Mistletoe

by akitokihojo

Christmas in a remote cabin? Check. Best friends trying to play matchmaker? Check. Dreamy guy that makes your heart go pitter patter despite constant, inward disapproval? Double check. Oh man, Kagome was in for one hell of a ride from the very beginning. How was she going to make it through the holidays if she could hardly handle the Hallmark movie she was currently living?

We like cliche's. We like sappy shit. We like InuKag. And we like Christmas.
So, naturally, itsyaboibakotsu and I collaborated and wrote a v long fic for y'all. One in Kagome's POV and the other in Inuyasha's.

Inuyasha's side will be posted Christmas Eve via her account and tumblr! Keep an eye out!

(You can find me as akitokihojo and her as lordbankotsu)

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Kagome laughed as she poured herself a small glass of wine, watching the two boys at the other end of the room wrestle with the oversized Christmas tree she and Sango had chosen; one holding it up as straight as possible while the other tried to screw it into the base. It wasn't everyday that any of them got to spend the holidays in a remote cabin far from their daily lives, where the snow kept falling to blanket the woodland area that surrounded them and Christmas actually felt like the Christmas popular song's advertised, and they all intended to make the best of it. Even if she was stuck pretending she didn't already notice new and enticing things about the half demon just during the few hours they'd been there, wondering how much more deep she was about to be by the end of their stay.

Inuyasha had caught her eye on their first meeting months ago, and if they had met under different circumstances, Kagome would have considered flirting a little. Unfortunately, thanks to her one-of-a-kind best friend, Miroku, she was tricked into a blind-sided blind double date. Miroku invited her to meet him for dinner and drinks after she got off work from a long week, and when she showed up to the restaurant, his new girlfriend sat in the booth beside him. She'd met Sango a couple of times by then, and new couples are always joined at the hip in the beginning. They were good at not making her feel like a third wheel, and honestly it was to be expected. What wasn't was the sly expressions on both of their faces as she slid into the empty side, or the way Sango continuously glanced over Kagome's shoulder at the door during small talk until suddenly popping up and waving someone over, or the tall, very attractive man that stopped at the edge of their table with a highly skeptical look that told Kagome he suspected something fishy taking place as well. It didn't take more than thirty seconds after introductions to piece it together, and it didn't take much longer than that for accusations to be fired and animosity to build. Sure, the half demon was too beautiful to be fair, and sure, the muscles of his forearms exposed from his rolled up sleeves were enough to momentarily distract her from the issue at hand, but none of that could take away from the fact that their best friends considered them hopeless, awkward, and desperate for love. So, on the spot, it sort of became an unspoken but mutual agreement between Inuyasha and Kagome that they could never give their friends the satisfaction of them liking each other.

They got along fairly decently. Miroku and Sango grew more subtle with their attempts to get the two in a room together, which Inuyasha and Kagome had eventually learned to laugh off once they were able to get passed the agonizing tension and the half demon's natural standoffish nature. In front of their friends they made sure to be as buddy-buddy as possible, as if to enforce an imaginary friendzone so that the couple would hopefully lose hope and back off. While they were alone, which wasn't too often, they were able to be a little more relaxed with each other. The non-spoken understanding between the two had basically become a fun game to piss off their best friends. No personal questions were ever asked. No awkward small talk was ever spoken. Most of the time, they just stayed quiet and stole little glances at the other while they stared at their phones.

Which, wasn't entirely uncomfortable.

"There. Your damn tree is up. Now make yourselves useful and decorate the thing." Inuyasha huffed, brushing the pine bristles off of his sleeves.

Sango gave a small squeal of delight, bouncing off her stool at the island next to Kagome and hustling over to the bags of unopened decorations they'd bought on the way up. She tipped one over completely, dumping three boxes of multi-colored lights to the fuzzy carpet in the center of the living room. Kagome took another sip of her sweet wine before setting the glass down on the marble counter, sliding over the wooden floors with her thick, winter socks and turning up the Christmas music on their Bluetooth speaker. She crossed the small distance and took a box from the floor, using her nails to peel back the tape and open the top. The long, green wiring with different colored light bulbs branching at the sides was wrapped up neatly with twisty ties, and Kagome's fingers made way on getting it all unfurled.

"The tree is hardly straight." Sango commented, finishing up the first set of lights and reaching for the last box.

"It's as straight as it's gonna get." Miroku replied, propping his hands on his hips to admire their handy work.

"You guys are going to help decorate, right?" She asked, allowing the green wire to fall loose and dangle from her fingers to the floor.

"Fat chance!" Inuyasha snorted, plopping down on the loveseat behind Kagome. She resisted the urge to look back at him, focusing her brown eyes on plugging the three sets of lights into one another as Sango started laying them along the branches at the bottom of their tree. "We did the hard part."

"What a Scrooge." Sango quickly shot a sneer in his direction.

"You don't want them decorating our tree, Sango." Kagome started, helping her wrap the wiring around the midline of the Douglas Fir. "They'd somehow manage to make it ugly."

"Rude." Miroku tossed an empty water bottle at her from his spot behind the couch, barely nicking the side of her thigh. She giggled as she kicked it away, continuing on with her motions to wrap her side and pass the wire back to Sango, rocking on her tippy toes to try and wrap it as high as they could. Kagome tried using the base of the fireplace as leverage, but it was still a struggle just to get close to the top.

"Alright, move over." His gruff voice was right beside her ear, his clawed fingers hovering next to her extended ones to retrieve the Christmas lights from her feeble grip. She glanced up at Inuyasha, his golden eyes already staring down at her as his chest brushed against her shoulder. Kagome's breath hitched in her lungs, finding it hard to concentrate on what she should be doing as opposed to how close he suddenly was. His warm fingers brushed the back of her hand, gently pushing her out of the way. "I –uh…I can get it."

Kagome nodded, thanking him softly as she directed her gaze down, ignoring the heat in her cheeks and quickly backing out of his way to allow him to take over. She made her way over to the ornaments, taking each box and container out of the plastic bags to set them aside.

"That was cute." Miroku remarked, approaching at her side and keeping his voice low.

"Don't start with me." She didn't even spare him a glance, scraping her nails along the edge of the plastic container in hand to peel the adhesive back.

"It was a compliment!"

"No, you're about to start your annoying pestering again. Honestly, Miroku, if you want to be Yente so bad, go to a casting call for Fiddler on the Roof."

"I only call it like I see it." He picked up a box next to Kagome's foot, following her lead and opening the top so that all they had to do was reach in and grab an ornament to hang.

"Then look at something else." She chided, reaching for another container.

"It's just so hard to focus on anything other than you two when the sexual tension is just –wow!"

"Stop it! Here's something you can focus on: How about those other friends of yours?"

"Hm?"

"You said you invited at least three other people for the holiday, and it's getting pretty late out. Where are they?" Kagome cocked an eyebrow at Miroku, placing the final opened box on the couch and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh!" Miroku started, giving an exaggerated frown and shrugging. "They couldn't make it. Every single one of them canceled."

"Yeah?" Kagome wrinkled her nose in incredulity.

"Yup."

"What a bummer."

"Totally."

"There was never anyone invited, was there?" She asked, nodding as if she already knew the answer.

"Nope."

She groaned, rolling her head back in agitation, and walked towards the glass of wine she'd left at the kitchen island, knowing full and well that it would take at least a little buzz in order to deal with her best friend's antics. She'd known him for years and trusted him more than anyone, but never once had he tried to meddle in her love life. The closest he'd ever gotten to that was telling her the guys she dated weren't good enough for her. In fact, Miroku never liked a single guy she'd introduced him to, and Kagome had gotten used to the idea that he never would. He was super protective of her. Yet, for some reason or another, the man was annoyingly persistent when it came to setting her up with Inuyasha, and what made it slightly worse was that he had his girlfriend to support him through it.

He and Inuyasha worked at the same elementary school together; Miroku teaching the fifth grade and Inuyasha the third. At a happy hour they had gone to, Inuyasha introduced his own best friend, Sango, into the picture and the rest was history. Miroku was head-over-heels for that girl from the moment he'd set eyes on her, gushing on and on about how perfect the girl was to Kagome. The question Kagome wasn't sure she wanted the answer to now, though, was who found their respected friend pathetic enough to need a set up first?

Miroku would have been the clear answer, considering he was the mutual tie to all three. But then that posed another question to form in Kagome's clouded mind: What was so special about the third grade teacher to get Miroku's enthusiastic approval?

While he seemed hard to talk to at first, Kagome noticed a soft side in him. A very small soft side. It had to exist under his hardened exterior if he worked with eight and nine year olds on the daily. He had a nice laugh; she enjoyed the sound of it, even if it only came out when he was laughing at somebody. And, good lord, was he handsome. She'd be the first to admit that that probably wasn't Miroku's reasoning for wanting them to date, but it definitely didn't hurt. The half demon was undeniably attractive, especially in the red flannel he was donning at the moment with the sleeves unbuttoned and rolled up to just below his elbow. His light-colored hair was tied back into a knot at the crown of his head, the length of it falling to his mid back and swinging slightly as he tossed a few of the non-fragile ornaments towards Sango to hang up. His golden irises glowed as the fire burning at the base of the chimney reflected off of them, the color perfectly matching the tips of the flickering flames.

Kagome looked down at the remaining wine in her glass, enough for half a sip, feeling that familiar heat flood the entirety of her cheeks. Maybe she didn't need any more after all.

"Okay, hear me out." Miroku spoke, following her into the kitchen and grabbing a beer from the fridge. "He's a good guy; a little rough around the edges, but a good guy overall."

"I don't get it. Are you just trying to return the favor to him because he hooked you up with Sango or something?" Kagome sighed, finishing off her drink.

"No. Absolutely not. He was one-hundred percent against Sango and I dating." He smiled, yanking the top off his glass bottle with the metal opener on the counter. "I'm doing it because I think you two would work nicely together. He's a good guy!"

"You already said that."

"Yeah, but I didn't think you heard me the first two times I said it." Miroku shrugged, taking a sip.

"Miroku, I have heard everything you've said about Inuyasha." Kagome remarked, making sure to keep her tone hushed so the half demon wouldn't look over at hearing his name. "I heard you when you said he was "surprisingly" good with kids, I heard you when you mentioned how often he works out, I heard you when you said he has a place of his own and does not live with his parents like a certain ex of mine, I heard you when you said he may have a charming side hidden beneath his withdrawal from most social contact, and I absolutely heard you the thirty times, not two, that you said he was a good guy. I've heard it all, Miroku, and I still don't think he and I are a match. So please, for the love of all that is good, would you just drop it?"

"I would if you didn't actually have a crush on him." He cocked an eyebrow, smirking devilishly at her.

"Pardon?"

"You think I, of all people, wouldn't notice?"

"Okay, so I think he's cute. You got me. That doesn't mean I believe you when you say you would leave me alone, and that definitely doesn't mean I'm in love with him or anything." Kagome rolled her eyes, grabbing the opened bottle of wine in front of her and filling her glass half way.

"Mhm." Another swig of his beer.

"You stop that."

"Stop what?"

"That thing you do when you think you know more than what I'm putting off." She started fidgeting with her fingernails, growing uncomfortable under her best friend's scope.

"I do."

"No you don't."

"Yup."

"Stop it."

"Admit it."

"Fine –crap!" She cursed, rubbing her temples with the padding of her fingers. He always pulled this on her. All Miroku ever had to do to win against Kagome's resolve was keep up his persistent badgering and she would effectively fold within the minute. Every freaking time.

"Hah!" Miroku gloated, slamming his beer down on the marble and catching both Inuyasha's and Sango's attention. Kagome sipped her wine, using the dome-shaped glass to hide the embarrassment on her face. "Just some friendly banter. Nothing to worry about. Turns out I'm smarter than Kagome."

"Yeah, okay." Sango snorted incredulously, turning her attention back to the glass ornament she was trying to get a hook through the top of.

Miroku looked back at Kagome, his dark eyes gleaming with more joy than they should have been. He propped his forearm along the island, crossing his leg over the other to drop his height and lean comfortably as he smiled at her with too much pride.

"I'm not going to talk about this with you. You're too happy." She shook her head, wondering how much more alcohol it would take to forget she'd said anything.

"Come on." He drawled, poking her arm with the cold butt of his drink. "I'll be good, I promise." She sighed, knowing that if she didn't give in he would only follow her around like a puppy begging for a treat until she gave him what she wanted. Kagome bit back the grimace that crept on her face, thinking of the same look he gave Sango whenever he drank too much and clearly wanted sex.

"Okay yes, I kind of like him. That doesn't mean anything though."

"What do you mean it doesn't mean anything?" He asked, matching her hushed tone to keep their conversation as private as possible. "This is great!"

"No, you don't get it. It really doesn't mean anything because it's one-sided." She replied plainly.

"How do you know?"

"It's kind of obvious." Kagome laughed, as if she were feeding the punchline of a joke. "If he were interested, he'd ask me a question or two every once in a while or sit next to me or, I don't know, look at me for more than a split second!"

"Wait, have you done any of that yourself?"

"Oh, well uh… no. But that was mostly because it was really fun not giving in to your little game of matchmaker."

Miroku closed his eyes for a moment, taking in a slow breath to bite back the annoyance and scratching the side of his nose with his middle finger. "Then, again, how do you know?"

"I literally –"

"No, you literally just gave me the same excuse he probably has for not "asking you a question or two."" He interjected, forming dramatic air quotes with his fingers. "You just don't want to believe it's a possibility because your pride's in the way! Since your guys' second meeting, I've noticed the way he looks at you. Believe me, Kagome, it's definitely for longer than what you think."

"You're full of it." Kagome shook her head, glancing over at the two friends in the living room. They stood in front of the fireplace, both with an ornament in hand, talking just as softly as she and Miroku were while Sango swayed back and forth in place to the Bing Crosby song playing through the speakers.

"Look, Sango and I have set the mood for you two. All you have to do is go with the flow and you'll be falling in love by the end of tomorrow night." Miroku shrugged.

"What, are you writing a script for a Hallmark movie?"

"Those always end well."

"Shut up." Kagome rolled her eyes, placing her empty glass on the counter and turning towards the living area.

"I'm serious, Kagome. This is gonna work! Sango and I will head out to the store for something tomorrow, that way you guys can have a little alone time!"

"Don't you dare!" She just about poked the center of his chest with her index finger from how strong her reflex came to point at him, hoping the gesture would bring him to take her seriously for once.

"It's the perfect plan! What could go wrong?"

"First of all, you never ask that. Something will always go wrong if you ask that. Second of all, you're dead to me if you leave tomorrow."

"We're out of beer, though."

"I'll go get it."

"You can't drive stick."

"Crap."

"Nice try, though."

"Miroku!" Sango called, running over to where the two stood around the island. She clutched his arm and pulled him back toward the open area behind the couches. "I love this song, babe. Dance with me?"

Kagome sighed, allowing the heavy air to release from between her loose lips as she watched her friends wrap their arms around each other and rock back and forth on their toes to the soothing melody of Slow Dancing Toward Christmas. Sometimes Miroku stressed her out beyond belief. He didn't know how to drop things, and even though he would claim she were more stubborn then him, she now had all the evidence she needed to prove him wrong in future arguments.

Her eyes drifted over to the tall man on the opposite side of the room, his thick arms crossed over his chest while one hand held his phone close to his face, his thumb sliding up to scroll through, what she guessed were, notifications. Kagome didn't want to dwell on anything she had just talked about with Miroku. In fact, she wanted to pretend the conversation never happened. His and Sango's set up plan would never work, Inuyasha was not interested, and she shouldn't be either just for spiteful purposes. Who wants to be pestered into a relationship? There was no way they could be forced to fall in love, and Miroku, despite everything he said, was in no way cruel enough to actually leave the two of them alone in the cabin for however long it took for his cliche, romantic scheme to unfold.

Deciding to push it all to the back of her mind, Kagome slid around the marble counter and made her way to the Christmas tree, taking the route in front of the couches to avoid the swaying couple. She grabbed a few ornaments, using the looped ribbon at the top of the glimmering orbs to dangle them from her index and middle finger, and turned to face the tree, ignoring the golden gaze just a few feet to the side of her. She chose random spots on the Douglas Fir, making sure the tips of the branches supported the ornaments so that they wouldn't fall to the ground and shatter before letting go.

"Is Christmas your favorite holiday?" He didn't step any closer, but he lowered his phone, the sound of a soft click indicating he'd locked the screen before slowly sliding the device back into his front pocket. Kagome turned her head to look at him, her lips curving up out of instinct at seeing his eyes on her. A warm feeling fluttered in her belly that slowly began to expand and tickle her abdomen.

"Yeah. Ever since I was a kid." Her smile only grew larger, and she turned her attention back towards the small branch in front of her that wouldn't seem to grip the ribbon she was trying to slip over it. "Is it yours?"

"Feh. I don't have a favorite holiday. They're all cheesy." Inuyasha took a few steps back, leaning comfortably along the bricks that made up the side of the fireplace wall.

"Oh, come on. Not one?" Kagome made sure to keep her eyes to herself, trying to come off as casual as possible.

"Anything that gets me out of work, I guess."

"So, almost all of them." She giggled, turning to grab a few extra ornaments. The gentle melody ended with a more upbeat song chiming through the speakers, Miroku's movements becoming faster and more touchy-feely. Kagome looked up to see him whispering in Sango's ear and then moving down to kiss the length of her neck, his hands traveling the curve of her back to cup her butt. She wrinkled her nose, looking away as Sango erupted into breathy laughs and flirty, drawn out ways to say her boyfriend's name. Clearly, they'd had a little too much to drink, because sober Sango would never let Miroku get away with fondling her in front of anyone. Inuyasha let out an annoyed groan, grabbing a cushion from the nearest couch and chucking it at their friends.

"Knock it off! That's disgusting!"

"Get a room, you say?" Miroku perked up from the crook of Sango's neck, cocking his eyebrows suggestively.

"No one said that." Kagome could practically hear Inuyasha roll his eyes with that statement.

"We can take a hint. Come on, Sango!" He yanked her down the hall, hardly wishing them a good night as he slammed the master bedroom shut, the loud click of his lock heard over their muffled laughter.

Kagome sauntered over to the speakers, pressing the volume button repeatedly to turn the music up until she was sure the two were drowned out completely. She shrugged awkwardly in Inuyasha's direction, noticing the disapproving frown still marring his features. So much for the Christmas tree. She went to busy herself, distract herself if you will, and went around the kitchen to collect the empty beer bottles, throwing them in a trash bag she intended to use for recycling. Kagome grabbed the opened bottle of wine, shoving the cork back into the top with the heel of her hand and placing it back in the fridge.

The sound of the front door opening caught her attention, a cold breeze traveling through the cabin and creating small goosebumps to creep up her sides. She whipped her head around and saw Inuyasha shutting the door behind him.

"Wait, it's freezing out there." Kagome tried to say before the door had shut completely, but wasn't nearly quick enough. He was only in a flannel and undershirt, with half of his arms exposed. Was he crazy? She shook her head and went back to cleaning, momentarily deciding to let him do his own thing. He was an adult, after all, and if he wasn't worried about hypothermia, why should she be?

Her eyes kept flickering towards the door, waiting for the half demon to come inside. He had to be cold by now. Maybe he had gone for a walk. It wasn't like she could blame him. It was probably super uncomfortable for him to watch his own best friend skip down the hall for a good lay. And it wasn't like he was great friends with Kagome and could relax and act like nothing had just happened. He was only ever around her because he was coerced to be. Still, that didn't mean he should freeze himself out.

Kagome walked to the coat rack near the door, grabbing her white, knitted beanie from on top of her winter jacket and pulled it over her head, tucking rogue strands of hair behind her ears to keep them out of her face. She looked in the small mirror hanging on the wall, adjusting the beanie to properly cover her ears so the fuzzy ball on top wouldn't sag. She didn't plan on being out there long, so she figured the small accessory would suffice. She slipped on her boots in the entry way, not bothering to tie the laces, and then reached back towards the rack to snag the black coat hanging next to her own.

The air was bitter and much colder than when they had arrived, her breath perfectly visible in front of her with the aid of the porch light. Inuyasha looked back at her from his spot in the small field of snow just before the dense darkness at the line of the woods, his hands tucked into his front pockets.

"What are you doing out here? It's freezing." Inuyasha made his way back towards the porch, a loud crunch echoing in the still night with each step he took. Kagome went to meet him half way, hugging her arms around her waist and fighting the shiver that quickly went to rack her body. She stepped down the few porch steps carefully, in case they'd become slippery, hovering her hand above the wooden rail and then quickly hugging her sides again once she took her first steps into the thick, layered snow.

"I could ask you the same thing." She smiled, hugging herself tighter as the cold started to get to her. "I wanted to make sure you were okay and bring you your jacket." Kagome held it out to him, her hand not too outstretched from the warmth of her torso.

"I've got demon blood. I'm fine. You, on the other hand..." Inuyasha quickly took it, a small and breathy chuckle leaving his lips as he wrapped it around her shoulders. "Should be inside."

Kagome met his ember gaze as his hands continued to adjust the large jacket over her so that it wouldn't fall off, holding it shut for a small moment to lock in some heat. The snow that landed on his head blended with the light shade of his hair, and Kagome was only aware that it was beginning to come down harder thanks to the porch light illuminating the specks of white decorating his red flannel. She tilted her head upwards, looking up at the dark sky, hardly able to see a thing until the light reflected off of the glimmering ice falling above them.

The smell of fresh snow always did something to Kagome, her heart twitching happily within her chest as she allowed the cold ice to sprinkle and melt on her cheeks. The area surrounding them was quiet, peaceful, the only sound reaching her ears being Inuyasha's slow breaths and the sound of new snow hitting the layers at their feet.

"It's so beautiful." Kagome whispered, grinning happily. Inuyasha had taken a small step back from her, his eyes meeting her face once again. His cheeks were a slight shade of pink, and Kagome figured the cold must be catching up to him. Demonic blood or not, he wasn't impervious to the chill. "Here, your coat."

"Keep it." He insists, shaking his head and looking off to the side.

"No really, I just wanted to bring it out to you." Kagome couldn't tear her eyes away from him this time. The pink that lightly dusted his cheeks somehow made him look softer, the dim light of the porch and the white all around them accenting his features perfectly. This was one of the moments Kagome would describe Inuyasha as unbearably handsome. It was almost fair to call it cruel how attractive he was in this element, considering how quickly her train of thought flew off the rails. "Didn't uh... Didn't..." How many times would she have to tell herself to get it together in order to spit the sentence out? Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow at her, his lips curving downward in curiosity. "Didn't want you getting sick on Christmas."

"I don't think I'm the one we should be worrying about." He smirked, crossing his arms over his chest and broadening his stance. "You're shivering, Kagome. Get inside."

Kagome removed the jacket from her shoulders, taking her bottom lip between her teeth and nodding. He took the coat, their fingers brushing, and Kagome smiled up at him before turning back towards the porch and heading into the warm living room of their cabin.

Kagome pulled her arms through the dark grey sleeves of her comfy, v-neck sweater, adjusting the hem at her shoulders. The sweater was oversized and fell to about mid butt, and was knitted thickly enough to keep her warm in this crisp, winter weather. She peeked out her window, the snow falling thickly and quickly, large clumps of white meshing and building on the matching blanket along the earth. She could hardly see Miroku's truck parked out front through the heavy weather, the vehicle probably buried in a thick coat of ice by now.

She opened her door as quietly as possible, hoping the hinges wouldn't squeak and wake anyone. It was a couple of minutes past nine thirty in the morning, but she hadn't heard anyone walking around so she naturally assumed they were all still in bed. The fire was long dead, the charred wood in the fireplace hardly resembling logs anymore. She made her way further into the living room, shuffling along with her socks to make as few creaking noises as possible, listening to the loud clock tick seconds by in the far corner of the room. Kagome pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans, tapping on the weather app and seeing the forecast lined with heavy snowstorms the entire day.

"Morning." Inuyasha walked out behind her, their arms brushing slightly as he made his way to the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"Yes, please." Kagome replied, swallowing the slight startle he'd given her. For as tall and muscular as he was, Inuyasha stepped quieter than anyone she'd ever known. "Uh, it's snowing."

"It's been snowing." Inuyasha said almost flatly, the slightest hint of amusement in his tone as he scooped coffee grounds into the filter.

"Right. No, I meant harder. A lot harder. Looks like we're in for a bit of a storm." She passed him in the kitchen, opening up the fridge and grabbing the three different creamers they'd bought because no one could seem to agree on a flavor, screwing off the caps to remove the protective lining on the inside.

"That'll be fun. Money down that Miroku complains about it all day."

Kagome laughed, throwing the small tabs away and replacing the lids. He was probably right. The heavier the snow fell, the less likely their friends were to ditch them for their plan, which meant Miroku was no doubt going to sit on the couch moaning and groaning about being bored while the others played Clue or something. She didn't care though. He could whine all he wanted so long as he didn't pull his conniving stunt.

"Well good morning, you two." Her best friend practically sang, leaning along the corner of the wall at the side of the large entrance to the kitchen. "Just like I left you. Did you two even sleep, or..."

"Ah geez. Would you shut up?" Inuyasha pressed the large on button to the coffee pot, turning to lean against the counter as he glared over at Miroku.

"Different clothes, though. Hm..." He rubbed his chin between his thumb and index finger, analyzing them as if he hadn't heard Inuyasha. "Slightly disappointing."

"Well, this got uncomfortable quickly. Guess I'll be going." Kagome went to slide passed Miroku, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"Okay, I'm sorry! I'll be good. Nothing else. Hi." He kissed her cheek and guided her back to her original spot at the counter, passing by and pulling four mugs from the cupboard. "Chris Pine's looking sharp over there."

"Wh- you named the tree?" She didn't know why she was shocked.

"Even trees need names, Kagome."

"What a nerd. Go finish decorating it." Kagome joked, choosing the purple mug in Miroku's hands.

"Okay, guys, what are we doing today?" Sango walked into the living room from the hall, glancing over her shoulder at them through the large kitchen as she rubbed her hands together for friction. She traveled over to the wall near the front door, adjusting the thermostat by pressing the button a few times.

"Nothing." Inuyasha emphasized the word with his sharp tone. He gave a taunting grin at his friend, and Kagome didn't know why she liked the look of it. "Didn't you look outside, Sango?"

"It's just a little snow." She dismissed, pulling her fingers into her sweater sleeves. "Let's go sledding!"

"What? No! There's a weather advisory, dummy! You can hardly see ten feet in front of you."

"That'll pass!" She dismissed again, sauntering over to the island beside Kagome and claiming an empty mug.

"Actually, it's only supposed to get worse." Kagome added.

"Thus the advisory." Inuyasha sneered, turning his sights to the coffee pot that had just beeped. He grabbed the pot by the handle, tipping it slightly to pour the hot liquid into his mug.

"What? No way! I didn't know this." Miroku whined, his shoulders slumping dramatically.

"Yup. Too bad." Kagome shrugged. "Looks like we'll all be staying in today. I brought some board games we could play!"

"And you called me a nerd." He shifted his eyes to avoid her sharp glare, sliding over to the now-free coffee machine and pouring his share.

"Alright, I'm calling it!" Miroku shouted, raising his hands in front of him as if to hold off the anticipation. "It was Miss Scarlet, in the library, with the revolver!"

"Wrong." Inuyasha objected flatly, not looking up from the double-sided report he was reading on the loveseat behind Sango. He laid across the sofa comfortably, his leg hanging over the side of the arm rest while his fist propped up his chin. Miroku snagged the little, yellow envelope in the center of the board, pinching the sides to open the top to easily grab the cards inside.

"You chose not to play, so you stay out of th- son of a bitch!"

"Wrong?" Kagome gifted a fake sympathetic look.

"Shut up." He rolled his eyes, sliding the secret cards back into the tiny envelope and dropping it back into the center of the board. The girls started laughing, Kagome leaning back from the ottoman they used as a table for their game as her giggles grew harder from Miroku's sour face. He rolled his eyes, pushing himself from the floor and walking past everyone to the kitchen. Her eyes followed his bitter trail of defeat as he stomped behind the loveseat, through the archway of the kitchen, and to the fridge, throwing the doors open and snagging a soda from within. "It's not even that funny!"

"Yes it is! You were so smug!" Sango laughed, clutching her stomach as her fit started to mellow out. "Oh don't be mad!" She pushed herself from the floor, rushing into the kitchen to hug Miroku who had turned away from her with his nose in the air as he pretended to be upset. Kagome gave another small giggle as she watched the couple play in the kitchen, catching a small glimpse of white flickering in her peripheral vision.

She glanced over to Inuyasha, his position unmoved besides the report being flipped over, large, sloppy handwriting scrawled all over the side she could see. His light hair hung down from his high ponytail, following the point of gravity and splaying along the couch cushion beneath him. His ear gave another tiny flick, catching her total and undivided attention.

"Can I ask you a question?" She scooted a little closer to him from her spot on the fuzzy area rug, aiming to keep her voice quiet enough that the bickering couple in the kitchen wouldn't hear so long as they continued to fool around. His ember eyes shifted up to her from behind the sheet of paper he held, his eyebrow twitching upward so slightly, she'd almost missed it. "Your ears… they-"

"What about them?" He questioned, coming off as almost defensive.

"Well –and I hope you don't mind my asking- but can they hear things that are far off?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?" He lowered the essay completely, his brows scrunching into furrowed skepticism.

"Is that why they do that flicking thing?"

"Shit!" Miroku coughed, choking on his drink as he fought back a fit of laughter. He pressed a hand to his lips, attempting to stifle the coughing behind his tightly-pressed fingers.

"Are you-"

"Crap, that burns! I can't! Oh my god, I gotta go! Time to go!" Miroku dropped his can on the counter, shuffling quickly down the hall while he continued to bite back the choked combination of coughs and cackles. Both Kagome and Inuyasha peered at Sango over the head of the loveseat, who held a hand to her mouth as she tried to appear as nonchalant as possible.

"What the hell was that?" Inuyasha sat up straighter, shooting a suspicious glare to his friend behind the island.

"Oh, he shot soda out of his nose. Totally normal." Sango shrugged, pressing her lips together in a flat line. "I should go check on him."

"The fuck, you should! Stop being weird!" The half demon demanded.

"Weird? Who's weird? Don't you have homework to grade? Mind your business." She retorted, disappearing down the hall and slamming their bedroom door shut behind her.

"And to answer your question, my ears don't do any flicking thing." He whipped his head back around to look at her, eyes sharp and cheeks slightly flushed.

Kagome opened her mouth to rebuttal, because she's one-hundred percent positive she saw his ear twitch, but stopped herself, slowly pursing her lips and leaning back along the couch. He was a prideful guy, that much was for sure, but it wasn't like she could tell him why, exactly, she had brought it up in the first place.

Because telling him she thought it was cute was exactly what their friends would want.

She grabbed her phone from the little side table next to the larger sofa she rested against, unlocking the screen with the pad of her thumb and distracting herself by reading a recent text from her mom. Inuyasha grumbled something to himself from behind his paper, and she rolled her eyes, biting her tongue so as not to say anything. If she knew he'd get this testy about it, she never would have mentioned his ears. Maybe he was embarrassed from their friends' reaction, but even if it was because they had heard them, Kagome still felt that no one should feel more humiliated than Miroku. He shot soda out of his nose, for god's sake.

She tapped the text box at the bottom of her mom's message to type in her reply, the little sounds coming from her phone as she clicked letter after letter resembling an actual keyboard. Usually, Kagome would fly home for Christmas and visit her family, but her mom, younger brother, and grandpa opted to take a small vacation this year. Kagome was invited, but she decided against it, figuring a holiday at home never hurt anybody. Then, after minimal persuasion, she further figured a holiday in a cabin lent by her best friend's uncle in the middle of nature and surrounded by snowy mountains never hurt anybody either.

"Alright, guys, we're headed out." Miroku announced nonchalantly as he and Sango entered back into the living room, his nose a shade of bright red, grabbing his thick coat off the rack.

"What?" Kagome practically dropped her phone to the floor, turning around to eye her ballsy friend.

"Gotta go to the store. Need anything?" He smiled cheekily.

"Miroku, no!"

"Sango, here's your coat."

"Don't ignore me! I'm serious! Will you just give up already?" Kagome fired, climbing over the sofa to challenge Miroku head on.

"Woah! Crap, you're fast!" Miroku flinched back, holding his hands out to stop Kagome's charge.

"Why are you being so stupid?!"

"Wait, what's going on?" Inuyasha launched up from the loveseat, dropping his papers to the floor in his rush.

"Sango, get in the car!" Miroku shouted, passing his keys in the direction of the door like a football going long.

"Got 'em! See you out there!" Sango shouted, throwing the door open and ducking her head into the heavy snow as she ran out.

"Inuyasha, they're doing the thing! They're gonna do the thing again!"

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're still going through with it?" Inuyasha groaned, his head falling back in exasperation.

"It's nothing to worry about!" Miroku shifted nervously, cornered by the two. "There's no reason for all of us to go! We're literally just doing a beer run. Nothing else. Maybe some brownie mix. Kagome, you love brownies!"

"Don't try to butter me up, Miroku!" She jabbed at his chest with her finger.

"I can get butter too."

"Dead." Kagome practically growled, her cheeks growing hot as she glared straight through Miroku.

"What?"

"You're dead to me. I warned you."

"Okay, no! You're doing that scary thing!" Miroku's eyes grew wide, his hands dancing around her shoulders like he didn't know if it was safe to touch her or not. "Let's talk."

"You really want to have a conversation right now?"

"Absolutely not, but I'm pretty sure I have to if I want to make it out alive." Miroku grabbed her hand, leading Kagome down the hall and into her room, shutting the door behind them. "Are you seriously mad?"

"Yes, I'm mad! You're so idiotically persistent! Your guys' attempts to set us up in the past never worked, so why would they work now?" Kagome crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the bed post and staring the traitor down.

"Because there's something different about you two!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Geez, Kagome, pay attention! He likes you!" Miroku opened his hands in front of him, giving her an expression that said this was common sense. She rolled her eyes so hard her head rolled with the motion, flexing her jaw in agitation.

"He does not!"

"Stop! Forget that we've been trying to set you up and you're pissed about it. Forget that you're literally denying yourself something that could potentially be really good for you just as an act of defiance. Forget all about that for one freaking second and focus on his body language. That ear thing you mentioned earlier never used to happen that often."

"He said he could hear things in the distance." Kagome argued, twisting her face.

"Or maybe he heard something close by that caught his attention."

"What? I think you guys are reading too far into things." She sighed, her temper waning.

"What if we're not?" Miroku gave a one-shouldered shrug, cocking his eyebrow along with it.

Kagome took a moment before responding, her brown eyes shifting down from his darker ones, staring at the wooden floor beneath her socks. Nothing was making sense anymore, and if she was honest with herself, she didn't know how to feel about the situation. She and Inuyasha had stuck along with this rebellious routine for a couple of months now, so going with the couple's flow seemed abnormal and awkward at best. They'd been alone with each other before, though, so this didn't have to be any different. They'd mind their business, having little conversations here and there, probably poke fun at their dumb friends, and it would be perfectly fine as per routine. In fact, nothing would be different because nothing had changed between the two. She would pine in secret, she didn't have to face rejection, and everything would be normal. Because who wants to take that chance so close to Christmas?

"What if you're wrong?" She gazed back up at him, her head cocking to the side.

"What if I'm not?" Miroku countered.

"Miroku, what is it about this guy? You have hated every guy I've ever dated. What is it about Inuyasha that has you so convinced we should be together?"

"He's a good guy!"

"Miroku-"

"Look, Kagome, I can't explain it. He's got a hard exterior, believe me I know, but once you penetrate it, he's as soft as a puppy."

"Bad time for a dog joke."

"Sorry! I just… look, I got a feeling about you two and I went with it. The first blind date was just a test run, but you guys meshed so fucking well. How could we not push it?"

"We hardly spoke a word to each other?" Kagome asked more than stated, pinching her eyebrows together in bewilderment.

"Yes, but you two were on the same page pretty quickly, were you not? The same, irritating, resistant, stubborn page." He paused between each word, inching closer and closer to Kagome's face to emphasize his point. "I'll strike you a deal. If there's still somehow nothing between you two by the end of our stay here, we'll back off. Completely."

Kagome swallowed hard, suddenly unsure if she didn't want Inuyasha to not be an option anymore. She hated the forced part of their being with each other, but reluctantly found she enjoyed being around him nonetheless.

"But," Miroku continued. "That means you have to make some sort of move. You have to try. How is he supposed to know you like him if all you do is argue with me the entire time?"

"Woah, wait. If he supposedly likes me, why do I have to be the one to make a move?" Kagome asked, her voice rising as her nerves flared.

"Oh, no. You definitely can't count on that. Inuyasha does not make moves, my gal. He's surprisingly shy."

"Him?" She pointed out the door with her thumb. "Are you kidding me?"

"I wish I were. Would you just trust me on this? Please. If it doesn't work out, the whole thing will never be brought up again and I'll even let you punch me."

Miroku trotted out of the bedroom, the pep in his step adamant as he grabbed his beanie from on top of the coat rack in the living room, pulled it down over his hair, waved goodbye to a thoroughly perplexed Inuyasha on the couch, and shut the door on his way out. Kagome followed behind him, twisting the deadbolt shut with more fervor than intended, and sighing out some of the tension that had built up in her body. Miroku was the biggest mess she'd ever had to deal with, and whether things worked out like he wanted or not, she was definitely going to deal him a good sucker punch.

She glanced over her shoulder at Inuyasha, his lips pressed into a tight line and brows raised as he waited for her to say something. Kagome gave a timid smile, scrunching her nose as she made her way around the couches, through their unfinished game of Clue, and plopped down on the large sofa, her body slumping and sinking into the brown cushions.

"So, the plan's in motion huh?" Inuyasha leaned forward on the loveseat, resting his forearms along his thighs.

"Looks like it."

"What did he tell you was gonna happen this time around?" He groaned.

"That they've got the ambience perfectly set for us and so long as we roll with it, we'll be in love by the end of the holiday." Kagome watched his face grow red, his golden eyes darting towards the tree as he shook his head.

"How stupid." Inuyasha fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably, his head continuing to travel around the room to look further from her.

"Don't worry," She began, rising from her seat and approaching the mess of decorations on the floor to the side of their tree. "They're a cliché mess."

"What?"

"Are you kidding me? Christmas in the cabin, a set mood, two people alone while it snows outside… This is a Hallmark movie in the works! Ten bucks says the power goes out later." Kagome giggled, hanging a glittery, green ornament on a branch. She looked over to Inuyasha and winked teasingly. "Just don't fall in love with me, and we'll make it out of this holiday alive."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, his cheeks as pink as she bet her own were, and sat back into the sofa, crossing his arms over his chest and, again, looking away from her. "I don't plan on it."

Kagome smiled and continued her work on the tree, hanging ornaments on bare branches all over. She made sure to put the non-fragile decorations towards the top, balancing on her tippy toes to loop the ribbon and hooks around the twigs she could reach. Once she felt that there were enough ornaments adorning the Douglas Fir, she reached for the box of candy canes, carefully taking each wrapped candy one-by-one and placing them here and there along the pine, red and white stripes perfectly accenting the green, red, and gold aesthetic they had going. "They" being a loose term in Kagome's book, since she was the one doing eighty percent of the project. She reached over and grabbed a small bag, pulling the cardboard top off that kept it stapled shut and carefully sticking her fingers in to grab strands of loose tinsel. She would be the first to admit she was bummed when they'd gone to Target for decorations and saw the small section for garland completely sold out, but there were alternatives and Kagome would make do with what she had. Carefully, she sprinkled small sections of strands on branches all over, making sure the tree would sparkle in any sort of light that hit it while simultaneously making sure it was all spread out enough to not look clumpy.

Finally, the finishing touch. The star. Kagome removed the topper from its packaging, unfurling the small chord attached to it that plugged into the lights wrapped all around the tree. There was no way she could reach the top, and if she tried she'd only create a giant, shattered mess. Humming softly, she peeked over her shoulder at the half demon. He had a different paper in his hands from before, new writing squeezed into each line of the side she could see, his eyes focused intently on what he read as they swiveled from side to side. Kagome took her bottom lip between her teeth, studying him as he worked; the way his brows seemed to twitch together just slightly when he spotted a mistake, the way he slowly tapped the red pen along his thigh, the way he seemed to reread passages over and over to understand what was being conveyed. There wasn't a single crease that marred his face. He was beautiful.

Kagome shuffled across the area rug and held the star in between them, his ember gaze flickering up to the topper then further up to meet her smile. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"The star?" Inuyasha asked, his voice low and gruff.

"Mhm."

"Can't reach, huh?"

"Nope."

He let out a small chuckle and shook his head, sending Kagome's heart into a wild flurry. Inuyasha set his paper down in the pile next to him on the armrest and rose to stand, holding his hand out for the star. She handed it over and followed him back towards the tree, his black sweater rising as he extended his arms upwards, revealing the hem of his white undershirt.

"You've gotta plug the..." Kagome instructed, making sure he connected the chords before settling the star on its branch. "Yeah, like that." She gave a small squeak of delight when he finished, stepping to the side to plug the lights at the bottom of the tree into the outlet. The Douglas Fir glowed with multiple colors, the lights reflecting off of the shiny, circular decorations. "Ta daaa!" Kagome sang, holding her arms out to present their Christmas tree.

Inuyasha grinned, his eyes bouncing back and forth from the tree to her. "You're pretty good at this."

"You helped." She wiggled happily, sliding on her socks, admiring their work along side him.

"Hardly."

"I saw you last night. Plus the star just now. We can't have a Christmas tree without a topper." Kagome looked up at him, her shoulder brushing gently against his bicep, his eyes locking on hers for a moment, causing a tingling warmth to flood her abdomen.

He responded with a breathy chuckle, heading back to his original seat and picking up the paper he had set down. Kagome quickly cleaned up her mess; placing the ornament containers back into the shopping bags they'd brought them in and pushing it all off to the corner. Coming back to the center of the room, she picked up the box for Clue and started placing the little pieces inside. She organized the cards, pulling the three secret ones from the tiny envelope and peeking at the answer.

Colonel Mustard - Ballroom - Candlestick

She would have won, if it were worth anything.

Kagome closed the box after placing the contents neatly inside, pushing it under the tree so it was out of the main walkway. A gust of wind caused the wooden walls to creak and settle, a small whistle coming through the top of the chimney as she brought herself to the couch, curling her legs beneath her. She looked over at her phone, debating if she should proceed with her normal routine of scrolling through mind numbing social media or if she should try having an actual conversation with the half demon, Miroku's deal repeating in her head. As much as she wanted to talk to Inuyasha, as much as she wanted to see what he was like behind his barrier, Kagome still worried that her best friend was wrong. She took a deep breath, shaking her head to shove the thought away.

"Homework?"

He peeked up at her from behind the paper, giving her a nod. "Essays."

"Are they hard to grade?"

"Oh, uh... not really." Inuyasha shook his head that time, his silver hair wriggling slightly from the knot at the crown of his head with the motion.

"Can I help?" Kagome scooted over on the large sofa, curling up along the armrest closest to him.

"Uh, sure." He shrugged, reaching over to the small stack and replacing it along the side table in between their seats. "I had them write short, creative stories before winter break since there was a gap between testing and vacation. We're working on their grammar and use of adjectives."

Kagome slipped the first essay off the top of the stack, the writing large enough to take up two whole pages stapled together at the top, left corner. "So what am I looking for?"

"Basically anything that stands out. I try to let them do their own thing with projects like these; no rules or restrictions other than consistency, so you'll probably see a thing or two about unicorns and mermaids from the girls. I've been showing them different ways to describe the picture they're painting for us. Simple enough. So far, from what I've read, these aren't half bad. Let the kids have their go at things without someone looking over their shoulders every step of the way, and they can really surprise you."

"You sound like a really good teacher." She couldn't look away from him. It wasn't that he necessarily seemed passionate about what he spoke of. He just seemed… comfortable.

"Nah. I just do enough to get the job done." Inuyasha shook his head again. "Miroku calls it lazy teaching."

"What's lazy about it? You gave them lessons preparing them, you gave them instruction on what to do, and you're sitting here grading these on your vacation. From my point of view, which may be worthless considering I'm no teacher, I think you're doing plenty."

It was silent for a moment, the sound of her beating heart practically loud and clear to echo throughout the room. Kagome finally tore her gaze away from his, reading the sloppily-written name at the top of the essay and hoping the flush of heat in her cheeks wasn't visible.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, tapping his pen against his leg again. "So, uh, just look for your basic grammatical errors, spelling errors, and correct anything that doesn't make sense. If you've got any questions, just ask."

Kagome hummed a soft response, reading through the short story before her about a princess finding wildflowers in a field of snow. It was adorable to see the inside of a young girl's imagination written on paper, her thoughts flowing freely with little fear of judgment. It took more than a page to find a single mistake, and that was merely a missing comma. Kagome stuck her hand out, brushing the thick sleeve over Inuyasha's arm, twiddling her fingers until it got his attention. His ember eyes shifted over to her hand and she pointed down to the red pen he held in his right. He handed it over, and she made the minor correction, tapping the plastic end against her lip until she found another need for it.

They continued on like that for a while, peacefully reading through short stories of adventures and soft tales of romance from a nine year old's perspective, passing the pen back and forth when the other held their hand out, their fingers grazing gently against one another without complaint. Kagome was able to get through four papers by the time the lights flickered around them, catching their attention as they watched the power die and come back to life. She got up from her spot, walking over to the window behind the armchair near the tree and pushed the curtains to the side. The snow whipped around wildly as dusk quickly settled in, blanketing everything in a bluish-white, falling so thickly it was nearly impossible to see a few feet out from the glass she stood behind.

"Jesus, it's a blizzard out there!" Inuyasha approached behind her, the wood beneath them giving a dull creak with each step. The window began to fog as they looked out, and she wiped her sleeve over it in a semi-circular motion, clearing their view for a brief moment.

"Do you think Miroku and Sango are okay? They've been gone for a long time." Kagome couldn't help the concern that nipped at her. While it may have been part of their plan to stay out longer than a typical beer run would take, she hoped they were warm inside a building somewhere rather than parked on the side of the road waiting the weather out.

"Who cares? They're the ones that wanted to meddle."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shut the curtains as she turned on her heel, folding her arms over her chest and frowning at him.

"What? I'm sure they're fine! Why even worry about them?" He dismissed, holding his arms up in a dramatic shrugging motion.

"It's dangerous." She said matter-of-factly. "What if they get lost because they can't see the road? Or, worse, are in an accident because of it?"

"Let's be real, Kagome, there's no way they were on their way back. Chances are they stopped to see a movie or something."

"And what if they didn't?"

"Then there's nothing we can do about it!"

The lights were killed, the room they stood in shadowed in a lifeless grey. The hum from the vents faded to total silence, the whistle floating down the chimney from the ruthless winds outside becoming more prominent. They stood there a moment waiting for the power to return like before, the clock ticking away the seconds until a rumble ripped through the air.

"Fucking great!"

"It's not that bad, Inuyasha." Kagome said dryly.

"Yeah? Can you see?" The half demon asked sarcastically.

"Actually, yes. It's not completely dark yet, so let's just hurry and find the candles okay?" She made her way around his form, holding her hands a few inches out from her sides to guide herself around the furniture. She remembered seeing a pack of tealight candles in a drawer in the kitchen when she rummaged through them yesterday, so she made her way through the archway connecting the living area to it, her fingers finding the marble counter of the island and gliding over it as she walked around. Kagome opened the drawers at the side facing the sink one-by-one until the familiar pack slid into her dulled view, snatching the case out and dropping it on the marble surface. Pressing her thumbnail into the plastic until it pierced through, Kagome ripped the lining off so she could place a few candles out in a row. "Where's that light-ow!" She hissed and bounced backwards, bending over to hold the pinky toe that she'd stubbed on the corner of the island.

Inuyasha's half-assed attempt to suppress his laugh failed, the air puffing harshly from between his lips and teeth until he gave in and snickered away. Kagome scoffed, recovering from the dull pain and glaring at his silhouette as it continued to grow darker in the cabin.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He laughed.

"Lighter." She huffed. "I'm pretty sure it was on the mantle of the fireplace last night."

"Yup." She watched the outline of him take the few steps toward the fireplace, his fingers skimming along the brim of the mantle until they found the long-stemmed lighter. "Heads up." Kagome didn't see it coming, she couldn't see it coming, but the loud crack on the floor had her flinching back hard enough that her leg curled up and in to dodge the item being thrown.

"Inuyash-ah!"

"Oh, yikes. Do you mean to tell me you can't actually see?"

"Inuyasha, I swear to god."

"Relax." He droned teasingly. "I didn't get you."

"You could have! I don't see why you couldn't have just walked it over to me."

"Because I don't want to take a chance of stubbing my own toe. Duh."

Kagome groaned, bending over to snatch the object, the light-colored handle helping it stand out slightly in the dark. She squeezed the trigger, the lighter clicking a couple of times before a small flame appeared at the end of the stem. She held it to each tealight until the small, circular candles glowed slight hues of yellow on the counter.

"Awesome. Three candles. I can see everything perfectly." Inuyasha remarked, and even though he was shadowed completely, she could practically see his muscular arms folding over his chest.

"Hey, here's an idea: instead of being a sarcastic punk, how about you shut up and get the fire going." Kagome cocked her brow at him; though she was sure the shadows on her face created by the tiny tealights hardly accented her attitude the way she wanted.

"You have the lighter?" He asked more than stated, not moving from his spot.

"Then I guess you should just shut up." She smirked, moving the candles up on the island to make room for a handful more. Squeezing the trigger again, she lit the tealights one-by-one, watching her surroundings slowly become more visible. Kagome shoved the lighter into her back pocket and moved a few small candles into the living room, handling the little flames carefully with her fingers as she placed them at the edge of the hearth. Pulling the long-stemmed lighter free from her jeans, she held the plastic end out to Inuyasha, waiting patiently as he seemed to study her for a moment before taking the item from her hand. "Now will you light the fire?"

"Yeah, whatever." He murmured, taking a few logs off the pile to the side of the fireplace and getting them positioned along the metal rack inside. She turned away, squinting her eyes in an attempt to help her see better, knowing her cell phone was on the arm of the couch and hoping the screen would light up so she could locate it quicker. Kagome called out to Siri, but her voice was drowned out by the loud crinkle of Inuyasha balling up articles for kindling from the stack of newspapers near the wood. She gave him a moment, waiting for the noise to stop as he shoved the last wad of crumpled paper in between two logs, a few clicks coming from the lighter now. She called out to Siri again, her eyes immediately darting to the lit screen waiting for her command at the furthest edge of the couch.

Kagome enthusiastically hopped along the length of it, snagging her phone from the end and checking her notifications. Nothing. She was hoping to have received a text from Miroku, at the very least.

Light gradually began to build around them, the fire growing as it ate up the kindling and leapt to the surrounding pillars of wood. Kagome plopped down on the couch and scrunched her brows, unlocking her phone with the pad of her thumb to open her messages and text Miroku.

"Any word from them?" Inuyasha asked, placing the tealights Kagome had put out for him up on the mantle.

"Nope," Kagome sighed, the concern nipping at her as she pressed send on the short message. "Nothing. I really hope they're-"

A familiar chime by the front door caught their attention, Kagome turning around in her seat to see the illuminated screen of Miroku's phone on the small table in the doorway. She released a drawn out and agitated whine, turning to face forward and slumping down in the cushions.

"Of course."

"Do you think that was part of the plan?" Inuyasha sat in the armchair next to the tree, stretching his legs out to prop them on the ottoman.

"Why would anyone intentionally leave their phone behind?"

"Considering the bind we're in, the notion fits. We've been alone for hours, we're snowed in, and the power's out. They're impossible to get ahold of- meaning no interruptions, candles and firelight set the mood, and you'll probably get cold soon so I'll have to hold you to keep warm because they've most likely hidden every blanket in the house."

Kagome twisted her face in response, giving a few blinks to express her perplexion. "Not even half of that was part of their plan."

"Are you kidding? This whole evening was probably a play-by-play of everything they imagined."

"Yes, because last I checked Miroku and Sango have become such a power couple that, so long as they're together, they can literally control the weather. Look out, world! Hurricane MirSan is on the loose!"

"What- what is that? MirSan?" Inuyasha grimaced, seemingly forcing himself not to smirk at her joke.

"It's their ship name." Kagome said matter-of-factly. "Also, I would just like to mention, fire equals warmth. I could sit by it if I'm cold. Also, Sango probably has her phone so I'll just text her."

The half demon said nothing, looking towards the fireplace as she opened Sango's contact and sent the message asking if they were okay. It took only a minute or two to receive a response.

We're fine, don't worry. Power is out at the restaurant we're hiding in. It'll probably be a while before it's safe to head back, though. How about you guys?

Power is out here, too.

Well get cozy! It's gonna be a long night!

Stay safe, you guys. Keep us updated!

Kagome set her phone down, keeping the conversation short and sweet to preserve her battery life, rising from her seat and heading towards kitchen.

"They're okay. They're in a restaurant waiting the storm out. Looks like the power outage is throughout most of town."

"Told you they were fine." Inuyasha said.

"It didn't hurt to check. Dinner?" Kagome offered, spreading the tealights she'd left behind along the kitchen counters, using the tiny, yellow flames of the lit ones to light a few more.

"How do you plan on cooking?"

"It's a gas stove. All I need is the lighter." She went into the fridge, pulling out some of the groceries they'd bought before coming out, setting them along the island counter. There was rustling behind her, footsteps crossing the room and growing louder as Inuyasha approached, holding the plastic end of the lighter out to her when she turned in his direction. Kagome smiled, taking the item and setting it in her back pocket.

"What can you even make in a blackout?"

"Almost anything, really. I'll whip up some chicken, sauté some vegetables, and make some rice on the side. How does that sound?"

"I don't think they have a rice cooker here, Kagome." Inuyasha mentioned, opening one of the cabinets above the counter and peering at the empty containment.

"No, but we have plenty of other cookware here, and you can make rice in a pot." Kagome opened the large cabinet at the front of the island, pulling out a large skillet and one of the smaller pots with its glass top. "My mom never had a rice cooker growing up, so we always made it this way. It's not too different."

Kagome laid out everything as neatly as possible on the counter so they were easy to see in the harshly-shadowed light, setting the veggies and chicken near the cutting board, the butter and seasonings off to the side, and getting the rice poured into the measuring cup. She turned the gas for the stove on, hitting the trigger for the lighter and waiting for the flame to catch, turning the knob to low so the flame still burned for a moment without going out as she rinsed the rice in the sink, pouring it into the pot along with the proper amount of water. Placing the small, charcoal-colored pot over the flame, she topped it with the glass liner and raised the heat to medium-high, leaving it there to boil and absorb.

She opened the drawers one-by-one, seeking out the knives to chop up the vegetables, making a little ah-hah noise when she found them, pulling the larger knife out.

"Woah, no! It's way too dark in here to go cutting shit! You'll lose a finger!" Inuyasha argued, stretching to take the knife from her. Kagome stepped back, holding the blade a few inches behind her to keep it out of his reach.

"Would you relax? I'm a professional. I know how to cut a bell pepper without getting my finger in the mix."

"A professional at cutting vegetables?" He asked, unamused.

"A professional chef. I literally do this for a living." Kagome watched him visibly relax, his head cocking slightly to the side, his long, silver ponytail following gravity and his curiosity.

"You're a chef?"

"I sure am." She beamed, making her way around him and back to the cutting board. She went on with her cooking, preparing the chicken by washing it and rubbing in the seasonings. Inuyasha took her queue, lighting the neighboring flame on the stove with the lighter as Kagome brought over the skillet and butter, cutting out about a tablespoon and allowing it to melt along the pan over the heat. The chicken went in next, and she adjusted the flame to just below medium, allowing the chicken to brown as she went onto chopping the vegetables. The half demon watched intently, his eyes incidentally burning holes into her fingers as she made sure to curl the tips under so the side of the blade would slide nicely along her knuckle, moving to slice the bell peppers and zucchini slowly just in case.

Kagome crossed back to the stove, leaving the chopped vegetables on the cutting board, flipping the chicken breast over to brown the opposite side. Inuyasha's watch stayed glued to her, observing as she removed the chicken from the skillet, placing the two pieces on plates and off to the side as she cut off another tablespoon of butter, allowing that to, yet again, melt just before she pushed the vegetables from the board to the pan.

"Okay," She began, her voice a little more flustered than intended. "How about we play a game."

"A game?" Inuyasha lifted himself onto the counter, getting comfortable in his new seat.

"Yeah! A question game." She pushed the vegetables along the bottom of the pan with the spatula. "We're gonna be stuck in the cabin for a while. Our best friends, A.K.A. our only mutual ties to one another, are out. How about we get to know each other while we have the chance?"

"I guess. You start."

Kagome added the chicken back to the pan, lowering the heat a smidge and allowing the flavors to mingle together, the sizzle coming from the skillet creating a flavorful aroma in the chilled air around them. She hummed lightly to herself as she thought, passing him by and opening up the fridge, her fingers curling around the neck of the bottle of wine.

"Go for a hike or stay in and watch Netflix?" She pulled two dome-shaped glasses from the cabinet by his head, popping the cork out of the spout of the wine bottle and pouring equal amounts into each cup.

"Hike. You?" Inuyasha took the glass she offered with zero hesitation.

"You can't just ask me the same questions every time!"

"Ugh, okay. Fine. Wine or beer?"

Kagome lifted her glass in a mock toast, pursing her lips and taking a sip. "Wine, of course. Cats or dogs?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry," She laughed, catching a full glimpse of the ear atop his head giving a minute twitch. Kagome swallowed the desire to say anything about it, not sure how he'd take it the second time around. "Never mind that one! New question: have you ever been on a cruise?"

"No, and I've never been interested in going on one." Inuyasha wrinkled his nose, taking a big sip of his drink. She gave a fluid nod, sauntering back over to the food to flip the chicken one last time, using the same tongs to push the softened vegetables around.

"Your turn."

"Okay, have you and Miroku ever been a thing?" He asked boldly.

Kagome nearly choked on her sip of the sweet liquid, holding the glass firmly to her lips as she spewed it back in. "What?!"

Inuyasha laughed, awaiting her response as her entire body gave a more-than-visible shudder at the thought of being with Miroku in that way. He urged her to answer the question, cocking his eyebrow in an "I'm waiting" manner.

"Was that a serious question? Of course I've never been with Miroku!"

"You say that like being with Miroku is a bad thing."

"Well, yeah! It is for me!"

"Why?"

"Nope, my turn." She stated, lowering the heat drastically on the rice and removing the top. Kagome grabbed a fork from the drawer fluffing the rice a bit before replacing the lid for the grain to absorb a bit more. "You ever been with Sango?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to ask the same questions!" Inuyasha mocked, jumping down from the counter and heading towards the fireplace, picking up one of the hanging metal rods on the hearth to prod the burning logs inside.

"We aren't. At no point did I ask if you dated Miroku, did I?" Kagome shrugged teasingly.

"Loopholes." He grunted, shaking his head and settling down in the armchair, leaning back and eying her as she propped herself in the corner of the counter close to the stove. "No, I've never dated Sango. Never even considered it. She's the closest thing to a sibling that I've got."

"Wait, I thought I heard Sango mention you had an older brother." She said, twisting the knobs to turn both flames off and opening the cabinets to pull out two plates.

"Half brother and the only good thing that came from him was my niece. Now answer my earlier question."

Kagome began shoveling the food from the pans to the plates, making sure to give Inuyasha a larger portion than herself. "Miroku and I have been strictly platonic since day one and that's how it'll always be. Plus, I'm not into that whole rat tail thing he has going on." Kagome laughed again, more to herself than anything, remembering the argument Miroku made to defend his new-found hairstyle a few years ago when he began to grow it out.

"You're honestly telling me that at no point in the recent years have you two been attracted to one another? B.S.. I don't buy it." Inuyasha shook his head, casually taking another large sip of his drink as if he hadn't just accused Kagome of lying.

"No, seriously, we've never looked at each other that way." She defended.

"Really? Because you guys seemed awfully comfortable with each other earlier."

"When?"

"The kiss. This morning."

"What, the kiss on the cheek? The super simple, meaningless, friendly peck on the cheek I got?"

"It could have meant something else." He said dismissively.

"Yeah, but it didn't. Why do you even care so much? You sound like you're jealous of something." Kagome teased.

"N-no! Obviously, I'm not! It just... I don't know, it just seemed like maybe there was something more there!" Inuyasha threw his arms out in an unnerved manner, the evident blush on his cheeks emphasized by the color of the fire reflecting on his skin.

"Believe me, there isn't! He's my best friend, Inuyasha. And he would never hurt Sango like that." Kagome had to fight off the concern building up in her chest. She didn't know why she needed him to believe her so badly. He looked away from her, staring at the fire eating up the logs of wood, their main source of light and heat for the night, his thick arms crossing over his chest. The shadows among his face danced around, and Kagome wondered if there was ever an element he didn't look drop dead handsome in, watching the muscles at the crook of his sharp jaw line flex and tighten. She couldn't help the breathy chuckle that left her lips as she stared at him, amazed that even the pouty look he donned could make her insides twist in a helpless want.

Inuyasha's ear twitched in her direction, the rest of his demeanor seeming undisturbed by the flicker. Miroku had wanted Kagome to figure out why, exactly, his ear did that. He seemed confident in implying it was something she did that the half demon was responding to. Naturally, she disregarded it in the moment. It wasn't out of this world to think that maybe, just maybe, Miroku was trying to give Kagome hope that Inuyasha looked at her as more than just an acquaintance, and she didn't want to take the bait. It was Christmas Eve, for crying out loud. Who wants to be disappointed and heartbroken on tonight of all nights?

Heartbroken.

Kagome had become more than familiar with the half demon's presence, his aura in a sense, throughout the last few months. There was always something in him that she admired, and not once had she been able to put her finger on it. Sure, he was good looking, but Kagome wasn't shallow enough to fall for someone for such superficial reasons. Something inside of him called to her, drew her in, like a moth to a flame. Maybe it was his hard-working mindset. Perhaps his willingness to work with children, even though she'd heard brief stories of how they drove him up the wall with their adventurous curiosity and never-ending questions. No, it was definitely more than that. Kagome could tell that his walls weren't as thick as she'd once thought. As anyone thought. He held up a front, and it was successfully hard and slicked with plenty of attitude, but right behind that he was soft and sweet and he cared deeply about things no one could comprehend. That was it. There was more to Inuyasha than she could ever know, and that was her fire. Because she found herself wanting to know everything about him. The more Kagome thought about the idea that Miroku and Sango were wrong, that her hopes were rising only to be let down in the end, the more her heart clenched and ached.

So, yeah, heartbroken.

When had she become so invested? Shaking her head, she chuckled to herself again, this time in disbelief, and his ear gave a tiny flick. Almost in response to her. Kagome pretended to busy herself, grabbing a pinch of seasonings from the container in front of her and sprinkling it over the plates of food, squinting her eyes skeptically at him as he adjusted his seating, raising his hips from the cushion of the chair and sliding his hand in his pocket to retrieve his phone. Kagome gave a soft giggle as a test, quiet enough to pass off as laughing at something she'd thought of, and his ear reacted as she'd expected. She had to be over thinking it. Her laugh couldn't be the reason the white appendage flickered adorably, could it?

There had been plenty of laughter throughout the cabin since their arrival. Yet she'd never noticed it before. Not when Sango laughed at Miroku when he slipped on ice outside, or when Miroku laughed in the car on the way up for a solid fifteen minutes at a dumb joke he'd heard a few days prior and poorly retold. No, she only saw it happen when she laughed. That must have been what Miroku was trying to tell her.

Kagome cleared her throat, attempting to dispel the tension around her. There was no reason to think about it anymore, and their dinner was going to get cold if she continued to get lost in her thoughts this way. She rinsed her hands in the sink one last time, the ice water sending a jolt through her system, and she fervently rubbed her hands in the towel hooked around the cabinet door just below the sink to warm them up.

"Okay, dinner's ready!" Kagome announced, pushing any leftover ingredients to the side of the island and out of their way. "It'd probably be easier to eat this over here."

Inuyasha stood from the chair, sliding his phone back into his pocket on his way over, giving her a quiet thank you as she slid his plate to him. She pulled two knives from the drawer, carefully handing one over to him so he could easily cut his chicken, and then moved to bring a few candles over to where they stood, no longer needing them along the other counters.

"More wine?" He asked, grabbing the bottle from the counter and refilling his cup.

"Please." Inuyasha poured the remainder of the sweet liquid into her own, before digging into his meal. "So, whose turn was it? Mine?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Okay, um..." Kagome took a bite of her chicken as she thought, wiggling where she stood and clicking her tongue when a question came to mind. "What's your brother's name?"

"Douchebag." Inuyasha grunted.

"What?" She laughed.

"That's what I call him." He shrugged. "Most other people know him as Sesshomaru, though. What are your hobbies?"

"Binge watching shows on Netflix and playing with my cat."

Inuyasha snorted as he finished his bite of food, attempting to hide the gesture behind his fist. "No wonder Miroku wanted to set you up with someone."

"Shut up!" Kagome grabbed a non-lit candle from the package next to her and chucked it at the half demon across the counter. He blocked the tealight with his shoulder and laughed, allowing the small candle to fall to the floor. "I do not need help getting a boyfriend, just so you know! He just hates everyone I date!"

"Awe, it's so nice knowing Miroku approves of me." He said, feigning delight.

"Mhm, still haven't figured out why." She remarked sarcastically.

"Rude ass."

"Okay, speaking of exes, what's your story? Have you had awful ones and Sango's just decided to take the lead in your love life, or what?"

Inuyasha swallowed the last of his dinner, sighing and walking around the island to set his plate in the sink. "Not really. None of my exes actually led to anything special. Sango just thinks you're nice..."

"I do have my moments." Kagome nodded.

"I would fully appreciate it if she stayed out of my love life though, lack thereof or not."

"Why does that sound like she's done something wrong?"

"Because she has." Inuyasha ran the water to wash his plate, but Kagome patted his arm to tell him not too. It was dark, the water was cold, and she could handle the dishes later when the power came back on.

"And...?" She squeezed by him, placing her empty plate on top of his in the sink, turning on the water for a moment to rinse her dish so nothing stuck to it.

"And it was the worst blind date in existence. It would have never happened if she didn't set me up, and I'm not looking to relive it. What's your favorite food?"

"Pasta." She grabbed her glass of wine as they moved back into the living room, curling her legs beneath her and making herself comfortable next to the arm of the large sofa. "May I ask what happened, or is that too bold of me?"

"Pretty bold of you, but I guess there's really no harm." He sat at the other end of the couch after prodding the fire once more, adding another log into the mix. "She set me up with this chick that has a thing against demons, and considering I'm half... well, you can imagine how the night went."

Kagome's jaw dropped, a small gasp leaving her lips. "No way!"

He chuckled and nodded, taking a sip of his alcohol in response.

"Well then, I definitely don't blame you for not trusting her sense of judgment."

"What about you? What has Miroku done to make you skeptical of his?"

"Nothing, actually. He's never done this before. I had settled on the idea that he was just over protective of me and therefore would never like a guy I introduced him to, you know? Like, the whole no-one-will-ever-be-good-enough-for-you thing. Then, suddenly, he's head over heels about the idea of you and I going out. I don't get it." Kagome lifted the glass to her lips, relishing in the taste of her favorite wine.

"Maybe there's nothing to get." Inuyasha said, his ember eyes flickering towards her, glowing in the shadows of the fire. "I'm sure he has his dumb reasons, but if you aren't interested then you aren't interested. Just leave it alone. He'll give up eventually."

"It's not that I'm not interested. I'm just curious about his sudden change of heart."

"You... W-Wait, you are interested?" He shifted his body to fully face her, his right arm raising to lay along the top of the couch.

"Hm?" Kagome asked instinctively before she'd entirely realized what she'd just admitted to, a fluttering erupting in her chest as her lips parted in a silent response. Her voice stayed hitched in her throat, her nerves flaring as the anxiety built. What did she just do?

His stare bore into her, and she felt him studying her, as if trying to read her body language or, hell, even her mind. Kagome took in a deep breath and attempted to sigh out some tension, looking as casual as she could manage. Still, he watched her. Waiting. She couldn't think of a response even though she racked every corner of her brain. Sure, she could just deny it, but her gut literally refused to allow her to do so, wrenching at the idea of taking her slip back.

"Whose turn was it? Mine? What's your niece's name?" Okay, yeah, avoidance is a good alternative.

"Rin. Kagome, are you serious?"

"Please elaborate." Kagome stiffened.

"Do you- I mean... J-Just, go back to what you said earlier. Did you mean that, or...?"

All the heat in her body rushed to her face, pooling in the apples of her cheeks, a tingling sensation following suit, her embarrassment meshing with the effects of the wine. She should have known he wouldn't have let the subject go so easily, but what was she supposed to do now? If she couldn't deny it, then what was she supposed to say? Kagome sagged her shoulders in defeat, taking in the last sip of her drink. Now or never.

"Yes."

"Yes, what?"

"You're really gonna make me say it?"

"Kagome."

"Ugh- Inuyasha! Yes, I have feelings for you! I got roped in god knows how long ago, and I kept up the facade I had going because I thought that was the right thing to do! Miroku and Sango treated this like a game! We couldn't very well let them win; we would never hear the end of it! This isn't altogether my fault though, and I want that to be noted! I mean, look at you!" Kagome gestured to his entire body, and he blinked in surprise, mouth slightly agape at her statement, and she could feel how much of a mess she had unraveled into. "Oh my god, no. That came out wrong... What I meant was, I can't really explain what I feel when I see you, but it's... nice. I mean, I can, but I'd really rather not because I'll start rambling and that's just a whole different side of me that no one should have to deal with."

"You're already rambling." Inuyasha remarked, his voice low and gruff.

"Believe it or not, it gets worse." She said under her breath, knowing full and well how she reacts when nervous. "Look, we can drop it. We never have to talk about this again if you don't want to. We'll mind our business like we normally do and move on with our lives. Miroku promised me that after Christmas they wouldn't push us on each other anymore, so we don't have anything to worry about."

Inuyasha didn't respond, and she took her bottom lip in between her teeth, sucking on it aggressively to distract herself in the quiet. Her heart pounded beneath her ribcage, thumping away the seconds until she couldn't take it anymore. She rose from her seat, placing her glass on the end table next to the forgotten pile of ungraded essays, adjusting her grey sweater accordingly before heading around the curve of the loveseat and towards the hall.

"Wai-Kagome, where are you going?"

She didn't answer. She just aimed to get away for a moment to regain composure. Her chest felt heavy with disappointment and her stomach felt sick, and she knew she shouldn't feel this way because of their silent pact, but she'd only realized a little while earlier how in over her head she actually was. Her arm was gently tugged back, stopping her escape at the edge of the hallway, and she turned behind to see Inuyasha's agitated stare.

"What, were you just gonna hide in your room for the rest of the night?"

"Not exactly."

"Then why did you leave? I didn't get to say anything."

"I didn't think you would!" Kagome argued, turning to face him completely.

"You threw a lot at me, Kagome! I needed a minute to take it all in!"

"Ugh, we really don't have to talk about this!"

"Did I say that's what I wanted!?" Inuyasha pulled her closer, his hand still clasped around her arm. Their faces were inches apart now, his body heat bleeding through his thick sweater and his warm breath gliding tantalizingly along her face. His voice came out hushed and deep, and it sent a thrilling chill down her spine. "Give me a fucking moment to wrap my mind around a girl like you liking a guy like me."

Kagome didn't understand what he meant by that. She was as plain as Jane's got, and in her opinion, the half demon in front of her was as special and mysterious as they came. Inuyasha's hand released her, sliding down the length of her arm and encircling her wrist, the heat of his fingers radiating through her sleeve.

"I haven't been able to keep my eyes off you since the day we met, Kagome, and after hearing all that, I don't give a shit if they win."

A searing heat spread throughout her abdomen as Inuyasha's fingers curved around her jaw, over her ear, and threaded through her dark strands of hair, his hands gentler than any that have touched her before. She could hardly see his face in the dark, the fire behind him only illuminating the area in front of the couches, but his voice was enough to send her heart into a wild frenzy and keep her grounded in place. A glimpse of green above them caught her eye and she glanced upwards, noticing the mistletoe hanging from the large, wooden beam above them for the first time since Sango had hung it. Inuyasha followed her look, shaking his head as he realized what they stood under.

"Of course." He commented, not sounding surprised in the least. Kagome bit her lip, her hands grazing up his sides, fingers clutching to the black cotton adorning his torso, and his attention was back on her. He dipped down, the fingers in her hair gripping tenderly as he slowly tilted her head back to welcome him.

"One more set up won't hurt." She whispered. He gave a soft rumble in response just before their lips met, his kiss starting as slow and passionate and evolving into hot and needy. Both of his hands hooked under the crook of her jaw, holding her to him, their chests pressed tightly to one another's, sending an inferno blazing throughout every nerve ending in her body. Kagome's clutch on his sweater tightening as her knees grew weak, and she relished in a sensation she'd never experienced before, standing on her tip toes to get a little extra taste of it.

He chuckled into her mouth, feeling his lips curve up into the kiss, and Kagome knew the gloating they were going to inevitably have to endure was more than worth it now.