Christmas Gift Giving 1
darthcourt10
Well worn.
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2018
- Messages
- 7,972
- Likes received
- 30,849
Harry Leferts
Walking into the mess hall, Harry glanced at the Christmas trees in one corner and frowned. 'Huh... the monkeys are playing Jingle Bells, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer and...' He blinked for a moment. 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer? That's a new one.' Quickly shaking it off, Harry turned and waved as he spotted the Akatsuki Sisters walking around in elf costumes. Like the year before, they had various pitchers on their heads. "Inazuma-Chan! Akatsuki-Chan! Ikazuchi-Chan! Hibiki-Chan!"
All four turned and their expressions lightened up as they walked over with Verniy in the lead. "Harry-Chan." Reaching him, she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas."
With a blink, Ikazuchi leaned over to Inazuma and sighed as she whispered. "She's still a kissing fiend, I see."
However, and without her expression changing, Inazuma elbowed her sister in the side. "Stop that." Turning towards Harry, she watched as Akatsuki placed a pitcher of mulled punch onto Harry's head. "Merry Christmas, Harry-Chan. Here, we got your presents!"
Eyes lighting up, Harry took the offered gifts and opened them one by one while thanking them. He did blink though at Verniy's which were leather gloves with half the fingers cut off. More then that, they felt slightly heavier then normal. "Um, Hibiki-Chan?"
Glancing around, Verniy leaned in and coughed. "That is to protect you, Harry-Chan." At his confused look, she shook her head. "It's a weighted knuckle glove, Harry-Chan. There's powdered steel in the knuckles and back of the fingers. So that it'll hurt you less if you need to punch something."
His eyes widening, Harry turned them over, but it was Inazuma who spoke up. "Uh, I hate to ask... But is that even legal for him? I mean, it's cool and all that, but still..."
Lips curling upwards, Verniy nodded. "Da, they are legal, I checked."
A smile on his face, Harry gently hugged her so as to not disturb the pitchers on their heads. "Thank you, Hibiki-Chan." Reaching into the expanded bag at his side, he pulled out his own gifts and handed them to DesDiv6 except for Verniy. "Here you girls go."
Opening hers, Akatsuki gave a gasp of joy. "Wow! Look at these leather gloves! They're so soft and lady-like!"
Beside her, Inazuma and Ikazuchi grinned as they felt their new silk scarves. "Hwawawawa! This is so cool, Harry-Chan! Silk scarves, Nanodesu!"
With a nod, Harry smiled back at her. "Yup! I found a spell that could gather up silk from spider webs and use it. There was all kinds of webs during the fall that I was using." Then to their surprise he became nervous and slowly pulled out a long gift. "Um, Hibiki-Chan? I just want you to know that I found this in the storage at my family's property before I found out about your Kai Ni and, um, I thought that you would like it."
Slowly, Verniy took it with a nod and a curious look in her eyes. Tearing off the paper, she furrowed her eyebrows at the polished wood box. Part of her recognized it as being similar to the one that her mother kept Waterline in when on base and not carrying it around. Opening it though, Verniy's eyes widened in surprise. "Harry-Chan... is this..."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Harry chuckled as he nodded slightly. "Um, yes? It's a Shashka, Hibiki-Chan."
Gently, Hibiki removed the scabbarded blade from the box before handing the now empty container to Ikazuchi. Unnnoticed by her, several people had noticed and were now watching as she slid the blade out a touch to examine. For some odd reason, she could feel a deep thrum in the blade. One that stated that it wanted to be used and to protect it's owner.'
Unknown to her, thousands of miles away in the Russian wild, an old looking woman narrowed her eyes and looked east in the pre-dawn light. Briefly, she touched her cheek and ran one crooked, clawed finger down a scar that ran down it before smiling. "How very strange that now that blade has reappeared, hmm? And after all these centuries. Interesting... And here I thought that it was lost after that man's great nephew stole it and went west. Heh... Such a shame that it never became a legend after he used it to rescue his sister from me. But perhaps this time it shall."
Shaking her head, the woman gave a cackle and walked back into her house. Minutes later, said house rose up on chicken legs and headed northeast. After all, there was a group of troublesome wizards that just did not get the hint to leave her alone to her own business. A bothersome issue that she needed dealt with.
Back in Japan, Verniy blinked and felt a shiver run down her back before shrugging it off. Reaching up, she plucked the pitcher on her head off and handed it to Inazuma who backed up as her sister fully freed the sword from the sheath it had been in. With plenty of room around her, Verniy took a deep breath before letting it out and going into motion. As she moved, the blade in her hands sliced through the air and sang as the light flashed from it. Various people had their eyebrows raising as the white haired Destroyer became a blur until she finally slowed and then stopped. "Very nice..." Walking over to the table, she took a napkin and dropped it on the sword's blade.
And then nodded as the napkin was sliced in half.
Sheathing it, she adjusted her belt and slid the sword in before turning back to Harry with a bright smile on her face. "Harry-Chan... thank you. It's perfect."
Now relaxing some, Harry smiled back at her. "Well, that's good to hear. Anyways, um, it's goblin steel so it won't break and from what I read, it absorbs that which can make it stronger. So I guess that it'll only get stronger from here on. Oh! And it's name is 'Zhar-ptitsa', so it's like it was made for you, Hibiki-Chan."
Unable to help herself, Verniy blushed some as she glanced down at the blade while Tenryuu walked over. Coming to a stop close by Harry, Tenryuu smiled down at him with a chuckle. "Well, I suppose that you got it for her since I got my sword, Tatsuta has her glaive, while Ami and Aki have their anchors." Frowning a moment later, she hummed a bit. "So what does the name mean?"
Grinning, Harry looked up at her best that he could without toppling the pitcher of punch on his head. "It means 'Firebird'. Like I said, it's perfect for Hibiki-Chan!"
Arms waving in the air, Inazuma had a bright smile on her face. "Hwawawawa! Oh my Kami, Hibiki-Chan! Harry-Chan's right, that is perfect for you!
Silent, Verniy took a deep breath before she walked over with a smile on her face. Then she pulled Harry into a hug and kissed him on the cheek though Tenryuu raised an eyebrow at how close it was to his mouth. "Da, it is." Tightening the hug, Verniy smiled as she placed her cheek against his. "Thank you, Harry-Chan."
Even though for some odd reason her hug was making him feel a bit odd, Harry mentally shrugged it off and hugged her back. After all it was similar to other odd feelings he had gotten around his female friends recently. "I'm glad that you liked it, Hibiki-Chan. Really, really happy."
That only made Verniy smile happily at him.
______________________________________________________________________________
Walking in, Natsumi blinked as she scanned the room. Part of her did note though that as soon as they spotted Hoppou, her younger sisters ran off. However, just the same, it did not take long for Natsumi to spot her target and walk over. "Harry-Chan! Harry-Chan, over here!" A smile on his face, Harry turned and waved at her before moving through the crowd. Part of the kitsune was amused that her friend had a partially empty pitcher of punch on his head. It did not help matters that he was easily able to maneuver his way through the crowd without disturbing said pitcher. 'I wonder how Harry-Chan and the Akatsuki sisters do that...'
Upon reaching her, Harry gave her a hug which she returned. "Merry Christmas, Natsumi-Chan. Hopefully your day is going great."
As she smiled back, Natsumi only nodded. "Hai, my day is actually going well." With another glance around her expression became nervous. "Anyways, we should probably get out of the way. You know, so that no one will bump into us."
Only nodding after a moment of thought, Harry shrugged a bit. "Sure, how about right over there?"
Glancing in the direction given, Natsumi relaxed some as it was sort of out of the way. "Sure, that looks good. Come on."
Just being dragged along, Harry chuckled some before he noticed something. "Wait, where's Haru-San and your parents?"
There was a sheepish look on Natsumi's face as she weakly chuckled. "Oba-Chan is still recovering from the other day. And, um... they were hanging back to talk about something." Some redness rose in her cheeks as she remembered a bit she had managed to catch. 'About the two of us...' Shaking that off, Natsumi shrugged a bit. "Guess that we'll just have to exchange our gifts without them being here."
Frowning some, Harry gave her a knowing look. "Yes... I suppose that we should." Only shaking his head, he pointed at the pitcher on his head and hummed. "Want some mulled punch? It's still pretty fresh."
With a blink, Natsumi looked up at said punch and then licked her lips some. "Sure, I'll have some punch." She watched as he poured some into a cup as she looked around with a small frown. "Wait a second... where are the Submarines?"
His pouring finished, Harry placed the pitcher back onto his head and handed the cup to Natsumi. "They're out doing a surprise training patrol with the Ha-101s that got summoned recently. But I'll be meeting them later to give them their presents and vice versa." Scratching his cheek, he frowned a bit. "Hopefully they like them."
Sipping her drink, Natsumi shook her head before giving a snort. "Harry-Chan, I am sure that they'll love your presents. I know that I always do." The two simply chatted with each other as Natsumi sipped her drink. Finally, she was finished with it and tossed it into a nearby garbage bin. "Ten points!"
Unable to help himself, Harry snickered at his friend before shaking his head slightly. "And still reigning champion, Ono Natsumi-Chan!"
A large grin on her face, Natsumi winked at him before snickering back. "And don't you forget it." Calming down, she glanced around before leaning in. "Anyways, we should be exchanging gifts now."
Before Harry could say anything though, Haru's voice spoke up from beside them. "Oh my, Natsumi-Chan. Wanting to exchange gifts without your family here." Horrified, Natsumi turned to see her aunt tutting before the older kitsune turned to her sister. "The young are so impatient, aren't they Nee-Chan?"
If Natsumi could in her human disguise, she would have flatted her ears at the amused look in her mother's eyes. But on her face was a mock look of disappointment as she shook her head. "A sad fact, it would seem... Unless there was another reason that our dear Natsumi-Chan was in such a rush..."
All Natsumi could do was wince as one thought went through her head. 'Busted.'
Highly amused, Haru turned to Harry and gave him a small bow. "Good morning, Harry-Chan. And Merry Christmas."
Bowing back slightly, Harry grinned up at her. "Merry Christmas, Haru-San, Sakuya-San." He then looked around. "Um, where is Kensuke-San and Taichi-San?"
There was a small smile on Sakuya's face as she shook her head. "My husband and son are currently trying to round up my youngest two, I believe. But in the meantime, I think that you have gifts to exchange."
While Harry dug into his bag, Natsumi gave her mother a pleading look. But all she got back was a smirk from both her mother and aunt. Thankfully for Natsumi though, Harry pulled out a box and handed it to Haru who took it gratefully. Opening it, she smiled a bit at what was inside. "A wizarding heater! It has been a while since I saw such a thing."
Looking into the box, Natsumi frowned and blinked at what looked like a sealed vase in it. Near the neck there was what looked like holes that were currently shuttered. "What is that, Oba-Chan?"
In reply, Haru raised an finger and nodded. "It's a space heater of sorts common in magical households, Natsumi-Chan. You open the vents and it expells warm, heated air into the room. Not quite central heating, but one of these should warm quite a bit of our home." Placing it back into the box, Haru gave Harry a one armed hug. "Thank you."
Meanwhile, Sakuya opened her own gift and raised an eyebrow as she looked at it. "Reynard the Fox? A rather... interesting gift."
Shrugging, Harry chuckled some as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, Natsumi-Chan stated that you were a writer. She also said that you liked kitsune stories, so... it's a book I found based on even older stories."
A smirk crossed Sakuya's face at that as she shared a look with Haru. "I see. Thank you then, Harry-San. I am sure that I'll find it interesting."
Harry kept smiling as he reached into his bag and then pulled out another box which he handed to Natsumi. "Here you go, Natsumi-Chan. This is your gift."
Even though she was blushing some, Natsumi took the present gratefully and quickly opened it. However, she found herself confused and, if she was honest with herself, somewhat disappointed with what she found inside. "Ribbons?"
Not having really taken much note of her disappointment, Harry nodded. "Yeah, hair ribbons. You know how Mikos have ribbons in their hair?"
Glancing at him, Natsumi nodded and so missed the slightly widened eyes her aunt had. "Yeah? I mean, I am a Miko, Harry-Chan."
Before Harry could say anything though, Haru just snorted. "Miko in training."
Ignoring how Natsumi was giving Haru a look now, Harry smiled a bit. "Right, anyways I made those ribbons myself." Natsumi was about to say something when Harry contnued and any reply she had simply died. "Took a bit to get all the unicorn tail hairs for them though."
Utter silence met him as Sakuya looked from him to the ribbons and back. She could note now that while some seemed white, others were golden and a few silver. "Unicorn tail hairs? Woven together into ribbons?"
Only nodding, Harry smiled up at her. "Hai! I gathered them myself for the most part." He then scratched his head. "According to Hagrid, there's always far too much for Ollivander to use in his wands. And he only uses the ones from the oldest members of the herd too, so the others were available. I got a bunch from various ones including the younger members, which is why some are gold."
Right then was when Harry noticed how quiet all three females had gotten and blinked as Natsumi stared down at the hair ribbons. Then she spoke in a very quiet voice. "... Oh." When he didn't get any more of a reaction for almost a minute, Harry was about to say something when Natsumi handed the box to her aunt. "Oba-Chan, hold onto this for me for a moment."
Gently nodding, Haru did so as she looked down at the ribbons. "I will."
Looking between them, Harry realized that Sakuya had grabbed the pitcher of juice and was now holding it right before Natsumi grabbed him in a hug that drove the breath from his lungs. Then she closed her eyes and sniffled a bit. "Thank you, Harry-Chan." With a smile on her face, she turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek which made them both blush. "Thank you."
Meanwhile, a silent conversation was going on between Haru and Sakuya as the two shook their heads at the children in front of them.
Walking into the mess hall, Harry glanced at the Christmas trees in one corner and frowned. 'Huh... the monkeys are playing Jingle Bells, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer and...' He blinked for a moment. 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer? That's a new one.' Quickly shaking it off, Harry turned and waved as he spotted the Akatsuki Sisters walking around in elf costumes. Like the year before, they had various pitchers on their heads. "Inazuma-Chan! Akatsuki-Chan! Ikazuchi-Chan! Hibiki-Chan!"
All four turned and their expressions lightened up as they walked over with Verniy in the lead. "Harry-Chan." Reaching him, she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas."
With a blink, Ikazuchi leaned over to Inazuma and sighed as she whispered. "She's still a kissing fiend, I see."
However, and without her expression changing, Inazuma elbowed her sister in the side. "Stop that." Turning towards Harry, she watched as Akatsuki placed a pitcher of mulled punch onto Harry's head. "Merry Christmas, Harry-Chan. Here, we got your presents!"
Eyes lighting up, Harry took the offered gifts and opened them one by one while thanking them. He did blink though at Verniy's which were leather gloves with half the fingers cut off. More then that, they felt slightly heavier then normal. "Um, Hibiki-Chan?"
Glancing around, Verniy leaned in and coughed. "That is to protect you, Harry-Chan." At his confused look, she shook her head. "It's a weighted knuckle glove, Harry-Chan. There's powdered steel in the knuckles and back of the fingers. So that it'll hurt you less if you need to punch something."
His eyes widening, Harry turned them over, but it was Inazuma who spoke up. "Uh, I hate to ask... But is that even legal for him? I mean, it's cool and all that, but still..."
Lips curling upwards, Verniy nodded. "Da, they are legal, I checked."
A smile on his face, Harry gently hugged her so as to not disturb the pitchers on their heads. "Thank you, Hibiki-Chan." Reaching into the expanded bag at his side, he pulled out his own gifts and handed them to DesDiv6 except for Verniy. "Here you girls go."
Opening hers, Akatsuki gave a gasp of joy. "Wow! Look at these leather gloves! They're so soft and lady-like!"
Beside her, Inazuma and Ikazuchi grinned as they felt their new silk scarves. "Hwawawawa! This is so cool, Harry-Chan! Silk scarves, Nanodesu!"
With a nod, Harry smiled back at her. "Yup! I found a spell that could gather up silk from spider webs and use it. There was all kinds of webs during the fall that I was using." Then to their surprise he became nervous and slowly pulled out a long gift. "Um, Hibiki-Chan? I just want you to know that I found this in the storage at my family's property before I found out about your Kai Ni and, um, I thought that you would like it."
Slowly, Verniy took it with a nod and a curious look in her eyes. Tearing off the paper, she furrowed her eyebrows at the polished wood box. Part of her recognized it as being similar to the one that her mother kept Waterline in when on base and not carrying it around. Opening it though, Verniy's eyes widened in surprise. "Harry-Chan... is this..."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Harry chuckled as he nodded slightly. "Um, yes? It's a Shashka, Hibiki-Chan."
Gently, Hibiki removed the scabbarded blade from the box before handing the now empty container to Ikazuchi. Unnnoticed by her, several people had noticed and were now watching as she slid the blade out a touch to examine. For some odd reason, she could feel a deep thrum in the blade. One that stated that it wanted to be used and to protect it's owner.'
Unknown to her, thousands of miles away in the Russian wild, an old looking woman narrowed her eyes and looked east in the pre-dawn light. Briefly, she touched her cheek and ran one crooked, clawed finger down a scar that ran down it before smiling. "How very strange that now that blade has reappeared, hmm? And after all these centuries. Interesting... And here I thought that it was lost after that man's great nephew stole it and went west. Heh... Such a shame that it never became a legend after he used it to rescue his sister from me. But perhaps this time it shall."
Shaking her head, the woman gave a cackle and walked back into her house. Minutes later, said house rose up on chicken legs and headed northeast. After all, there was a group of troublesome wizards that just did not get the hint to leave her alone to her own business. A bothersome issue that she needed dealt with.
Back in Japan, Verniy blinked and felt a shiver run down her back before shrugging it off. Reaching up, she plucked the pitcher on her head off and handed it to Inazuma who backed up as her sister fully freed the sword from the sheath it had been in. With plenty of room around her, Verniy took a deep breath before letting it out and going into motion. As she moved, the blade in her hands sliced through the air and sang as the light flashed from it. Various people had their eyebrows raising as the white haired Destroyer became a blur until she finally slowed and then stopped. "Very nice..." Walking over to the table, she took a napkin and dropped it on the sword's blade.
And then nodded as the napkin was sliced in half.
Sheathing it, she adjusted her belt and slid the sword in before turning back to Harry with a bright smile on her face. "Harry-Chan... thank you. It's perfect."
Now relaxing some, Harry smiled back at her. "Well, that's good to hear. Anyways, um, it's goblin steel so it won't break and from what I read, it absorbs that which can make it stronger. So I guess that it'll only get stronger from here on. Oh! And it's name is 'Zhar-ptitsa', so it's like it was made for you, Hibiki-Chan."
Unable to help herself, Verniy blushed some as she glanced down at the blade while Tenryuu walked over. Coming to a stop close by Harry, Tenryuu smiled down at him with a chuckle. "Well, I suppose that you got it for her since I got my sword, Tatsuta has her glaive, while Ami and Aki have their anchors." Frowning a moment later, she hummed a bit. "So what does the name mean?"
Grinning, Harry looked up at her best that he could without toppling the pitcher of punch on his head. "It means 'Firebird'. Like I said, it's perfect for Hibiki-Chan!"
Arms waving in the air, Inazuma had a bright smile on her face. "Hwawawawa! Oh my Kami, Hibiki-Chan! Harry-Chan's right, that is perfect for you!
Silent, Verniy took a deep breath before she walked over with a smile on her face. Then she pulled Harry into a hug and kissed him on the cheek though Tenryuu raised an eyebrow at how close it was to his mouth. "Da, it is." Tightening the hug, Verniy smiled as she placed her cheek against his. "Thank you, Harry-Chan."
Even though for some odd reason her hug was making him feel a bit odd, Harry mentally shrugged it off and hugged her back. After all it was similar to other odd feelings he had gotten around his female friends recently. "I'm glad that you liked it, Hibiki-Chan. Really, really happy."
That only made Verniy smile happily at him.
______________________________________________________________________________
Walking in, Natsumi blinked as she scanned the room. Part of her did note though that as soon as they spotted Hoppou, her younger sisters ran off. However, just the same, it did not take long for Natsumi to spot her target and walk over. "Harry-Chan! Harry-Chan, over here!" A smile on his face, Harry turned and waved at her before moving through the crowd. Part of the kitsune was amused that her friend had a partially empty pitcher of punch on his head. It did not help matters that he was easily able to maneuver his way through the crowd without disturbing said pitcher. 'I wonder how Harry-Chan and the Akatsuki sisters do that...'
Upon reaching her, Harry gave her a hug which she returned. "Merry Christmas, Natsumi-Chan. Hopefully your day is going great."
As she smiled back, Natsumi only nodded. "Hai, my day is actually going well." With another glance around her expression became nervous. "Anyways, we should probably get out of the way. You know, so that no one will bump into us."
Only nodding after a moment of thought, Harry shrugged a bit. "Sure, how about right over there?"
Glancing in the direction given, Natsumi relaxed some as it was sort of out of the way. "Sure, that looks good. Come on."
Just being dragged along, Harry chuckled some before he noticed something. "Wait, where's Haru-San and your parents?"
There was a sheepish look on Natsumi's face as she weakly chuckled. "Oba-Chan is still recovering from the other day. And, um... they were hanging back to talk about something." Some redness rose in her cheeks as she remembered a bit she had managed to catch. 'About the two of us...' Shaking that off, Natsumi shrugged a bit. "Guess that we'll just have to exchange our gifts without them being here."
Frowning some, Harry gave her a knowing look. "Yes... I suppose that we should." Only shaking his head, he pointed at the pitcher on his head and hummed. "Want some mulled punch? It's still pretty fresh."
With a blink, Natsumi looked up at said punch and then licked her lips some. "Sure, I'll have some punch." She watched as he poured some into a cup as she looked around with a small frown. "Wait a second... where are the Submarines?"
His pouring finished, Harry placed the pitcher back onto his head and handed the cup to Natsumi. "They're out doing a surprise training patrol with the Ha-101s that got summoned recently. But I'll be meeting them later to give them their presents and vice versa." Scratching his cheek, he frowned a bit. "Hopefully they like them."
Sipping her drink, Natsumi shook her head before giving a snort. "Harry-Chan, I am sure that they'll love your presents. I know that I always do." The two simply chatted with each other as Natsumi sipped her drink. Finally, she was finished with it and tossed it into a nearby garbage bin. "Ten points!"
Unable to help himself, Harry snickered at his friend before shaking his head slightly. "And still reigning champion, Ono Natsumi-Chan!"
A large grin on her face, Natsumi winked at him before snickering back. "And don't you forget it." Calming down, she glanced around before leaning in. "Anyways, we should be exchanging gifts now."
Before Harry could say anything though, Haru's voice spoke up from beside them. "Oh my, Natsumi-Chan. Wanting to exchange gifts without your family here." Horrified, Natsumi turned to see her aunt tutting before the older kitsune turned to her sister. "The young are so impatient, aren't they Nee-Chan?"
If Natsumi could in her human disguise, she would have flatted her ears at the amused look in her mother's eyes. But on her face was a mock look of disappointment as she shook her head. "A sad fact, it would seem... Unless there was another reason that our dear Natsumi-Chan was in such a rush..."
All Natsumi could do was wince as one thought went through her head. 'Busted.'
Highly amused, Haru turned to Harry and gave him a small bow. "Good morning, Harry-Chan. And Merry Christmas."
Bowing back slightly, Harry grinned up at her. "Merry Christmas, Haru-San, Sakuya-San." He then looked around. "Um, where is Kensuke-San and Taichi-San?"
There was a small smile on Sakuya's face as she shook her head. "My husband and son are currently trying to round up my youngest two, I believe. But in the meantime, I think that you have gifts to exchange."
While Harry dug into his bag, Natsumi gave her mother a pleading look. But all she got back was a smirk from both her mother and aunt. Thankfully for Natsumi though, Harry pulled out a box and handed it to Haru who took it gratefully. Opening it, she smiled a bit at what was inside. "A wizarding heater! It has been a while since I saw such a thing."
Looking into the box, Natsumi frowned and blinked at what looked like a sealed vase in it. Near the neck there was what looked like holes that were currently shuttered. "What is that, Oba-Chan?"
In reply, Haru raised an finger and nodded. "It's a space heater of sorts common in magical households, Natsumi-Chan. You open the vents and it expells warm, heated air into the room. Not quite central heating, but one of these should warm quite a bit of our home." Placing it back into the box, Haru gave Harry a one armed hug. "Thank you."
Meanwhile, Sakuya opened her own gift and raised an eyebrow as she looked at it. "Reynard the Fox? A rather... interesting gift."
Shrugging, Harry chuckled some as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Um, Natsumi-Chan stated that you were a writer. She also said that you liked kitsune stories, so... it's a book I found based on even older stories."
A smirk crossed Sakuya's face at that as she shared a look with Haru. "I see. Thank you then, Harry-San. I am sure that I'll find it interesting."
Harry kept smiling as he reached into his bag and then pulled out another box which he handed to Natsumi. "Here you go, Natsumi-Chan. This is your gift."
Even though she was blushing some, Natsumi took the present gratefully and quickly opened it. However, she found herself confused and, if she was honest with herself, somewhat disappointed with what she found inside. "Ribbons?"
Not having really taken much note of her disappointment, Harry nodded. "Yeah, hair ribbons. You know how Mikos have ribbons in their hair?"
Glancing at him, Natsumi nodded and so missed the slightly widened eyes her aunt had. "Yeah? I mean, I am a Miko, Harry-Chan."
Before Harry could say anything though, Haru just snorted. "Miko in training."
Ignoring how Natsumi was giving Haru a look now, Harry smiled a bit. "Right, anyways I made those ribbons myself." Natsumi was about to say something when Harry contnued and any reply she had simply died. "Took a bit to get all the unicorn tail hairs for them though."
Utter silence met him as Sakuya looked from him to the ribbons and back. She could note now that while some seemed white, others were golden and a few silver. "Unicorn tail hairs? Woven together into ribbons?"
Only nodding, Harry smiled up at her. "Hai! I gathered them myself for the most part." He then scratched his head. "According to Hagrid, there's always far too much for Ollivander to use in his wands. And he only uses the ones from the oldest members of the herd too, so the others were available. I got a bunch from various ones including the younger members, which is why some are gold."
Right then was when Harry noticed how quiet all three females had gotten and blinked as Natsumi stared down at the hair ribbons. Then she spoke in a very quiet voice. "... Oh." When he didn't get any more of a reaction for almost a minute, Harry was about to say something when Natsumi handed the box to her aunt. "Oba-Chan, hold onto this for me for a moment."
Gently nodding, Haru did so as she looked down at the ribbons. "I will."
Looking between them, Harry realized that Sakuya had grabbed the pitcher of juice and was now holding it right before Natsumi grabbed him in a hug that drove the breath from his lungs. Then she closed her eyes and sniffled a bit. "Thank you, Harry-Chan." With a smile on her face, she turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek which made them both blush. "Thank you."
Meanwhile, a silent conversation was going on between Haru and Sakuya as the two shook their heads at the children in front of them.