Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ A Way into My Heart ❯ All I Want for Christmas is You ( Chapter 2 )

All I Want for Christmas is You

 

Snow was falling, coating the ground with a few inches of snow. Of course, the train had been slow that day, what with it being both snowy and a few days before Christmas. People were all around, holding brightly wrapped gifts, chattering about plans with family and other things. Seated by the window, Iwamura Aiko glanced out the window as the train slowed to the station she needed to get off at.

 

Home again, I guess, She thought, grabbing her suitcase and the bag of gifts she had put together last month so she wouldn't have to rush and get people things. Not much had changed about the girl in the past few months. Living in Tokyo hadn't been the easiest thing in the world, but she had managed so far. Her roommate, Yukina, was a real sweetheart and knew the city backwards and forwards, which helped when the Kobe native got lost.

 

“Aiko!” Stepping onto the platform, she smiled to see Auntie standing there, waving her chubby arms frantically to gain the attention of her niece. Laughing, Aiko hurried across the way to the car.

 

“Hello Auntie!” She hugged the older woman, careful to keep her things balanced while doing so. It was a talent Aiko had gained from all the things she usually carried around. To say that going through the Nursing Program was hard was an understatement. There had been little time for sleep in the past few months and the light circles beneath her brown eyes were evidence enough that she had enough on her plate. Yet she still smiled, something she had stuck with through her years in Kobe. It was something that wasn't going to be lost easily.

 

“Let's get you home, dear!” Auntie clucked as she opened the trunk, helping Aiko put the bags into it before the two piled into the car, pulling out from the station and towards the apartment complex they lived in.

 

“It's snowing really hard,” Aiko commented softly, her cheek pressed against the cold window as she gazed out it sideways, keeping one eye in front of her and on Auntie's driving. She loved the old woman but didn't trust her completely. I remember last time it snowed this hard…

 

“He's coming Jun!” Aiko was laughing, jumping up and down before her friend, clutching the letter close to her chest. “My father's coming to town for Christmas!” The blond did a little dance, her eyes shining.

 

“Really?” Jun gave his usual half-smile, turning from his locker as he grasped the Geometry book in his hands. “I didn't know you two still stayed in touch.” Aiko had shared parts of her past with Jun before, though most of the details were blurred and the lines between the truth and the lies she told herself were hard to see. But she looked too happy and felt too great to notice the concern his voice had for her.

 

“We're going to go for coffee on Wednesday!” There were so many things on her mind. How should she wear her hair? Could she wear that new top she found while shopping with Michi last weekend? There were too many butterflies in her stomach to notice the doubt that crept into her mind.

 

Come Wednesday, she was ready, seated in the little coffee shop only a few blocks from her house. The snow was falling hard now, the thick clumps perfect for snowballs. She stirred her coffee with a silver spoon, watching the doorway for the man from her memories. Minutes passed, then an hour, then two. Her coffee had gone cold as evening slowly set into Kobe.

 

He didn't come…

 

There was bitter disappointment welling up inside her chest as she felt her heart breaking. Standing, she paid for the coffee, stepping into the snow as she forced herself not to cry. But it was so hard! She walked, hugging her arms close to herself, not sure where she was going until she ended up at the door to the Saboru household. With a trembling hand, she knocked on the door.

 

Jun's grandfather answered. Aiko gave a polite bow, trying hard to smile. “Hello Saboru-kun. Is Jun-chan home?” She didn't have to hear the answer as her friend appeared in the doorway only a moment later, having come down to see who had come to the door.

 

“Aiko-chan, what's wrong?” She knew she must have looked a mess, with watering eyes and a red nose to boot. She sniffed, feeling the burning in the back of her throat. “He didn't come…” It was all she could say before bursting into the tears she had held back for so many blocks.

 

There was a moment when she felt foolish for coming to Jun only to burst into tears. The thought of turning away was one she almost took, until she felt a small touch of his hand on her shoulder. He pulled her into a light embrace and, for a few moments, Aiko let herself cry, forgetting about the cold and the idea that she had to always be happy.

 

“I'm glad you're my friend, Jun,” She whispered, once she had finished with the first round of tears, knowing she would end up crying later. But that was how life went, wasn't it?

 

“Home!” Auntie's voice pulled Aiko out of her memories as the car pulled into the parking space. “Your Grandfather will be so glad to see you!” The girl smiled at the prospect of seeing her Grandfather as she grabbed her bags, heading into the building she knew as home.

 

***

 

The days before Christmas had been pure hell as the Iwamura family got ready for the party being held at the Wong household. It was don each year and, since befriending the Wong daughter, Michi, the Iwamura family was always invited. Usually, Aiko didn't take a ton of time choosing something to wear, not when it was going to be old friends and family. Except there was one old friend she wanted to look nice for.

 

Will Jun be there? Butterflies filtered into her stomach as she ran a brush through her hair, deciding to leave the long and slightly curled locks down for the night. Departing from Kobe hadn't been the smoothest move she had made. Kissing Jun and running off had been a horrid idea. She regretted doing it, though not for the reasons people might think. She regretted not telling him, rather leaving probably Jun just as confused as she was right now.

 

The past months had felt empty. She missed seeing her friends, but mostly, she missed being around Jun. He wasn't always open with his feelings, nor did he ever really show them often enough, but sometimes Aiko got to peek behind his masked emotions. She loved him still, after seven months apart from him. They had been seven painful months.

 

“Aiko!”

 

“Coming!” Jeans and a fuzzy red sweater. Bell earrings tinkled as she hurried out of her room, throwing her coat on as she rushed to catch up with her family.

 

***

 

“Aiko-chan! Eeep!” That was the greeting at the door as Aiko almost staggered backwards, nearly knocked over by the force of the hug in which she received from Michi. The brunette was smiling at Aiko, looking her over for a moment before hugging her again. “You came! I wasn't sure if you'd be coming home for Christmas or maybe even staying in Tokyo!”

 

Those were the beginnings of a series of so many questions as Michi linked her arm through Aiko's. For almost a half hour Michi and Aiko talked, laughing and joking as though a day hadn't passed since they had last seem one another. Then Aiko glanced up. And her eyes met azure ones across the room. Her breath hitched in her throat as she stopped, lips parted slightly as she tried to find her breath once again. Michi, noticing this, glanced over her shoulder. Seeing Jun, she shook her head. “Go talk to him,” It was an order, not a request. So Aiko was left alone as Michi left.

 

Aiko and Jun stood away from one another, gazing across the room for almost a full five minutes before Aiko plucked up her courage, She moved through the people, forcing a small smile to her lips as she greeted her friend. “Jun-chan! I wasn't sure if you were coming tonight!” If things had been normal, she might have reached out and hugged him, or even touched his hand. But she kept herself from doing anything like that, though it was hard.

 

“I didn't know you'd be here,” He said softly, shrugging his shoulders, a hand moving to adjust his glasses. “How's Tokyo?”

 

“Fine…” The conversation trailed off as the two stood in awkward silence. Finally, Aiko broke it. “Wanna take a walk outside?” Jun blinked, then nodded his head as he followed Aiko. She grabbed her coat, Jun grasping his own before he stepped forwards, opening the door so she could get out before following her.

 

Snow was still falling, having already covered the ground with so much snow that children were surely going to be happy by the time morning came. The perfect Christmas present from Mother Nature. The two walked in silence, going down the steps of the Wong house before they went down the street. Streetlights light the way, their dim light glowing against the white snow.

 

Aiko racked her brain, trying to find something to break this uncomfortable silence between them. Anything she thought of wasn't right though, discarding so many notions and ideas. As she opened her mouth, Jun cut her off.

 

“I've missed you, Aiko,” She stopped, pausing in the middle of the sidewalk, a light frown creasing her brow as he turned around, facing her. “I wish you would have called…maybe written…”

 

“I could say the same for you,” Aiko responded, folding her arms across her chest. “It's not like you tried either!” The frustration she had felt through these past few months was surfacing and she hated feeling that way.

 

“You just left, Aiko…” Jun trailed off, shoving his hands into his coat pockets, letting out a long breath. Steam puffed from his mouth, turning his face from hers, his gaze off somewhere else.

 

“I had to leave Jun!” She insisted, gnawing lightly on her lower lip for a moment. “There were so many reasons…the main one was you…” Jun looked startled, turning back to face her as she continued hurriedly. “You see, for the longest time, I've…well, there were things that I knew wouldn't work. It wasn't fair to stay when I knew I would only end up heartbroken…”

 

Her heart was beating against her chest, knots forming in her stomach as she looked firmly down at the ground. “I love you, Jun…” These last words escaped in a whisper and a sigh. “I know you probably don't feel the same way but-” her words were cut off quickly as her chin was tilted up. She had been so focused on the ground, she hadn't even seen him move over to her.

 

“You didn't even bother to think I might feel the same way?” His face was so close to hers. She could feel his light breath on her cheeks, her lips. “Idiot…but that's why I love you.” Before she could respond, his lips had slanted across hers, sending emotions flying her and there.

 

Their first kiss hadn't really been a kiss like this. The swift one she had given before was nothing like this. This was what Aiko had wanted to taste, to feel, and to know. He smelled like the snow he seemed to enjoy so much, the winter that was his favorite time of year. Yet he was warm, something having melted some of the snow to reveal a heart beneath the ice.

 

They parted lips, both breathing a little differently as they observed one another with slight smiles. Aiko unfolded her arms, wrapping them around Jun's neck as she buried her face into his shoulder, feeling his arms pull her into an embrace.

 

“Did you know,” Jun whispered against her hair, closing his eyes, “all I want for Christmas is you?”

 

Aiko tilted her head upwards, letting a laugh escape her lips. “Know what?”

 

“What?”

 

“We're standing underneath mistletoe,” With that, she caught his lips again. It was cold outdoors, but neither one seemed to mind. And, for once, Aiko had to agree that she enjoyed winter very much.