It had somehow become quarter to three in the afternoon. A highschool girl with a red bow tying up half of her long blonde hair frantically strode through a shopping mall, peering into window after window. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in one of the glass panes and hurriedly straightened her coat and loosened her scarf. Last minute deals could be worth the rush but there was always the risk of not finding anything quite right. The girl looked ahead at the row of store signs on either side of the mall and headed towards one that shined neon green.

Bingo.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, another girl of the same age was carefully wrapping a gift that she had picked out months ago. She sat at her kotatsu with a mug of tea steaming beside neat piles of ribbon and paper. Her delicate fingers ran along a folded edge of paper that surrounded a small box. She wondered vaguely to herself whether she would have had this kind of luck if she was picked as the gifter for one of the other girls in their circle of friends. Putting the finishing touches on the package, she tossed back her long black hair with a smile. She decided she probably would have. Luck was sort of her thing, after all.

The next day, the two girls arrived at their friend, Usagi's house, along with the two others that made their group complete. They talked and laughed, sang Christmas carols raucously and made the house smell like gingerbread. One would never guess that these five were a team that defended Earth and all its inhabitants from mysterious evils on a nearly daily basis. The previous year's Christmas was not quite as normal.

It finally came time to exchange gifts. The girl with the red ribbon - Minako - settled herself on one end of Usagi's living room sofa.

Rei, the girl with the black hair, stood in front of Minako and handed her a box in red sparkly paper with an aloof expression. “You don't deserve it but Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks, Rei! Oh! You’re so good at wrapping!” With just that brief remark, Minako ripped the paper off. She blushed furiously. Seeing the jeweler's box sitting in her lap made her feel suddenly and strangely delicate. “Oh,” she said quietly.

A few seconds passed and Rei’s stomach churned. “We-eell,” she stammered, “aren't you going to open it?”

“Hey, I'm allowed to have a moment aren't I?” the blonde quipped back. She popped open the lid to reveal a gold bracelet resembling the chain that always appeared around her waist when she transformed into Sailor Venus. “Oh!” She exclaimed, turning to her friend in disbelief. “How on Earth did you find this?”

Rei grinned proudly. “It's amazing what you can find at the antique markets.”

Minako grinned back. “This is so cool! Thank you, Rei!” She jumped up from the couch and nearly knocked the other girl over with a hug. Rei caught a faint scent and was reminded vaguely of the time that the boisterous girl had disguised herself to visit her private school.

The blonde plopped back down on the couch and grabbed the box she had wrapped in haste. She shook it playfully at Rei, who took a seat gracefully next to her. It jingled and sounded suspiciously like a toy.

“Okay so uh, I think maybe I have to make this up to you on your birthday or something but… Well, I think it'll be fun, anyways!” Minako blurted out nervously.

The raven-haired beauty gave her a pointed look. “You waited until Christmas Eve, didn't you.”

“I don't know what you’re talking about!” she said, pushing the present into her friend’s hands.

Rei pulled off the bits of tape and unfolded the snowflake print paper. Inside was a plain box. She lifted the lid and was confronted with the large unseeing eyes of a plastic pufferfish sitting on some kind of stand. Aghast, she pulled the toy out of the box. A string with a magnet was in the mouth of the hollow fish and there were metal cards inside its body to be drawn at random. There was a pause as the miko inspected it. A label on the stand read ‘Fugu of Fortune’.

“Are you making fun of me?” she demanded.

“Ah, c’mon! It's cute isn't it? I thought maybe you’d appreciate a little break from having to use your real powers all the time,anyways,” Minako said with a charming wink. “Y’know… pretend you're a normal girl once in awhile.”

Rei, who fought as Sailor Mars, smirked at that. It was a desire that she was better at hiding than Minako, but was just as strong. “Oh, grow up,” she teased.

Usagi looked over from her spot on the floor. “Hey! I thought I was the only one that knew your favorite food, Rei!”

Minako stared blankly at the black haired girl, whose turn it was to blush. “You mean you bought this thing and didn't know?” she asked in disbelief.

“I told you, I thought it was cute!” the blonde replied honestly.

Usagi laughed hysterically. “Ooo! I know! Let's have a battle of ESP! Fish versus miko!” Her pigtails bobbed as she went to try to grab the toy but Rei managed to evade her.

“No way!”

And with that, the afternoon wore on in merriment. Tomorrow they would have to fight again, united as always by their one true purpose, but made stronger by the gifts - both physical and spiritual - that they shared.

It's always the frost - delicate, deadly frost - that I crave. My world is barren of it, having been replaced by smooth ice and pure snow long ago. Taking in my hands a new planet brings me a chill of excitement. I breathe the cold winds over it and watch; the time for the frost to form in its crystalline beauty has come. Piercing delicate plants and weaving over the ground. Quietly but sharply turning living things into crystals - having been cheated by their very own life force.

But seldom is there much vegetation or other creatures that inhabit the planets I have taken into my collection. Most are made of rock and sand alone when my comet passes within their reach. These planets become beautiful ornaments like all the rest, but it is only snow and ice that ever form. This is why my greatest treasure will be the planet called Earth.

I was thwarted once in my attempt to claim it. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised by the forces that protect such a jewel in this vast wasteland of space. Now, after what feels like so long, a twist of fate has brought us back in alignment and this time I am ready for Her.

The cold will penetrate to its core, and I will finally feel its heartbeat grow still. And the frost, elegantly blooming over everything that lives and breathes, will be the harbinger of my victory.

Eyes shining bright - the wildest rose
I once caught in passing, a scent on the nose
At first it escaped me
But this passion, it grows
I’ll always love Cinnamon, wherever she goes

I cannot come with her - my duties remain
I’ll just long to kiss her till the end of my days
She glows green before me on a brief tour - a tease
Cinnamon and wafts softly my way on the breeze

Now, here in this dark, splinting off in the night
I lose both my voice and my true will to fight
A glimmer glides through me as my lungs close up tight
The smell of sweet Cinnamon calls for me: “Nephrite!”