The next morning Rachel found herself being shaken awake by her brother.

"Ace, it's five in the morning." Rachel groaned.

"Gabriel and us are having a meeting about our other mission." Ace whispered.

"Fine." Rachel grumbled as she got out of bed.

"Finally, I thought you guys just went back to bed." Gabriel said with folded arms as they entered the living room.

"I still don't understand why we're already having a meeting." Ace said sitting down, "We still don't know when her birthday is."

"I do." Rachel said sitting down beside her brother.

"Spill." Gabriel said sitting down.

"She told me last night, she said her birthday's only four days away." Rachel explained.

"December the fifth then." Ace said, "Can we go back to bed now?"

"Great, you three are already up." Hazel said entering the room.

"Did you need something?" Ace asked.

"Since we're all awake, we can get back to hunting the Grinch." Hazel said smiling.

"But-" Ace protested.

"We leave in ten minutes." Hazel said folding her arms.

"Let's just go before Hazel just drags us." Gabriel said standing up.

"I hate both of you so much." Rachel groaned as she and Ace stood up.

Twenty minutes later the twins and Gabriel followed Hazel climb hills of snow.

"How much longer?" Ace groaned as they reached the top of what felt like the sixth hill.

"You two might not want to sit down, right now." Gabriel said as the twins collapsed.

"Why?" Rachel asked sitting up.

"Cause there's still quite the walk before we arrive at the next village." Hazel said looking at the map again.

"Why!?" Ace exclaimed groaning, "Why in all the world do we have to go this far just for the freaking Grinch!?"

"Well, if you two keep complaining we'll be there in three hours." Hazel said looking at the twins.

"Let's get a move on then." Rachel sighed.

Once the twins were on their feet, Hazel and Gabriel already started walking down the hill.

"Wait for us!" Ace called to them.

"Sometimes I wonder how those two became Monster Hunters." Hazel said glancing back at the twins.

"Can I talk to you Hazel?" Gabriel asked.

"Obviously." Hazel replied turning to her attention to her Kumppani.

"Why were you pacing last night." Gabriel asked knowing Hazel only paced around when she was frustrated.

"Rachel just told me that the three of you were talking about my birthday." Hazel said sighing, "It's not a big deal."

"D-did it make you upset or something?" Gabriel asked.

"C-can we just not talk about it." Hazel said tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Hazel come on." Gabriel said gently, "You can talk to me."

"You can't tell him Hazel." The voice in her head said.

"Fine." Hazel said ignoring the voice, "Just don't tell anyone, please."

"Alright." Gabriel promised.

"It's because - " Hazel began.

"What are the two of you talking about?" Rachel interrupted as she and her brother caught up to them.

"Oh - um - Gabriel was just asking how much longer until the next village." Hazel said a little startled.

"Funny, I was just about to ask the same thing." Ace said laughing a little.

"Well for both of your information we only have about maybe three miles to walk." Hazel said checking the map that was still suspended over her dagger's hilt.

"Oh, come on!" Rachel exclaimed.

All of a sudden, a ten-foot monster with white fur and red eyes, with four tentacles on its back appeared.

"Sora!" Gabriel exclaimed as they all drew their weapons.

"Well let's just kill it before it kills us!" Hazel exclaimed.

Then all of a sudden, the tentacles on the Sora's back suddenly extended and wrapped themselves around each of the hunters' waists.

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While Hazel and the Olivieros managed to cut their way out of their tentacles reach Gabriel was being dragged towards the Sora.

"A little help!" Gabriel exclaimed angrily.

"Come on." Hazel said as she and the twins ran to help their friend, "You two cut those tentacles and I'll cut this one."

The twins gave her a confused look before she gestured to the ones that grabbed them fully regenerated. The two turned to her wide eyed before nodding.

After a few minutes of cutting tentacles Hazel finally got Gabriel free.

"Thanks Hazel." Gabriel said quickly standing up.

"Me and the Olivieros will cover you." Hazel said cutting another regenerated tentacle, "You shoot its head."

"Got it!" Gabriel said nodding before running off to find a better shooting range, "Ace! Rachel! Cover me!"

"Hurry!" Ace said cutting two tentacles.

"How fast can this thing regenerate!?" Rachel asked as the two tentacles regenerated again.

"Alright Gabriel, focus and....." Gabriel muttered aiming an arrow safely from behind the rock, "Shoot."

Gabriel smiled as he let the arrow fly right through the Sora's skull, "Bulls eye."

"Nice shot." Hazel said looking at the Sora's lifeless body.

"Why thank you." Gabriel said smiling as he joined them.

"Come on, we better get going before more come." Rachel said as she and the others set their weapons aside.

"Good idea." Hazel said nodding.

Twenty minutes past since the Sora attack and Hazel kept glancing at the surroundings around them.

"You looking for something Hazel?" Ace asked as Hazel glanced at a nearby pile of snow for the seventy-seventh time.

"Just making sure we're not being followed." Hazel replied sighing.

Hazel pulled her dagger out of its sheath before the holographic map appeared.

"Fifteen more minutes Rachel." Hazel said checking the map.

"How did you-" Rachel began.

"Your face gave it away Rach." Hazel explained smiling.

"Let's go then." Gabriel said.

"Don't you think it’s a bit weird?" Ace whispered to his sister.

"What is?" Rachel asked.

"Remember when Hazel told us that Gab was asking how much longer until the next village?" Ace asked.

"Yes." Rachel said.

"Gabriel doesn't usually ask that kind of question." Ace said.

"So?" Rachel asked confused.

"So why would Hazel say that Gab was asking that kind of question?" Ace asked thinking.

"Well let's just ask him." Rachel said before taping Gabriel's shoulder.

"Something wrong?" Gabriel asked.

"What were you and Hazel talking about before the Sora attack?" Ace asked.

"Nothing!" Gabriel said quickly.

"But-" Rachel began.

"I promised Hazel I wouldn't tell anyone." Gabriel said narrowing his eyes.

"Is this about your crush on Hazel?" Ace asked smugly.

"D - I don't like her, like that!" Gabriel exclaimed angrily.

"You guy okay back there?" Hazel asked from the front.

"We're fine." Gabriel said.

"Okay." Hazel replied.

"You have a crush on Hazel?" Rachel asked.

"I don't." Gabriel said a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Your blushing dude." Ace said gleefully.

"They're hiding something." The voice in Hazel's mind said.

"Well, if they are, then they have a good reason for it." Hazel muttered furiously.

"They just think your weak Hazel." The voice said.

'They don't.' Hazel thought.

"Let's see if that's true Abernathy." The voice said.

"Can't you just shut up for ten seconds?" Hazel quietly snapped.

"Hey Hazel." Rachel said as she and the boys reached her.

"Hey guys." Hazel said faking a smile.

"How much longer until the next village." Ace asked, "Its almost 6:00."

"Eight more minutes Ace." Hazel said looking at her map.

"Well let's hurry up then." Gabriel said.

"Anyway, what were the three of you talking about?" Hazel said sheeting her dagger.

"Remember when I told you that Ace thought that I liked a girl?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah." Hazel said a bit of jealousy inside her, "You even screamed 'I don't like you.'"

"Ace told Rachel." Gabriel said sighing.

"You two are so dead." Hazel said turning to the twins.

"Why thank you, Hazel." Rachel said smiling.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" Hazel asked.

After Hazel asked this question Gabriel quickly thought of something to change the subject but failing rather miserably.

"No one!" Gabriel exclaimed.

Ace and Rachel glanced at each other before bursting out laughing.

"You too are terrible." Gabriel groaned.

Hazel looked at the scene beside her before she burst out laughing.

"Hazel!" Gabriel exclaimed smiling a little.

"It's a bit funny, alright." Hazel said grinning, "I mean can you really blame me?"

"Yes!" Gabriel yelled.

"Three against one, man!" Ace exclaimed.

"All of you are on thin freaking ice." Gabriel said clearly frustrated.

Hazel laughed again before a sign caught her attention, "I see the village!"

"Let's go then!" Rachel exclaimed as she and her brother ran to the village.

"Wait up!" Hazel said as she and Gabriel ran to catch up to them.

"'Welcome to Aeston Village.'" Ace said reading the sign.

"The place looks dead." Gabriel commented as he and Hazel caught up to them.

"Please help me." An elderly woman said weakly.

"What happened here?" Hazel asked helping the woman support herself.

"I don't know." The woman said, "Last night the village was decorated for Christmas but when we woke up, they were gone."

"Doesn't Aeston Village have the Gem of Joy?" Ace asked.

"Of course." Rachel sighed, "This place is literally the capital of happiness but if its inhabitants are devoid of joy-"

"Then the whole village feels dead." Hazel interrupted, "How can we help?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing any of you can do." An old man said.

At that moment Hazel remembered something her father used to do whenever she was sad.