Hey guys, back with another chapter that is relatively out of season for this time of year. This chapter also marks the approximate half way point of this story, but I still have a good amount to write! Also, this one took me a little bit longer than I had planned…unfortunately on my days off I got sucked into finally buying Overwatch on PS4 (my PC sucks for gaming), and have been getting into that. If anyone is interested, my gamertag is LeastStealthyM8…I'm not great by any means but I'm having a good time. Feel free to add me! With that, here comes a nice long chapter, enjoy, and as always I love and appreciate any reviews or comments you send my way!

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A Break Over the Holidays

"Gooooooooooooood evening hockey fans, and welcome to the final game before winter break for your Mahora Warriors! I'm Fumika-…"

"…-And I'm Fuka, the devilishly sexy and always on it with the play-by-play twins, coming to you liiiiive from the Warrior's very own super awesome, hella hilarious, one-and-only commentator's box!"

"We'll be here with every second of the action, so stay tuned kiddos…'cause it's sure to be a hooooooot one tonight!" cheered Fumika as she threw her fists into the air.

The crowd roared with anticipation as the twin announcers finished up their introductions and the Warriors came bursting out onto the ice, lights flashing and music blaring as they began their warm up. The final game before winter break was always one to look forward to, as winning it would wrap up the Warrior's perfect first half of their season. So far, the only team that had caused them any trouble was the Demons; and that was a tie that hadn't affected their stats anyway, as it had been an exhibition game. The girls from Mahora were now feeding off of the energy within the stadium, every cheer pumping them up even more as their warm up time slowly ticked down.

It had been two weeks since the girls received their punishments for being caught after their revenge mission on Kyoto Prep, and the team had finally adjusted to the changes. So far, everyone was sure to be on their best behaviour both on and off the ice; even T.O.T were collectively making stronger efforts in reducing their penalty minutes, which Negi thought was simply hilariously out of character. The new co-captains all made sure their Warrior's got up on time for the earlier practices, as well as ensured everyone got back before curfew. At first the pair were finding it to be a rather difficult task, almost like trying to wrangle kittens, but once the girls all got the routine into their systems they were fine. Even Asuna was finding it hard to complain when it came to volunteering with kids, she even admitted that some of them were almost bearable.

Now however, the buzzer rang out across the ice to signal the end of the warm up session. Both teams finished up their last few laps around their respective ends before collecting up their pucks to bring back to their benches. Once the Warrior's had finally gathered around their bench, Takahata brought them all in close to go over a last minute pep talk followed by a reminder of the starting lines. With one last nod from both coaches after wishing their girls a good game, Asuna and Setsuna both huddled their Warriors up and began to belt out their signature cheer. The crowd erupted once more as Setsuna and Makie, along with Asuna's line with Yuna and Kazumi all hit the ice. As was customary, the two defensemen made their way down to the net with Konoka to take part in the traditional pre-game meet up. Makie sent the goalie a fist bump to her blocker and skated off, followed by Setsuna tapping her girlfriend's goalie pad in tandem with Konoka tapping back at her shin. With a final salute, the new co-captain pivoted and skated off to line up with the others, leaving the goalie to tap at her posts and slowly edge out at the ready.

As the puck dropped at center ice, Asuna made a last minute fake which allowed her to sneak her stick just under that of the opposing center-forward. She tapped it back to Makie, who with her head on a swivel, made a crisp pass to her partner. Setsuna then took several strides forward in order to make a clear move around the other team's forward, before banking the puck off of the boards to an awaiting Yuna. The Warrior forward instantly took off deep into the opposing zone, crossing behind the net with Kazumi as Asuna quietly slipped in to a nice spot in front of the net. With a quick pass, Asuna sent her stick with a fury down towards the little piece of black rubber and sent it into the back of the net in a blur. The stadium exploded as the Warriors on the ice all jumped onto their co-captain in congratulations for the first goal in only a few seconds into the game.

"Kagurazaka scooooores!-…" began Fumika as she jumped up excitedly, "-…that one was almost like a bullet! There was no way that was being stopped!"

Fuka nodded in agreement as she sent her sister a high five, "I bet the puck definitely would have felt like a bullet too! That Kagurazaka is one strong son-of-a-…"

The twins paused for a moment, expecting the door to the commentator's box to burst open with an infuriated Professor Nita charging in after them. After several seconds went by with no such disturbance, the girls suddenly remembered a very important bit of information. Professor Nita was out for the evening, something about an extremely upset stomach that had come on rather suddenly; both Fuka and Fumika had absolutely no idea how that had happened, the half empty bottle of laxatives currently resting in the bottom of Fuka's bag was all just coincidence. As the realization of them being free to have a little fun with this game began to settle in, so too did the devious smiles spread over their faces.

The hilarious commentary continued on tenfold as the Warriors proceeded to put on a clinic down on the ice. There were hits, there were laughs, and there were a few close calls for the other team as the first period eventually came to a close. The Warriors were still only up one to nothing, but they had absolutely nothing to worry about. The closest the other team had come to scoring was just another easy save for the ready and waiting Konoka, who once again found herself wishing her defensemen would accidently let a few more shots come her way. After a quick break to catch their breaths and get a little input on their play thus far from Negi, the Warriors changed ends and once again hit the ice with the same fire burning in them from the start of the game.

The second period was just as exciting as the first, with Evangeline's line coming out hard to start the hits. Chao and Chachamaru even managed to come up on one forward who hadn't been paying them any attention, catching her in a double check from both sides. The pressure was definitely on for the opposing team, as check after check was hungrily thrown their way. About midway through the period, the Warriors were once again down in the other team's end completely in control. Haruna was down in the corner, patiently rolling the puck from side to side as she looked for some sort of opportunity. Zazie was trying her hardest to get herself free from being covered, while Akira was circling from the front to the back of the net to try and set up a pass. Meanwhile, Misora and Ku took the initiative and booked it off the ice for a quick change, sending Setsuna and Makie over the boards and straight down to the blue line. Smirking to herself as she saw an opening, Haruna sent a fast pass to the blue line were her new co-captain would momentarily be. Without missing a beat, the defenseman came in fast and put a nice hard slap shot on the unsuspecting puck. Akira read the play and instantly got herself to the front of the net, causing Setsuna's shot to be screened from the goalie. A second later the puck flew by the center forward's left foot, which she had instinctually moved out of the way, speeding past the still standing goalie and landed with a satisfying thud on the ice after hitting the back of the net.

"Another one for the Warriors!" shouted Fuka as she began to fiddle with the sound system.

Fumika laughed as she took over, "And by our favourite new defenseman as well! Sakurazaki is the queen of the blue line!"

"And in honour of our most amazing queen, Fumika and I have prepared a special song that will be played from now on, every time she scores-…" Fuka smirked as she sent a nod to her sister, "…-Fumika if you would hit it please…"

Just then the stadium filled with the blaring of an old, upbeat catchy dance song. The Warriors on the ice who were all still surrounding Setsuna had stopped dead in their movements as the music quickly filled their ears. After a second of hearing the familiar course, Haruna and Makie doubled over with laughter.

Boom boom, boom boom,

I want you in my room,

Let's spend the night together,

From now until forever,

Boom boom boom boom,

I wanna go boom boom,

Let's spend the night together,

Together in my room…

Setsuna stood there for a moment as a flood of embarrassment took over. Eye twitching, the defenseman sent a look to the commentator's box, "Is, is that …Why…I…gods damn it."

Meanwhile down in the other end, Konoka was trying her hardest not to pass out from laughing. The goalie knew how much her twin classmates absolutely adored her defenseman, purely on a plutonic level; and also knew how much they liked to tease Setsuna with anything that would make her face flush. She could already picture the exact face her girlfriend was pulling right now, and would have to thank the girls later for the amazing song choice. For the time being however, Konoka simply sent a look to the commentator's box and lifted her stick to salute them.

After Asuna's line had joined the pair of defensemen on the ice for a brief moment of playful banter at Setsuna's expense, the game continued on. Several line changes later, Misa caught a hot break. A defenseman from the other team managed to get a fairly decent snap shot from high in the Warrior's end which sent the puck sailing towards Konoka's right side. At the last second, the goaltender managed to hit the puck with the corner of her blocker which caused it to rebound off to the right, high and wide. Sayo speed over to retrieve it, instantly banking the puck off the boards to Misa who took off down the ice. After picking up the puck the forward pulled off a fantastical fake, allowing for her to gracefully pass by the last hope for the other team. Misa then came in over their blue line, shifting quickly from her forehand to her backhand at the last moment before sending the puck into the net. With another round of thunderous cheers, the Warrior's ended the second period up three to nothing.

Everything was going extremely well for the Warrior's in their final game of the first half of their season; that is, until Setsuna hit the ice for the last shift of the game. The third period had been flowing along smoothly, with Misora and even Chachamaru securing two more goals to send them into a very safe lead. With just under a minute left to go, Setsuna and Makie once again found themselves jumping over the boards and heading down to the other team's blue line. Kazumi had been down behind their net, just trying to kill time at this point with the lead they had. The forward felt a little pressure coming to her as both of the opposing defensemen grew restless and decided to try and take her out from both sides. She carefully sent the puck over to Yuna who then tapped it up to Makie in an attempt to get some space freed up. The pink haired defenseman then went in for a shot, which got redirected last second by someone's skate in front of the net. It all happened in slow motion then, as Setsuna's eyes connected with the puck and followed it. Without hesitating, the defenseman took off towards the forward that had managed to scoop up the little piece of rubber at the last second. A battle for dominance quickly unfolded as the opposing forward put everything they had into their last chance desperation attempt to get some sort of point on the board. Setsuna put all of her strength into her next move, bringing the frenzied forward hard into the boards with a forceful check. Just before the buzzer sounded to end the game, there was a sickening snap that tore through the defenseman's ears. As the now beaten forward slowly skated away in defeat, Setsuna was left standing in place feeling as though something felt very off. Looking down into her left hand the defenseman's eyes grew wide as her heart felt like it was going to leave her body; there staring back up at her was the top half of Yunagi, with the bottom half lying broken on the cold ice at her feet.

The cheering going on around Setsuna was all but muffled as she continued to stare at her broken companion. They had been together for years and it had been the last thing she and her mother had bought together. The memories began to flood through her and slowly, due to the shock and panic flooding through her, began to fade away. The only thing that brought her back was the sound of her teammates now making their way towards her to congratulate their co-captain on a good game. Before they could reach her, Setsuna quickly and heartbreakingly pulled herself together, trying her best to hide the pain she was now feeling from having the last physical memory of her mother taken from her. The next thing she felt were several gloves gently punching her in the shoulders, letting her know that it was time to fake her happiness over their victory.

As the rest of the Warriors were going around congratulating each other, Makie managed to slip between the bodies and bent down to pick up the other half of her partner's stick. Usually she would have made a joke about her teammates joining her in the stick breaking club, but this time she knew better. As she came back up again, the pink haired defenseman shot a look to Konoka and Asuna, who were now showing signs of deep concern. All three girls had been with Takane when they had travelled to Kyoto Prep, and all three knew the story behind their best friend and girlfriend's odd attachment to her stick. Remembering that they had also promised Takane not to say anything to the defenseman, the three now shot each other worried looks as they silently wracked their brains for a way to handle the situation; all of that would have to wait however until they shook hands with the losing team and made their way back to the dressing room.

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"That was the perfect way to end the first half of our season ladies-…" began Takahata as he shut the door to the dressing room behind him, happy to wrap up his last post game talk before break on a high note. He then sent a huge smile out for all the room to see as Negi and Kotaro both joined in with their own words of praise. After a few more shouts of excited happiness from some of the other girls, the older coach then raised his hands to calm them all down, "…-Honestly, that was more or less a perfect game. Even though we were ahead, we didn't let ourselves get bored and sloppy. We played some good ho-…"

As Takahata continued on with his postgame rundown speech, Setsuna sat there in an almost dream like state, unable to take a single word in. She hadn't even noticed the looks and side glances being sneakily thrown her way by Takahata, even as she felt a nudge at her side that was attempting to pull her back to reality. Snapping out of it, Setsuna quickly looked over to see Makie giving her a concerned look. Quietly the defenseman mouthed an I'm all good, and sent a nod of thanks before bringing her attention back to their coach in the center of the room, who now took his attention away from her upon noticing that his co-captain had rejoined them.

"…-and with the break coming up, we're going to be putting practices on hold until the New Year. That being said however, I expect all of you to continue your gym training sessions and of course your punishments. If I don't get a chance to see you before I leave tomorrow night, I want to wish you all a happy, safe, and well behaved holiday!" Takahata finished his speech with a toothy grin before waving his team off and heading towards the dressing room door with his two companions. He paused for a moment just as he was about to leave, turning his attention back towards the girls inside, "Oh, and Asuna…if I could have a brief word with you outside, it's nothing too horrible, I promise."

The forward sent a nod to her coach as he shot her back a wink. After excusing herself from the team, Asuna quickly followed after Takahata. Once outside, she carefully closed the door and turned to see a very concerned, almost father like figure leaning against the wall. Figuring she was about to be asked questions about her counterpart, the forward sighed deeply and felt her shoulders begin to slump as she made her way over to her coach.

Takahata gently pushed his glasses back in place, allowing a small smile to come over his features as he took in the energy his co-captain was giving off, "I take it you already know what I'm about to ask you then?" he paused and watched as Asuna nodded, noting the heavy look of concern she was currently wearing on her face. The old coach then took a moment to let off his own deep sigh before continuing, "Look Asuna, I'm not about to ask for the details about what's bothering Setsuna. I already assume you know exactly what that is, and what caused it. As much as I would like to step in and help, I know an old guy like me is the last person she's going to want to talk to, right? So…can I also assume that you'll be doing you best to watch over her and be there for her over the break?"

Asuna quickly nodded without any hesitation, "Of course Taka, you know that I've always got her back…I owe her a lot." The forward then sent out a small laugh followed by a happy little smile as she remembered everything the two had been through. She definitely knew that she owed the little defenseman everything, even though Setsuna would never make any claims towards that.

"Good to hear, I knew I could count on you-…" began the coach as he reached over and playfully roughed up the forward's hair. He laughed as she brought her hand up to gently slap him away, just as she had done when she was younger. Takahata then sent Asuna a nod before slowly turning to make his exit down the hallway, calling over his shoulder as he did, "…-let me know how everything turns out, and if you need anything, I'm just a phone call away. Be safe over the break, and Happy Holidays."

"Happy holidays to you too old timer-…" sighed Asuna happily as she sent a wave back to the now exiting coach. After taking a moment to collect herself, the forward decided at that moment that she would do whatever it takes to get her partner out of her current funk. Cracking her neck from side to side and rolling her shoulders, Asuna quickly turned on a dime to head straight back into the dressing room, "…-now then, time to get to thinking on how we're gonna fix this."

As the co-captain made her way back into the room, the Warriors had already began undressing; most of whom were excitedly talking amongst themselves about their plans over the break. Asuna noticed however, that Setsuna was slowly removing her gear and staying as silent as she had been when she first joined the team. Taking note that she still had time, the forward sat down at her spot on the bench and quickly removed her own gear, shooting a look to Konoka and Makie across from her as she did to signal for them to stay behind. The two nodded, carefully indicating that that had been their plan anyway, especially Konoka who gave an almost shocked look that Asuna had thought otherwise. As the rest of the Warriors began to leave the three friends slowly made their way to their downtrodden defensemen, all wondering what they would need to do to help her.

Konoka came up and placed a gentle hand on her still dazed defenseman, causing her to jump a little from the sudden touch, "Setsuna, is everything alright? You're pretty quiet for having just locked up a flawless first half of a season…anything wrong?" She hid the look of guilt that was trying to break over her features, feeling bad for already knowing what it was without her girlfriend being the one to have told her.

Setsuna quickly pulled herself into her old cool and confident mode that she hadn't needed to use for several months now, not noticing that it wasn't being bought by anyone, "Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just a little sore is all, that last hit knocked a little wind out of me…"

"Yeah…that rough up along the boards did look like it was at an awkward angle-…" replied Asuna as she continued to look her friend over, feeling her own chest tighten as she could see the wall of calm Setsuna was trying to hold up crumble around her. It was heartbreaking, but she tried her best to move on, "…-that sucks about your stick though…Yunagi's been through a lot."

Setsuna's eye twitched briefly as the comment seemed to hit a small nerve, almost causing her to break. Instead of causing a scene however, the defenseman brushed off the whole thing as if it had been nothing as she reached down for both halves of Yunagi resting beside her, "What this? Yeah it sucks a little, old Yunagi was pretty lucky and honestly felt like another limb…but at the end of the day, it's just a stick. They might not sell them anymore, which is rough, but I'm sure Kotaro can hook me up with something, he's got a good eye with this stuff. It was about time I changed it up anyway…"

The three friends were then caught completely by surprise as the defenseman picked up both pieces of her stick and briskly walked over to the trash can; sighing deeply as she dumped them in once reaching it. There were several seconds of silence in which Konoka had assumed her girlfriend was trying to keep herself together, before Setsuna turned around to face her friends again with a big, and definitely fake smile spread across her face. The defenseman then reached up out of habit whenever she felt awkward to scratch the back of her head.

"Anyway guys, I'm gonna go see Kotaro now before he closes up for the night. I wanna get that stick so I can get used to handling it over the holiday." She then began to head to the door.

Panicking that her friend was about to have a meltdown Makie spoke up, "Do you want us to come with you?"

Setsuna didn't even bother stopping as she yelled over her shoulder, "No, it's all good. I was planning on going for a nice long run afterwards anyway. You all go on home…Konoka I'll see you later ok?"

With that, the door to the dressing room closed behind her, leaving the other three standing in complete silence. After several seconds of unbearable quiet, Asuna began to move quickly towards the door after the defenseman only to feel a pull at her arm. Looking back, the forward was greeted with a hand gently wrapped around her wrist, and Makie looking back up at her with a melancholic expression.

"Look Asuna, you know that we all want to go chasing after her right now-…" began the pink haired defenseman as she loosened her grip on her co-captain, "-…but nothing we can do right this second will help her…it's not what she needs. I'm sure Konoka will even agree that Setsuna is one of those people who needs a bit of time to come to terms with things, right?" She sent the same look over to the goalie, who was still staring off at the door.

It took a moment, but Konoka slowly began to nod, "Yeah, it's true…as much as I want to just hug her and tell her everything's going to be alright, I know that it won't help. At least for tonight we should give her the space she's asking for-…" she then sighed deeply as she tried her best not to think about the hurt her girlfriend was most likely feeling right now, "…-tomorrow though, she won't be able to get rid of me."

Asuna and Makie both half-heartedly laughed at Konoka's attempt to lighten the mood, failing to convince the goalie that her bad joke had been a good one. Sensing that they would all be in for a long night of guilt, Konoka suggested that maybe they at least try to think of a few things they could do to help before leaving the arena for the night. Her companions agreed, and once again sat down in their designated spots to do some serious thinking. After a few moments with nothing but the sound of gears collectively turning, Makie sighed and gave a little thanks out loud that at least the whole thing happened just as their break was starting and that they wouldn't have to deal with this on top of school and games. Konoka and Asuna nodded with relief; at least some luck was with them.

Asuna then had an idea, "Hey since it's winter break and all, I bet I could talk lil' bird brain into helping me with something team related. She definitely wouldn't say no to that, right? Plus, what I have in mind will be fun for everyone."

Konoka giggled lightly as she took in the sight of renewed determination taking over her friend, "As long as it's nothing embarrassing I know she'll be up for it…and even if it is, she would still do her best. She's always doing that."

"What did you have in mind?-…" asked a very interested Makie as she took in the sight of mischievousness now flowing over her co-captain, "…-It is embarrassing, isn't it?"

The forward shook her head as she laughed, "Nah, nothing too bad. I just have this idea on how we can get the team pumped up during intermissions in games. It may take a bit of practice, but I know once Setsuna gets comfortable, she'll be right into it."

"Definitely count me in to help then!" cheered Makie happily.

"Same here, I'm sure it'll be fun to watch her do whatever it is you have planned-…" added the goalie with a smile, "…-when are you planning on bringing it up to her? Especially now that she's going to most likely try and shut herself away for a bit."

Asuna took a moment to think it over before smirking, "Well, luckily a team full of dummies went and got themselves almost expelled this one time and now have to make up for that with group based punishments. I'll give her a few days to calm down, and maybe at our volunteer session on Christmas Eve I'll bring it up. Perfect pla-…"

Suddenly at the mention of Christmas, Konoka shot up from her spot causing her friends to jump slightly. The goalie then made her way over to the trash can, leaning in to grab what she needed. For a moment, Asuna and Makie took in the sight of their goaltender madly rummaging around the bin like a scavenger in a zombie apocalypse. Finally, Konoka came back out of the bin with a glowing look of triumph now taking over.

Asuna blinked at her, very confused, "Uh, buddy…what the fuck?"

"You look like you just found the Holy Grail or some shit instead of a broken stick…" added Makie, just as confused as her co-captain.

"Hear me out guys, it's perfect-…" began Konoka as she strolled back towards her friends, both pieces of her girlfriends stick in her hands, "…-I should have thought about it earlier, but the idea didn't hit until Asuna mentioned Christmas. It'll be the perfect gift! She's totally gonna explode when she gets it!"

Still confused, the two friends continued to just look at Konoka as if she was spewing out random word vomit. Rolling her eyes, the goalie just signalled for them to follow her and began to head out the door as she fumbled to retrieve her phone from her hoodie pocket. Once she had a hold on it, Konoka quickly riffled though the names on her messages before stopping on the one she was looking for; Takane. She then thumbed out a long text, explaining what had happened as well as her plan and what she would need from her and Mei in order to pull it off. After hastily hitting send, the goalie then brought her attention back to her companions, who were still following in tow and were looking rather impressed that their friend was able to carry two pieces of a stick, send off a text, and power walk to wherever it was that they were headed without ending up walking into a wall.

As they were starting to slow down, Asuna called out, "Konoka what the hell? Where are we going and what does it have to do with Christmas? I'm so confused!"

Stopping in front of Kotaro's workshop, the goalie giggled and sent out a wink to her friends, "Just give me one second to get this started and I promise I'll explain." With that, Konoka knocked on their manager's door before opening it and walking in.

Kotaro was just in the process of restocking all of his supplies when he had heard the knock at his door, followed quickly by a small group making their way through it. Noticing that Konoka was the ring leader, the young manager straightened up and crossed his arms in front of him, trying his best to come off as serious.

"Whatever plan you have brewin' up this time princess, I ain't interested-…" he tried his best to stand his ground, hiding the fact that he felt awkward for telling the goalie off; until he remembered the problems she had almost caused him back at Kyoto Prep when she talked him out of calling the coaches. Not to mention the continuous stream of texts he was now receiving from that girl at the gym desk. Unfortunately for him, that girl was turning out to be way too much to handle. He shook his head, "…-I'm still payin the price for the last time you asked me for somethin."

The goalie brought down her excitement from forming her plan for a moment to genuinely look guilty, "Honestly Kotaro, I feel really bad about the whole thing. It wasn't your fault that you got dragged into the mess, and I definitely didn't make it easier for you. I meant what I said in the apology letter I wrote for you, I really am sorry and I still promise not to use my powers of persuasion on you ever again."

The manager looked her over, knowing full well that the goalie along with the rest of the Warriors, really did feel awful for everything that had happened. He decided that he would take her at her word, and at least hear her out, "Fine…what's it you're here for then princess?"

Konoka sent him a heartfelt smile before going in with her request, "First, has Setsuna been by here tonight?"

"Nope, haven't seen her at all-…" began Kotaro as he shook his head, "…-after watchin that stick of hers snap on the ice, I thought for sure she'd be comin for a new one. She's always makin sure she's adjusted to new things before she really needs 'em, whenever she gets her skates sharpened up it's always before a practice and not a game…smart kid."

"That's what I thought-…" sighed Konoka as she sent a look to Asuna and Makie. She then returned her attention back to their manager, "So, the stick is exactly why I came to you. Without getting into too much detail about it, Setsuna is very attached to her stick. Soooo, I had an idea for a Christmas present that could be really nice, but I need your help."

"Ok, so far it sounds innocent...go on." laughed the young manager as he took in the sight of curiosity killing Asuna and Makie behind the goalie.

Konoka brought the pieces of Yunagi up to rest on the small counter next to the skate sharpener, "How good are you at mounting things?"

Asuna snorted out a laugh as Kotaro's face went bright red. Makie stifled her own giggles as she tapped the goalie on the shoulder, "Buddy…I know it's not what you meant, but the wording was a little awkward."

Konoka rolled her eyes, "Come on guys! You know that's not what I meant! What I'm asking is, Kotaro, if you're able to take this stick here and make it look all nice by framing it up?"

It took a few seconds for the young manager to settle back down and for the red to leave his cheeks, but once he did he gave Konoka a nod and began to pick up the pieces of stick. He looked both parts over, examining the breaking point and then grabbing a tape measurer out to get some numbers. After a few moments of sizing it up and jotting down notes on some scrap paper, Kotaro returned his attention to the girls waiting patiently, grinning happily with himself.

"Alright ladies, you got yourselves a helper-…" he said with an added thumbs up, "…-just let me get this old stick lookin all pretty and then I'll do whatever you'd like with it. Framin should be easy, I know a guy who works with wood and sculptin in class. I'll get it all set up no problem."

The goalie cheered happily and ran over to hug Kotaro, once again causing him to blush a little from receiving all the sudden praise, "Oh Kotaro! Thank you so much, you honestly have no idea what this means! It's going to be perfect! I just need to get one last thing for it from a friend, but as soon as I have it I'll bring it right to you!"

"Yeah, yeah, that's all great and everything-…" began Asuna as she called out loudly from her place still behind Konoka. She was beginning to feel irritated from being left in the dark on the whole plan the goalie had come up with, and decided that she had had enough, "…-Konoka what the fuuuuuuck even is the plan?! Damn dude, you're killing us back here! Just tell us already!"

The goalie giggled once more as she waved her goodbye to Kotaro before making her way to the door, walking between her two friends as she did, "Alright, alright…since I have most of it on the go now, I'll tell you. We gotta do it on the move though, I need to grab Ayaka and ask her something as well."

Makie threw her fist into the air, happy to finally find out what was going on as they made their way through the rink towards the exit, "Sounds good! Lead on princess!"

With that, the three companions made their way back up to their dorm on route to Ayaka's room; all the while Konoka explaining her plan as Makie awed happily and Asuna feeling a little flutter in her heart.

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"HEY KID! DON'T USE THAT OTHER KID AS A PYLON! KEEP YOURSELF UP, IT'S DANGEROUS!-…" shouted Asuna from centre ice as she watched a little boy grab onto his friend in an attempt not to fall . The two boys sent her a look and stuck out their tongues as they did, causing rage to flow through the co-captain, "…-FINE! DO WHAT YOU WANT, BUT JUST REMEMBER THAT SANTA DOESN'T VISIT BAD KIDS IN THE HOSPITAL!"

The two little boys then looked as if all life had been drained from them, and began to straighten up and part ways as Asuna grinned happily with herself. She then pivoted on the spot, taking a few good strides along the ice before easily coasting her way to the boards where some of her giggling team mates were waiting. As she came to a stop she took in the looks her friends were giving her, brushing them off and feeling as though she hadn't done anything wrong.

"Damn Asuna, you sure showed them-…" said Yuna sarcastically as she leaned her elbow on the boards, "…-nothin like traumatising a kid on Christmas to get the old blood flowing."

Misora laughed before adding, "Honestly, I thought she was going to drop the bomb of Santa not being real on them…kudos for not being entirely heartless captain."

Asuna rolled her eyes as she watched the defenseman and forward give each other high fives, "Yeah well, the free skate is only just starting-…" she then caught site of a few more kids kicking into the ice with the tip of their skate blades, trying to make holes in it. The co-captain tried to keep calm, but the grinding of her teeth was a dead giveaway that she was failing, "…-give it time."

Just then, Setsuna and Ku came gliding up to the group, slowing down when they noticed the flames of rage engulfing Asuna and the full laughter now coming from Yuna and Misora. Without even having to guess, the two defensemen already knew that children were the cause, and both joined in with laughing at Asuna's expense. Much to the forward's surprise, Setsuna seemed to be feeling a little better; however, the co-captain knew better than to take that as everything being fine. The defenseman had been avoiding everyone as much as possible over the past few days, even staying oddly quiet around Konoka. Things were still where they had been the night of the break, Setsuna was just getting better at hiding it all away.

"I see you're having a great time with the kids Asuna-…"sighed Setsuna after her small bout of laughter, trying to come off as her usual self as best she could. It felt uncomfortable to be out on the ice with happy families skating around and having a good time; especially when she was doing her best to keep thoughts of her own mother out of her head. Over the past few days, the defenseman was struggling to keep herself together with even the slightest thought of her broken stick causing a wave of guilt and sadness to wash over her. She also felt horrible for shutting out Konoka when it came to talking about it. Setsuna knew that her girlfriend could tell she was actually upset, but just couldn't bring herself to go over it. She had gone years without having to open up that door and explain what had happened, and having that conversation now would only make that heavy feeling of anxious reality come back to her. Just like the conversation about her removal from the Demons, this too would just have to wait for a better time. For now, the defenseman threw on a cool smirk as she went on to continue bantering with her counterpart, "…-I think you should look into becoming a daycare worker after graduation, ooooooo or maybe you and Ayaka could adopt a bunch of kids…these ones just love you."

Asuna picked up on the attempted banter, and decided to go along with it. Smirking, the co-captain just shook her head, "I think I'd rather rip my own arm off and beat myself with it than do either of those. Besides, if anyone should be learning how to have a great time looking after kids…it's you buddy."

Setsuna gave a questioning look to her partner, "What do you mean, me?"

Just then Ku tapped her fellow defenseman on the shoulder, "Well by the looks of it, our little goalie seems to be reeeeeaaaaaally enjoying herself."

Setsuna and the others all turned their attention to the other end of the ice, all eyes landing on the goalie in question as well as Akira and Sayo. The latter two were having the time of their lives playing a gentle game of tag with a few of the younger kids, while Konoka was off in a corner teaching a very small child how to skate. The goalie was holding the little girl in front of her, with hands wrapped around her upper arms and slowly allowing her to glide a few feet across the ice. At one point the little girl began to shout out happily at being able to skate, causing Konoka to quickly and carefully lift the kid into the air and giving her a congratulatory hug. Setsuna was left standing speechless as she took in the sight, slowly hearing the giggles starting around her.

"Yup so by the looks of it, I see at least four little mini yous lacing up some tiny skates in your future." laughed Misora.

"Oh yeah, at least that many-…" added Yuna as she sent a smirk to Asuna, helping out her line mate to get back at the defenseman, "…-maybe even more…"

"May-uh, maybe even more eh?-…" replied Setsuna as she stared at her girlfriend now being surrounded by several other small children, all looking to be taught to skate by the kind goalie with the funny looking skates. She then gulped, "…-gre-great, that's uh…really great, yeah."

The rest of the team all burst out into laughter as their shocked captain looked to actually be taking them seriously. After a few seconds of letting the idea of herself and Konoka becoming parents set in, the defenseman shook herself out of it; at least it was a more welcome thought than those she had been having as of late. As the laughter died down everyone except for the two captains decided to head back out and properly patrol the free skate, leaving Asuna to finally try and talk to her partner.

The forward cleared her throat and gave the defenseman a playful punch, "Hey I uh, just wanted to say that I know something is bothering you…and I'm not here to pry, I just wanted to let you know that I'm here if you need anything, ok?"

Setsuna froze for a moment, knowing that this talk was coming but was hoping that by some handful of luck that she had been able to fool her partner. Sighing deeply, Setsuna forced out a smile so she could show some gratitude for having friends that worried about her, "Thanks, I appreciate it…I'll be fine I promise, I just need to get over some stuff. I promise when we start up the second half of our season, I'll be back to normal."

"Eh, maybe not too normal-…" began Asuna in an attempt to lighten the mood, "…-us Warriors need a little weird every now and then. Although if it's you we're talking about…maybe normal is fine. A weird Setsuna would just be like, wrong I feel."

The defenseman lightly chuckled, "Hey now, if I really wanted to, I could be just as weird as you and as out there as Zazie and Haruna."

The forward rolled her eyes heavily, "Oh pleeeeeease, the weirdest you probably have ever gotten was that time you accidently put your jersey on inside out."

"…That was one time, and I blame Konoka for distracting me…" mumbled the defenseman as a hint of a blush started to warm her face.

"Yeah yeah, geeze-…" began Asuna as she started scrapping snow with her blade into a little wall in front of her friend's feet, "…-it was almost like you've never seen her with her shirt off before…although, I guess it was technically before you two started dating. I'll let you have that one."

"How nice of you captain." laughed Setsuna as she watched the snow wall begin to pile up at her feet, trying hard to resist the urge to kick it over.

Sensing that she was having a positive effect on her partner, Asuna decided that now was a good time to bring up her idea for the betterment of the team. She paused with her architectural work for the moment and sent the defenseman a smile, patting her on the shoulder as she did, "Speaking of being nice, I had an awesome idea to get the team hyped up during intermissions and you and I are just the ones to pull it off. You down?"

Setsuna sent a concerned look to her friend, now knowing better than to instantly agree to any plans the forward had, "What exactly would I be agreeing to?"

"Nothing horrible I promise, different maybe, but once you get into it, you're gonna love it-…" Asuna then continued her snow pile, "…-I'm just throwing it out there now, but don't worry about starting anything for another day or two. I promised Ayaka that I'd spend the next few days with her…she wants me to come with her to her parents place for Christmas tonight. I'm a little nervous honestly, not really used to doing things for Christmas…usually that's all kid stuff or for serious couples."

The defenseman rolled her eyes, "Hate to tell you buddy, but by the sounds of it I think class rep feels that's exactly what you two are…a serious couple."

The snow pile stopped and Setsuna watched as her friend's eyes grew wide, "Wait, when did that happen?"

"Oh somewhere between tricking her into thinking you studied enough for exams and feeling horrible about AND constantly hiding the fact that you sacrificed yourself for the team back at Kyoto Prep. There are some serious feelings going on there, you two are a thiiiiiiiiiing."

The two captains spun around just in time to see Konoka coming up to a stop just behind them, giggling and clearly pleased with herself for pointing out that her roommate was in fact, in a serious relationship. Setsuna joined in her girlfriend's laughter as she took in the sight of her partner frantically putting two and two together. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the forward face palmed and began to look panicked.

"Shiiiiiiiit guys, this isn't good!-…" began the co-captain as she looked down at the time on her phone, "…-I didn't realise…man I'm an idiot! I haven't even got her a gift for Christmas…fuuuuuuuuuck I'm a dead woman!"

Konoka continued to laugh as she started to push her friend towards the door to the bench, "Sometimes I don't know how you get by in life. Quick, go now before everything closes and try to find something. We'll take care of everything here."

Asuna quickly thanked Konoka with a near choking hug before saluting to Setsuna and taking off through the door and down the hall to their dressing room. Upon recovering from her near death experience via bear hug, the goalie shook her head at her roommate's departure with a light hearted giggle; what would Asuna do without her. Just then, Konoka felt a little nudge to her arm, causing her to turn her attention towards its source. She was greeted by Setsuna, though looking a little better, was still baring that air of sadness around her. The defenseman was offering out her arm, which the goalie gladly accepted with a smile before clutching onto it and nuzzling in. The two then began to glide easily around the ice, Setsuna still choosing to keep up her obvious charade.

After taking a lap around the ice, Konoka looked over to her defenseman and shot her a warm smile, "Speaking of serious couple Christmas type stuff, sorry that my parents are away on business. They were really looking forward to meeting you."

"That's ok, it's understandable-…" sighed Setsuna with a small forced smile, "…-it's the same with my dad. He's always off on trips around the holidays so I'm pretty used to it."

The goalie felt a pang of sadness as she failed to hear her girlfriend mention anything of her mother; she was now sure not to bring any question of her up. She then slightly broke from her defenseman's grip and swung in front of her, taking both hands into her own as she started to slowly skate backwards, "Well, at least we still have good ol' gramps! If you want, I can drag you over to his place tomorrow and we can do the whole proper introduction thing. I mean yeah, he could have been the one to unwillingly oversee your expulsion a little while ago…buuuuuut seeing as it all worked out, it'll just be a good time."

Setsuna rolled her eyes before leaning forward and stealing a kiss, catching Konoka off guard as she had assumed her girlfriend would still be a little hesitant when it came to family. The defenseman then grinned as she felt her heart swell over her girlfriend's enthusiasm, "I'd be more than happy to meet him. I can only imagine what he's like if his granddaughter is you."

Konoka playfully slapped at Setusna's shoulder and stuck out her tongue, happy that at least for now her girlfriend seemed to be relaxing a little. The two continued making their way around the ice, talking with each other as they always had since it seemed Setsuna's mind was being distracted from its guilt and sadness. The rest of the free skate went on smoothly and all of the children seemed to look happier without the worry of being yelled at by an angry red head. The Warriors were doing an excellent job ensuring that all the families were having a great Christmas Eve. It wasn't until the skate was coming to an end that Setsuna let her mind wonder off again. As she was helping a few kids get off the ice safely so they wouldn't fall stepping onto a new surface, she caught a glimpse of a young girl being helped by her mother to take her skates off. In an instant, the little girl was replaced in her mind as herself, with her mother leaning over as she did so many times years ago to laugh and ruffle up her hair as the skates were being removed.

…You did so great today Setsuna! You're skating has improved so much and you look like you're having so much fun!...

…Did you see me make that pass mom?! I always wanted to try my backhand, it looks so cool!...

…I did! I was so happy to see you celebrate after…my little Crow always looks so cool! No matter what, I know you're only going to get better and better…

…Yeah! I can't wait to get back on the ice and help the rest of the Crows get better too! We're gonna be the best team ever!...

…One day at a time dear, right now it's time to go home and rest up. We can't have you flying around the ice all the time!...

…Aw but mom! I wanna keep playing!...

…Well, how's about once we get home, get cleaned up and have some dinner, you and I can go out to the driveway and we can play a little one on one? Just go easy on me…

…YAY! You're on mom!...

It was too much, the memory felt all too real and Setsuna was starting to lose whatever hold on her feelings she had. Without saying a word to anyone and trying her best to become invisible, the defenseman practically melted into the crowd and snuck off to the Warriors' dressing room where she threw off her skates and jammed her shoes on. She then took off back to the dorm as she began to feel the tears forming at the corners of her eyes. The wall was falling, the emotions were crashing without care into it, and Setsuna was left feeling the emptiness consuming her as she finally closed her door and landed in a pile on her bed in her dark, quiet room.

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An hour or so later, Setsuna raised her head in a daze after feeling a dampness clinging to her cheek. She looked down to find herself clutching at her pillow, now sporting a decent sized wet patch where face had just been. Apparently the defenseman had cried herself into an emotionally exhausted sleep, and now felt a secondary wave of sadness slowly creep its way back over her as she began to think to herself. How could something so small as a broken stick cause her all this pain? Surely she had dealt with her mother's death all those years ago? She was older now, and knew that she was in a lot of pain towards the end and that now she wasn't suffering anymore. Despite that final thought, Setsuna just wasn't able to break away from the deep pool of emptiness that was now sucking her downward; guilt grasping at her lungs and tightening, making it harder to breath.

Suddenly there was a light knocking at her door, followed by the sound of the handle being turned. Setsuna snapped out of it and turned her attention quickly towards the door, cursing to herself as she noticed that she had forgotten to lock it. Doing her best to pick herself up and look presentable, the defenseman quickly sat up and made it look like she was just getting off the phone with her father as Konoka slowly came into the room.

"…-Yeah, you have a good Christmas too-…" the defenseman said into her phone, hiding the fact that it wasn't even on a call. She tried to make sure her breathing was coming out evenly before continuing, "…-love you too Dad, be safe and call me when you're back home."

Konoka quietly made her way towards her girlfriend whose back was towards her, taking note of the fake conversation she was hearing. She gently placed a few things she had in her arms down on the floor before continuing on. Setsuna then turned to face her, throwing on her best attempt at a happy face as she came to a stop. The sight was heartbreaking as the goalie took in the failed happiness now staring back at her. Without stopping to ask her defenseman if everything was ok after disappearing from the rink or to even question why she had been sitting alone in the dark, Konoka closed the gap between them and threw her arms around her girlfriend; pulling her in for a comforting hug and holding her there.

"Konoka I-…" began the defenseman as a shake started to betray her voice.

"No, you don't have too-…" interrupted the goalie as she pulled Setsuna in closer, kissing the top of her head as she did, "…-I know you weren't on the phone with your dad, and I already know what's been bothering you for the past few days."

Setsuna froze, "You…you know? How?"

Konoka sighed as she began to gently run her fingers through her defenseman's hair, "We promised we wouldn't say anything when she told us because she knew it would be something you would eventually want to talk about…but Takane, she let us know on the drive up to Kyoto Prep."

It was quiet for a moment as Setsuna took in the information. At first, she felt a little hurt that one of her oldest friends would bring up her mother without her knowledge; however, that feeling was quickly pushed away as the defenseman knew that Takane meant no harm and that she just cared for her. After remembering that, Setsuna sighed deeply and wrapped her arms around the goalie. At least now it was out there, just as her dismissal was, and things could proceed in becoming a little easier.

Setsuna gently backed out of the goalie's hug, taking her hands into her own as she sent her girlfriend a weak smile, "I'm really sorry…honestly I am. Usually I'm fine, I've dealt with mom's death when it happened and, I at least thought anyway, that I had it on lock down…but Yunagi…he was all I really had left. When he broke, I did too. I really should have just told you."

Konoka shook her head as she ran her thumb over the back of her defenseman's hand, "No, no…it's ok, really. I knew that when you were ready you'd say something. I just felt horrible for feeling like I left you to suffer on your own. I wanted to be here for you, but I also didn't want you to feel pressured."

"Don't feel bad Konoka, I know you wanted to help-…" replied Setsuna as her voice started to come back to her, "…-I know you'd do anything for me. No question, and I want you to know that it means the world to me."

The goalie smirked before leaning in and gently kissing her girlfriend. She then leaned back slightly and reached up to push her defenseman's hair back from her eyes, "…and you mean the world to me. We're here for each other, we both know that. Even if you need some space for thinking, just know I'm always here waiting on the bench to join your team."

Setsuna laughed lightly at Konoka's reference as she reached up to make sure her eyes were finally dried, "Thank you…you'll always be first string with me."

"Setsuna…that was really, really gay-…" replied the goalie with a straight face.

"Yeah, well so are you-…" added a now stable Setsuna as she playfully stuck out her tongue.

With a look of over dramatic and clearly fake hurt, Konoka then jumped her defenseman and pulled her downwards for a round of laughter filled cuddling. Once the goalie grasped that Setsuna was finally, actually starting to become more of her old self, she gently broke from her girlfriend's arms and got up. Before she could be questioned, Konoka just sent her defenseman a wink, followed by a brief explanation about having something for her. Setsuna was taken aback, as she had figured they would be doing the whole present exchange thing the next day. The goalie shushed her, declaring that now was as good a time as any. Unable to find a good reason to protest, the defenseman rolled her eyes and sighed, sitting up to get comfortable on her bed.

"Ok so, I'm going to need you to close your eyes-…" called Konoka from the spot where she put the objects down earlier. She then felt a slight blush as she heard her defenseman clear her throat awkwardly, "…-and no for once, it's nothing like that! Now close your eyes, put out your hands and promise you won't peak!"

Setsuna nodded, easily doing as she was told, "Ok, they're closed. I promise not to peak."

Seconds later, the goalie came bounding up to her girlfriend and gently placed the odd shaped gift into her open and waiting hands. For a moment, Setsuna's face scrunched up in confusion; however, once she wrapped her fingers around the object, she smiled as it became clear to her what it was. Now opening her eyes, she tore through the wrapping paper and instantly froze, shocked with what was now lying on her lap.

"This…this is-…" began the defenseman, dumbfounded.

"A Bauer composite right hand stick with the perfect flex-…" interrupted the goalie with a slight giggle, "I remembered from when you told me, that first time we really got to talk to each other after our first team meeting. Hard to find too…I had to get Ayaka to contact the company on behalf of the Yukihiro Corporation to get one. On the plus side, Mahora Academy now has a nice little partnership set up with Bauer…I owe her a lot. Although she did say that she was the one who owed the both of us for getting things rolling and fixed with Asuna…"

Setsuna continued to stare at the exact version of her stick still laying in her lap. Aside from the few marks of wear from the years of use being absent, this was Yunagi. For a moment, happiness came flooding over her. She had her lucky partner back, a phantom limb restored. As that happiness flowed however, in the back of her head there was a nagging pang of guilt still swimming against it. Konoka had been watching and was prepared for this to happen; now it was time for the big guns. Without even being noticed, the goalie went back once again to retrieve the last of her gifts, this one was wrapped up perfectly with a nice little bow on top. She returned to Setsuna, who now took her attention away from the new Yunagi to her girlfriend standing there with another surprise waiting for her. The goalie sent her defenseman a warm smile as she handed over the box carefully, changing to a smirk when Setsuna looked at her questionably. The defenseman now began to unwrap the second gift, once again pausing as she opened the box it was contained in.

"Setsuna…are you, ok?" asked Konoka as she looked at the girl sitting in front of her, who remained motionless.

A tear fell, landing on the glass front of the present laying inside the box. Setsuna's eyes began to fill with more as she took in every inch of the gift before her. There, mounted on a handsome shade of dark oak, was her old stick with the snapping point sanded down nicely. Yunagi was all cleaned up, still bearing the old marks and small dents he had earned over the years with his defenseman, looking as perfect as ever. What really had Setsuna crying now, was what was pinned up in the centre between the two halves of her stick. Her fingers came up and began to brush gently over the glass, being careful not to leave any prints as she looked happily at the picture of her younger self and her mother together.

For at least the third time that night, the defenseman found herself unable to find words, "H-how? Where…did…"

Konoka quickly whipped her own tear away and smiled as she sat down and joined Setsuna on the bed, looking over the mounted gift, "Well, that one I had a loooot of help with. I messaged Mei and Takane about what happened and my idea, and they were totally on board with it right away. They looked through all the old pictures they had with you and even contacted your father to try and find the perfect one, which they luckily found. I also went to Kotaro and begged his forgiveness before asking if he would help me fix up Yunagi and build up a case for it. He looks pretty amazing…I know this new stick doesn't hold the same emotional value as old Yunagi does, but I hope that this keepsake will make up fo-…"

Wordlessly Setsuna carefully put the gift aside and threw her arms around her goalie once more, nuzzling her own face deep into her girlfriend's chest as she felt the tears, this time of happiness, come streaming down her cheeks. Surprised by the sudden movement, it took Konoka a second to react. Quickly, the goalie brought her own arms back around Setsuna to hold her, gently kissing the top of her head as she did. The goaltender felt the small gulps and chokes of her defenseman ridding out her emotions, slowly rubbing at her back as she continued holding and kissing her. After a few moments of little sobs, the defenseman began to say something, forgetting that she was being muffled by the hug and being pressed into the goalie's chest.

Konoka moved back slightly, loosening her hold as she did, "Sorry, I didn't catch any of that."

The now water logged face of the defenseman poked it's way upward, smiling up at the goalie with the cutest look Konoka had ever seen, "Um…I said…that I'm so lucky to have someone like you, and that I really don't know what I ever could have done to deserve you."

Konoka shushed her girlfriend and gave her a warm smile before leaning down kissing her once more, "I was just asking myself the same thing."

After some tear filled snuggles and much needed laughter, Setsuna pulled herself together and got up from her spot on the bed. She made her way over to her closet and mumbled something about not being able to follow up gifts like the ones she just received and promised to make it up to Konoka. The goalie rolled her eyes playfully, saying that it's not supposed to be a competition, and that it's always the thought that counts. As Setsuna grabbed what she needed from its' hiding spot, she let out a laugh and agreed. The defenseman then made her way back over to her goaltender, handing her a large decorative bag as she came to stop in front of her. Konoka's eyes grew wide with wonder as she looked it over, causing the defenseman to laugh as she felt like she was watching a true kid on Christmas. The goalie then began to reach inside the bag, teasing her defenseman by pulling out whatever was inside slowly. Just as Setsuna had finished her eye roll, Konoka finally had the gift out in the open. It was a framed picture of what looked like two different starry night skies. The goalie looked to her girlfriend, who was now sporting a slight hint of red from a little embarrassment.

Setsuna scratched the back of her head, trying not to let the blush grow too much, "I know how much you're into all things fortune telly and astrology based…so I thought it'd be a cool idea to get a picture of the night skies from the early morning on the day we met over your missing book, as well as the one from the night of our first date-…"

Looking down at the pictures, Konoka had then noticed that there were little dates written in beautiful brush strokes under each one. She felt her chest tighten up and her heart starting to beat faster against it as she continued to look over the beautiful picture.

"…-I got the idea from some of the girls in class who told me to hit up the astrology club, they kinda gave me the idea for the next one as well." added the defenseman as she handed her goalie another, smaller gift.

Noticing that Setsuna was failing to keep her blush from spreading, Konoka giggled as she gently took the second gift from her. Upon unwrapping it, the goalie was greeted with a cute little hand carved box made to keep her tarot cards in. As she looked over the fine handiwork, she noticed that there was a small inscription on it, written in a very familiar writing.

"To A Future As Bright As The Stars That Led Me To You"

Konoka was completely overjoyed with how sweet Setsuna's present was. She should have known that anything her defenseman would have given her would be something from the heart; she was definitely the mushy sentimental type, their first date being the prime example. The goalie, still beaming from reading the words Setsuna had so painstakingly placed on the box, got up and gently placed all of their things on the coffee table in the small living room before turning on a dime and diving head first back into the waiting arms of her girlfriend. The two then lay there, snuggling up and happily thanking each other for everything each had received, almost forgetting to come up for air for quite some time. As the evening went on, the girls slowly started to drift off, Setsuna very much welcoming the chance to catch up on some lighter hearted sleep. As both pairs of eyes were beginning to stay shut longer each time they started to close, the defenseman and goaltender said their good nights and wished each other a Merry Christmas before finally falling asleep…for a short time anyway.