Choose for Me, Old Santa Claus
Part Two
Alicia Blade
"And Usagi-chan gets two snickerdoodles, three split-second, three bonbons, four chocolate truffles, and five shortbreads, and one gingerbread man," Makoto mumbled to herself, counting out the cookies and placing them on a square of layered cellophane and cheesecloth. She dusted her hands off on her apron and took a moment to peruse the baked goods, deciding to throw in one more snickerdoodle before pulling up the corners and tying the small package with a velvet ribbon. She stuck a candy cane and a card that read "Merry Christmas from Mako-chan" through the bow and tossed the gift to the pile of similarly wrapped packages. "Perfect!" she exclaimed proudly to herself, reaching for her list to cross off Usagi's name.
Pencil in hand, she stopped and stared down at the list. She blinked curiously. She shut her eyes, then opened one, then opened the other and frowned. "Mamoru?" she asked, to no one in particular. For there, written at the bottom of the list in very poor penmanship that was nothing like her own, was Mamoru's name.
Makoto slowly set the list on the counter and proceeded to cautiously cross off Usagi's name. Then, stepping away, she chewed absently on the pencil eraser for a moment. She looked at the scrawled name at the bottom of the list, then at the platters of cookies before her, and finally cast a long look at the little wrapped gifts piled up next to the toaster.
Finally she shrugged and gave up trying to figure out who had ever seen this list other than herself. "Well fine then. Mamoru too," she declared, and cut out another square of cheesecloth.
"Mako-chan, what did you bring us?" Usagi squealed, bouncing on the booth's leather seat as Makoto walked toward them, basket in hand.
"What is this I see? Usagi is on time?" Makoto teased, claiming a seat beside Ami and setting the basket temptingly on the table.
"I told Rei I would try to be better about that, remember?"
"Actually, it's not snowing right now, so she simply had nothing better to do," Rei joked.
"Or maybe she just knew that somebody was planning on doing some major baking this morning. Do I smell gingerbread coming from that basket?" asked Mina.
"Among other things," Makoto said mysteriously, reaching into the basket and handing one package to each of the girls at the table. They squealed and cooed delightedly as they opened the bags and discovered all the delicacies within.
"Mako-chan, you're so sweet to do this! I can't imagine how you ever find the time!" Ami exclaimed gratefully, her praise instantly mimicked by the other girls.
"And not just the time to bake, but the time to bake well," pointed out Rei. "You amaze us all."
Makoto scrunched up her face with modesty. "Nonsense, you know I love to do it. I just hope you enjoy them. Oh, Motoki-san, over here!" She waved to Motoki, who was loitering behind the counter watching the girls open their gifts with hungry eyes. Seeing Makoto calling him over, he grabbed up his notepad and rushed to her side.
"Hi Makoto-chan! Did you want to order something?"
"Oh—well, actually, yes, a hot cocoa, please. But actually I was calling you over because I made this for you." She handed him a cookie packet and watched delightedly as his eyes bugged in astonishment.
"Wow! For me, really? I've heard the best things about your cookies!"
"And it's all true," Usagi said through a mouthful of shortbread.
"Merry Christmas, Motoki-san," Makoto said with a huge smile. "I also made one for Mamoru-san, has he been in yet today?"
Usagi choked on her shortbread. "You made one for him? Why?"
Makoto thought that it probably wouldn't be the best idea to try and explain the magic gift list, so instead she just shrugged and said, "Because it's Christmas."
Ignoring Usagi's disgust, Makoto turned back to Motoki.
"No, haven't seen him today I'm afraid. But I can hold onto it and give it to him next time I see him if you'd like."
Makoto laughed at the conniving glint in Motoki's eye. "That's all right, I think I'd prefer to give it to him myself, thanks. Do you know where he lives? Maybe I'll just run over and drop it off this afternoon."
Motoki was happy to give Mamoru's address, and Usagi watched Makoto scribbling it onto a napkin with mute interest, and the oddest pang of concern. When, an hour later, the girls decided to head off for last-minute Christmas shopping, cleaning, and gift wrapping, Usagi felt that she had no other choice but to accompany Makoto to Mamoru's place. After all, she could not allow a friend of hers to venture into the unknown depths of evil incarnate's apartment without her by their side.
The apartment building was on the fringes of downtown—a towering structure that loomed over a park, a shopping center, and a cluster of office buildings. Though the building was beginning to look dated beside the sleek new constructions half a block away, its exterior brickwork and darkly painted window trim had character, and the quaint covered walkway leading to the main entrance made it feel terrifically cosmopolitan. The two girls walked into the lobby with wide eyes, admiring a stone fireplace and marble floors and an antique dial above the elevators. The place did not exactly scream of elegance, or class, or even money, but there was no doubt in either of their minds that it still must cost a pretty penny to live there.
"What do you suppose his parents do for a living?" Usagi murmured as the elevator doors closed and they felt themselves slowly ascending.
Makoto looked at her and in their moment of shared pondering, it occurred to both of them that they'd never heard Mamoru, or Motoki, speak of Mamoru's parents. Not even in passing reference.
The elevator dinged at Mamoru's floor and they stepped into a green and brown carpeted hallway with beige walls and mod sconces. Most of the doors lining the hall had Christmas wreaths on them. Mamoru's did not.
Makoto knocked on his door, much too calmly thought Usagi, who was continuously wiping her sweating hands off on her jeans.
It seemed to Usagi that Mamoru took forever to answer the door, even though Makoto seemed to be completely oblivious to the slow ticking of some hypothetical clock. When the door finally did swing open, Mamoru stood before them looking surprised, curious, and oddly handsome in sweats and a t-shirt.
His blue eyes swept over them. "Hello?"
"Merry Christmas!" Makoto answered, holding out the cellophane and cheesecloth and velvet package.
Mamoru politely took the gift from her hands, looking down on it with mute confusion.
"I hope you don't mind that Motoki told us where you live. I make Christmas cookies every year to pass out and wanted to make sure you got yours before Christmas."
"Thank you," he timidly responded, somehow looking unnaturally grateful and uncertain at the same time.
"You're very welcome. That was all. Merry Christmas, Mamo—"
"Can we come in?"
Mamoru and Makoto both looked down at Usagi, surprised by the first words she'd spoken. In fact, she looked a little bit surprised at it herself, and quickly lowered her head and began analyzing the tips of her boots. She noticed that Mamoru was barefoot and had surprisingly nice feet. It was a thought she didn't think she'd ever had about anyone before.
"I just… um… I always like seeing where people live," she mumbled, feeling a blush tinting her cheeks. It was the truth—she'd always felt that seeing a person's home told you something about them, something that you couldn't discern about them in any other manner. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be intrusive."
She was too busy fiddling with the hem of her jacket to notice Mamoru's quirky smile. "'Intrusive,' Odango? That must be the most syllables I've ever heard you cram into one word."
All signs of embarrassment instantly disappearing, Usagi raised her head to retort, but Mamoru had already stepped aside and was holding his arm out in a welcoming gesture.
"Of course you can come in."
If there had been even the tiniest bit of teasing or dishonesty in his tone, Usagi would have continued with the retort on the tip of her tongue, but there wasn't. So instead, she glanced at Makoto who looked as if she couldn't care one way or the other if they went inside, and then walked past Mamoru with hesitant steps.
"Would you like some tea or something?" he asked, sounding awkward again as he shut the door behind them. Usagi barely heard him, too busy staring at the living room they were now standing in. Her eyes roved over the sofa, the coffee table, the fireplace, strangely disappointed. The place was very nice, to be sure, but also… dull.
"Where are all your decorations?"
"Decorations?" asked Mamoru, his eyes darting around the room. Usagi could tell by his expression that he was trying to see the room as if it was the first time, like how Usagi and Makoto were seeing it now. "I don't… really have any." He was looking at the empty corner beside the window and mentally kicking himself for not getting that Christmas tree like he'd planned.
"But don't your parents?" Usagi asked, shocked at the thought that anyone could live through the month of December without putting up at least something to remind them of the season. Then she gasped, turning to Mamoru. Under her stunned and suddenly terribly sad expression, he couldn't help but shrink away, certain that she'd figured out the fact that he had no parents at all. But instead, she asked, "Does your family not celebrate Christmas?"
He almost wanted to laugh at the devastation on her face. "We do," he assured her, wondering if the word we made it a lie. To partly clear his conscience, he added, "I've just been busy lately."
Looking only slightly appeased, Usagi turned back to the living room and exclaimed, "Oh, wow, look at that view!" Then she was dragging Makoto excitedly toward the balcony and Mamoru felt a tinge of relief that her questioning appeared to be over. After dropping off the small bag of cookies at the kitchen counter, he turned to join the two girls on the balcony, but froze at the sight before him.
Usagi was laughing and gathering up the snow from the railing ledge with her bare hands, clumping it into snowballs, and throwing it as hard as she could at some target she'd chosen in the park across the street. When she threw one particularly well she would squeal with pride and jump up and down on the balls of her feet. It wasn't long before she'd convinced Makoto to join her in a devised contest to see who could throw farther. From Usagi's pouting it was obvious that Makoto won with every throw, yet Usagi didn't tire of the game until the railing had been completely wiped clean of the snow. Finally she turned back toward the glass door with a glowing smile, and caught Mamoru watching her through the glass.
Gasping, he turned away and spent a moment pretending to be tidying up the living room, though he knew the premise must have looked completely ridiculous. The living room was spotless.
The girls drifted back inside, tracking snow in on their shoes and letting the cold air in with him. It was refreshing, but not as refreshing as Usagi's lingering grin.
"This is a really nice place," said Makoto. "Thanks for letting us come in."
"Of course," Mamoru said, feeling as though he'd been a terrible host. But then, he hadn't exactly been coached in the etiquette of surprise guests, or any guests for that matter. "Thanks again for the cookies."
He walked them to the door, hoping they didn't think he wanted them to leave, but having no reason to ask them to stay.
"By the way," said Usagi, sounding as though she'd been debating on mentioning something for awhile, "I know it's practically too late, but…" She hesitated, looking at Mamoru, then peering over his shoulder and pointing. "That corner would be a really great place for a Christmas tree."
He turned to look at the designated space between the fireplace and the sliding glass door and chuckled. "It would, wouldn't it?"
"Maybe next year," Usagi said, relieved that Mamoru had agreed with her.
"Maybe." Mamoru answered with unrestrained whimsy. He waited until they'd rounded the hallway corner before he shut the door.
Again on the rooftop kitty-corner from the apartment building, Mistle watched Mamoru through a pair of binoculars as he wandered back into his living room and collapsed onto the black leather sofa. He looked as if the past ten minutes had exhausted him.
"We should have bugged the place," Toe muttered beside her. "I haven't a clue what they said."
"Want me to translate for you?"
"Oh, so you're a lip-reader now?"
"I'm a people reader," Mistle responded haughtily, lowering the binoculars. "Mamoru was grateful for the cookies, but not overly excited that they came from Makoto. Usagi was the one who wanted to come inside—not Makoto. And when the girls were out on the balcony, Mamoru had his eyes glued to Usagi—not Makoto."
"What are you getting at?"
Leveling her eyes on Toe and pressing her lips together in agitation, Mistle shook her head. "Absolutely nothing," she answered sarcastically. "Except for there is obviously nothing between Mamoru and Makoto."
Toe glowered. "And what else?"
"Oh, please, don't you see just a little bit of chemistry between Mamoru and Usagi?"
Snorting, Toe raised the binoculars to his eyes again. Mamoru had put his shoes on and made his way out to the balcony and was now stooping to gather up snow a handful of snow. "Usagi is obviously a very sweet girl," Toe conceded, watching Mamoru choose a target in the park and throw the snowball as hard as he could. His expression made him look more like he was conducting a science experiment than playing a game. "But you have to admit that she's also a little bit flaky, and she and Mamoru have nothing in common."
"Well so far nothing seems to be happening between Mamoru and all these girls he supposedly has so much in common with."
"There's still one more girl we can try. And let me tell you, Mizuno Ami is exceptionally brilliant and has a mild and gentle spirit. She really could be just what he needs."
"Perhaps," Mistle said doubtfully, now peering through her binoculars as well. "Or perhaps he needs someone flaky enough to throw snowballs at nothing."
The next day, Mamoru found himself heading toward the arcade with visions of cookies and snowflakes dancing through his head. It was Christmas Eve and he was just beginning to get that unsettling feeling one gets when they have no plans for Christmas Day. A feeling of uncertainty and loneliness and envy at all the millions of people who would be spending the day with their families.
He knew that he had no real cause for complaint though, as Motoki had invited Mamoru to join his family for their Christmas celebration weeks ago, and Mamoru had declined. He had War and Peace to finish, after all. And more than anything, he despised feeling like a burden. Or worse, a charity case. Not that Motoki would ever think of him in that way, but Mamoru couldn't help feeling it regardless.
But he figured that Christmas was only twenty-four hours long and he would spend at least eight of it sleeping, which left just sixteen hours to entertain himself. With movies and books available it should be no big deal. He even thought that maybe he would make himself a fancy dinner or something and live off of leftovers until New Year's.
"Excuse me, young man?"
Mamoru halted and turned to the wavering voice. His gaze fell on an old lady with gray hair wrapped up in a plastic rain hood and a short, round body draped with more shawls and skirts and scarves than belonged in a department store. Poking out from beneath the longest skirt were two green shoes with pointed toes topped with tiny little bells.
"Yes? Can I help you?"
"I certainly hope so," she said in a sweet and timid voice. She hobbled toward Mamoru and held up a map of downtown Tokyo. "I'm trying to find the Osa-P Jewelry Shop, but I keep getting all turned around. Could you please help me find it?"
"Oh, sure," Mamoru answered with the most charming smile he could manage for the lost and confused old lady. "That's on the corner of Fourth and Cherry, right?"
"Yes—that sounds familiar."
"Come on, I'm heading in that direction anyway."
Frail and crooked as she looked, the lady proved to be surprisingly quick and agile as they continued down the sidewalk. The jewelry store was less than two blocks away, as it turned out, and the lady spent the short jaunt quizzing Mamoru on his love life, a topic that always made him want to crawl into a snug, warm cave and never come out.
"It's just that I have a granddaughter who I think you would adore," the lady said. "But you certainly don't seem like the kind of chap who would need any help finding a lady friend, now do you? Tell me, do you have a lady friend?"
Mamoru coughed and looked shyly the other way.
"Ah, well is there a special sweetheart you have your eye set on then?" she prompted.
And while the image of Usagi catching snowflakes on her tongue briefly flittered through Mamoru's mind, he adamantly answered that no, he did not presently have his eye set on anyone. Though the lady was sweet and more or less likeable, Mamoru was grateful to see the Osa-P windows come into view. He opened the door for the lady as she thanked him profusely and offered him a five dollar bill, which he politely declined. But just as he was about to resume his walk to the arcade, he glanced inside the jewelry shop and recognized blue-haired Ami hovering over one of the cases looking awfully distraught.
His eyes instantly did a scan of the rest of the store, expecting to see two blonde odangos loitering somewhere near the diamond case, but Ami appeared to be alone. Sighing, he wandered in to see what she was so upset about.
"Ami!" he called, startling her.
"Oh, Mamoru! How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. I was just walking by and noticed you in here and thought I'd come say hello."
"Well it's lovely to see you. Are you excited for the holiday?"
"I guess," he answered vaguely. From the corner of his eye, Mamoru was sure the little old lady was watching them. He found the realization unnerving. "So are you doing some last-minute shopping?"
Ami's smile faltered. "I guess you could say that, and I'm kicking myself for waiting this long. You see, me and the girls have a bit of a tradition. Instead of each buying gifts for everyone, we make a list of the gifts each of us really want. Then we pool our money together and I go out and buy the gifts and pass them out Christmas Eve. That way we spend just as much money as we would buying many small gifts, but everyone gets what they want, you see."
Mamoru nodded, for the first time noticing multiple shopping bags at Ami's feet. "So what's wrong?"
Sighing, Ami tapped on the glass case beside her. "Usagi-chan asked for this ruby moon pendant that she saw here last week, but it's already sold. I was able to get the gifts that everyone else asked for, but I hate to disappoint Usagi-chan."
"I see…" Mamoru murmured, and he truly did understand. The thought of Usagi being disappointed was a miserable thought to endure. "Well, is there anything else you think she might like?"
"Oh, I'm sure she'd be happy with anything we got her, but it's just that she has this… obsession with moons. She collects moon-shaped things, which is why the pendant would have been so perfect for her. And they do have this…" She led Mamoru toward another case and pointed down at a crescent moon-shaped pendant hanging from a gold chain with five glittering diamonds running along the moon's inner curve. Even Mamoru, who knew nothing about women's jewelry—or men's for that matter—could see that it was an exceptional piece. Ami continued, "Which Usagi would love, of course, but it's $800, more than four times what the other pendant had cost." She sighed sadly.
"$800? Is that all?" Ami gave him an irritated look that made him laugh. "I just thought that jewelry was supposed to cost one month's salary or something like that."
"That's for an engagement ring, Mamoru."
Maybe he should have felt embarrassed by his misunderstanding, but his brain was thinking far too ahead to bother. "Well I can chip in to buy this for her!"
Quirking an eyebrow, Ami looked down at the beautiful gold-and-diamond pendant, then raised speculative eyes back to Mamoru. "That would be $620, Mamoru."
"No problem," he said, already reaching for his wallet. "I'll put in my card and you give me your part and we'll call it good."
Ami's look of suspicion had changed to one of disbelief. "Are you serious? But you don't even like Usagi-chan!"
"That's not true!" he proclaimed, perhaps a bit too adamantly. Then he quickly turned away and fished his credit card out of his wallet before Ami could see just how not true it was. "She did teach me how to ice skate, after all. And I haven't bought any presents this year, so we'll just call this my one good holiday deed, all right?"
Ami looked both elated and smug, nodding her head in agreement. "I must say I think she'll be thrilled to get a gift from you. It'll be like making a brand new start for the new year!"
"Oh, no, no, no, you can't tell her it's from me!"
"Why not? You're paying much more than the rest of us."
"Well, sure, but…" Mamoru teetered uncertainly from one foot to the other. "But she would probably throw it away if she knew it was from me."
"Don't be ridiculous. I'm sure Usagi would appreciate it that much more."
Shrugging, Mamoru called a clerk over with a wave of his hand. "Just… please don't tell her I had anything to do with it, okay? Let it be from you and the rest of her friends. I… I don't want her to get the wrong idea."
Ami thought that she could see a hint of a blush on Mamoru's cheeks and decided not to press the issue further. Instead she thanked him profusely and wondered what the "wrong idea" would be.
From the store's far corner, Mistle watched the two leave the store, pendant nicely wrapped in a small silver box. Pursing together her winkled lips, she removed the plastic hood from her gray hair and sighed. She could tell that Toe's Possible Soul Mate #4 was not going to be any more successful than the others. But Impossible Soul Mate #1 had possibility. Despite the teasing, the taunting, the fighting, there was definitely something between Mamoru and Usagi.
Something magical.
"Fine. Let's just assume you're right about this."
"Which I am."
Toe took a moment to glare at Mistle, before continuing to pace around the toy aisle with one hand stroking the tip of his ear thoughtfully. "So you're saying that Tsukino Usagi, who is immature, irresponsible, and gets bad grades, is meant for Chiba Mamoru, who is dedicated, focused, and very intelligent."
"Yes, that's what I'm saying. Although I think you're being awfully hard on poor Usagi-chan. Haven't you noticed how witty she can be when Mamoru teases her? And how sweet she was to help him at the ice skating rink? Plus, she's just so… so…"
"Happy?"
"Yes. Happy. And I think someone with that much joy and jolliness would be very good for Mamoru, don't you?"
Toe sighed. "Well… yes, I suppose so. But how can we possibly accomplish this? Christmas Eve is almost over already, and they can't very well go from loathing enemies to loving soul mates overnight, can they?"
"I don't think they've been at the loathing enemies stage for a long time now. I think they've just been really good at hiding their true feelings is all."
"And you have a way of getting them to show their true feelings?"
Leaning against a My Size Barbie, Mistle twirled a red curl around her finger. "Actually… no. Not really." Toe stopped pacing again to glare at her, unimpressed. "I'm sorry, Toe, but this whole escapade has made me realize that you and I are just not cut out for the matchmaking business. Toys I can handle. Christmas decorations, fine. I think I could even get a snowstorm in Hawaii if some kid wished enough for it. But true love and soul mates and all that? It just isn't our forte."
Slowly, Toe lowered his head. From his subspace pocket, he pulled out Mamoru's file and flipped through until he found the letter that had been penned to Santa nearly ten years ago. "Maybe you're right. I just really wanted to grant this one Christmas wish. I'm afraid poor Mamoru thinks that Santa has forgotten him completely."
Pushing herself away from the doll, Mistle wrapped her arm around Toe's shoulder. "We know better, though. Santa hasn't forgotten him, and I'm sure Santa is working on getting him something very special right now."
"As special as someone to love?"
"Maybe. Who knows what the big guy has up that pointed little hat of his? Besides, even if Mamoru and Usagi don't get each other for Christmas, Valentine's Day is only a couple months away, and I'm sure we can put in a special request to Cupid. He is a close cousin, after all."
A slow grin crawled over Toe's lips. "Good point, Mistle. Mamoru has plenty of Christmases still to come. I'm sure someday he'll have the best Christmas ever, even if he is out of our jurisdiction."
"That's the Christmas spirit! Now come on, it's Christmas Eve and there are billions of kids out there dreaming of the perfect gift. We can't disappoint them!"
"You're right! Come on, we have dolls to paint and nutcrackers to carve and Nintendo Wiis to assemble! What are we doing lingering in this toy aisle?"
"Getting inspiration?" Mistle mused, but Toe had already disappeared in an excited gust of snow.
"They're just what I wanted!" Minako squealed, pulling the leopard-print pumps out of the box with glowing eyes and wasting no time in slipping them onto her bare feet. "And they fit perfectly! How did you know?" A moment later she was teetering around Makoto's living room on the red stilettos.
"Mina-chan, take those off before you break your ankle," Rei scolded, taking her own present from Ami. "Hmm, now what could this be? Let me guess—is it a photo album? A box of decadent truffles?" She gasped as she pulled off the silver wrapping paper. "New sheets! Egyptian cotton even! You are the best."
"Honestly, Ami-chan, you have a gift for giving the perfect gifts," Makoto said with a wink, already flipping through the recipe book that came included with her stainless steel fondue fountain.
"What can I say? It's instinctual. And last but not least, this one is for darling Usagi-chan."
Usagi took the small box with hardly contained anticipation. She tore off the bow and ribbon and paper without hesitation. "I can't imagine what it is," she lied, as was part of the tradition, pulling off the box's lid. Then she gasped, a real gasp, her eyes widening and her free hand flying to her mouth. Immediately realizing that something was different (Usagi was the worst actress among them), Rei, Minako, and Makoto all leaned forward in curiosity.
"What's wrong, Usagi?"
Slowly, Usagi shook her head and raised her stunned blue eyes to Ami. "Ami-chan, this isn't… I mean, it's… it's gorgeous, but this isn't the one…"
"I know. The ruby pendant had already been sold, so I chose this one instead."
Reaching into the box, Usagi lifted the pendant from its tiny pillow and held it up for the girls to see. The light caught on the five tiny diamonds, making them sparkle like stars on the moon's golden backdrop. The girls all agreed that it was particularly lovely and spectacular. "And it cost the same amount?" Usagi asked in surprise.
Ami lowered her eyes and played with the buttons on her new digital camera. "More or less," she answered obscurely, before raising the camera with a huge smile. "Okay, everyone, get together with your new gifts! I want to take your picture!"
Hours later, Ami had almost filled up her first memory card with hundreds of sweet and goofy pictures of her best friends, Makoto was already in her kitchen trying to concoct a chocolate mixture for dipping her leftover cookies in, and they were all having a grand time strutting around in Minako's new shoes and pretending to be supermodels.
But when Makoto called them to the kitchen to sample her first fondue, Ami grabbed Usagi's elbow and held her back with guilt written on her face.
"What is it, Ames?" Usagi asked, her irritation at being kept from the chocolate instantly wiped away when she saw Ami's concerned expression.
"I need to tell you something. I probably shouldn't. In fact, I promised Mamoru that I wouldn't, but I think you deserve to know."
Usagi furrowed her brow in curiosity. "Mamoru?"
Nodding, Ami took a deep breath and explained, "That pendant was a lot more expensive than the Ruby one, Usagi-chan. More than $600 more expensive, in fact." Usagi's eyes bugged, but she continued, "And I of course couldn't afford that, but then I ran into Mamoru and told him and… well, he insisted on buying it for you." She watched as Usagi's jaw dropped and her hand came up to finger the pendant at her collarbone. "He didn't want you to know."
"Why?"
Ami shrugged. "He said… that he didn't want you getting the wrong idea." When Usagi's brow creased with confusion, Ami couldn't help but add, "Actually, Usagi-chan, I got the impression that he didn't want you getting the right idea."
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," she said, smiling impishly. "Come on, the girls are going to wonder what's taking so long."
But in the kitchen, but Usagi hardly tasted the chocolate at all.
Tolstoy had lost all interest for Mamoru by 8:30 Christmas morning, and channel surfing had ceased to appeal by 9:00, when it became painfully obvious that every channel had snowmen, reindeers, and a story with a moral. So Mamoru got off the couch, started a second pot of coffee, and cracked a couple eggs into a pan hoping that a nice breakfast would make him feel better.
While the eggs sizzled and the coffee pot gurgled, Mamoru stared out the window at the street, buildings, and park below. It had snowed again the night before, covering the city in a fresh blanket of sparkling white and quiet serenity. The streets were practically devoid of traffic and the bustle of the previous few days had disappeared. Everyone was inside, enjoying home cooking, gifts, and the warmth of a family to spend Christmas with.
Irritated, Mamoru escaped back toward his kitchen. He hated it when he got in these self-pitying moods. He rarely did anymore, but something about Christmas, and all those family-oriented holidays, brought out the worst in him. He decided that after breakfast he would take a walk, clear his head, enjoy the quiet of a city that was horrendously loud every other day of the year. Somehow, his thoughts drifted to Usagi. He chuckled to himself, remembering how her face had lit up at the Christmas Extravaganza. Then his laughter turned to a whimsical smile when he thought of her tiny hand in his own as they'd skated around the ice rink. Never had he felt so happy to be somewhere, with someone.
He wondered if she had liked the pendant and felt a pang of regret knowing that she would never know it was partly from him.
He was just having a fantasy where he gave the pendant to Usagi himself and she launched herself into his arms with sheer gratitude and flattery and allowed him to clasp it around her neck, feeling the warmth of her skin and the feathery softness of her hair… when a knock at the door startled him into jumping and dropping the spatula.
"Coming!" he called, flustered, and rushed to the door.
And there, on the other side, stood a Christmas tree. Possibly the most bedraggled Christmas tree he'd ever seen, with broken branches and balding limbs and a crooked trunk. Mamoru blinked.
Then Usagi's smiling face appeared from behind the tree and the sad thing looked positively beautiful. "Merry Christmas!"
"Usagi-chan?"
She fluttered her eyelashes at him and opened her mouth to speak again, but then her grin fell into a look of confusion. "Is something burning?"
With a gasp, Mamoru spun around and marched back to the kitchen. Indeed, the eggs had turned to a somewhat blackened mush. Withholding the curse that tried to escape, Mamoru removed the skillet from the burner and turned on the fan. He noticed that the coffee pot was full, too, but didn't bother as he cautiously returned to the living room. Usagi had dragged the tree inside and shut the door and was looking around with that same confused look. When she noticed him at the kitchen door, she smiled again—slightly more uncertainly than the last brilliant grin.
"Usagi… what a surprise." His eyes drifted of their own will down to the gold moon charm at her neck.
"I brought you a Christmas tree." She looked at the decrepit thing warily, though kept her face loyally plastered with a smile. "Um… all the tree sellers were closed so I… I just kind of stumbled upon this one… I thought it would be better than nothing."
It looked as though it had been discovered in a dumpster, but Mamoru was too impressed and astonished to say so. "Thank you," he managed.
"I know it isn't nearly as nice as the pendant, which is absolutely beautiful, by the way, but I thought…"
"Pendant? Ami told you?"
Usagi pursed her lips together and dug her toe into his carpet. "Well, yes. And don't be mad at her. I'm so glad she did! I never would have known otherwise."
"That was the point," he muttered, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to be upset. "What am I thinking? Here, let me take that from you. I think I have a tree stand somewhere, but maybe for now we can just prop it up over here." He carried it to the designated corner and let the mangled thing rest against the wall. "Thanks, Usagi-chan. You didn't have to do this, but…" He searched his mind for some way of expressing the unexpressable, but when he turned to her all he could think to say was, "It's really great to see you."
Surprised, she lowered her gaze and smiled.
"Why aren't you home? Isn't your family doing something for Christmas?"
"Oh, sure, but my grandparents and aunts and uncles aren't showing up until later this afternoon, and I wanted to bring this to you before it was too late." She curiously looked around the room. "I would have liked to bring lights and ornaments, too, but all the stores are closed. I was hoping maybe your parents had some in a box stowed away…. Where are your parents, anyway? You aren't home alone on Christmas, are you?"
Mamoru stared at her, nervously fiddling with the drawstring of his sweatpants. "Um… actually, Usagi, I…" He gulped, his heart pounding, and felt weak as she patiently waited for him to continue with that innocent gaze of hers. "My parents died when I was a kid. I live here alone."
Her eyes widened. "Are you kidding?" When he looked away, Usagi clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh! That was such an awful thing to ask. I'm sorry! It's just… I had no idea!"
"It's all right. I know you didn't know." To avoid the awkward silence that was already threatening to set in, Mamoru continued, "But I do think I have ornaments and lights somewhere, probably with the tree stand, wherever that is, so I should be able to find something…"
Usagi nodded. "Or even just some ribbon would work. Or maybe we could string popcorn together?"
Mamoru laughed at the thought of spending hours stringing popcorn in his living room with Usagi in order to decorate that awful tree for just one day. Then he stopped laughing when he realized what a lovely idea that was.
But Usagi had already shrank away from the laughter. "Never mind, I don't want to take up your time. I just wanted to bring you the tree, so I guess I can leave now if you'd like."
"No! That isn't… I mean, you don't have to leave. Unless you want to, but… um… Well I was just making some breakfast if you'd like to stay and eat."
Her eyes lit up. "Really? Sure! I'd love to!"
Relieved, Mamoru rushed back to the kitchen before she could change her mind. A moment later he had scraped the toasted eggs out of the pan and was starting some more—plus sausage and toast—and Usagi had climbed up onto a stool at the counter. "So Mamoru, what are you doing today? If you don't have any family to spend it with…"
Mamoru shrugged, unable to feel sad with Usagi sitting there chatting with him on this day of days. "No plans. I was thinking of taking a walk later."
"A walk? By yourself?"
He chuckled at her aghast tone. "Well sure. It's better than being cooped up in here alone."
"But that's terrible! Why don't you come spend it with my family?"
Mamoru guffawed.
"No, I'm serious. Mom always makes tons of food and…" She hesitated, feeling blood rushing to her cheeks. "And I'd like you to come. If you want to."
Slowly, a grin crept onto Mamoru's face. "I won't be a burden?"
She grimaced. "Of course not!"
"Okay. Then sure… thank you."
She bounced happily on the stool, watching with glowing eyes as Mamoru tossed the eggs and flipped the sausage. "After we eat breakfast and decorate the tree, of course."
"Right. But we still have to come up with decorations somehow."
"I thought you said you might have a box of them somewhere."
Swaying uncomfortably, Mamoru confessed, "I lied. I don't think I have any ribbon or popcorn either."
"No ribbon or popcorn! What are you, a bachelor?" she teased, then added thoughtfully, "I guess we'll just have to get really creative then."
Just then there was a loud chorus of clunking and crashing and thudding and thumping from the fireplace. Startled, Usagi ran out into the living room. Mamoru soon followed after removing their food from the stove—not to burn two breakfasts in one morning. As they watched, some ash and soot began to trickle down from the chimney. Then a bit more ash and soot followed by a puff of gray smoke, as all the clanging grew louder. Slightly frightened, Usagi reached for Mamoru's hand.
Then the rumbling stopped. Mamoru squeezed Usagi's fingers nervously at one last trickle of ash. And then with a thud, one large box landed beside the hearth. It was wrapped in simple brown paper and tied with string and was covered in soot smudges.
Mamoru looked curiously at Usagi. She looked curiously back.
"Santa Claus?" she whispered reverently.
"I don't believe in Santa Claus," he whispered back, though his expression was doubtful.
With a gulp, and without releasing Usagi's hand, Mamoru approached the package. No other mysterious gifts—or men in red suits for that matter—appeared to be forthcoming. Slowly he let go of Usagi's hand and reached into the fireplace for the package. Setting it on the hearth, he took a moment to dust it off and discovered a small green tag that read:
To: Chiba Mamoru P.S. Been awfully busy, what with population increases and whatnot. Terribly sorry this is so late.
From: Santa Claus
"It is from Santa Claus," Usagi murmured with wide eyes.
Mamoru couldn't help think it was just some elaborate prank, but didn't have the heart to mention that to her. So instead, he slowly untied the little twine bow and peeled away the brown paper. The box itself was white with a silver lid. He couldn't help holding his breath as he pulled the lid away.
First there was only tissue paper and tinsel. But then, as Mamoru dug, he discovered a long string of tiny white Christmas lights. And then a package of neat glass ornaments, followed by a box of neat wooden ornaments. There was a roll of thick embroidered ribbon and two strands of pre-strung popcorn. Oddly enough, he even discovered a box that contained firmly packed snow and a carton of "Authentic North Pole Vanilla Ice Cream."
Usagi watched on with glee, clapping her hands delightedly at each new gift. "See? Santa new exactly what you needed!" she exclaimed as Mamoru pulled out a tin tree stand and a golden star tree topper.
"But Santa doesn't exist…" Mamoru murmured disbelievingly, desperately trying to figure exactly how this was all possible. Was his chimney even big enough for such a box to squeeze through?
Finally he pulled away the last bit of tissue paper to find the bottom of the box lined with dozens of sprigs of mistletoe. He and Usagi both blinked down on it and Mamoru couldn't help but wonder if Santa really did know exactly what he needed.
"Well…" Mamoru said, coughing uncomfortably. "I suppose that goes on the tree too?"
"You can't put all of it on the tree, silly."
"Why not?"
Usagi glanced at him mockingly, as if the question was purely ludicrous. "Because how much time do you spend under the tree? You need to hang this some place where you're sure to catch that special girl underneath it."
He stared at her, his heart fluttering.
Mistaking his nerves for misunderstanding, Usagi sighed and reached inside for a sprig of mistletoe. "You know, so you can kiss her? When two people get caught under mistletoe together they have to kiss. So you should orchestrate it so that, you know, you can get kissed. A doorway is always a good place." She was looking around the room, searching for the perfect place to hang the mistletoe, but Mamoru couldn't take his eyes from her. He found himself hoping, wishing, praying, that she would absentmindedly hold up the mistletoe and give him the perfect excuse to lean forward and…
"Or maybe from that light?" she suggested, looking up at the small chandelier above their heads. "That would be a great place for it, don't you think?" she asked, and to show Mamoru just how perfect it would be, she jumped to her feet and stood on her tiptoes and reached upward in an attempt to tie the mistletoe to the chandelier.
She was too short, of course, but it hardly mattered as Mamoru jumped up next to her, wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips hungrily to hers. She gasped against him and dropped the mistletoe, but he couldn't stop. Slowly, shakily, Usagi closed her eyes and lowered her arms, cupping Mamoru's face tenderly in her hands and swooning as he pulled her body against his.
When he pulled away, Usagi had completely forgotten about the mysterious gift and the sprig of mistletoe and even that it was Christmas at all. She could only think that Mamoru had kissed her with those most divine lips and never had she felt anything so perfectly wonderful and disarming and comforting in her entire life. Slowly she opened her eyes to look at him and could begin to feel her fingers again, lost somewhere in his silky hair. And soon the ground became solid beneath her feet and there he was, arms still around her, intense blue eyes watching her with hope and nerves and absolute terror.
She laughed. Laughed at the absurdity that Mamoru was kissing her. Laughed at the absurdity that he could think for a moment she wouldn't want him to.
The sound tickled Mamoru's ears and he thought it was a good sound, a kind sound, but part of him wondered if maybe she was just laughing at him? But then her fingers were stroking the sides of his face with sweet tenderness and he could see nothing but joy in her pale blue eyes. So he laughed too, at the absurdity that this had taken so long.
And if it hadn't been for Santa's gift…
The thought was unable to finish itself as Usagi reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently again. In the buzzing euphoria of his thoughts, Mamoru thought for a moment he heard the sound of reindeer hooves many floors above them, and the rumbling, jolly laughter of Santa Claus drifting down with the snow.
There are few things in life for which pleasure does not diminish as one ages. Things such as catching snowflakes on ones tongue ranks highly. Brown paper packages tied up with string. An apron covered with flour and the scent of gingerbread on the air. Heartfelt gifts purchased with nothing more than the desire to see one special person's smile.
And of course, there's always Santa—perhaps the ultimate in enchantments with his workshop of elves, his reindeer-driven sleigh, and the promise of delivering your heart's most desired gift.
These are the magical things that can never be taken away.