A Very Wriggle Christmas
Oracle!iB/oZWEbQI 2011/12/25 (Sun) 10:46
No. 274
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File 132480998761.jpg - (250.92KB,
566x800, SantaBugintheSnow.jpg)
A Very Wriggle Christmas (Working title)
Note: Quasi-canon, as while this exact series of events aren’t canon, the personalities and general dynamics are. The part about Wriggle sharing a bed with Yuki in the winter is canon, though.
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Brrr, it’s a cold morning... at least Wriggle’s still nice and warm. Turning, I take a look at the magistone heater and see it's run out of power; I fire a small fireball at the red panel on it, and it turns back on. I should thank Ginji for the alterations made to it allow me to do that. I guess I can stay in bed until it warms up some more; there probably isn't anything I need to get up for. Christmas was something added to Gensokyo somewhat recently by Lady Yakumo, and people liked it due to the spirit of kindness and time with family.
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It’s much warmer now... I can faintly hear some talking; I think I heard “...get up.” Right now, I only hear the sound of Wriggle being content, until “...are you two making me grandchildren yet?” WHAT!? Oh...
I check to see if Wriggle's alright. “Wriggle, are you okay? I’m sorry, but my mother-”
“I’m alright... I woke up as soon as you did.” Oh good; her cute green plaid pajamas weren’t affected. “We should get dressed and see what’s upstairs, if your mother wanted to get us moving by saying such a thing.” She blushes as she finishes talking.
We get changed in the same room. One thing I've gotten used to, with Wriggle living here for the time being, is seeing her in her underwear, usually a cute green bra and panty set. She’s become fond of teasing me about the blushes I get when I end up glancing at her in the middle of changing. Time to change topics before I get too sidetracked.
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We head upstairs and find breakfast fully ready, and presents in front of the window that looks upon the tree that ‘mom’/Lady Yuuka got us. She’s a bit like my mother and Wriggle, insisting that I call her some form of mom.
We sit down to eat, and after being served I say, “Mother, there are better ways to wake us up than using such a remark. Someone could have gotten hurt.”
Father adds, “Honey, what did I tell you about making such remarks? The more you try to rush them, the more they’ll resist. Besides, today’s a day about being together, not rushing your kids into having grandchildren.” It must be hard on Father, having to deal with mother like this.
“I’ve actually calmed down about that; I just said it as I knew it’d jolt him awake. Not that I could blame him, but it wouldn’t be right to spend Christmas in bed. And I apologize, Wriggle.” Mother answers. She adds, “But enough dwelling on minor incidents; there are presents after breakfast!”
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After eating and clearing the food, we move the presents onto the table. Father’s the first to hand us his presents. Mine seems pretty long... I wonder what it is... Wait, it’s the complete chronicles of the Heike/Genji war, including all the fantastic tales of each of the important figures. I remember Father had this in his personal library, and as a child he used to read it to me! “Father, how did you get these books? I thought they were rare.”
“Well, when I noticed you liked them, I decided to start copying them in my free time. It might have taken me about 3-4 years, but seeing your reaction just now made it all worth while.” He spent that much time on my present? I was going to value them highly already, but this makes them priceless.
Wriggle opens her present; it looks like she got a few books on the Shinsengumi. “I figured you’d like stories about them, though luckily they weren’t as rare as there’s no way I could have copied them in time for today.” Father remarks, chuckling.
“Thank you, Papa. I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.” As Wriggle responds, I notice Father look as if he were restraining himself.
She notices. “I’m sorry, but since Mama insisted I call her that, I felt I should do the same to you. You're like the father I never had.”
“I’m not upset... just surprised by how cute it sounds,” Father answers.
Mother hands us some more presents. “Lady Akyuu had these dropped off last night, and she wanted Wriggle to open hers quickly.”
While Wriggle works on hers, I open mine to find the books that Miss Keine's had taken notes from, with a note saying, “Good thing one of my past lives was good at magic; she was the one that got these books. With those memories, copying these was easy even with the magic limitations I ran into. Then again, if I trained like you or Marisa did, I’m sure I’d be able to read them normally. I hope you have a Merry Christmas with Wriggle, Yuki. Your favorite little sister figure (right?), Akyuu.” I chuckle at the note; even if she’s busy with her family, it’s like she's right here with us.
Wriggle opens hers but doesn't take anything out, and blushes. She looks at me with a smile then takes it upstairs, leaving everyone wondering what Lady Akyuu got her. After a few minutes she comes back down in a christmasy dress that even has a cape... and a skirt that’s mid length, which shows her lower legs are covered in some sort of stocking. I guess that’s to help keep her warm. She takes a seat at the table, remarking, “I can get used to dresses if they’re like this, though I still prefer pants.”
“I’m not sure if that present was directed more to you or to Yuki.” Father observes.
Mother adds, “That suits you very well, Wriggle.” As for me, I can’t help but blush at the sight.
Wriggle looks at me and asks, “Are there really a thousand ways to compliment me, Yuki? I know there’s that outsider saying about a picture saying a thousand words.”
I can't help but laugh, and answer, “Even if there wasn’t, I’d still try to come up with that many.”
“Now open mine.” Mother commands. We do so, and I end up with various recipes and cleaning instructions, including one entitled “How to Clean Your Sheets in the Wake of Your First Time.” M-m-mother! What are you doing giving me that?! She notices the look on my face and adds, “I figured these would be nice and useful in the future, and there are some messes a man must clean up himself.”
I look over at Wriggle and her face is almost as red as her dress. “Something wrong?” I ask, dreading the answer.
She answers, “She got me some rather... um, feminine night clothing.” I think a bit about what she means... Oh wow... I remember seeing such things in some of Kamui’s stuff. The mental picture I have is pleasant to say the least.
Mother remarks, “I figured I’d get her something for when the mood strikes her right. And she should try out some feminine night clothing in addition to normal clothing.”
The silence is a bit awkward until I hear some knocking at the door. I go to open it, hoping to clear my mind. As the door opens I see Kamui and Kurumi with some presents, though Kurumi’s daylight cloak is red instead of the usual blue or purple. I invite them in and lead them to the table. “Yo! We’re just dropping off some stuff for Yuki and Wriggle before we go back to dad’s house.” Kamui remarks.
“Cute dress, little sis. It’s nice to see you trying out some skirts. And here’s a dress I got for you.” She hands Wriggle a box, which she opens to find a nice dress with suspenders in a shade of green, similar to Kurumi’s but with slightly shorter sleeves and skirt.
She also pulls out a pair of shorts. “What are these?” Good question, as they seem to be of a different material than most.
“Sport shorts. I managed to get a pair from the junkman who told me some girls liked to wear them under their skirts. I figured it’d help you wear dresses easier, and I think they’d be good by themselves.” Kurumi answers.
I open the box Kamui got me and it turns out to be some sheet music, with footnotes about how to play each note. I take a look at the lyrics, and it turns out they're written not only to praise Wriggle, but also to compliment me for noticing her and more or less helping her out. “Yeah, I figured I couldn’t use the original so I decided to pass it on to someone who could. Don’t you still have that flute you used to mess with?” Kamui asks.
“Yeah, I still have it and the instructions filed away.” It was more a sort of bargain I decided to mess with as a kid but was too busy with it to really bother. Guess it gives me something to work on.
“I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve got to get back to dad’s house. But Merry Christmas!” He said as he and Kurumi started to leave.
But before much time passes, there's another knock at the door. This time, Father leaves to answer it, and returns with Ginji who's carrying a machine and some boxes. “Here’s an improved heater. I made it so you can hook it up to the original one and do better job of heating the room.” He says while putting the boxes down before taking the heater to my room.
I open the boxes marked with my name, and see a sort of gun like the one he uses. It’s different though, as there’s another item in the box. “I figured you could use a focus to help streamline your casting, though I don’t think it’d be as effective as a traditional spell.” Ginji explains how it works, including what goes on behind the mechanics of the mana condenser, which was the other item. I understand it pretty well; Ginji is pretty good about translating technical terms for non-tech people. “Yeah, and I ran into the little dragon lady and she wanted me to pass on a bug book to Wriggle.” He adds.
Wriggle receives a little beetle toy which is more like a tank than an insect in addition to the book. She inspects it closely before remarking, “I’m impressed; this seems to emphasize a beetle’s strong points.”
“I was going to try making a figure of that red robot you seem to like, but it’s a complete pain in the ass to make. Rika was bored due to the winter slowing down her progress, so she decided to research other ideas and after seeing a beetle, she figured she’d look up ways to work its strengths into her design. I think that might be related to the flying tank project she’s planning on doing after she completes Evil Eye Omega. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy Christmas, and be sure to tell me if there’s any problems with the presents,” Ginji says as he starts to leave.
“After what happened, you don’t want to keep family waiting, after all,” Father remarks.
“Yeah, and I’d rather not intrude upon family time. That and I should hurry before Rika gets some crazy idea. If I had completed the customizations on the new heater sooner, I’d have brought it by earlier.” Ginji leaves soon after.
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After Ginji left, Wriggle and I went downstairs to test out the heater while Mother started to prepare things for lunch and dinner. We sit on my bed, chatting about a few things.
“I’m going to tell Mother about Papa’s gift to you, as I don’t think she’s ever heard of any humans going through so much work for another person freely. I think she’ll be coming by later today, too.” It was a little surprising for me, too; I never thought Father was working on a present this far down the line.
I’m a bit concerned about the whole dress up thing, though. “You don’t need to wear that too often, even though I think it’s cute.” I don’t think Lady Akyuu’s eye for fashion will ever cease to amaze me.
“I don’t mind as I like it myself, and I don’t mind dressing up for occasions. I especially don’t mind dressing up for you.” She hugs me to emphasize that point. We enjoy the snuggle until we heard some noise from upstairs.
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We go upstairs to find Kazuma and Merlin, who’s wearing a sort of santa outfit that really seems to do little for warmth. They were dropping some stuff off in the kitchen. I hear Mother ask, “Isn’t that outfit cold? I know it’s different for you, but I’m concerned anyways.”
“Well, I forgot my jacket, and Kazuma could warm me up when we get back.” Merlin responds, causing Father to choke on his tea and Mother to giggle. I’m not sure what’s so... oh, this is Kazuma and Merlin here so it’s not so surprising. I remember her wearing a similar outfit but with a jacket when they, ah, “played” at the Inn a couple weeks back.
“I take it he has a nice present waiting for him tonight then?” Mother asks, starting to chat with Merlin.
Kazuma comes back in with some boxes. “I dropped off some dried feral ram meat, as I figured you could use it to make a nice dinner. I also included a couple of blankets made from their wool. Oh, and this is for you, Wriggle.” He hands her an envelope, and inside it are some pictures. It looks like they're of Wriggle's spellcards, except for one that has my attack on it. “Hatate asked me to give those to you; she said they were good practice for developing photos.”
“Thank you, Kazuma.” Wriggle and I both say.
“Honestly... both me and father spent the morning talking, since Merlin spent some time with her sisters, and Miss Aya and Hatate are spending time up on the mountain for most the day. I have no idea what’s going on, but from the sounds of it, the Oracle wasn’t able to come for Christmas. Dad wasn’t happy about that at all.” He glances at Merlin before continuing. “I’m going to give her a few more minutes; as much as I hate hurrying things, I don’t want to let the meat at my house cook for too long or Dad might do something embarrassing.”
Wriggle asks, “That sounds terrible; isn’t there anything you can do about that?” Yeah, my sentiments exactly. The love triangle between the Oracle, Aya, and Mr. Yaguu is always wearing to deal with.
“Yeah, be on the lookout for a little girl with big horns, as from what I’ve overheard, finding her should set things back on track. Can’t you do that with your insects, or try to?”
“I’d try, but you’d have to wait until the spring. I want to help them all out, as Yuki’s told me about them.” I remember I had been thinking about it one day when she asked me about it, and I had no reason to refuse. That, and I think it’s something every adult knows but doesn’t talk about. If I were in his shoes, I don’t think I could have handled things as well as Mr. Yaguu has, even in the wake of certain recent incidents.
“Thanks, and have a merry Christmas with each other.” Kazuma answers as he and Merlin start to leave.
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We go back downstairs with the blankets to test them out. “This is very warm... I think he got us two just in case I have to go back home.” Wriggle remarks. Between this and the heater, I don’t think we’d be too cold even on mornings like this one. “I remember he asked me a couple of months back if I was affected badly by the cold. He was thinking about it even back then.” I nod, and she glances away briefly before continuing. “You don’t like outfits like Merlin’s more, do you?”
“Not really, as it’s not you and between all the times we change in the same room...” I respond, feeling my cheeks heat up.
She giggles. “I shouldn’t have gotten upset, as I know Kurumi has a similar outfit. I think she also has an overjacket to hide it if Mother drops in to visit; she wouldn’t be amused by that sort of outfit at all. I’d like to think what I'm wearing is more in line with mother’s preferences, something tasteful and elegant.”
“Oh, really?” We both turn towards the stairs to find Lady Kazami walking down them. “My, what a remarkably clean room; definitely different than what I expected of a man. Not a day goes by that I don’t find some sort of magazine or book laying on the bed or the floor,” she adds, smiling despite the implied annoyance. She looks at Wriggle, and remarks, “It was the young Lady Hieda that got you that outfit? I can't recall any other person who could make such a design be made without being told in detail.”
I notice she's wearing a festive outfit of her own, a red plaid instead of plain red. The way the jacket, skirt, and caplet layer creates a very tasteful, elegant appearance, yet doesn't really hinder anything about her appearance. “Wow, did we miss you knocking?” I ask, momentarily forgetting who I was talking to.
“Oh, I was knocking gently and not boorishly. I just arrived to drop off my presents and to see how my little Wriggle and her snowflake were doing. Alice also insisted on giving you each a doll. Arthur’s back at home playing with her at the moment. Despite her attitude, she’s very much like any other little girl with a doting big brother.” At this moment I notice a little red-haired doll in her arms with a little jacket just like Arthur’s. Unlike Hourai, it’s made in more a plush, cutesy manner instead of being life-like.
Wriggle notices. “That is cute, you mean she made a doll based on Yuki? Are the presents upstairs? Oh, I’m sorry Mother!”
“Oh don’t be, even I was in a state of girlish glee upon seeing this little hero before me. But yes, they are upstairs; I did not mean to intrude upon your moment and I was planning on talking with Kasumi for a while before heading back home. I’m thinking about having a gathering sometime in the next week. I hope you two enjoy yourselves.” Lady Kazami hugs Wriggle, then me. “Such a cute, humble snowflake,” she remarks while giggling as she heads back up stairs.
Wriggle giggles as well when we go up to get our presents.
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Upstairs, we open our presents to find a red scarf for Wriggle, who is overjoyed. “It’s just like the one Kamen Rider wears! Thank you so much, mother!” After putting it on, she unwraps a gift with a tag saying it's from Lily White, and inside is another dress, this one light green with a firefly pattern. I'm reminded of that festival night a while back, and I wonder what Wriggle would've looked like if she'd had this dress on.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I open my gift to find a vest in blue plaid with ... a motif that amounts to basically snowflake flowers. The dolls are also there, and while cutesy are rather nicely detailed with regard to our normal outfits, though mine already seems to be wearing my new vest. I resist the urge to hug the doll, especially since the real thing is so close. We head back down stairs as not to disrupt our parents while they’re talking.
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We put the dolls on my desk side by side, and notice it looks like they’re holding hands. We sit down, and Wriggle resumes giggling. “I’m sorry, but you’re always so surprised when mother shows affection, that and Alice and Arthur are really like a brother and sister.”
“I’m not sure what you’d make of my experiences with Marisa or Lady Akyuu then.” I reply.
“Oh, I have an idea about it, but Akyuu is a special girl and I’m glad to have gotten to know her.” Wriggle replies.
We sit down and start reading her Shinsengumi book until dinner. Over the meal, we chat about the various guys and events we read about. After about an hour's worth of reading and talking, I decide to take a walk to see what’s going on.
As soon as I'm upstairs, though, I find Mother and Father getting ready for something. “Oh, I was about to tell you that your mother and I were invited to a small party with the other older adults over at the inn.” Father remarks.
As they leave, Mother adds, “Dinner should be done shortly, and I left instructions on how to prepare it for leftovers. You two have fun now, and don’t forget the mistletoe!” I go back down to the basement and tell Wriggle what happened.
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I attempted to handle dinner by myself, but it was difficult until Wriggle came to help. Mom must really be good at this sort of thing if she can do it by herself. “This is sort of like training,” Wriggle remarks.
“Well, I don’t want you to do all the work though.” I respond.
“I don’t mind being your housewife at all, just as long as I can still go out and have fun.”
“Why would I ever deny you that? It would disrupt one of the things that makes you you,” I respond as we finish.
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Dinner goes very well and we chat about various things, then spend time with each other on the couch, sometimes chatting other times just enjoying each other. This went on until she says “Merry Christmas, Yuki,” and kisses me. Wait, the Mistletoe’s near the middle of the house.
“But there’s no mistletoe!” I respond just on reflex.
She giggles, “Silly! I don’t need that to kiss you, just a good moment. You know, I wouldn’t mind if you returned the favor.”
A good moment? Here’s one if any, and I hold her before kissing her back rather passionately. “Merry Christmas, Wriggle.” I notice her face is blushing, and she's panting a bit.
“Wow... that must have been a great moment.” With that remark we both start laughing uncontrollably. I’m sure the rest of the night will be great.
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”With the holidays, the most important things aren’t the gifts but the thoughts behind time and time with loved ones. The memories and sentiments from them are far more priceless than any mere item.”
-Y.Kojima
Notes: Yeah, this turned out longer than I had planned and with some unexpected work this week, I wasn’t able to do the second part like I wanted. It was basically a Momiji PoV story that has her enjoying Christmas quietly until a rather drunk Aya comes by to annoy her, and Hatate drops by to attempt to keep Aya in control and fondly wish Momiji a nice holiday.