiled warmly at Kyoko. Technically speaking, it wasn't her first Christmas with either of them. Makoto had invited her to stay with him and meet his family over the Christmas break before the Tragedy while they were dating, and while employed at the Future Foundation, the Hope's Peak Survivors did have an annual Christmas party that they all attended. However, while dating, Kyoko still had difficulty expressing her emotions in front of anyone except her boyfriend, so she felt out of place compared to Makoto's gleeful parents and sister, like a stranger while visiting the Naegi home.

And during the Tragedy, Makoto and Kyoko danced around their rekindled feelings for each other, awkwardly avoiding any potentially romantic interactions. This was in spite of Hina and Hiro's constant attempts to trick them into standing under some mistletoe recovered from a raided city, leading to a grumpy Hiro and Hina at their failure to get their friends together, as well as a sexually frustrated Makoto and Kyoko, who craved each other's presence and affection during the holiday, but got cold feet due to their self-doubt and actively avoided each other.

"So…you enjoyed the movie?"

Smiling, Kyoko nodded in response to Makoto's question and replied "Yes, I did. It was fun, spending time like this with my family." Kyoko looked down again, her eyes suddenly becoming downcast as she confessed "I just…wish I had memories like this with my Father. I missed out on a lot…a lot of Christmases where I could have spent time smiling with my Dad, if only I hadn't let my grandfather persuade me to hate him for leaving…"

Kyoko felt Makoto's hand curl around her waist and pull her closer, his head leaning on her shoulder as he assured her "I bet your Dad's looking down at us from up there right now, smiling with your Mom that his daughter is still living a happy life, in spite of all the hardship she had to overcome. Don't cry, Kyoko; show your Dad how happy you are now!"

Her purple eyes shining once more with hope, Kyoko smiled and nodded, opting to continue their previous conversation.

"If I'm being honest, I think part of the reason I enjoyed the movie, was because the main character reminds me somewhat of you." At Makoto's disbelieving stare, Kyoko explained "You both were taken for granted, and to some degree ridiculed, but when you let your true selves shine, you were both able to create a miracle and prove everyone else wrong."

Turning to both of them with a teasing smile, Komaru interjected "That's not all they have in common. Onii-chan was so easy to get flustered, it seemed like he was always blushing for one reason or another. Mama and Papa and I always joked that maybe we should have named him Rudolph instead."

Makoto cheeks heated, turning pink out of flustered embarrassment while Kyoko and Komaru giggled into their palms. As he fought to drain the blood from his face, Makoto thought back to his past Naegi Christmases, memories of his parents flooding his mind and making his eyes turn downcast, tears threatening to leak form his eyes.

Kyoko looked at her fiancé in shock and concern at his sudden emotional 180; opting to lay her hand on his cheek, she asked "Makoto? What's wrong, sweetie?"

Taking a deep breath, Makoto answered "Oh, it's just…I can't help but think of them…"

"…Mom and Dad?" Komaru guessed.

Nodding to his sister, Makoto explained "Yeah. Having us all sitting here, cuddled in front of the TV and enjoying the holidays together…it made me…wish that they were still here. That they could still be a part of this." Looking to Kyoko, Makoto started to cry "I…I wanted them to be able to celebrate with us…with their new daughter-in-law…I'm probably being selfish. Many of our friends are all alone now, and I still have my family mostly intact, but…"

"Shh…" Kyoko and Komaru stroked his back, soothing the young man between them as Kyoko assured him "It's not selfish, Makoto. Just because you came out more intact than others, doesn't mean you haven't suffered loss. I told you about how I miss my Father right now, so it's okay for you to miss your parents. I miss them too, even though I only met them once. And I…would have loved for them to be a part of today too."

Kyoko and Komaru both leaned in and pecked Makoto once on his cheeks before nestling their heads in the crooks of his neck. Makoto blushed, smiling bashfully at how the two most important women in his life comforted him in his time of momentary sadness and longing.

Sniffling one last time, Makoto wiped his eyes on his wrist and thanked "Kyoko, Komaru, thanks. I'm better now, I promise." Grinning, Makoto continued "Hana and Shingi Naegi…Mom and Dad…I'll keep smiling…for you."

Kyoko smiled at her fiancé, pleased at Makoto's emotional turnaround that reminded her so much of why she had given him the title of Ultimate Hope. Meanwhile, a light bulb went off in Komaru's head as she turned to her brother and sister-in-law.

"Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we tell Kyoko some of our old Christmas stories from when we were kids? That might make it easier to remember and talk about Mom and Dad during this time of year!"

Softly smiling at Komaru's suggestion, Kyoko confessed "I must admit, I am rather curious; you've never really shared any stories from your childhood, so I'm intrigued to learn a little more about you."

Blushing, Makoto nodded "O…okay. Let's see, the first Christmas I can remember was when I was five…"

As Makoto giddily droned on about his happy Christmas memories, he couldn't help but glance every now and again at the two women who were nestled at his sides, smiling at just how blessed he was that he had his fiancée and little sister to support and encourage him.

Kyoko…Komaru…thank you. The world might not have recovered enough for us to have presents to unwrap, but I don't need them. Having the two of you here with me, after everything that's happened, that's the greatest Christmas Gift I ever could have asked for!