Ready to Fall

Chapter 5 All i want for Christmas is you

----- # -----

A kiss beneath the mistletoe

Your face lit by the fire's glow. That's all I want tonight.

And I don't need a hundred gifts beneath the tree.

Don't you know the best thing you could give to me?

Nothing else will do

All I want is you this Christmas

-'All I want is you this Christmas' by N'Sync-

----- # -----

________________________________________

Two months and five days before that cold and empty night…

It was Christmas morning.

Miki's eyes widened when she opened her eyes and saw the colorful boxes at her study table. They were in different shapes and sizes. She browsed through them and checked the tags to find out the sender.

The first box she checked was from her best friend and James. She giggled at the thought that those two were sharing gifts for people, like married couples. They gave her a black alarm clock shaped like a cat. According to the user's manual, she can record her own alarm tone.

Next, she checked a flat box wrapped in red and gold. The tag said it was from Ferry. Inside was a pair of white leather gloves with studs of rhinestones at the wrist. There was another flat box, with a beaded lariat inside. It came from Selena. Every year, she was actually surprised that Selena gives her Christmas gifts. Maybe it was because they did not have a good start, but they have been good friends for almost five years now.

Anna gave her a pair of chandelier earrings, while Nonoko gave her a scented candle shaped like a fairy princess.

There was also one from Mr. Narumi. It was a ribbon choker with a dragonfly pendant.

Youichi also gave her a gift. It was a miniature stuffed black cat dangling from a key chain ring.

Even Mr. Bear remembered her, and gave her scrumptious dark-chocolate cookies shaped like little cats.

For some reason, a black cat is a common theme in her gifts from her close friends.

Is this the new trend this season?

She gave up the thought and proceeded with the other boxes.

Other gifts were from Mark, Karl, some guys who asked her out, and a few from the faculty members.

Miki noticed that none of it was from Daniel.

What was new anyway? Daniel Hyuuga never gave gifts to anyone. Not on birthdays, Valentine's nor Christmas.

She sighed. Why do I feel disappointed? It's not like I'm the only one who doesn't have any gift from him.

------------------------- ----- -------------------------

But she is the only one who has no gift from Daniel.

She found out during lunch that, apparently, Daniel Hyuuga gave his friends gifts for the very first time.

He gave the girls cute hankies of different designs, while he gave baseball cap for the boys.

"What does this mean?" she groaned at the lunch table.

"Miki," Ferry started uncertainly. "Maybe it just got lost when they delivered the gifts to each room."

"You think so?" she asked hoping.