Determined to find something this time, I set out for the shops again today. I rush into every single one, traipse through every aisle with my eyes darting everywhere, and then leave for the next. Every item I find either isn't Karma enough, or isn't as good as Meg's bath mats.
She got so lucky with that find.
I shake my head at the tenth or eleventh store and head to the next one, stubbornly refusing to quit. It gets to the point where all the stores look alike, boasting the exact same items and trinkets for the holidays. Every single one of them.
How am I gonna find the right gift?
I manage to search the entire mall without finding him something, so I leave for the strip mall a few streets away. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, my mind wanders over to Maehara.
Knowing he gets around strangely changes nothing about my feelings, even though it should. Part of me always wondered if I just like him because Meg likes Isogai, but I'd like to think there's more to it than that.
I grumble to myself, unwillingly receiving a thought about him being with some other girl right now.
It's not like I have a claim on him or something...
I pass a small shop tucked in between two buildings. It doesn't seem to be busy, but the crystal balls spread out over a silk cloth steal my attention. Before I know it, I'm walking up to the door and opening it, a bell jangling above my head. I hold it open, trying to decide if I really want to be here or not.
I'm not really here for Karma though...
I step back out when a woman beckons me from inside.
"If you've caught yourself wandering in, you must be searching for something." An old lady says.
She looks like she could be a gypsy or a witch. A beautiful purple scarf is sticking out of the tall collar of her cloak.
"Oh, um—" I scratch the side of my face, a little nervous.
"Don't worry." Her smile is gentle and she tilts her head slightly. "I don't bite. Who's the present for?"
Against better judgment because I really have searched everywhere, I nod and tell her about Karma. She listens intently, asking clarifying questions every now and then.
"You know," she closes her eyes and thoughtfully puts a hand to her chin, "I have a feeling you'll find what you're looking for at the last shop you visit tonight."
My entire body slumps over in defeat. "Can't you just tell me which one it is?"
If you really have psychic powers.
"I'm not magical." She responds sternly and I wonder if I accidentally said something out loud. "On top of being able to read people, and having a lot of experience with them, I have a sort of sense about these things, but it's not magic."
Creeped out, I just sort of stand there.
"Anyway," she waves her hand between us as if chasing away a bad smell, "I've got a feeling you're looking for more than just one thing for this Karma-boy." She bends over, the motion frail and slow, grabbing something behind the table. "For some reason, I was just pulling this off the shelf before you got here." She places a heart shaped crystal split in half down the center. "If I believe in anything magical, it's the power of good, positive energy."
It's roughly the size of my hand. "What's it for?"
She grins. "You're supposed to give the other one to your best friend, and whenever you feel like it, you switch them out." She chuckles. "You haven't gotten her anything yet, have you?"
YOU ARE READING
Kristmas Karma
Fanfiction** Compete** Nagisa was just venting about his parents when he learned that Karma was going to be alone for Christmas. Even though he hasn't ditched in a while, he leaves early and Nagisa takes this opportunity to convince everyone in 3-E to turn th...
