It's been a while since I've posted any fic here, hasn't it? Anyway, I decided this Christmas I'd write a seasonal fic, and I had two choices: A Christmas Carol, retold with Giovanni instead of Scrooge, and an original character fic, with a more original storyline. As much as the world could use another one of my infamous non-sequitur Giovanni fanfictions, I decided to go with the second choice, mainly because my school's fall play got me Christmas Carol-ed out. A little overview of my characters: Nekou is my original character (not at all based on me! Seriously!) and Hitoshi... well, if you've seen the Himeno manga, yes, it's THAT Hitoshi. Every other character in this story is, well, the same as they are from the show.
(And for fans of my Giovanni fics, fear not- the same weirdness has crept into this story.) Enjoy!
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Chapter 1
It was a cold, snowy December night in Celadon City, and Christmas was in the air, so much you could not only see and hear it, but feel, taste, and smell it. Lights gleamed from the department store, as holiday shoppers rushed in and out. Among this crowd was Nekou and her longtime boyfriend, Hitoshi.
"Hitoshi, you are officially the greatest boyfriend I have ever had. This was terrific!" Hitoshi, arms full of packages, looked over to Nekou. "What do you mean, Nekou? I'm the only boyfriend you've ever had."
"Exactly," Nekou replied to him, somewhat cryptically. "Either way... it was so great to spend the day shopping with you." She stopped. "But," she said, lowering her voice- though she realized it would hardly be heard by any of the busy shoppers that surrounded them, it was still best to take certain precautions- "explain to me again how you got Namba to let you get off today?" The idea of not having anything to do was common to Nekou- her department, Covert Ops, rarely ever did anything of consequence in the chilly winter months, and she was frequently forced, as with her colleagues, to either end up doing everyone else's work, or find some other means of killing time. However, Hitoshi, being a lab Rattata, as was the common nickname for those unlucky enough to find themseves running errands for Research, was pretty much always busy, and the idea of "spare time" was foreign to most of them. Especially with Namba around.
"We're about to get that taken care of," Hitoshi said, smirking. Inside, he wondered how he was going to break it to Nekou there would be no anniversary gift the next year. And I'd been saving since September, but I blew it all on a few hours Christmas shopping... Hitoshi thought... If Namba would just give me that raise I've been asking him about...
"Oh, no, Hitoshi, you didn't..." Before she could say anything else, Hitoshi grabbed her hand, and ran quickly through the crowd, nearly knocking over several shoppers before finally slowing down. "Hito- what are you doing...?" Nekou's shock was cut off by the fresh shock of feeling a stabbing pain in her shoulder. "Kali..." Her ever present Sneasel, her constant travel companion, was clinging to her, panicked. "You really can't do that, girl. You know that."
"Problem, Nekou?" Hitoshi asked.
"Nah, Kali was just... acting up again. But who understands those things, anyway? I mean, she's rode on my shoulder since I don't know when, and... well, I'm not even sure I know what the heck she's up to sometimes. Now, what ARE we doing, anyway?"
Her question was answered when Hitoshi ducked into a small storefront. The smaller shops in Celadon were dwarfed by the huge department store, and if you blinked, you'd miss them. "What is this place?" A delicious smell wafted through the establishment.
"If Namba's to be believed, the best coffeeshop in Celadon City," Hitoshi replied.
"Oh, no, Hito, you didn't...'
"Hey, the way to Namba's heart is through his stomach. Said he'd let me go if I brought him back a dozen of this place's Christmas gingerbread men. I guess they're really good... I dunno, who knows what he's ever thinking?"
"Well," Nekou said, "the coffee here really smells delicious, and we could all use some caffiene now... how about some lattes, my treat?" Hitoshi gave her a somewhat sad look. Nekou immediately knew why. By her rank's standards, Nekou was pretty well off, though she had no idea why- Covert Operations, being the most disorganized department of Team Rocket by far, never really had any directors, a fact accepted by all for some reason. As a result (which has yet to be understood by anyone, including the author), Giovanni found himself reluctantly taking all of middle management's responsibilities. They were field agents in everything but name and the occasional recon job.
This would be why Nekou's comparably high pay was a mystery. Pacifists weren't normally accepted in Team Rocket. Especially not of the excessively cheerful variety.
Hitoshi, on the other hand, was frequently broke. By theory, he was a "lab assistant". By practice, he was "Hey! You weird blonde! Go get me some coffee!". Hence, he wasn't really paid much. Research paid in terms of the scientific method- the amount of money you found yourself paid was directly proportional to the amount of science you found yourself doing. Hitoshi (aka Weird Blonde) was positive using the crappy coffeemaker in the break room was a science unto itself, but alas, could not convince Namba of such. So was fixing the printer. Or the mecha. Or Namba's car. Apparently, being a grease Mankey wasn't a science either.
Needless to say, Nekou always felt kinda guilty treating Hitoshi to things, when she knew he wanted to do the same for her.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Hitoshi. If you don't want anything... that's fine too. We can just get the cookies..."
"Nah, it's fine, Nekou. Coffee would be great... I'll go find the table, you can go order at the register."
"Okay," Nekou said, as Hitoshi wandered off to get a table. He sat down, and sighed. If Nekou could move up in the two short years since she'd joined Team Rocket, why couldn 't he? He'd been around far longer, and still hadn't seen even the slightest pay raise... Over the speakers, Frank Sinatra crooned Christmas carols. Oh the weather outside is frightful...
Nekou sat down next to Hitoshi. "Hey, Hito, cheer up! It's Christmas!"
Hitoshi looked up at her. "Yeah, guess you're right... still, things are so hard on me right now..."
"Yeah, but we all go through our tough times once in a while. Hey, they say now's a time of miracles... one just might come to you."
"Aw, look, a pair of snowbirds," A waitress had finally arrived at their table. "Let's see... Sneasel girl... You'd be the one who ordered two grande lattes and a dozen cookies, right?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Well, it just so happens we have a special this month. Buy a latte, get a free Christmas cookie. They're world famous, you know." The waitress handed them each a paper wrapped cookie. Hitoshi's was a star shape; Nekou's was a tree, complete with little candies for the ornaments. "I'll be back later with the bill," she said.
"Well, Hitoshi, I guess we can finally find out if Namba's-" Hitoshi was already halfway through his cookie before she could finish her sentence. "Men," Nekou sighed. "These really are great, Nekou. They're almost magical, you know, how good they are. And... minty."
Nekou bit into her cookie. It was very tasty, with a hint of peppermint. "I've never had cookies like this before," she said, continuing to take little nibbles of the confection in direct contrast to Hitoshi's gluttony. She gazed out the window, as the snow blew about... An Articuno snowfall, they called it in Cerulean City, where she lived... and it was said that magic could happen on this night...
A pretty children's tale, she always figured, but kinda sentimental. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was some magic in the world... at Christmastime, at the very least...
"Hey, Nekou," Hitoshi said, between sips of his coffee, "where's that Sneasel?"
"Huh? Kali?" Nekou looked furiously at either side of her, and under the table. Kali was nowhere to be found. "Kali..." She heard some shocked gasps. Looking in their direction, she realized Kali was vainly clawing at the glass on a display of some baked good. She managed to squint enough to make out "Gourmet Cat Treats" on the sign over the display through her foggy glasses. Nekou shot up from her seat and dragged the angry Sneasel back to their table. She hadn't been this mortified since some snotty Elites found her dream diary and agreed together that it'd be funny to post the entries on the MySpace of a certain Black Tulip... God, it took her weeks to live THAT one down.
Only at least her bizzaro subconcious wasn't being revealed to the enquiring minds of half of Team Rocket this time around. Still, Kali's misbehavior was just as embarrassing to her as a Sneasel trainer...
"Kali, those treats look tasty, but they're for Cat Pokemon. You're a... cat-rabbit-thing. I'm not sure that counts." Kali gave her a sad look. "Here, have some of my cookie." She broke off a bit of it and the Sneasel proceded to gratefully munch away at it. "Man," she said to Hitoshi, who was trying to comfort her, "I really wish I could understand Pokemon. They're so..."
"Irrational?" Hitoshi asked.
"Yeah, that's the word," Nekou said.
"At least you have a chance to use yours," Hitoshi said. "The last time I got to use Charizard was when Namba told me to go and burn some documents." Nekou didn't ask why, though she was puzzled. With Research, it was really best not to. "And then he said I didn't burn them fast enough... I don't care what he thinks anymore, at this point, though." Nekou put her arm around him. "I just wish I could pick up some more money soon... maybe a holiday bonus, you know?" The waitress returned to their table. "You guys enjoy the food?"
"Oh, it was wonderful," Nekou replied. "And those are the most delicious peppermint cookies..."
"Did you say peppermint?" the waitress asked. "Well, it's your lucky day, then. We only make 20 of those a day... they're wishing cookies."
"Wishing cookies?" Hitoshi asked.
"Yes. When you eat them, you make a wish, and it'll come true. It's an old family tradition. Sign here," she said, pointing to the line on the bill. Nekou did so.
As they left the cafe, Nekou couldn't help but think about what the waitress said. Wishing cookies... And the Articuno snow. No, Nekou thought, there's no way. Tales like that may entertain the wee ones at the yuletide, but Nekou knew reality all too well. There was magic in the world... just not enough for people like her and Hitoshi.
...to be continued...
(And for fans of my Giovanni fics, fear not- the same weirdness has crept into this story.) Enjoy!
*********************************************************
Chapter 1
It was a cold, snowy December night in Celadon City, and Christmas was in the air, so much you could not only see and hear it, but feel, taste, and smell it. Lights gleamed from the department store, as holiday shoppers rushed in and out. Among this crowd was Nekou and her longtime boyfriend, Hitoshi.
"Hitoshi, you are officially the greatest boyfriend I have ever had. This was terrific!" Hitoshi, arms full of packages, looked over to Nekou. "What do you mean, Nekou? I'm the only boyfriend you've ever had."
"Exactly," Nekou replied to him, somewhat cryptically. "Either way... it was so great to spend the day shopping with you." She stopped. "But," she said, lowering her voice- though she realized it would hardly be heard by any of the busy shoppers that surrounded them, it was still best to take certain precautions- "explain to me again how you got Namba to let you get off today?" The idea of not having anything to do was common to Nekou- her department, Covert Ops, rarely ever did anything of consequence in the chilly winter months, and she was frequently forced, as with her colleagues, to either end up doing everyone else's work, or find some other means of killing time. However, Hitoshi, being a lab Rattata, as was the common nickname for those unlucky enough to find themseves running errands for Research, was pretty much always busy, and the idea of "spare time" was foreign to most of them. Especially with Namba around.
"We're about to get that taken care of," Hitoshi said, smirking. Inside, he wondered how he was going to break it to Nekou there would be no anniversary gift the next year. And I'd been saving since September, but I blew it all on a few hours Christmas shopping... Hitoshi thought... If Namba would just give me that raise I've been asking him about...
"Oh, no, Hitoshi, you didn't..." Before she could say anything else, Hitoshi grabbed her hand, and ran quickly through the crowd, nearly knocking over several shoppers before finally slowing down. "Hito- what are you doing...?" Nekou's shock was cut off by the fresh shock of feeling a stabbing pain in her shoulder. "Kali..." Her ever present Sneasel, her constant travel companion, was clinging to her, panicked. "You really can't do that, girl. You know that."
"Problem, Nekou?" Hitoshi asked.
"Nah, Kali was just... acting up again. But who understands those things, anyway? I mean, she's rode on my shoulder since I don't know when, and... well, I'm not even sure I know what the heck she's up to sometimes. Now, what ARE we doing, anyway?"
Her question was answered when Hitoshi ducked into a small storefront. The smaller shops in Celadon were dwarfed by the huge department store, and if you blinked, you'd miss them. "What is this place?" A delicious smell wafted through the establishment.
"If Namba's to be believed, the best coffeeshop in Celadon City," Hitoshi replied.
"Oh, no, Hito, you didn't...'
"Hey, the way to Namba's heart is through his stomach. Said he'd let me go if I brought him back a dozen of this place's Christmas gingerbread men. I guess they're really good... I dunno, who knows what he's ever thinking?"
"Well," Nekou said, "the coffee here really smells delicious, and we could all use some caffiene now... how about some lattes, my treat?" Hitoshi gave her a somewhat sad look. Nekou immediately knew why. By her rank's standards, Nekou was pretty well off, though she had no idea why- Covert Operations, being the most disorganized department of Team Rocket by far, never really had any directors, a fact accepted by all for some reason. As a result (which has yet to be understood by anyone, including the author), Giovanni found himself reluctantly taking all of middle management's responsibilities. They were field agents in everything but name and the occasional recon job.
This would be why Nekou's comparably high pay was a mystery. Pacifists weren't normally accepted in Team Rocket. Especially not of the excessively cheerful variety.
Hitoshi, on the other hand, was frequently broke. By theory, he was a "lab assistant". By practice, he was "Hey! You weird blonde! Go get me some coffee!". Hence, he wasn't really paid much. Research paid in terms of the scientific method- the amount of money you found yourself paid was directly proportional to the amount of science you found yourself doing. Hitoshi (aka Weird Blonde) was positive using the crappy coffeemaker in the break room was a science unto itself, but alas, could not convince Namba of such. So was fixing the printer. Or the mecha. Or Namba's car. Apparently, being a grease Mankey wasn't a science either.
Needless to say, Nekou always felt kinda guilty treating Hitoshi to things, when she knew he wanted to do the same for her.
"Oh... I'm sorry, Hitoshi. If you don't want anything... that's fine too. We can just get the cookies..."
"Nah, it's fine, Nekou. Coffee would be great... I'll go find the table, you can go order at the register."
"Okay," Nekou said, as Hitoshi wandered off to get a table. He sat down, and sighed. If Nekou could move up in the two short years since she'd joined Team Rocket, why couldn 't he? He'd been around far longer, and still hadn't seen even the slightest pay raise... Over the speakers, Frank Sinatra crooned Christmas carols. Oh the weather outside is frightful...
Nekou sat down next to Hitoshi. "Hey, Hito, cheer up! It's Christmas!"
Hitoshi looked up at her. "Yeah, guess you're right... still, things are so hard on me right now..."
"Yeah, but we all go through our tough times once in a while. Hey, they say now's a time of miracles... one just might come to you."
"Aw, look, a pair of snowbirds," A waitress had finally arrived at their table. "Let's see... Sneasel girl... You'd be the one who ordered two grande lattes and a dozen cookies, right?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"Well, it just so happens we have a special this month. Buy a latte, get a free Christmas cookie. They're world famous, you know." The waitress handed them each a paper wrapped cookie. Hitoshi's was a star shape; Nekou's was a tree, complete with little candies for the ornaments. "I'll be back later with the bill," she said.
"Well, Hitoshi, I guess we can finally find out if Namba's-" Hitoshi was already halfway through his cookie before she could finish her sentence. "Men," Nekou sighed. "These really are great, Nekou. They're almost magical, you know, how good they are. And... minty."
Nekou bit into her cookie. It was very tasty, with a hint of peppermint. "I've never had cookies like this before," she said, continuing to take little nibbles of the confection in direct contrast to Hitoshi's gluttony. She gazed out the window, as the snow blew about... An Articuno snowfall, they called it in Cerulean City, where she lived... and it was said that magic could happen on this night...
A pretty children's tale, she always figured, but kinda sentimental. Still, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was some magic in the world... at Christmastime, at the very least...
"Hey, Nekou," Hitoshi said, between sips of his coffee, "where's that Sneasel?"
"Huh? Kali?" Nekou looked furiously at either side of her, and under the table. Kali was nowhere to be found. "Kali..." She heard some shocked gasps. Looking in their direction, she realized Kali was vainly clawing at the glass on a display of some baked good. She managed to squint enough to make out "Gourmet Cat Treats" on the sign over the display through her foggy glasses. Nekou shot up from her seat and dragged the angry Sneasel back to their table. She hadn't been this mortified since some snotty Elites found her dream diary and agreed together that it'd be funny to post the entries on the MySpace of a certain Black Tulip... God, it took her weeks to live THAT one down.
Only at least her bizzaro subconcious wasn't being revealed to the enquiring minds of half of Team Rocket this time around. Still, Kali's misbehavior was just as embarrassing to her as a Sneasel trainer...
"Kali, those treats look tasty, but they're for Cat Pokemon. You're a... cat-rabbit-thing. I'm not sure that counts." Kali gave her a sad look. "Here, have some of my cookie." She broke off a bit of it and the Sneasel proceded to gratefully munch away at it. "Man," she said to Hitoshi, who was trying to comfort her, "I really wish I could understand Pokemon. They're so..."
"Irrational?" Hitoshi asked.
"Yeah, that's the word," Nekou said.
"At least you have a chance to use yours," Hitoshi said. "The last time I got to use Charizard was when Namba told me to go and burn some documents." Nekou didn't ask why, though she was puzzled. With Research, it was really best not to. "And then he said I didn't burn them fast enough... I don't care what he thinks anymore, at this point, though." Nekou put her arm around him. "I just wish I could pick up some more money soon... maybe a holiday bonus, you know?" The waitress returned to their table. "You guys enjoy the food?"
"Oh, it was wonderful," Nekou replied. "And those are the most delicious peppermint cookies..."
"Did you say peppermint?" the waitress asked. "Well, it's your lucky day, then. We only make 20 of those a day... they're wishing cookies."
"Wishing cookies?" Hitoshi asked.
"Yes. When you eat them, you make a wish, and it'll come true. It's an old family tradition. Sign here," she said, pointing to the line on the bill. Nekou did so.
As they left the cafe, Nekou couldn't help but think about what the waitress said. Wishing cookies... And the Articuno snow. No, Nekou thought, there's no way. Tales like that may entertain the wee ones at the yuletide, but Nekou knew reality all too well. There was magic in the world... just not enough for people like her and Hitoshi.
...to be continued...
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