A White Christmas

It was Christmas Eve and Kagome hadn't seen her family in over two weeks. They must be really mad. She was so caught up with everything that she didn't remember what time of year it was. It crept up on her so fast; how could it possibly be Christmas already? Besides, Inuyasha knew nothing about it, and there was no chance of her getting home anytime soon. Not only would he not let her, but the group had been out traveling the last few days. They were chasing down a youkai that had a jewel shard.

Everyone was walking up the mountain and tiring quickly. It was very steep and hard to go up. The group needed the rest, but Inuyasha knew they couldn't risk it. It had been over an hour and they hadn't even found the slightest trace of any life up in the high cliffs.

"Inuyasha, don't you think we should rest for a bit?"

"No Kagome. It's too dangerous up here. I understand that you are a pathetic human, but if we are up here for too much longer the temperature will drop below freezing and we will all die."

"Do you even know which way to the village?"

"No! You're the one that suggested this route Monk!"

"Hehehe," Miroku scratched the back of his head, "yeah about that…"

"Listen here damn pervert, if I don't make it out of here alive I will find a way to come back and kill you!"

"…"

Every word of Sango's threat hurt a little more. He knew she wasn't serious, but the thought that he could be responsible for everyone's death wasn't very pleasant. He had no idea where he was going. He only said it so Inuyasha and Kagome would stop arguing. He never thought they would actually listen to him.

Inuyasha lead the group through narrow passages and over hills, until they came to a fork in the path. He had thought they were going the right way, because he could slightly smell humans from not too far away. He suspected that it was the small town at the bottom.

"Which way do we go?" Kagome piped up.

Inuyasha sniffed the air, "Not too sure. Miroku, you got any ideas?"

"Uhhh should you really be asking me that? I'm the one that got us in this mess in the first pla-"

SLAM! Inuyasha punched the monk straight in the face,

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me… Okay. Let's go this way, I think the smell is strongest to the east."

"Ok. I hope you are right."

"Of course I'm right Kagome! Now let's get going! There's only two more hours until sundown."

Onward once again the gang slowly began walk further. After about twenty minutes they finally started to descend the other side of the mountain… or so they thought. They thought that they had been making excellent progress because they now knew they were going the right way, and also they had made great time. With Kagome on Inuyasha's back and Miroku and Sango on Kirara's back, they moved pretty fast. What could have really helped is if they could all simply ride the demon cat over the mountain, but of course with their luck that was not possible. The cliffs were so enormous that if the cat tried to get high enough to fly, she wouldn't be able t breathe. The atmosphere was so think that oxygen was beginning to deplete.

They were heading across a very narrow and steep gorge, and falling would mean certain death. There was no other way to get to the other side other than to walk across the skinny ledge against the mountainside.

"Don't worry my dear Sango, all will be well, and just don't look down."

"Easier for you to say! You can stay calm through anything! It's not fair."

"I am never calm if you are ever in danger…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing…"

"…. Whatever."

Just as they began to go around a corner the wind began to pick up. Inuyasha and Kagome were ahead of the other two and they got the full blast from it. Since the half-demon was in front he got the most of the impact. He nearly slipped but managed to grab a hold of a small rock that was sticking out of the side. When another gust came, it was too powerful for them. Inuyasha got hit and only stayed up because his kimono got sagged on a jagged lip on the mountain, but Kagome had nothing to hold on to. She was now dangling for her life from a tiny ledge a few feet below, and it was beginning to give under her weight.

"Inuyasha!! Help me!!"

"No! Kagome, hang on! Don't let go, I'll get you up."

In a dramatic attempt Inuyasha hung over the side and reached out his hand. Kagome was a good three inches away and slipping with every passing second.

It was very misty so Sango and Miroku could only hear the pleas for help that the girl screamed out. They could only pray that she could hang on. That hope was completely crushed from what they heard next…

"KAGOME!! NO!"

"Inuyasha…." Her voice began to fade as she fell.

They knew that she fell, but maybe, just maybe she could survive…

No more than two seconds after the rocks gave way, Inuyasha dove off of the ledge for a desperate rescue attempt. He kept his head down and put his arms out in front of him, to make himself more arrow-dynamic. He soared through the air, the crisp wind striking his tear stained face.

It was an amazing feeling. Kagome had been falling for almost a minute now and she never seemed to stop. It was like floating in mid air. The only thing was she would be dead soon enough anyway. She decided to open her eyes one last time and look up. Then she caught the sight of a dive-bombing red blur that was rocketing down at her…

Free falling down the cliff Inuyasha grabbed onto Kagome and held her close to his body. They were both falling down now and the weight from there two attached bodies made them fall even faster. Kagome looked up and saw tears in his eyes. She couldn't believe it. Had he really jumped off the edge to save her? He turned his head and looked back down at her face. He gently wiped away the tears and held her even tighter. Then with one strong thrust, he unsheathed his sword, and sent a blast of energy at the near wall. The wall blew up on impact and giant boulders began the crash down around them. At first she thought he went insane, but it turns out he had probably saved their lives. She watched in horror as the huge chunks of earth hardly missed smashing them to bits. Inuyasha was jumping from one rock to the next back up. Well she though he was going back up, but the momentum of the rocks were too fast. They were still falling, but he slowed them down a lot, and also gained control of his movements.

Inuyasha could now see the bottom. After deciding it would be best to stay away from the rock slide of death, obviously, he jumped to the side of the cliff and started to tumble down. He held Kagome close, making sure she wasn't harmed during the fall. They toppled over and over again head first down the hill. They had gotten away from the worse part and were now rolling down a hill, of rocks, that wasn't too steep. Kagome could hear bones cracked as Inuyasha gasped in pain. She was just about to say something and then everything went dark.

Miroku and Sango made it to the spot that the other two had fallen. They could only assume that Inuyasha fell as well because they found small pieces of his kimono on the cliffs edge. Sango let out some tears and nearly fell off herself. Miroku grabbed her and they continued forward. The sooner they got to the other side, the better.

Kagome awoke to lots of pain in her lower back. She must have hit a few rocks on the way down. She was surprised that she was even alive. She looked over at the body that lay next to hers. It was a bloody mess. When she turned him over she saw the scratches on his face, and a deep gash down his right arm. There was a small pool of blood around him and he didn't move.

"Inuyasha…" The terrified girl yelped. "Inuyasha? No…"

She broke into tears and laid herself on his body. She clutched his robes with her small fist and sobbed. Why would he do something so stupid? Why did he have to do that? Then she felt him move a little bit underneath of her. She sprang up with surprise and held her breath.

"Ka- Kagome?"

"Oh Inuyasha… wh-"

"Shhh," he gently caressed the side of her face, wiping away her tears with his tattered hand, "It's ok Kagome, I'll live. Just please don't cry."

She sniffled a little bit and held back the water that wanted to come pouring out. She nestled down next to him and ran her hands across his torn face. It was getting colder and she knew he would die if they stayed out much longer. But what could she do?

"Kagome," he staggered to his feet, "we need to get moving or we'll die out here."

"You need to take a rest Inuyasha! Sit back down."

"If I take a rest we will die from the temperature drop in an hour anyway, now let's go"

Kagome watched as he limped forward, through the forest. She glanced up at the sky and saw one tiny snowflake land in front of her…

"Sango!! I see smoke"

"You're point, monk?"

"CIVILIZATION!"

The two jumped up and down and ran for the smoky puffs that were in the distance. They only hoped that somehow their friends were already there, or at least on the way there. Although it was almost impossible for either of them to survive, there were the slightest possibilities, but even if they did… would they survive the night? They both knew that the temperature dropped well below zero around this season. All they could do is pray and hope for the best.

The snow was falling faster and harder now. The wind had picked up and a blizzard was beginning to form around the two. Inuyasha and Kagome walked huddled together for warmth through the storm. After a few minutes of walking Kagome slipped down a small slope and landed in a puddle at the bottom.

"Shit Kagome! Now how are you gonna stay warm! We'll need to find somewhere to stay."

Despite the pain that throbbed throughout his body, Inuyasha picked up the girl and trudged on. She tried to keep her eyes open, but fell asleep within a couple of minutes. Inuyasha marched on, through the fierce winds, as ice began to crash against his face. He shielded the small girl in his arms so she wouldn't be hit, but it knew it was only a matter of time until it would be too late. She was still wet and she would die in a in the next hour if she didn't get dry soon. Almost as if the gods were in there side, at that instant Inuyasha came across a cave in the side of the mountain. He rushed in and began to work.

"Excuse me sir? I am sorry to bother you but my wife and I have been traveling and just got out of the mountains. We have no more money and I was just wondering if you could provide us some shelter for the night; maybe just a small room or even a shed of some sort."

The inn keeper looked down at the monk and the woman that was next to him. He pondered for a bit, and then decided to help out.

"Ok, you may have a room for the night, but just be sure to behave and not to bother anyone else."

"That is perfectly fine with us. We are eternally grateful for your kindness, sir."

"Go up to the top floor and take the last room on the right. It's small but it's the only one that I can offer."

"Thank you so much sir." Miroku bowed and then the "couple" walked up the stairs.

Inuyasha had taken off Kagome's wet cloths and laid them out to dry. All of her cloths… He knew that she would get mad, but he had no other choice. He couldn't help but get a bit aroused at the sight of her body. He quickly banished the thoughts to the back of his mind and promised that he would not do anything else. He took off his pants (he has other ones under his outer robes), and placed them on the floor. Then he took off the top of his robes and used is as a blanket to cover the small form in front of him.

Inuyasha walked back outside into the deadly storm and searched around for some stones and dry fire wood. It took a while, but he eventually found them and headed back for the cave. He placed the sticks in a small pile and then struck the rocks together to start a fire. When he got it lit the first time it was instantly put out by the wind.

He then had to go back outside to freeze his ass off and build a wall. This took him a good thirty minutes but when he was done the cave was nicely packed shut with no more wind coming through the entrance. He walked back to make the fire, hands numb, and feet frozen. He got the fire started and then place Kagome's cloths a little bit closer, so they would dry faster. Then he took one last glance at Kagome and after he saw that she was warm and sleeping peacefully, he drifted off himself.

"Wife? So I am your wife, am I?"

"Well… well you see; I figured that if I said that then he would take more pity on us. As a young couple and…well-"

"Whatever. At least we got a room. I just hope that Inuyasha and Kagome make it."

Sango broke down into tears again. Then Miroku came over and held her close. Surprising both of them he never did try to grope her, but instead he just whispered sweet nothings in her ear, and gave her the comfort she needed. As she was in his arms thoughts ran across both of their minds at the same time,

'I wish she was my wife.'

'I wish I was his wife.'

Only if they could hear each other… only if they could hear it.

Kagome stirred and then woke up. At first she was a bit dazed, but then quickly came to her senses. She felt the warmth and softness of something. When she glanced up she saw that she had Inuyasha's fire rat hyouri on top of her, and his… pants, underneath her. At that instant she noticed that she was…. Naked?? She let out a small squeak and then jumped up covering herself. Looking in front of her she saw that she was in a cave, and there was piled snowed covering the entrance. Slightly to her right she saw her clothing on the ground. Dashing over to them she was quite disappointed to find them completely soaked and nearly frozen stiff. Feeling the heat emitting behind her she turned to the fire and for the longest time just looked into it. She snapped out of her daze when she heard a soft moan from her side. Looking over her shoulder she found Inuyasha, he up against the wall and had his legs curled underneath of him. He had no shirt on and only had light under garments as pants. He was breathing rather slowly and shivering. She walked up to him and could see small icicles that had formed off of his fangs. Instantly she felt guilt pour over her, and knelt down beside him.

Ignoring the fact that she was completely nude she cuddle against him and draped his robes over them both. As her body touched his bare chest a feeling of longing washed over the girl. When their flesh connected heat came from her body encompassing them both in a warn essence. She smiled when she felt him snuggle closer and adjust his body to a more comfortable position. Slowly she fell asleep, thinking of everything he had to sacrifice and do to help her. The only thing that haunted her mind was if this was all a dream and she really did die when she fell…

It was morning and the "couple" had gotten up and cleaned up their room. They already headed down the stairs and thanked the inn keeper once again for letting them stay, and then they took off.

"We should go out and try to look for Kagome and Inuyasha…"

"Sango, as much as I hate to say this… I don't think they made it; there is pretty much no chance of survival during these months. Anyone that has ever been in those mountains and stayed through the night never came out."

"So you're saying we should just give up on them!"

"There is nothing we can do Sango, but if they did somehow manage to hold out, then they should come here. So we will wait here a while until mid day and then move on."

Sango hung her head low, she knew he was right, and there was no way that the two could survive…

She opened her eyes and the sun hit her face, sending rays across her cheeks with warmth. She looked around and saw that the snow at the cave entrance had been pushed aside. She got up and walked over to the small fire. It was small but still going. She grabbed her now dry clothes and began to dress. After she was done she walked outside of the cave to see the most beautiful scenery. The cave was high above the mountains looking over the vast landscape under her. Snow was still falling, but very lightly, and there was no wind. She looked up and caught a flake on her tongue. She heard footsteps behind her and swiveled around to see Inuyasha walk up beside her.

He took a deep breath, "Listen… Kagome, about last night; I am sorry that I did that. I just didn't want anything to happen to you. I swear I didn't do anything other than take off your clothes, but I understand if you are mad at me…"

Inuyasha hung his head and his ears slowly drooped to the side. Why on earth was he apologizing? Did he honestly think she would be mad for saving her life?

"Don't be sorry for anything Inuyasha, I am so grateful, and I would never get mad at you for that."

His ears went up, but she could still see the pain in his eyes, "you aren't just saying that, to make me feel better? You are really not mad at me after what I did? When I woke up I was holding you… and I'm sorry if I did anything to hurt you."

Instead of answering his question she placed her delicate hand on his cheek, tiptoed up and crashed her lips against his. At first he was completely taken aback by this action, but after a few seconds he responded with his own passion. He deepened the kiss and began to massage her back. Then he purred slightly as he felt a hand begin to rub his ear. When they broke for air they turned to gaze over the snowy mountains.

"It's so beautiful; don't you think so Inuyasha?"

"Not as beautiful as you are."

Well it turns out that this was the best Christmas Kagome could have ever wished for… well besides the fact that they had both been near the brink of death. Nevertheless this was her best Christmas ever, and she would never forget it. The snow continued to fall around the two and they held each other in a tight embrace, saving the moment. It was a white Christmas and it was a wondrous sight.

Fin

Happy Holidays!