A/N: Whoa, I actually managed to get it done in a decent timeframe. Now that's a real Christmas miracle.

Hope you all had a happy holiday!

White flakes floated gently down from the sky, coating the courtyard in a thin layer of frost. Himiko watched it fall from the walkway – though she'd gotten some warm garb, like a fluffy red jacket and mittens with black cats on them, she still wasn't particularly happy to see that winter had come. She sighed… street performing was a lot harder when you did it in the cold, and she was forced to do it less often, really cutting into their funds.

Plus, with snowfall came the holidays, but it sure didn't feel like it to her. With no extra money for decorations, holiday food, or really much of anything at all, it really cut into the Christmas spirit. It hadn't just been Himiko, either – Shuichi tried to keep the mood up with talk of winter activities and possible holiday plans for the distant future, but none of them had the time or energy for messing around thanks to work, and the problem with those plans was that they couldn't do them now. Even Maki, who wasn't exactly a bundle of joy to begin with, could be caught occasionally glancing around their bare apartment and sighing, as if expecting a tree or some wreathes and being let down every time.

Huffing, Himiko leaned over the railing, resting her head in her arms as she watched the snowfall. Sure, there was hope they could one day have a decent holiday, but right now the only thing that made her feel even remotely Christmasy was watching the snow like she was doing right now. She did it pretty often – which also allowed her to spot the other two coming home sometimes. Like now, she could spot the dark blue of Shuichi's winter coat as he crunched his way through the apartment grounds down below. "Hey, Shuichi!" Himiko called, her typical greeting whenever he returned.

The boy looked up as he walked, shielding his eyes from the weather. "Oh, hey, Himiko. It's real nippy today, isn't it?"

"What'd you say?!"

"W-what? I… nippy, I said nippy, like cold!"

"Oh." Chuckling a bit at the misunderstanding, he disappeared from view while he climbed his way up to their floor.

When he reappeared, Himiko noted the faint rustling of shopping bags came with him. She hummed curiously – they weren't really lacking in food, what'd he gotten? "You're not spending frivolously, are you? 'Cause Maki's still on my butt about that."

"I'm ready to take the heat," he replied. "I could really use some with this weather anyway." Chuckling again, he headed for their apartment. Himiko tried to peek into his bags as he passed, but he shifted them into the hand out of her sight.

Curious now, she snuck around, still trying to catch a glimpse. "What'd ya get? Are we having another fancy dinner?"

Quickly, he hid the bags in his arms as he used his back to shove open the door. "You'll see!" With that, he rushed off towards the bedroom, the front door shutting behind him as Himiko tilted her head curiously.

That was strange. With a shrug, she went back to watching the snow – whatever he was planning, she had a hunch she'd see what it was later.

Later that evening, the trio lounged around the apartment after another mediocre meal, not even able to go for an enjoyable walk with the snow still coming down. Shuichi glanced to the other two from the kitchen – Himiko, laying lazily on the couch as she usually did, with Maki distracted at her feet by some papers. Perfect. Their attention elsewhere, he slipped off to the bedroom again.

A moment later, the girls both glanced up as their friend stood over them. Maki's eyes narrowed when she saw what he carried – two parcels, wrapped carefully in old newspaper. "Really, Shuichi? I know it's the holidays and all, but you of all people should know not to spend-"

"Easy, easy!" he interrupted with a chuckle, plopping down on the couch between them. "True, it was unnecessary spending, but they didn't cost all that much. They're not very grand gifts, but I felt you two deserved something." He held a present out to each of them, balanced on his palms. "If you still want to wring my neck, at least wait until after they're opened."

Maki's gaze remained stern, though softened somewhat, as she accepted the box carefully. Himiko, though, was much less restrained – eyes alight with curiosity, she snatched the box and began tearing into it. A lot of shredded paper and a couple moments later, she slid the lid off and pulled out its contents – a little tiger plush, its fur soft and white, dangled from her fingertips.

"I remember you once mentioning your, ah, 'familiar' was a tiger cub…" Shuichi explained, scratching his cheek. "So I thought you might like something that'd remind you of it."

Himiko scrutinized the plush, holding it to her face – and then turned it around and hugged it to her chest, burying her chin in its neck. "It's nowhere near as grand and majestic as my familiar… but I'm sure he'll like it as a chew toy. Until I can summon him, though, I guess I'll just have to keep it close and safe. Thanks, Shuichi~."

"Glad you like it." Grinning ear to ear, Shuichi turned to Maki. He nodded towards her present – taking the hint, she picked at the paper a lot more meticulously than the other had. While she worked, she realized this must've been one of the few times in her life she'd ever gotten a present – her fingers started ripping a bit faster as a mild excitement entered her.

She pulled out her present and dangled it before her – a thin bracelet, star-shaped charms glimmering all around it. It… wasn't really her style. She looked at Shuichi, confused, and the boy just rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it's nothing special to look at, but I thought you'd like to have a reminder of… you know. Him."

"Huh?" Starting to understand the true purpose of the gift, she checked it over again – amidst the stars, a little spaceship jangled back and forth. Her eyes stayed locked on it, and the longer she stared the more she felt entranced. She was lost in the past… their chatting, their work-outs… their goodbye.

It took a bit for her to return to reality. Slowly, with an unnoticeable tremble running through her hands, she slipped the trinket onto her wrist and rested a hand on it. "Thank you, Shuichi," she murmured. "…Truly."

"You're welcome," he replied with a smile. "…So I take it you're not going to wring my neck anymore?" She shook her head, and he laughed.

Still hugging her tiger, Himiko hummed to herself. "This was real sweet of you and all, but it stinks that we can't give you anything ourselves. You deserve it. Maybe I can conjure something…?"

Shuichi shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Isn't that what the holidays are all about? Giving, not receiving… making the people you care about happy. So long as you two liked your gifts, I'm glad!"

"I did!" Himiko assured him, and Maki nodded in agreement. "Still, it goes both ways – I wanna give you something, too! But what…?" She pursed her lips, deep in thought – and then, she snapped her fingers. "I know!"

"Huh?" Shuichi watched as she set her stuffed toy aside, wiggling her fingers over his head. His confusion only grew when a single flower slipped from her sleeve, pinched over his head. "…A daisy?"

"Nuh uh," she denied with a shake of the head. "It's mistletoe. Right, Maki?"

…It was very clearly a daisy. But Maki looked up at it and smirked. "It looks like mistletoe to me," she played along.

Shuichi glanced between the two, both confused and also very, very worried about what they had planned. "What are you-…?" he tried to say, but was cut off as two pairs of lips connected with his cheeks. His face lit up like a fire hydrant as they pulled away with quiet 'mwas', and he proceeded to immediately melt into the couch, hands hiding his burning face.

The other two giggled at his expense, Maki cutting off with a sigh as she looked down at him trying to turn invisible. "Merry Christmas, Shuichi," she said.

"Yeah! Merry Christmas!"

"Meffy Chwistmaf," Shuichi mumbled through his hands, refusing to show himself just yet. This got more laughs from the others – and as they chuckled at his embarrassment and thanked him again for his thoughtfulness, it felt like they'd finally found some holiday spirit after all.