Chapter 12

"Morning, Natsukiiii!" Sayori called, running up to meet her friend.

"Hey, Sayo." Natsuki nodded in greeting as the two now made their way towards the school.

"So it looks like we get the next two days off for Christmas! Isn't that cool?" Sayori grinned, giggling.

"Yeah. That means you gotta give Monika that present today, though." Natsuki smirked.

"And you've gotta give Yuri that tupperware full of blueberry cookies in your bag." Sayori nudged her.

"H-How'd you know?!" Natsuki said, defensively gripping her bag to her chest as if Sayori could see straight through it.

"I have a sixth sense when it comes to your cooking, remember?" Sayori laughed as Natsuki blushed deeply.

"Say, since we're getting their gifts today, wanna go ahead and give each other our gifts today too?" Sayori suggested.

Natsuki shrugged, unzipping her bag as Sayori did the same, stopping at the curb.

Natsuki and Sayori held the gifts behind their backs and counted to three.

Sayori held out the scarf, while Natsuki outstretched a new sky blue beanie.

Sayori gasped, grinning widely as she snatched the hat and placed it on her head.

She twirled around Natsuki, wrapping the scarf around her neck as she did so.

"Thanks, Nat!" Sayori hugged her friend tightly.

"Yeah yeah. Thanks, too..." Natsuki blushed, hiding her face behind the scarf while crossing her arms over her chest.

They laughed, continuing their trek to school side by side.

~~~

"Oh! Yuri!" Sayori said once they arrived, having spotted the quiet, mysterious girl.

"Oh, h-hello, Sayori.. H-Hello, N-N-Natsuki..." Yuri said the last part very quietly, blushing softly.

"H-Hey, Yuri." Natsuki waved, blushing as well.

"We got you something!" Sayori said, slinging an arm around Natsuki's shoulders while the shorter girl huffed in annoyance, shrugging her off.

"Y-You did?" Yuri asked, smiling softly.

"Yeah!" Sayori said, reaching into her bag.

She handed Yuri three books she had gotten from her bookshelf, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

"I didn't know if you'd read 'em or not, but I thought maybe you'd like something like this!" Sayori explained.

"Why, t-thank you, Sayori." Yuri said, taking them into her arms.

"Nat got you something too. Right, Nat?" Sayori teased with a smirk, watching her friend tense.

Natsuki shakily reached into the bag, pulling out a plastic bowl filled to the brim with small blueberry cookies of different shapes.

"B-Blueberry... M-My favourite." Yuri said softly as Natsuki set them atop the books in her hold.

"R-Really? I had no idea." Natsuki lied, zipping her bag back up.

Sayori giggled softly, slowly backing away to let the two talk some more.

"Sayori..." Monika said, catching the girl's attention.

Sayori spun around to face Monika, making the older girl's breath hitch in her throat.

Sayori seemed cuter than usual; strawberry blonde hair sticking out beneath a sky blue hat, her bye eyes sparkling from the white of the snow, and her cheeks and nose pinkened from cold.

"H-Hey, Monika." Sayori smiled at her as Monika's heart worked double time.

"I... um... G-Got you something..." Monika said, remembering the reason she had stopped the beauty in the first place.

"M-Me too!" Sayori squeaked.

Both girls blushed, smiling timidly at one another.

Monika reached into her bag, Sayori hastily following suit as they pulled out the gifts.

"I, uh... D-Didn't have much and didn't know what to get so... I-I couldn't get you something fancy... I'm sorry..." Sayori said, holding out a bouquet of green daisies.

Monika's eyes twinkled as she slowly reached towards it.

"I-It's perfect... Thank you..." Monika said softly, blushing deeper as she sniffed them.

"T-This is for you..." Monika said, not taking her eyes from the flowers as she held out the small, wrapped gift.

Sayori tore through the paper cautiously, gasping as she saw what it was.

"Oh, Monika.. I-I can't accept this... I-It probably cost a lot of money a-and I'd feel bad taking this if I can't pay you back." Sayori explained, giving it back to Monika.

"Please? I got it for you. I-I don't expect you to pay me back, honest. It's a gift." Monika pushed it back against Sayori's chest.

"Okay...I-If you insist..." Sayori blushed deeply, her heart fluttering from Monika's kindness.

She quickly surged forward, wrapping her arms around Monika for a tight hug.

Monika blushed, her eyes widening as she hesitantly hugged back.

She inhaled deeply, taking in Sayori's coconut scent to savor the moment.

"Thank you, Monika. It's the best present ever." Sayori said, smiling into her shoulder.

Monika just smiled, closing her eyes as she sighed in contempt.

"So, um.. I-I was thinking of having a... C-Christmas party... If you wanted to come..." Sayori said as she pulled away, pressing her fingers together.

"S-Sure! When is it?" Monika asked.

"Oh, i-it's tomorrow... J-Just come over whenever." Sayori instructed.

"I will. Bye, Sayori!" Monika waved, detirmined to head to class before the bell rang.

"Bye!" Sayori called after her, her heart racing wildly.

~~~

(Here's a perspective change I bet no one was suspecting for this chapter!)

Natsuki slowly opened the door of her house, listening for her father.

She sighed in relief, hearing his soft snores from the couch in the den.

She quietly made her way up the stairs, not looking back as she locked herself in her room.

"Just write the note, and leave." Natsuki told herself.

Natsuki had only stopped by her house for some fresh clothes and such before she would leave for Sayori's house until after the new year began.

She knew her father wouldn't mind, since he kicked her out on a regular basis as it was.

"Papa.
I'll be back soon.
Cupcake."

Natsuki signed the note with her old nickname, one that she knew (even in his heightened state) he would understand meant her.

Natsuki set the note on the kitchen table, along with the new ashtray she had bought her father for the occasion, before slipping silently out of the house with her bag over her shoulder.

~~~

"Hey, Nat!" Sayori said as she opened the door, attacking Natsuki with a tight yet unreciprocated hug.

"Hi Sayo." Natsuki shrugged her friend off, shrugging past her desperately to get out of the cold.

"I hope you don't mind but I totally invited Yuri over tomorrow." Sayori said quickly, having behind her couch to avoid the beating Natsuki was sure to give her for it.

"You did what?!" Natsuki growled, her face red from embarrassment and rage.

She seized Sayori by the wrists, struggling against the strawberry blonde as she swung her legs wildly to kick her.

"Ow! Hey! Ouch! Lay off!" Sayori called, pushing Natsuki away as best as she could to avoid gaining any severe damage.

"What the fuck, Sayori?! You knew I would be here tomorrow!" Natsuki grumbled as her barrage of (failed) attacks came to an end.

"That's why I did it!" Sayori said as if it were the most obvious statement ever.

"I can't believe thisss....." Natsuki groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Yup!" Sayori popped the p for emphasis, "She and Monika will be over anytime tomorrow. So no sleeping all day!"

"Oh? So Park's gonna be here too, huh~?" Natsuki now teased with a smirk.

"S-Shut it!" Sayori slapped her lightly on the arm.

"I bet you can't wait, eh? What'd the plan? You gonna trap her with some mistletoe so y'all can tongue wrestle?" Natsuki mused.

Sayori gasped, hiding her face.

"Natsukiiiiii! Don't say things like that!" Sayori whined, her face heating up at the mere thought of kissing Monika.

"What? You prefer swap spit? Play good ol tonsil hockey? Suck face?" Natsuki said with a laugh.

Sayori screamed as her mind became overwhelmed with mental images of her and Monika doing said idea.

Ohmigod... if ONLY I could kiss Monika... That'd be amazing...

"Not gonna happen!" Sayori nudged Natsuki roughly in the ribs, making the shorter girl grunt as the air was pushed put of her.

"Yeah yeah. We'll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out." Natsuki winked, a hand over her chest where she had been jabbed.

Sayori rolled her eyes, yawning as she made her way up the stairs.

"Well, couch is all yours. Don't stay up all night, don't steal all my food, you know the rules." Sayori shrugged as she neared the top.

Natsuki made a sound of reply, relaxing on the couch and dozing off.

Sayori clicked her door shut as she suppressed a scream.

Thoughts of Monika and those thin, pink, smooth, perfect.... lips of hers clouded her every waking thought.

Why did Nat have to say all that?! Whyyyyyy?

She flopped backwards onto her bed, bouncing a bit before she eventually came to a stop, staring at the ceiling.

"Monika...." Sayori whispered as she nodded off, the emerald eyed beauty consuming her psyche to its very core.

(Did anyone notice the significance of Natsuki's present? Maybe relating to... another of my books..? *wink wink nudge nudge* Comment if you did ;3)