Calmer of the Storm: Hey! I’ve come out with another one! This is a Christmas story…not really all that much romance, but it is a Takari, and maybe some others too…I haven’t decided yet. We’ll see how this comes along.

Cody: Well, that’s what you get for writing things off the top of your head.

Calmer of the Storm: Be quiet, Cody.

Cody…

Calmer of the Storm: Also…if you could find it in your heart to review, please do! sniff It seems that the reviews have been dropping for me…

Cody: Ahem…

Calmer of the Storm: thinks Oh ya…. I don’t own digimon, and I never will….and the song that I’m using, ‘This Christmas’, is by Tobymac. I don’t own it either. Just another note, I don’t know anything about the Japanese culture and how the school system works (though I would like to…) so this will be a little more Canadian/American based.

This Christmas

BRING!

The bell sounded, and the students in the classroom leaped up out of their chairs, some cheering, others couldn’t have cared less. Yagami Hikari gathered her things, and carried them out to her locker. Yes, some of them were over reacting, but she couldn’t help but keep that big smile from creeping across her face.

It was Christmas break, finally. It had seemed like an eternity, but it had come.

In another room, I, Takaishi Takeru got my things and ran out the door. My locker was on the complete other side of the school and I didn’t want to keep Kari waiting too long. Plus, I just wanted to get out of the building as fast as possible.

Just as I was dashing out the door with the other students, someone called my name.

“Takaishi!”

I froze, and turned around.

‘Oh great, what am I getting in trouble for this time?’ I thought.

“Yes?” I replied to the booming voice of the teacher.

“You forgot your math book.”

I blinked. “Oh, uh, thanks.”

I walked over, and took it from Mr. Yoshi’s hand. I then started back for the door.

“Merry Christmas!” I called back, before dashing down the hall.

I ran, dodging people and other random objects. It seemed that everyone was in just as much as a hurry as I was. I turned the corner, and raced up the stairs to my locker.

‘Hikari’s going to kill me…’ I thought.

I exited the stairwell and turned the corner, only to see the petite frame of my girlfriend leaning against my locker. She was reading a book, and it seemed like she had been there for a while.

Noticing me, Hikari closed the book. I hurried to her side, and began spinning the combination.

“You’re late.” she bluntly stated.

“Yeah yeah, I know. Teacher scared the heck out of me, and then the halls were completely jammed packed.” I replied, pulling open the lock. I stuffed his books in the bottom, and grabbed my jacket.

“How’d you get here so fast?” I asked, doing it up.

She reached up and grabbed my o-so-famous hat, and placed it on her head. “I brought all my stuff with me.”

I stopped. “Oh.”

Grabbing my bag, I slammed the locker shut. I grabbed my hat off her head. “Let’s go.”

She only smiled.

The two of us walked outside. The air was chrisp, and there was a chilling breeze.

“Wow, it’s Christmas break already, and we get two whole weeks off school!” I exclaimed.

“Uh huh.” Kari replied.

I looked down at her quizzically. “What’s eatin’ ya?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking about how fortunate I really am, and how much I have that I take for granted.”

I was confused. “Where did that come from?”

“Well, Christmas is only a few days away, and with that, there’s also a lot of focus on the people that have nothing. I know that various churches and organisations gather things to give to people who are homeless or can’t afford things. I overheard a conversation between my Mom and yours. They were talking about something that has to do with the orphanage, you know, the one outside town? I’m not sure what, but it got me thinking.”

I nodded. “And what is it that you have that you think you take for granted?”

“Well, I have a family, and a roof over my head. I get meals three times a day, unless Tai has cleared out the refrigerator, but that’s beside the point, I can have pretty much everything I wanted, and I have wonderful friends. Then, there’s you, and I even have a little weird looking cat that is from a completely different world. A lot of people don’t have those kinds of things.”

“I’m sure it doesn’t matter to people whether or not they have a digimon, and there’s only one of me to go around, and I’m all taken.”

Hikari sighed, but couldn’t hide the smile.

“That’s what I thought.” I said.

We continued walking, until we reached Hikari’s building. We went up to the eleventh floor, where her apartment was. She pulled out her key, and opened the door.

“Looks like no one’s home. Oh well, they know where I am, or at least who I’m with. Let’s go.”

She dropped her stuff in the front hall, and went back outside to where I was waiting. “Okay, off to your house.”

I was silent for a moment as we entered the elevator. I had just remembered something that my Mother had told me.

“Now what’s on your mind?” she asked.

“I just remembered; Mom said that she had some sort of surprise when I got home…I don’t know what she could have, I mean, Christmas is so close…”

“Oh well, I guess you’ll never know until we get there, right?”

“Right.”

As we headed down the block to my house, it started to snow. This added to the stuff that was already there.

An evil idea entered my mind. I hung back a little, as I noticed that Hikari was still deep in thought. I subtly bent down, and grabbed a handful of snow. Quickly, I packed it together in a ball, and took aim.

Smack! It hit her right on the back of the head.

Hikari wheeled around. “TAKERU!!” she yelled.

I erupted into a fit of laugher.

She rushed at me, and tackled me. This caused us both to come crashing down to the ground. She grabbed some snow, and smeared it all over my face. Needless to say, my face turned numb.

“Hey! That’s cold!” I yelled, still laughing.

“That’s what you get for messing with a Yagami!” she boasted, getting off of me.

“Yeah, whatever. Anyways, we should get going, we’ve wasted enough time.”

“Hey, you’re the one who started it.”

I just rolled my eyes.

Smiling, she held out her arm for me. I took it, and we continued walking.

At last, Hikari and I reached my house. I unlocked the door, and found that my Mother was home, which was odd for her.

“Takeru! Good, you’re home. Hello Hikari, it’s nice to see you.” she greeted. She had this happy tone of voice, and it made me a little nervous. I still wasn’t sure what she had planning. Christmas was only a few days away, so I knew it couldn’t be any kind of present, which just confused me even more.

“I think the two of you had better sit down. Like I said earlier, I do have a little surprise for you.”

I stole a glance at Hikari, who looked just as confused as I was, if not more. Shrugging my shoulders, I walked to the couch. Hikari followed.

My Mom entered the room, but didn’t sit down.

“Now, T.K.” she said, using my nickname, “do you remember when I asked you to buy that toy for me?”

I nodded my head, still not getting it.

“Well, I’m sure you are very confused as to why I asked you to do it, and also as to why it is under the tree.”

To tell you the truth, I hadn’t really noticed what she’d done with it. Actually, I had completely forgotten about it. I waited to hear what she would say next.

“Well, as you know, I went to do an article on the orphanage outside of town. It was to look into the program that they were holding. The program is to get the kids into some homes, to spend a real Christmas in. As I went through, I saw some of the children there. They take really good care of them, I must admit, but they said that it would be a nice chance for the kids to get out and experience a family for once. I just mostly smiled my way through, but then one little boy caught my eye. The poor boy was just sitting there. I asked about him, and it turns out that he’s been there a few years, and the people just pass by him. I was about to leave, I was in the parking lot actually, when I just had to go back in. I said that I’d like to take him for a few days, and let him spend Christmas with us.”

I nodded, taking it all in. Beside me, Kari was also rather silent.

“So, Takeru, I’d like you to meet Jonnie.”

My Mom turned, and there behind here, was a little boy. He was about nine years old, and was very shy. He didn’t say anything; he just started at us with his big, green eyes. Those eyes seemed to carry a lot of hurt, especially for such a young boy. My heart immediately went out to him, and I decided, right then and there, that this would be the best Christmas he’s ever had.

It was only about four o’ clock, so I offered to take Jonnie out and show him around. Kari, of course, thought that it was a wonderful idea. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she had already fallen in love with the little boy.

He was slightly reluctant, but he was just nervous. After my Mom had told him that it would be nice, he obediently followed us. We got our things on, and headed out. As we entered the elevator, I noticed that Jonnie had grabbed Kari’s hand. I smiled at the sight. I also noticed that the boy seemed so enthralled by the whole ordeal. Though he still hadn’t said anything yet, I knew that he was becoming more comfortable.

As we exited the building, I tried to strike up a conversation.

“So, Jonnie, is there anyplace that you would like to go?” I asked.

He stopped, and began to think. He looked at me a moment, then replied, “The park.”

I was slightly taken aback by this. I was expecting another suggestion, like the toy store or to get some candy or whatever else nine year old boys like. I looked at Hikari, who shrugged and said, “Why not?”

I too shrugged. “Let’s go.”

The three of us headed off to out destination. I watched as Jonnie took everything in. I suddenly began to realize the things that I took for granted, and the irony of my conversation with Hikari barely an hour earlier.

The soft voice of my girlfriend broke me from my thoughts.

“Well Jonnie, we’re here.” she told him.

I saw the look of awe on his face as he looked around. There were a few other people here, some couples out for a walk, some with dogs, some jogging, some just out alone. Jonnie looked as though he was experiencing these things for the first time, and I’m sure he was.

We walked around a while, and as we did, Jonnie began to open up more. It was just a little at first, but I soon realized what a chatter box the kid could be. Soon, we were sitting on one of the park’s many benches. It was getting rather cold, so we huddled close together, with Jonnie in between Kari and I.

Jonnie reached into his pocket, and he pulled out a piece of paper. It was a picture of a man, standing outside some kind of door. It wasn’t very good, as he was only nine, but I could see (sort of) the meaning behind it.

“What is this?” Hikari gently asked him.

He looked up at her. “This is the man that I see sometimes when I fall asleep. He’s the man that will come and take me home someday. He’s gonna be my daddy.” There was a slight hope in his voice, yet I also noticed that there was a tinge of sadness to it.

By now, it was getting late. The stars had not come out, as they were veiled by a thick blanket of fluffy clouds. Still, it was a nice night.

Just as we were about to leave, Jonnie turned and asked me a question.

“Do you believe in angels?” he asked.

I was a little thrown off by his question, but I began to think about it. I smiled as I remembered my old friend, Angemon. I smiled at the things that we did together, and what we shared. I remembered how he had protected me and fought for me, even if it meant sacrificing himself for me. Even then, he always came back to me.

“Yeah”, I replied, “I believe in angels.”

I looked down, but Jonnie wasn’t looking at me anymore. Instead, he was starting strait up, at the overcast sky. I noticed the look in his eyes. It was one of…hope. It seemed that he just needed someone to be there for him, and listen to him once and a while.

I felt an arm encircle my waist, and as I looked down, my eyes met with the shining ones of Hikari. She had a bright smile on her face, which is always contagious. Soon, the three of us stood there, all smiling at the sky.

I’m assuming that we looked pretty silly there, but it didn’t matter.

“Well, I guess it’s time that we go…it’s getting late, and it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow.” I said.

“Yup, can’t have tired little boys on Christmas eve!” Kari added.

I smiled, and we headed towards her home.

“Where are we going?” asked Jonnie. He obviously picked up on the fact that we weren’t going the same way that we had come.

“Well,” I answered, “we have to be gentlemen and walk Kari home. We can’t have a lady walking all by herself.”

Hikari giggled lightly at the comment.

Jonnie just scrunched his nose. I could tell he really didn’t understand. Oh well, that would come with time.

We reached the Kamiya apartment, and we stopped outside. I noticed that Jonnie was busy looking over the balcony, and I seized the moment. I turned to Hikari, and stole a quick kiss from her lips. It was not like the one I would have liked, but it was better than nothing.

Parting, she gave me a hug. She also gave Jonnie one too, as well as a small peck on the cheek. I think he liked it by the smitten look that was left. Finally, she turned and entered her home.

After the door closed, I took Jonnie and we headed for the elevator. The boy insisted on pushing all of the elevator buttons, so we stopped at every floor.

“Hey T.K.?” he said, as we were finally on our way down the main floor.

“Yeah?” I was surprised that he knew my name, but then I remembered; Mom.

“Do you think that that girl could do that again?” he said with a smile.

I laughed, and ruffled his hair. “Only in your dreams, buddy! And her name’s Kari.”

“And why’s that?” he asked, still smiling.

“’Cause she’s only got room for one man in her life, and that’s me!” I laughed.

I got a rather amusing look from little Jonnie; he had his nose scrunched up, and he furrowed his eyebrows. I don’t think he liked what I had said. But after, he broke out in a smile too.

Yeah, life is good. I finally get a chance to play the big brother, for once. It’s a rather nice feeling.

That night, Jonnie fell asleep as soon as he had hit the bed. I had to admit, that I was also very tired. It had been a long day, but a good one too. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep, with many thoughts running through my mind.

The next day also flew by very quickly, which was a surprise to me. Usually Christmas Eve is one of the longest days on Earth, but this one, was rather quite short. I took Jonnie out again, and we met with the whole gang; or at least those that were there.

I think that Sora also fell in love with the little boy just as fast as Kari had. It must be a girl thing…

It was really neat to see the sparkle that was in that boy’s eyes. I’m sure he hadn’t played with anyone like this for a very long time. I watched as Taichi and Yamato almost killed the poor kid, but he looked like he was having a good time. I felt a gentle squeeze on my hand, and smiled. I didn’t have to look over to see who it was.

As the day drew to a close, I brought Jonnie home. All the others had also parted, save for Kari. My Mom had promised that I could have a little time alone with her for a while, as she would be leaving on the twenty-sixth, and Christmas is always a busy day.

“Okay Jonnie, I’ll be back soon, I just have to walk Kari home.” I told him.

“Can I come too?” he asked.

I sighed, “Sorry Jonnie, but I need to do this alone. I promise, I’ll be quick.”

I could see the disappointment in his eyes as I told him this, but he didn’t protest any further.

Just as we were leaving, He popped around the corner. “Can I have another kiss then?” he asked. His eyes were bright, and he had the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on his face.

This only made everyone laugh, as Hikari leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. There was no way she could have refused him.

“Hey, what about me?” I whined, mockingly. She only stuck out her tongue.

We took a little ‘detour’ through the park, just to take a little more time. I hade her gift in my pocket, and I had planned on giving it to her. Something told me that she had mine with her as well, but I wasn’t about to jump to conclusions.

We stopped by the same bench that we had with Jonnie the day before, though we didn’t sit down.

“Hikari”, I started. She just looked at me. “I know that I won’t be seeing you tomorrow or a few days after that, so I’m going to give you this now. It’s your decision when you open it.” I reached into my pocked and revealed a small box. It wasn’t a really expensive gift, but I knew that she would like it, or at least, act like she did.

“Takeru, you didn’t-”

I silenced her with a finger, and placed the box in her hands.

Slowly, she began to open it. She shoved the paper into her own pocket, and carefully opened the box. I saw her face light up when she did so.

Inside, was a simple necklace, with just the first letter of her name dangling from it. I didn’t think it was such a big deal, but obviously, she did. Immediately, she threw herself around my neck. I have to say I was a little disappointed that she didn’t kiss me, but I shrugged it off.

“Thank you”, she whispered.

“Merry Christmas”, I replied.

She finally let go of me, and reached into her own pocket.

“Now I’ve got something for you.” she said with a grin.

She too produced a small box from her pocket, though it was bigger than mine had been, I really had no idea what it could be.

I noticed the unusually large smile on her face, which intrigued me.

I ripped the paper off, and stuffed it into my jacket. Opening the box, I laughed. It was a watch. This was a running joke between a few of us, and I’m always late or asking for the time. I too, gave her a hug.

After I let go of her, I just looked at her. I wasn‘t going to let her go until I got my kiss. I leaned in, but she ducked.

“Hey!” I protested.

She smiled mockingly at me.

“How come Jonnie gets one and I don’t?” I whined.

Her smile only grew, and she pulled me into a soft, sweet kiss. She then released me with a smile, and I walked her home.

I made it back home a little later than I had expected, though the other didn’t mind because they were busy singing. I noticed that there were a few more voices that there should have been; two to be exact. It seemed that Matt and Dad had joined us.

Unlike other divorced couples, the tension wasn’t there between my parents. Yeah, they still fought sometimes, but they realized that they just couldn’t live together. Now, they are more friends than anything else.

It was funny, seeing Jonnie singing his little heart out. Saying that he wasn’t a good singer would be lying; there were no words to describe how horrible he sounded, at least together with everyone else. Oh well, it was the thought that counted, right?

I decided I may as well join in. It’s not like anyone would have heard me or anything…

When everyone had left, Jonnie ran strait to his room, and got changed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid so eager to go to bed before. Just as I looked out the window, it started to snow.

I went in to his room, and read him a Christmas story; the real Christmas story, where baby Jesus was born in a manger. He stayed awake during the whole thing, as he was interested at how it ended. I don’t think he’s ever heard it before.

After, he finally did go to sleep. I knew that he’d be waking up early, so I decided to hit the sack then.

Just as I had expected, I was brutally awakened by the little monster. All I remember was that he mercilessly jumped on top of me, and then proceeded to jump on my bed. Now I know how Yamato felt…

Groggily, I dragged myself out of bed. I pulled on a shirt, and went onto the family room. To my surprise, Mom was already there. She saw me, and handed me a cup of coffee. I hate coffee, but for that morning, it was necessary.

Once we were all relatively awake, the presents started to come out from underneath the tree. I was handed a small one, which was obviously a CD of some sort. I waited to open it. Jonnie pulled out a huge one, and was delighted to find that the name on it was his. Taking absolutely no care with it, he ripped the shiny paper off. I heard the squeals of delight as he pulled out a large yellow truck. Immediately, it had to come out of the box, of course. Carefully and slowly, much to the boy’s dismay, my Mom took it out.

In the end, the room was covered in boxes and paper, and filled with smiles.

Maybe giving is better than receiving.

That day was filled with lots of things; toys, food, and smiles. I think Christmas is one of the only times of the year when everyone can come together and finally be happy, even if it’s just for a little while. I mean, even during the wars, the soldiers would stop on that one day, and meet without intending to kill. Now, what does that tell you?

It was the day after Christmas, and though things were still going on, it was a sad day for us. It was the day that Jonnie had to go back to the orphanage. The car ride back was very silent, and the atmosphere was very dreary and foreboding. It was a real damper on the whole thing. I guess I should have prepared myself for this better, as I really began to think, not intentionally, that Jonnie was going to be with us forever. This just brought the cold, hard reality upon me that he wouldn’t.

When we reached the orphanage, I noticed that there were others there, too. Some of them were smiling, as I’m sure they really had found a home. We gathered Jonnie’s things, and brought them to the front desk. A woman came to take him back to his old room.

I looked down at him, and saw that there were tears in his eyes. This broke my heart, and I couldn’t hold the tears back either. I got down on my knees, and gave Jonnie the biggest hug ever. It seemed to last forever, and I really wish it had. I think the woman was getting impatient, as I saw the annoyed look on her face as I stood up.

“Jonnie, I promise to visit you, and write to you too.” I told him. He only responded by nodding.

She took his hand, and led him down the hall. Just as they were about to disappear around the corner, Jonnie turned and gave me the biggest smile ever. He waved furiously to me and my Mom, so we waved back.

“Merry Christmas, T.K.!” he shouted as they rounded the corner.

I smiled.

It was around New Year’s, and a certain little boy was playing in his room with his yellow truck. The woman, whom he’d grown to rather dislike, entered his room. He looked up, and stopped playing. His little mind wondered what he was getting in trouble this time for.

“Jonnie, come with me. There is someone here to see you.” she said, then left.

Obediently, Jonnie complied. He trailed behind her as she led him down the twisting corridors of the orphanage.

They entered a large room, where two people were sitting. There was a man, and a woman, and they were both smiling. The young boy was confused, and didn’t know what was going in.

And for once, and only once, the woman who had brought him looked at him and smiled.

“Jonnie, I’d like you to meet your new parents.

A few weeks after Christmas, we were getting ready to go to school. I really did not want to go back. I guess I know how Jonnie must have felt when we brought him back. I had gone back to visit him, on New Year’s Eve. He looked really happy to see me. Kari and some of the others had come with me, and that little boy managed to get another kiss from Kari. Imagine that, my girlfriend…geez.

I was getting ready to go out and meet with the guys, when a letter on the table caught my attention. It had my name on it, but there was no return address. Curious, I picked it up. I carefully opened it, and pulled out the single piece of paper that was inside.

Carefully, I unfolded it. There were no words at all on the letter, it was simply a picture. I immediately recognized it, too. It was the same picture that Jonnie had shown me when he first came, except there was a slight alteration to it. The man was still standing outside the door, but this time, there was a little boy holding onto his hand.

I smiled.

Merry Christmas!!