I feel our extra ideas on the discussion board may go unused, so here's a space to flesh them out into little side stories at some point. It's really for future use, but if anyone wants to write something now, then go ahead. And, despite what the topic title may suggest, I'm not limiting size.

Also, can someone tell me the plural form of 'omake'? Is it just 'omake' or 'omakes'?

Interesting question. My inclination would be to say 'one omake, many omakes', but then I try to apply the same rule to anime - 'one anime, many animes' - and it doesn't work.

However, I think we can just chalk this up to English being inconsistent about adopting Japanese words. It just looks wrong to say 'two omake'. So I'd guess the plural form is 'omakes' (when referring to them in English, anyway).

It's like in Italian, 'spaghetti' is actually a plural noun, so it makes sense to say 'many spaghetti' in Italian. Whereas in English we've turned 'spaghetti' into a substance rather than an individual noodle, so we can only say 'a bit of spaghetti' or 'lots of spaghetti'.

In these cases I prefer to hold on to the grammar of the original language. And to show it clearly that it's a foreign word, normally I put these words in italics: many omake. Or I use the original script and add the transcription in brackets: many おまけ (omake).

[This is in desperate need of a rewrite, so I've deleted the original]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!

The bit about Ifrit's voice being higher is cute too. =)

Yes, and in true trans-gender tradition, everyone except the protagonist notices the vocal change. The real fun was coming up with the various reasons Ifrit didn't realize he turned into a woman until he was in the shower. The glasses thing was more important in an earlier draft, since it would have compromised Ifrit's sight enough for him to dismiss the transformation at first. I like where it's going now. Though, reading through it again, the part after Hitomi's phone call seems a little rushed...

Oh, and I've already got an ending! It came to me in my sleep-deprived mutterings. In theory, it's super lulzy!

LOL, let the madness begin!
Poor Hitomi... she's gonna faint so hard when she sees Ifrit in his new form

...or is she? Doesn't anyone else think that Hitomi knows more than she's letting on? I mean, she actually asked Ifrit to stay home from work. Or, I could just be crazy, and she'll faint when she sees Ifrit.

You think Hitomi secretly wants a loving oneechan of her very own? =)

I'm thinking something Chrismas related, for after I get the new set in. Could be fun.

I've started writing a short, three-part omake. This story takes places shortly before and during last Christmas. The original YS storyline takes place in May, so this would be the Christmas prior to YS's current-day events.

It should be noted that this is also around the time that Hitomi joined the YS store.

This story is, as of yet, non-canon, but I still tried to be as consistent in the YS universe as possible. We can always decide to make this story canon later, if we feel the need to, and (of course) if the other writers like it as well.

To avoid this topic getting too 'messy', I suggest any comments and discussions about this story should be posted in the 'YS discussion topic'

I'll try to finish this story before Christmas, but next week I'm fairly busy, so I can't make any promises...

A Yogurt Slingers Christmas Tale: The Inviting

It was the week leading up to Christmas. Business was always going quite well during that time of year, and this year it was no exception.

"Looks like we'll have to work overtime again tonight, Arch." Ifrit, who was manning the cash register and finally had found a second to spare, quickly informed Arch.

Arch, who just finished attending to a customer, smiled. "Yeah, I was kinda expecting it." He replied cheerfully. "Business has been going very well these last couple of weeks!" He looked over to Kana and Hitomi, who were actively restocking the shelves. "Even with the new girl we can barely keep up with this pace. Looks like we'll be having a very happy Christmas!"

Ifrit sighed. "Will you stop calling her 'the new girl'? She has a name, you know. It's Hitomi."

"Yeah, yeah." Arch replied and looked over to Hitomi again. "It's a good thing Kana brought her in to come work for us, otherwise there would be no way we could handle this rush of customers."

"...I never even knew Kana had such cute friends." Ifrit mumbled to himself. Arch noticed Ifrit was dreamily staring at Hitomi again.

"You really got a crush on her, don't you?" He laughed.

Still looking at Hitomi, Ifrit smiled and blushed lightly. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Well, I've never seen you act this way before, so... yeah." Arch replied.

Ifrit sighed deeply. "You know, I'm thinking of asking her out, but... it's barely been a month. Is that... too soon?"

Arch smiled gently. "Too soon, too schmoon, right? Besides, it's the holiday season! What better timing do you want?"

Ifrit nodded but was still unsure. "I don't know if I should ask her out. I mean, she's just so... shy. I figure she would say 'no' even if she does want to go out with me."

"Hm, you may have a point there." Arch agreed. "But not asking her is a definite 'no', so..." He said, with a smile.

Ifrit smiled back at him and glanced around the store. Another group of students just came in. "Well, looks like I'll have to worry about that later. We'd better get back to work, on the double!"

"Aye, sir!" Arch said jokingly.

"Oh, when you have a spare moment, could you inform the others that we'll have to work overtime tonight?" Ifrit added.

"Sure thing." Arch replied. He quickly informed both Kana and Hitomi about it before going into the break room. Darkling, who had almost finished lunch, was sitting there. Usually, he would go out to buy lunch, but because Ifrit had to reduce lunch break times during the holiday seasons, he had no time for that now.

"Hey Darkling." Arch said. "Have you finished your lunch? Another group of students just came in, so..."

"Yes, I'm about done." Darkling replied. "I'm glad this is the last week of the holiday season. I don't mind to work hard, but I've never experienced such a hectic period like this before."

"Well, then you'll be glad to know that we have to work overtime tonight again." Arch informed him. "Just like yesterday, and last week."

Darkling smiled. "You know, I'm getting kinda used to it by now."

"Luckily it's only a couple of more days." Arch said. "Then, it's CHRISTMAS TIME!" He exclaimed.

Darkling, who was heading back into the store again, halted in the doorway. "Oh, speaking of which: how will you spend the holidays?"

"Hmm?" Arch thought for a moment. Why does he keep asking?

"Well actually, I still haven't made any plans yet." He replied. "If worst comes to worst, I'll be spending the holidays by myself, I guess..." He started smiling. "But even then, I'm sure I will enjoy it. I always have!"

"Okay." Darkling replied and started smiling. "I'll be heading back to work now."

The rest of the day passed quickly. The store had been open until well after 7 and even after closing time there were still lots of things to be done, from restocking shelves to ordering new supplies.

Just when everybody was about to finish up, Darkling said he had an announcement to make and invited everybody in the office. Puzzled, everyone followed him into the office.

Arch pulled up some extra chairs from the break room. Usually it was Ifrit who made announcements, so seeing Darkling standing in front of them was a change, and he couldn't help but feeling a little bit excited.

Much to everybody's surprise, Kana joined Darkling as he began talking.

"As you all know, the day after tomorrow it's Christmas. Now, you may have wondered why Kana and I have been asking you about your holiday plans."

Hitomi, Arch and Ifrit all looked at each other questioningly.

"Last week Darkling and I have been talking about the holidays" Kana jumped in, "and it turned out we both didn't have any plans for the holidays yet. So we came up with an idea: why not all celebrate Christmas together?" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Of course, we didn't want to interrupt any of your holiday plans," Darkling continued, "that's why we've been asking you. And of course we wanted it to be a surprise." He said, smiling. "And since it turned out that none of you have made plans yet: would you like to celebrate Christmas all together at my place, just the five of us?"

With a broad smile on his face, Arch enthusiastically raised his fist in the air, briefly. "Sure! This will be great!"

Ifrit responded more modestly, but still cheerfully. "I knew something was up with you, changing the subject every time I entered the break room these last couple of days." He laughed. "Anyway, great idea you two, count me in!"

Expectantly, the four of them looked over to Hitomi, who didn't say a word. She nervously stared back at them and started blushing.

"A-ah, well, I..."

"It's okay, Hitomi." Kana assured her. "You are welcome as well!"

"B-but I'm a newcomer..." She stuttered. "And..."

Before she could continue, Ifrit got up from his chair and spoke. "Newcomer or not, you are always welcome in our 'family'. Besides, this would also be a great opportunity for all of us to get to know each other better!" He said and gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Aah!" Hitomi exclaimed, startled. She brushed Ifrit's hand off and fled out of the break room. Kana quickly hurried after her. Darkling and Arch looked at the doorway, puzzled.

"Hm, I wonder what's with her?" Darkling wondered.

Ifrit bowed his head down, lightly shook his head and sighed. "Well... I didn't seem to handle that very well."

Arch stood up from his chair as well and patted Ifrit on the shoulder. "That's okay man. She's probably just nervous." He smiled gently. "I'm sure Kana will convince her to come."

Arch lowered his voice. "Oh, and about what we've been discussing earlier... I think I may have an idea."

Ifrit looked up, surprised. "Really? Well, what is it?"

"I'll tell you later." Arch said, smiling.

"What are you two mumbling about?" Darkling wondered.

"Oh, nothing." Arch replied and quickly changed the subject. "So, do I have to bring anything?"

Darkling smiled. "Kana and I will take care of everything, so don't worry."

"Alright, it's a date. I can't wait!" Arch replied cheerfully.

"And don't be late!" Darkling jokingly rhymed.

"We'll be there at eight!" Ifrit joined in.

Laughing, the three ended the meeting. It looked like Christmas had finally started to take shape for all of them.

A Yogurt Slingers Christmas Tale: The Christmas Party

The next day, the last day before Christmas, passed quickly. It had definitely been the busiest day of the year, with lots of people coming in buying gifts at the last minute. Strangely enough, Hitomi had called in sick that day, much to Ifrit's concern. She still hadn't said if she was going to attend Kana and Darkling's Christmas party or not, and the way she left the day before didn't make Ifrit feel comfortable at all.

The workday was drawing to an end. Darkling and Kana were about to head off to buy some stuff for next day's Christmas party.

"I wish you had invited us earlier," Arch said to Darkling, "then we could have done Secret Santa."

Darkling smiled. "Christmas isn't about buying presents. It's about being with people you care about!"

Arch smiled as well. "Yeah, that's true. But still, giving and receiving presents is a nice addition!"

"That's... a nice idea for next year, then!" Darkling laughed. "Anyway, we have to get going."

"Yeah, take care, you two. See you tomorrow!"

And with that, Darkling and Kana left. Still having a couple of more hours left, Arch went back to work. He and Ifrit had to really break a sweat to keep up with the seemingly endless stream of customers, and around 7 o'clock Ifrit had even decided to act as a gatekeeper: he stood next to the door, letting customers who finished shopping out, and preventing others from getting in.

Around 7:30, the last customer finally left and Ifrit locked the door from the inside.

"...Whew!" He exclaimed. "I thought there would never be an end to this rush of customers!"

"Yeah, and if it weren't for you, there still would be coming people in right now." Arch commended him. "Smart thinking, Ifrit!"

"Thanks. I felt I had to do it." Ifrit said. "Normally I don't mind a few customers past closing time, but enough's enough."

"Well, right you are."

The two of them looked around the store, and...

"...looks like a stampede came through here." Ifrit commented. Because it had been snowing outside, most of the floor inside was wet and slippery. Shelves were, at best, half empty and messy.

"Yeah, a stampede of horny students!" Arch jokingly added, causing Ifrit to chuckle for a moment.

"Well, I'm wiped." Arch said. "Do we really have to clear up all this mess?"

Ifrit paused for a moment as he looked around the store, then shook his head. "That would take at least another hour, and I don't have much energy left either. Besides, store's closed the day after Christmas day as well, we could clean it up then."

Arch sighed. "Good idea."

The two of them went outside with Ifrit locking the door behind them.

"Alright, well, see you tomorrow then!" A jolly Arch said as he donned his tuque.

"...Do you think she'll show up?" Ifrit asked, out of the blue.

"Are you still thinking about that?" Arch replied. "She's just... insecure. She'll get over it, don't worry. Besides, I'm sure Kana has convinced her to come by now."

Ifrit sighed deeply. "I hope you're right..."

"Yeah, me too..." Arch replied. "Anyway, see you tomorrow!"

Snowflakes started falling from the sky as the two of them both went home.

Next day: Christmas eve. It was still snowing, giving the entire city a beautiful white blanket. Streets were decorated with Christmas lights and all this light reflected on the snow, giving the world a magical white glow. Arch was walking towards Darkling's apartment alone. He had brought with him a case of his favourite beer, which he had saved for a special occasion. He knew that Darkling and Kana didn't drink beer, but since it was all he had he decided to bring it anyway.

Just as he arrived, he found out that Ifrit had arrived seconds earlier. Before saying hello, Ifrit had already noticed the case of beer.

"...You're trying to get me drunk again, right?" He said, jokingly.

Arch laughed. "Nah, this is... well, for me, I guess. And of course, for anyone who wants some as well, which would be, well, you, I guess, so..."

"Well, at least Darkling and Kana can save some expenses on the drinks this way." Ifrit answered. Laughing, the two of them proceeded to Darkling's apartment and knocked on the door. It didn't take long for Darkling to answer it.

"Gentlemen," he said, "may I welcome you to my humble apartment?"

"Yes, you may." Arch replied, jokingly, as he took off his coat.

Darkling stared blankly at Arch for a moment, then grinned. He turned towards Ifrit and bowed. "Welcome to my humble apartment." He then turned to Arch and patted him once on the shoulder. "...'Sup, man?"

Laughing, Arch entered the living room, followed shortly by Ifrit and Darkling.

"Oooh..." He said, clearly being impressed by seeing the table in front of him. It had been covered with a nice and clean white sheet, and it was packed with all kinds of side-dishes: green beans, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, everything. The middle was still empty, awaiting the arrival of the turkey.

Arch glanced over towards the kitchen area, where Kana was about to get the turkey out of the oven. She noticed Arch and smiled.

"Hello Kana!" Arch exclaimed, cheerfully.

"Hello, Arch-san." She answered with a gentle smile on her face.

Arch glanced at the table one more time, looked back at Kana and smiled broadly. "Well done!"

Kana giggled and started blushing. "Thanks..."

Ifrit, who came in shortly after Arch, noticed the table as well. Only he noticed something different...

"Oh, hello, Ifrit-san!" Kana said from the kitchen area.

"Hi Kana..." Ifrit answered in a low voice, not looking at her but still looking at the table.

"...Four plates...?" He mumbled after a moment.

"Yes..." Darkling answered from behind him. A little surprised, Ifrit looked up and stared at Kana.

"So, Hitomi..."

Kana's face turned serious. She didn't say a word, but simply shook her head.

"I see..." Ifrit replied, disappointed.

"If it means anything to you: it has nothing to do with you, Ifrit-san." Kana said as she walked from the kitchen area. "Hitomi has had some... personal issues, which is why she currently has difficulties trusting... well, men." she said, feeling a bit awkward. The three managers briefly glanced at each other, puzzled. Kana put her hand on Ifrit's shoulder and continued. "That's why she is so shy towards you, and why she didn't want to come tonight. I tried to convince her to come, but she said she was just too scared..."

"I... understand." Ifrit said.

"But... she will one day get over that... right?" Arch wondered.

Kana sighed. "I sure hope she does, Arch-san. She's a good girl and I hope you all will one day find that out for yourself."

She then hurried back towards the kitchen area to prevent the turkey from overcooking. She came back with the turkey shortly afterwards, but the jolly mood had almost vanished completely and made way for a gloomy atmosphere. As Kana put down the turkey on the table, Arch tried to cheer up Ifrit with some joking comments, with no success. Even Arch, usually 'mister optimistic' himself, started feeling a bit down.

Nevertheless, when the four of them were sitting down around the table, he put a smile on his face and raised his glass of beer in the air.

"Well, everyone, I wish you all a merry Christmas!" He said. "But before we toast, I want to thank our hosts for this evening, for having us here and providing this fantastic Christmas dinner!"

Darkling and Kana briefly glanced at each other, smiling. Ever since the four of them had been together, the two of them had been the 'caretakers' of the 'family', and Arch's kind words felt very warm.

"May our futures be bright and prosperous." Arch continued. "Cheers!"

But before everyone could touch their glasses together, there was a knock on the door. Puzzled, Darkling stood up from his chair and opened the door.

"Hey, Hitomi!" He exclaimed surprised. In the doorway, Hitomi was standing, her head bowed down a little.

"H-hello, Darkling-san..." She mumbled. "I... decided to come... Unless... I'm not welcome here?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Darkling said, enthusiastically. "You're always welcome with us, alright?"

Hesitantly, Hitomi entered the apartment. "Ah..."

"Look who's here, everyone!" Darkling announced, smiling broadly. Three faces turned and looked at her.

"Heeey, there she is!" Arch exclaimed happily.

"I'm glad you came, Hitomi-chan." Kana said, smiling.

Ifrit, who was most surprised of all, tried hard to hide his excitement . "Hello, Hitomi." He said, smiling softly.

Arch put his hands together and looked up to the ceiling. "It's a Christmas miracle!" He yelled.

"Alright, calm down, you freak!" Darkling laughed.

While Kana was getting an extra plate and cutlery from the kitchen area, Hitomi joined the table. "May I eat with you?" She asked, as she started blushing.

Darkling, Ifrit and Arch looked at her, smiled and, without a word, nodded.

"Please, take a seat." Darkling said as he pulled back a chair.

"H-Hai!" Hitomi answered. "Thanks, Darkling-san."

Kana handed a big carving knife over to her. "Would you like to carve the turkey, Hitomi-chan?"

Surprised, Hitomi accepted the knife. "Hai, Kana-chan!" She said. A shy but friendly smile appeared on her face.

As Hitomi was carving the turkey, Arch looked at Ifrit, who was staring at her intently with a huge smile on his face. Arch couldn't help but smiling himself.

Looks like tonight WILL be a great night after all! He thought to himself, quietly, as he put his hands behind his head.

A Yogurt Slingers Christmas Tale: The Bonding

The Christmas dinner turned out to be a truly wondrous experience after all. While they were eating they all were happily chatting. Even Hitomi, who was sitting between Kana and Ifrit, seemed to have lost all nervousness. At first she still felt a bit awkward and uncomfortable but she loosened up a little after a while. Now chatting happily with Kana, she didn't look anything like the usual shy person she used to be.

I've never seen her like this... Darkling thought, satisfied. I guess it's true: Christmas does have a certain effect on people.

Arch, who had just been on a toilet break, appeared in the doorway between the foyer and the living room.

"Ah, Ifrit?" He asked. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Hmmm?" Ifrit turned his head towards Arch as he swallowed the contents of his mouth. "What?"

"Just a second." Arch said. A mysterious smile appeared on his face.

Puzzled, Darkling stared at the door as it closed behind Ifrit. "I wonder what Arch is up to this time."

"Ooh!" Kana exclaimed after a brief pause. "Maybe they secretly have brought us presents."

"Hm, maybe." Darkling said, not completely convinced.

Less than a minute later, Arch and Ifrit returned to the table without saying a word. Ifrit seemed a little anxious for some reason, but Arch still smiled somewhat mysteriously. He pulled the case of beer from under the table and took a couple of bottles out.

"Are you sure you don't want any?" He asked to no one in particular.

"...Can I try one?" Hitomi asked, much to everyone's surprise.

"Yeah, sure!" Arch replied and handed over a bottle to her.

"You drink... beer?" Ifrit asked, still surprised.

"Ah... I've never had one." Hitomi confessed as she hesitantly accepted the bottle. "But, Arch-san offered it, so..."

Arch smiled. "You don't have to accept an offer, just to be friendly."

"I know." Hitomi answered, blushing lightly. "But I do want to try one."

Ifrit looked at Hitomi, a bit worriedly. "Take it easy, okay?" He said, keeping in mind the effect alcohol had on himself.

"Don't worry, Ifrit., it's a fairly light beer." Arch assured him. "...Which means you could even drink three bottles of it!" He added jokingly as he handed him over another beer.

"Three beers?" Darkling followed up. "You're living on the edge, Ifrit!"

"Ha ha ha..." Ifrit said in a monotonous voice, but opened his beer nevertheless.

After almost two hours of dining they finished up and everyone assisted Kana and Darkling cleaning up. Darkling and Kana then proceeded to wash the dishes while Arch installed himself in front of Darkling's television in the living room area. Hitomi was standing in front of the window, admiring the falling snowflakes.

Ifrit decided this was his chance.

"Anyone want to go out for a short walk?" He asked.

From the kitchen area, Darkling stared at him, blankly. "Well, Kana and I will be busy for a while, as you can see, so..."

Before he could continue, Arch interrupted him. "Nah, I'm good." He lied. He gave Hitomi a quick sideways glance and, while looking at Ifrit, jerked his head in her direction once.

"How about you then, Hitomi?" Ifrit asked.

Hitomi turned around, surprised. "Ah, me?" She yelped. "Well..."

"Come on." Ifrit friendlily tried to convince her. "Look how pretty it's snowing!"

"Well... alright..." Hitomi answered hesitantly.

Ifrit smiled. "Let me get you your coat, then!"

As Ifrit hurried off to get Hitomi's coat, Darkling stared at Arch, still puzzled. Arch then gave Hitomi a quick sideways glance again, as well as the doorway to the foyer and nodded once.

"Hm." Darkling hummed, not sure if he understood what Arch was trying to signal.

"Well, we'll be right back!" Ifrit exclaimed as he opened the door to the hallway. "After you." He said as he held the door open for Hitomi.

"Arigato, Ifrit-san." Hitomi said, blushing.

"So..." Darkling said as soon as Ifrit had closed the door behind him.

"So..." Arch replied, acting ignorant.

"You can tell us now!" Darkling suggested, laughing. Kana, who was still washing dishes next to Darkling, looked over to Arch as well.

"Isn't it obvious?" Arch said, a big grin appearing on his face. "Ifrit's got a huge crush on her!"

Darkling blinked for a moment. "That's why he's acting so strange!" He exclaimed. "I should have known."

"So you tricked Hitomi into going for a walk with Ifrit, is that it?" Kana asked.

"Well..." Arch replied, a little uncomfortable. "I guess you could say that."

"It's not very friendly to deceive people like that, Arch-san..." Kana said, acting serious.

Arch became nervous. "Ah... I guess you're ri..."

Before he could continue, Kana interrupted him. "...but it is very clever." She said with a smile. "Don't worry, Arch-san, I know Ifrit can be trusted."

Arch smiled. "I don't expect that much to happen. But I thought it would be a good opportunity for them to get to know each other a little better."

"That's true." Darkling agreed. "And what better night than Christmas night, right?"

"Exactly!" Arch answered.

As Kana and Darkling were finishing up on washing the dishes, Arch quickly sneaked in and out of the foyer.

Time for part B... He thought, grinning to himself.

About 20 minutes later, Darkling and Kana were sitting in front of the television, watching a Christmas movie. Arch, who was now lying down on the other couch, had fallen asleep just moments before Darkling and Kana had joined him in the living room area. He was breathing heavily and even snoring occasionally, much to Darkling and Kana's amusement.

"I wish I had a camera!" Kana giggled.

Darkling laughed. "Yeah, me too. We could win prize money with footage of this. Just look at him!"

Just as he said it, the door to the hallway could be heard opening and closing, even though the door to the foyer was closed.

"I guess they're back." Darkling said.

"Yeah." Kana replied. "I'll go make them some hot tea. It's very cold this evening."

As Kana headed off to the kitchen area, Darkling wondered why Ifrit and Hitomi still hadn't entered the living room.

"What's taking them so long?" He mumbled to himself.

He proceeded to the foyer and opened the door, only to find out Hitomi and Ifrit were standing there... kissing.

"Whoa...!" He exclaimed. Both Hitomi and Ifrit looked at him, startled. Hitomi started blushing furiously.

"I'm sorry, but... what..." Darkling stammered. Ifrit smiled at him gently and, without saying a word, pointed up. A small sprig of mistletoe had been attached to the ceiling.

Darkling looked at it and thought for a moment.

"...That's odd..." He said, puzzled. "I don't remember putting any m...UMPF!"

Darkling felt an elbow being shoved into his side. It was Arch, who had waken up because of all the commotion. Pretending he didn't know about anything, he smiled as he looked at Ifrit and Hitomi.

"Looks like Christmas miracles do happen, after all!" he said.

...You sneaky bastard! Darkling thought to himself with a smile, as he looked at Arch.

"Erm... Show's over!" Ifrit exclaimed and he and Hitomi hurried into the living room. Arch followed them and walked over to the window. He stared outside with a dreamy, satisfied smile on his face.

Ifrit and Hitomi sat down on the couch. They both were blushing and didn't say a word. Silently, they stared at the TV screen.

Kana, who heard everything and realized what was going on, looked at Hitomi and smiled. She walked over to Darkling and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Looks like she's starting to feel more comfortable in our 'family'!" She said, smiling.

Darkling laughed. "Yeah. Who would have thought things like this would happen on Christmas Day?"

"Look, outside!" Arch, who was standing in front of the window, exclaimed. As the others joined him and looked outside, they noticed a meteor shower had just started.

"It's beautiful!" Kana said, happily.

"How much more perfect can Christmas get?" Arch wondered out loud. "This stuff usually only happens in stories."

"Wouldn't that be weird?" Ifrit said. "Us, in a story?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Darkling laughed. "Who would ever want to write a story about us?"

Kana looked up at the sky, dreamily. "Why not? I think the five of us make an interesting group."

Smiling, everybody glanced at each other before silently looking up at the sky again. A fresh, new batch of snowflakes came gently falling from the sky. It was the end of a beautiful Christmas night, but also the beginning of a rejuvenated and strengthened friendship.

...And who knows what the future has in store for them!

A Yogurt Slingers Christmas Tale

Hiatus Horror

"... Is this for real?"

Arch scratched his head as he entered the store and saw the scene in front of him. Thick layers of dust had collected on the shelves, cobwebs everywhere, and...

"Hmm. Never seen a tumbleweed inside a building before..."

After a quick glance through the store he noticed Kana on the corner, dusting away some cobwebs. In turn, Kana noticed that Arch had entered the store. Without a word she raised her shoulders, with a puzzled look on her face.

As Arch opened his mouth to ask something, Darkling emerged from the break room, feather-duster in hand.

Arch snickered for a moment. "Waving the feather-duster, are we?" He said, laughing.

Darkling smiled briefly, then out of nowhere threw the feather-duster at Arch, who could barely catch it in time. "Just help us clean this mess up."

"So, I got that job as a janitor after all, huh?" Arch laughed as he stared at the feather-duster. "Seriously, though... what the hell happened here?"

"We know as much as y..." Darkling answered, when the office door opened. It was Hitomi.

"Ano... Ifrit-san wants to see you all in here." She announced, looking just as puzzled as the others.

"Alright..." Darkling said. The three of them proceeded to follow Hitomi into the office.

"Ah, there you are!" Ifrit said, smiling, as the group entered the office. "Sit."

After Darkling pulled a few extra chairs from the break room and everyone was seated, Ifrit began to explain.

"You're probably wondering what happened to the store." He said. The others nodded in agreement. Ifrit bowed his head a little. "Yes, I was afraid of this..." He mumbled to himself, then looked up again. "I guess they haven't told you yet, have they?"

Puzzled, the others all looked at each other. "...They?" Darkling asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes..." Ifrit answered and shook his head. "So they went on hiatus and never took the courtesy to tell us, eh?" He then looked up towards the ceiling. "Well, THANKS a lot!" He yelled.

"Ummm... Ifrit?" Arch asked. "Who are... 'they'?"

Ifrit looked at Arch as if he had said something completely ridiculous. "...Yes, they? You know, the writers? Hellooo?"

Arch and Darkling looked at each other. "Looks like Ifrit has finally snapped..." Arch whispered, while he briefly glanced at Ifrit from the corner of his eyes. Kana and Hitomi looked at each other as well, confused, then looked at Ifrit, who jumped up from his chair.

"Oh, come on!" He yelled, much to Hitomi's en Kana's startlement. "Don't you all know anything? The writers, they went on a hiatus, and because of that, our store turned into this mess!"

The four exchanged glances between each other and occasionally Ifrit.

"They have been neglecting us for so long that..."

While he was talking, Hitomi walked up to him and began stroking his back. "It's okay, Ifrit-kun..." She said softly.

"B-but..." Ifrit stammered. Arch, who was rubbing his head, stood up and interrupted him. "Alright, I've heard enough of this." He said. "Let's just clean up the store, alright?" He said as he walked out of the office. "We have to open in 15 minutes!"

Ifrit then looked at Kana, who was still puzzled. "Kana..."

Kana became agitated. "W-well, Arch-san is right, we don't have much time..." She said, before quickly hurrying to the door. Frustrated, Ifrit stared at Darkling.

"You believe me, right, Dark?"

"Are you feeling okay, Ifrit?" Darkling asked, worried.

"I'm telling you, I'm perfectly fine!" Ifrit responded, raising his voice. Before he could continue, Darkling spoke.

"Calm down, Ifrit. I'm your friend." Darkling said, then paused for a moment. "...I think you may have been working too much lately, Ifrit."

"B-but."

"No buts." Darkling interrupted. "You stay in here and relax, while we clean up the store, alright? Everything is gonna be just fine." He said, smiling, and then left the office as well.

Ifrit stood there for a moment, speechless, as Hitomi rubbed his neck. Then after a short while, he suddenly raised his fist in the air and stared at the ceiling, startling Hitomi.

"Even now you have to make fun of me, eh?!?" He exclaimed, angrily.

"Ifrit-kun, look!" Hitomi suddenly yelped as she pointed to the flip-chart, which was standing in the corner. Four words were written on it.

It's just my nature.

While an angered Ifrit violently tore the paper sheet apart and a bewildered Hitomi stared at the flip-chart, someone quietly clicked on the 'Submit' button, smiling =)