'Tis the Season
Dreaming of Snow
Kagome stared out her window at the clouds gathering in the sky. Sadly they wouldn't be shedding any snow in Tokyo. She sighed as the clouds drifted away to go shed their precious cargo on some lucky town or city. But not Tokyo. Christmas was getting near and not a single snow flake had dropped. Turning away from the window, Kagome jumped and gave a short shriek when she came face to face with Inuyasha. Then she glared at him.
"Don't sneak up on me!" she yelled at him.
"Can we go now?"
"No. I have school!"
"Feh. What's so good about school?" Kagome, exasperated, just shook her head and walked around him. She flopped down on her bed, face in the pillows. Inuyasha blinked and looked at her. Woman were so confusing.
The door to Kagome's room opened and in came Sota. He blinked, did a double take.
"Well, if it isn't Inuyasha."
"Kid."
"Are you staying for the holidays?"
"Eh?"
"Christmas!"
"What's that?" Sota stared at Inuyasha with a disbelieving look.
"Well, you see-uh, Kagome?" Kagome was staring at Sota, a glare on her face. Sota, thoroughly scared, backed out of her room and closed the door. Inuyasha could hear his footsteps as he ran away. Inuyasha looked back at Kagome. Her eyes were closed now. He walked over to sit on her bed. Kagome stirred, shifting her legs. They now were pressed against him. Her breathing was slow, regulated. She was asleep. Inuyasha openly observed her. Her hair was fanned across her face. He pushed the locks back. He wanted to know what Christmas was. Looking around her room he saw a poster hung up on her wall. Standing, he went to observe it.
It had a stable like thing with a manger of hay. A human child lay there, asleep. Two other humans, a woman and a man, stood on either side, smiling down at their child. Fluttering above the manger were winged people. The played harps and their mouths were open in song. On the ground stable animals gathered to watch as three crowned men kneeled and held out their hands, something in them.
Under the poster hung a framed picture. Kagome's family was there. Her mother, her grandfather, a baby boy that must be Sota, a man that InuYasha had never seen, and Kagome herself, a small child. Kagome was sitting on the floor, holding a doll, wrapping paper surrounding her as her family smiled at her. Inuyasha touched the picture.
"Is this Christmas?" he whispered to himself. Kagome moaned and Inuyasha turned to look at her. Her forehead was creased and she frowned.
"No, dad. Don't go," she whispered. A tear rolled down her face. All of a sudden she shot up. Her eyes were wide and she looked over at InuYasha who came running over to her.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a concerned voice. Kagome looked down and way.
"It was my dad. He didn't listen." Another tear rolled down her cheek. Kagome looked strait at Inuyasha. "He was in the hospital because of a car wreck. The driver of the other car had died instantly. But he lived for another day. He promised me and Sota that he would make it up to us. He promised that every Christmas eve and Christmas he'd make it snow. I told him I'd give up snow forever if he would just stay. He told me he would stay if he could. But he was dying. Sota doesn't remember, he was too little. But I remember it like it happened yesterday." Kagome then burst into tears and buried herself against Inuyasha's chest. Inuyasha stroked her back uncertainly.
He now had a good idea what Christmas was. He thought it might be that one person got another a gift. That was definitely what that doll in the picture was, a gift. But what could he possible get her?
Wow, that was a short chapter. Oh, well, the others will be longer.