A Christmas Treat - For Nuki

A Christmas Treat</u>

"This was a great idea, Moko-chan!" Sakura exclaimed as she hung tinsel by the window.

The tiny creature giggled mischievously. "Yuuko came up with the idea! She thought we could use some cheer." Mokona bounced up onto the girl's shoulder to tie a soft pink ribbon with bell onto her neck.

"Oh, thank you, Moko-chan! It's so cute. I have something for you too."

"Damned witch," Kurogane grumbled. "Probably made up this whole thing just to get more presents." He continued hanging garland and muttering more curses at one Time Witch.

"Aww, you're such a grouch, Kuro-grumpy!" scolded Fai from the fireplace. He was busy hanging stockings from the mantle. "Put a smile on!"

The brunet glared at him. "No."

"C'mon!" he moaned, sliding up to him. He poked the ninja's cheek. "Smi-le Ku-ro-frown-y-face."

He smacked the blond's hand away. "Get lost!"

"Tada~!" came Sakura's triumphant cry, interrupting the peaceful adult time. "Here it is!" In her hands was a strange black device with what looked like a light, a hole in the middle and a slot at the bottom.

"Ooohhh, what's that, Sakura-chan?" Fai questioned, prancing over to get a better look.

"It's a camera!" the princess replied cheerfully. "One of the shopkeepers told me about it! You push this button here," – she pointed to a button near the light – "and it takes a picture. The picture comes out this slot," – she point out the thing on the bottom – "and then you can view it any time! And the light is only used what it's dark so the image is clear." She smiled brightly, proud to have found such an interesting device.

"Oh, fascinating," Fai cooed.

"Let Mokona try!" The white fluff ball snatched up the camera, pointed it at Syaoran who was putting a gold star on top of a pine tree and snapped a shot. The flash startled the poor boy, causing him to nearly fall off the ladder. Sakura gasped and ran over to see if he was alright.

The picture slid out of the slot and Mokona pulled it into its grasp. The ball of mischief frowned and the black image for a moment before it cleared and showed the perfect picture of Syaoran just as the star was placed on the tree.

"Ah, that's a great shot, Mokona!" Fai complimented as he looked at it.

Mokona giggled. "Mokona is a master photographer!" It snapped another shot, this one of Kurogane just as he put a bit of stuffing in his mouth. The joyous pair proceeded to laugh madly at the moment they had captured.

Kurogane's resulting glare could have liquefied metal. His hand tightened into a fist, crushing the remaining food. His voice became a threatening growl, "You two…"

Fai giggled merrily. "What's the matter, Kuro-chan? You're face is even grumpier than usual!"

"Give me that picture."

Fai took it out of Mokona's grasp and turned it to face the angry ninja. It was one of the most comical things to ever be captured within the writings of this group of strange people. Unfortunately, a certain wizard hi-jacked the story and erased all information regarding the image. What exactly the image is must be left to the imagination. Regardless, it was certainly something that a particular dark haired man would never wish to see published.

"What, this picture?" the blond teased.

Kurogane howled – sounding remarkably like an overgrown puppy – and proceeded to chase after the giddy mage who had obviously spiked the eggnog. It wasn't a long or elaborate chase like many tend to be. No, it was a simple one, with Fai waving his arms and laughing as he ran and Kurogane shouting things that many a person took them the wrong way (he was loud enough the neighbors heard him).

Finally, the skilled Fai catcher managed to corner the poor wizard between the dining room table and the wall. He slammed his hands on the wall beside the blond's head and panted like a mad dog.

"Give. It. To. Me," he said through clenched teeth.

Fai was unfazed. In fact, he wasn't even looking at Kurogane. His gaze was directed upwards and an awed expression on his face. He pointed at the object dangling above their heads. "Oh look, Kuro-pi. Mistletoe!"

"Huh?" He looked up himself and saw a sprig of green leaves surrounding small red berries. "What the hell is mistletoe?"

Mokona giggled madly from its place on the table – Syaoran and Sakura were still caught up in each other but as they are not important to this story it is not necessary to follow them.

"Yuuko lent it to me!" the joyous creature exclaimed. "It's a Christmas decoration. She said that any two people who are under it at the same time have to kiss!"

The trio was silent for a minute before the information finally sets in. Kurogane was the first one to break it.

"WHAT?!"

The mage's face broke out into a smile that said he knew about the whole situation all along. He swiftly locked his long limbs around the ninja's neck and sang, "Aww, how sweet! Pucker up, Kuro-cake~!"

"What?! No-!" He was abruptly silenced by the sloppiest kiss he would ever experience in his life. His mouth was viciously attacked by the expert lips of the other man. He tried to gasp in a breath of air and ended up with a mouth full of tongue. Just as he almost thought of giving in, a bright flash destroyed the moment. The pair jerked away from each other and turned to look at the source of the disturbance.

The familiar chuckle of the world traveler drew their eyes to the dinner table. In its little paw was the most adorable picture of Kurogane and Fai kissing that the group had seen. (Granted, there was only one other but the red eyed man had been asleep at the time but those are only minor details.)

Needless to say, Kurogane was not pleased. His voice dropped back down into a growl. "Why you little…"

And thus the chase began again, with the fluff ball running, the ninja chasing and the mage pursuing the ninja in hopes for a repeat with the mistletoe. The trio slept well that night not even noticing as a wise old man visited their temporary home and dropping off a gift for each. His eyes sparkled with knowledge about the extra gift a certain pair had given themselves that night.

Thus ends the group's Christmas.