Suou's finger poked Hei in the cheek.

"Wake up."

Hei shot up in bed, grabbed his knife, and asked Suou,

"Why? Have they found us?"

Suou flinched at the sudden movement.

"N-no. I just wanted to wake you up."

Hei checked the alarm clock on the stand beside the bed. It told him that it was 6:59. And 57 seconds.

Three seconds before his alarm went off.

Hei sighed. "Why?"

The alarm started to ring. Before it even finished the initial beep, Suou had turned it off.

"What's wrong with waking you up?"

Hei got out of bed. "You wouldn't wake me up unless you wanted something."

"W-well…" Suou looked away. "Do you know what today is?"

Without even checking, Hei answered, "Friday, December 25."

Suou played with her thumbs.

"Aaand… What day is that?"

Hei glared at her. "The 25th of December, and th-"

Suou scoffed, interrupting him. "Not like that!"

Closing his eyes, Hei said, almost reluctantly, "Christmas."

Suou's face lit up. "Yeah! I thought, maybe, we could cele-"

"No."

Hei's words were a cold statement.

"Why not?!"

"We're on the run from government agencies. And I have things I need to do."

Suou pouted. "You can put that stuff on hold. It's Christmas, Hei!"

Hei began to walk away. "We're contractors. Liars. Killers. Christmas is a luxury that humans have."

Suou grabbed Hei's arm with both her hands, and pulled, holding Hei in place.

"So can't we be humans for a day? Just today!"

Hei turned his head. His eyes were met by an incomplete, childish, malfunctioning contractor.

She stared up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

"Please?"

Hei didn't know if they were human, but he knew that right now, neither of them were contractors. They were both extremely irrational beings.

"Fine."

Both of them.

Suou seemed she was about to explode in happiness.

"Really?!" She tackled Hei, hugging him tightly and spouting words of thanks.

"I never said that you could hug me." Hei tried to push Suou away, but she clung to his midsection for a few more seconds.

Then, she said, "Alright! Let me grab my coat!" She ran into her room excitedly.

"Coat?"

From her room, Suou yelled, "Yeah! We're going out!

Hei sighed. Maybe he made a mistake.

"Where?" He said, collecting his things.

Suou ran back into Hei's room. "I don't know! Let's just go! Come on, hurry up!"

She practically dragged Hei out of the house, and out into the festive city beyond.

ー

For most of the day, the two wandered the city. Or rather, Suou wandered the city, and Hei trailed behind her. Like Suou had said, they had no particular destination, so they just went from place to place, participating in a variety of activities. Suou, who basically ran from one end of the city to the other, showed no sign of fatigue. Hei just silently followed her.

When lunch rolled around, they went to a small diner.

As they were seated at a table, Suou said, "Get as much as you want, Hei! I'll pay!"

Hei almost laughed. "That's impossible."

Suou shook her head. "Trust me, I can pay for it."

"With what money?"

"Don't worry about it! I've been saving up!"

Hei looked at her. "I thought you were using that money to run away."

Suou froze. Her body went stiff.

"Er… Well…"

How did he find out about that?

"Did you think it was a secret?"

Can he read minds?!

"Yes."

"Eh?!"

"I'm joking." Hei spoke in a flat tone of voice. It didn't sound like a joke.

Suou looked away. "I can pay. Don't worry."

A waitress walked up to them. "So, what can I get you two?"

Hei glanced at Suou. She nodded vigorously.

He hesitated for a second.

"Sir?" The waitress asked. "Do you need more time?"

Hei smiled. He 'played human', as Suou liked to describe it.

"No, I'm fine. I'll take the steak, with fries and soup."

The waitress wrote something down on a notepad.

"Alright…" She turned to Suou. "And fo-"

Hei put his hand up. "Ah, I'm not quite done yet."

"Of course, sir. Sorry. What else did you want?"

Suou guessed that he listed the whole menu. Twice.

Maybe even three times.

By the time Hei was done with his order, the waitress had a look of disbelief on her face.

"A-are you sure you'd like all of this, sir?"

Hei seemed to be lost in thought. "Did you think I should have more of the fish?"

The waitress tried to smile. "N-not at all, sir."

"That'll be all, then." Hei looked at Suou. "What about you?"

The waitress turned to her, a look of dread on her face.

"I'll… I'll just share with him."

"Of course, ma'am." The waitress fled from the table as quick as she could.

Hei dropped his act as soon as she left.

"Do you still think you can pay for all of it?"

Suou looked down, and studied the design of the table.

"I-I might need a little help. Only a tiny bit…"

"Yeah, right."

Suou looked questioningly at Hei.

"Are you sure you'll be able to eat all of that?"

"I was holding back. I'd normally get much more."

Suou gulped.

ー

Hei really did eat all of it. He ate it at an amazing speed, as well. Suou couldn't believe how fast it all went. Entire meals disappeared through Hei's mouth within seconds, never to be seen again.

After they paid the gigantic bill, which Suou couldn't manage by herself, they continued to travel the city, but at a much more tame pace. While Suou still mostly led, Hei was now slightly contributing to the direction they headed. At some point, they stumbled across an arcade.

Strangely, Hei seemed eager to go inside.

"In there. Let's go." He had a serious look on his face.

Suou sighed. "I'd like to, but I'm out of money. All thanks to your stomach, Hei."

Hei glanced behind them. "That's fine. I'll pay. Let's go."

Suou raised an eyebrow. "You want to go that badly?"

Hei began to quickly walk towards it. "Yes. Come on."

As they entered, Suou wondered why he wanted to go to the arcade. Maybe he did like to have fun every now and then. They exchanged some money for coins, and played games as they pleased.

Hei barely did anything. It seemed as though he was looking for something.

After Suou played a rather intense game of a shooter, an employee of the arcade approached her and Hei.

"A bit young, isn't she?"

Hei looked at him innocently. He was 'playing human' again.

"Excuse me? What do you mean, sir?"

The employee had a disgusted look on his face. "Quit the act, you pedophile. Your girlfriend's, what, ten years younger than you? Fifteen?"

Suou's eyes widened. "G-girlfriend?"

"Don't think you can just pick a girl off the street for a date and waltz in here, old man. I'll call the cops on you."

Suou's face turned a deep shade of red. "D-date?"

Hei laughed. "There must be some kind of misunderstanding, sir." He smiled pleasantly as he explained the situation. "She's my niece. I haven't seen her since she moved to Russia, ten years ago."

Surprise filled the employee. "I-I'm so sorry, sir. I just assumed… I apologize, sir."

Smiling, Hei said, "Don't worry about it."

The employee bowed his head. "I didn't know, sir. I truly am sorry."

Hei shook his head. "Don't mention it."

"No, no," The employee reached into his pocket, and gave a card to Hei. "Here. On the house, with my apologies."

Hei accepted the card. "Thank you."

The employee promptly left.

Suou was in a daze. She was mumbling to herself, and playing with her hands.

Did she really look like Hei's girlfriend? Were they that close?

Hei's head shot to the entrance of the arcade.

"Tch."

He grabbed Suou's hand, and began walking across the arcade.

"H-Hei? What are you doing?!"

Hei continued to walk, no emotion on his face. "Be quiet."

"What? What do you mean?"

Hei sharply changed directions, and tightly held on to Suou's hand.

"Ow! Hey, that hurts!"

Suddenly, Hei shoved Suou in front of him. She stumbled into a small gap in between two arcade machines.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Ignoring her, Hei slipped into the gap with her. They were within an extremely close proximity now. Hei's face was inches away from Suou's.

Suou, who still slightly shocked from being called Hei's girlfriend, came to a certain conclusion. It made her panic. She screamed.

"W-wait, you perverted drunk! I can't do this! My body isn't re-"

Hei shoved a hand to Suou's face, silencing her. "Shh!"

Pushing her against a wall, Hei made them crouch down, getting as small as possible.

Suou was losing it. Hei was practically hugging her, and their bodies were as close as they could physically be. Hei looked dead serious. Was this the end of her maiden life?

Then, a gunshot drove her out of her stupor. The arcade went dark, and there was yelling and screaming. Another gun was fired, and the room was quieted down.

"We know you're in here!" A voice yelled. "Why don't you come on out, BK-201?!"

For a few seconds, there was silence.

"No? Guess we'll have to do this the hard way, then!"

There was a cruel laugh, then the sound of footsteps.

The voice yelled an order. "Spread out! Don't let them get out alive!"

The footsteps got closer and closer. Soon, Suou saw feet right in front of her. She held her breath. Hei removed his hand from her mouth, and put it around her protectively. Suou tried not to think about the awkward place that Hei obliviously put them in.

While they were in a life or death situation, Suou couldn't feel the danger of it. All she could feel was Hei's body, pressed against her, in a small space that barely fit the two of them. She could feel his breath, and his arm around her, and the warmth of his body… She was completely and utterly overwhelmed by their current position.

Hei, while not outwardly showing signs of any emotion, was planning his way out of this situation. While it was vital for their survival, it was also to distract him from the red haired girl in front of him. He had instinctively put his arm around Suou, and now she was uncomfortably close to him. Their bodies were pressed together, and Hei could easily tell that Suou was shaking uncontrollably. He hoped she wouldn't pass out.

When Hei couldn't hear any footsteps near them, he slowly exited the gap, checking both sides to make sure the coast was clear. Behind him, he could hear Suou breathing deeply, trying to calm herself down.

Once again, Hei grabbed Suou's hand. He began to quietly move towards the entrance.

Staying low, Hei slowly navigated his way through the arcade, with Suou close behind him. The enemy had made a mistake when they cut off the power. Now, he was practically invisible. Soon enough, they had made it to the entrance. Here lied on last obstacle.

The setting sun shone through the glass at the entrance, making their path highly visible. Not only that, there was a man in a suit standing guard, an assault rifle at the ready. His line of sight covered the only way out.

Hei searched his pockets, and found the card the employee had given them. Without hesitation, he whipped it across the room, where it found its mark perfectly. It hit a button on the cash register, causing it to open up with a loud sound.

"Who's there?!" The man ran to the source of the noise, his gun held out.

Hei waited until he was a good distance away, and then ran, with Suou in tow. He pushed through the doors to the outside without so much as breaking his stride. As soon as they exited the arcade, Hei sprinted at full speed. Suou could barely keep up with him.

After they were a few blocks away, Hei slowed to a walk, letting Suou catch up to him, panting.

"Are you okay?"

Suou tried to catch her breath. "Yeah… I'm fine…."

When her heart stopped feeling like it was about to explode, Suou looked up at Hei, dread in her eyes.

"Do we have to go back now?"

Hei shook his head. "No. They might be there. It would be better if we stayed out of the house for a while."

Suou was ecstatic. "Really?! Great!"

ー

For a while, they stuck to alleys and side streets, constantly on the move. They snuck through the city until night fell. When Hei thought the coast was clear, they emerged to the city plaza, which was lit up with festive lights, and bustling with sounds from street vendors. A huge Christmas tree stood in the middle of the plaza, beautifully decorated with ornaments and lights. A fake star rested on the top of the colorful evergreen.

"Wow…" Suou stared in awe at its beauty.

Hei looked down at her. Warm light was casted onto her face. Suou's wide eyes glimmered, and her mouth was slightly open.

He sighed.

"Here." Hei held out some money.

"Hmm? What for?"

"Go get dinner. Use it, this time."

Suou looked at Hei, confused. "What about you?"

"I have some things I need to do. Take it."

Suou hesitantly took the money. "You'll come back, right?"

She looked up worriedly at Hei.

He patted her head reassuringly.

"Don't worry. Stay here. I'll come find you later."

Hei began to walk away. Suou watched him as he left. Then, she turned around and walked into the plaza, wondering what kind of food they offered here.

ー

An hour later, Suou sat on a bench near the Christmas tree, waiting. For a while, she wondered if Hei really would come back. Maybe he lied, and he was already gone.

For some unknown reason, that made Suou extremely sad. She felt lonely when Hei was away.

She recalled the arcade employee's words.

"Girlfriend, huh?" She muttered. "That wouldn't be so bad."

After a few more minutes, Suou's heart filled with dread. What if he really did leave? What if he left her here, and ran off?

She felt terrible. Suou got up, and searched the plaza for Hei.

She didn't find him. She looked again.

She still didn't find him.

Suou went back to the bench, and paced around. Where was he? What if they found him?

What if he died?

No, that was impossible. Hei wasn't capable of dying.

But… What if?

Suou was on the verge of tears. She had never felt this way before. It was a foreign feeling. One that she didn't want to have.

Looking up, Suou once again tried to see if Hei was there.

She spotted a neon purple jacket that looked like it was from the eighties.

There he was. He was approaching her.

Suou ran towards him, refusing to be separated from him for a millisecond longer than she had to.

She hugged him at full speed, making him stagger back. She clung to him tightly.

"You idiot! Do you know how long you were gone?!"

Raising her fists, Suou pounded on Hei's chest.

"What do you think you're doing?! Why'd you leave me here by myself?!"

Hei was surprised by the outburst. "S-Suou?"

Suou, now fully aware of what she was doing, took a step back. She turned around, mildly embarrassed.

Blushing slightly, she said, "W-what took you so long?"

"Here."

Suou turned around. Presented in Hei's hand was a box, colorfully wrapped.

"What's this?"

Hei looked away, and scratched the back of his head. "Your Christmas present."

"Really?" Suou took it, and examined it. It was heavy. "You got this?"

Hei nodded. "Yeah."

"For me?"

"Yeah."

Suou couldn't comprehend that. She looked at Hei, then down at the present, then back at Hei. Her mind couldn't connect the two.

"What is it?"

"Figure out for yourself."

"Ah, right…" As Suou tore through the wrapping, excitement filled her, like it did all the years before now.

Suou opened the box, and peeked at what it held.

Her eyes widened.

"This is…"

She held Hei's gift in her hands.

"…A knife?"

"There's more inside."

Suou looked inside of the box again. There was also a sheath, and a blade sharpener.

"That's one of my knives. Take good care of it. Maintenance is important."

Suou sighed. "Really?"

"You should be grateful. Now you can protect yourself if an enemy gets too close."

"I guess…"

Suou decided that she shouldn't be disappointed. Hei getting her something in the first place was something to celebrate. It's the thought that counts.

"Thank you, Hei."

"Yeah."

Hei began to walk to one of the street vendors.

"Come on. I'll get you something to eat."

Suou put the knife back in the box, and closed it.

"I already ate, remember?"

"Then, get dessert. Eat something."

It was as if he knew that Suou was saving up again.

Hei turned and looked Suou in the eyes. "I do."

"Stop that!"

ー

After eating, Hei and Suou went back to the house they were currently residing at. It was fairly late, and they quickly fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, Suou woke up. She stretched and yawned, then got up to get a drink. On her way back, she passed by her Christmas present. Suou decided to take another look at it.

Suou opened the box, and held the knife in her hands. While it wasn't quite what she wanted, it was still pretty cool. After playing around with it for a while, she took out the sheath and sharpener. She tried wearing sheath. It fit well. She put the knife in it, where it rested snugly.

She took it off, and was going to put it back in the box, when she noticed something. There was one more thing in the box. And a note.

Suou brought them out, with a look of surprise on her face.

It was a ring. There wasn't anything about it that particularly stood out, but Suou still tried it on. It fit well.

She took a look at the note, and smiled.

Two words were written, in Hei's handwriting.

Merry Christmas.