Things were coming along nicely. Sayuri and Shuichihad invited their spirit detective friends over for a small celebration for the holiday.
It was Christmas time.
The Minamino siblings were home alone. Their mother and stepfather had gone on a trip and wouldn't be home till Christmas morning, a few days from now. Their younger stepbrother was also away for a while visiting a friend.
The two were getting everything ready for the party of sorts. Sayuri was putting out the decorations while her brother did the cooking. The young redheaded girl was trying to get some of the ornaments on the top of the tree, but the stool she had didn't allow her to reach high enough.
"Hey Kurama can you come here for a minute? If not it's okay." She called to her older brother, stepping off the stool to look at the decorations around her.
"What fo you need help with?" Kurama questioned walkig into the living room drying his hands on a towel.
"I need you to put some ornaments at the top as well as the star, I can't reach." She told and he nodded grabbing the star and going to place it on the tree.
"Just keep an eye on the time and the oven for me while I do this. I just put the food in so it won't be done in such a short time, but still."
"I understand Shuichi, besides I wouldn't know if it was done or not, just if it's burning." She replied to her brother earning a shake of the head from him.
"I need to teach you to cook."
"I don't want to learn. I know how to make small things to eat, isn't that enough?" She asked with a pout.
"How do you plan on cooking for Hiei when you move out of here then?" He asked knowing her love for thier fire demon friend.
"Well we wait till you're ready to move out and come live with you and have food prepared with your amazing cooking skills." She smiled.
"Sayuri, you're my little sister and I love you, but that's not happening." He chuckled as he continued with the tree. Sayuri left the living room to check the time and food.
She opened up the oven and the delicious smell hit her. God her brother could cook, she couldn't wait for the time to eat the food.
"Tree is done, need help with anything else before I continue cooking?" Kurama asked walking into the kitchen.
"No, that was all the decorations that needed to be put out. I just need to finish wrapping some gifts and I'm done, then I can attempt to help you."
"In other words you can stand by and admire my work." He said knowing his sibling too well. The cat demon was his closest friend as Youko and now his little sister in the human world, he knew her better than anyone.
"Pretty much." She said with a laugh as she escaped the kitchen to her room to finish wrapping the gifts.
The entire group was gathered around the living room. Yusuke was cracking jokes as usual and pissing off Kuwabara. Shizuru wasn't doing anything to help her brother out, instead she was sitting on the couch by Yukina and Keiko watching the two argue. Hiei was sitting by the door leading to the backyard, arms crossed and his glare going between the two arguing and the white fluffy snow that covered the land.
Sayuri looked around at her friends as she and her brother brought egg nog and hot chocolate. Drinks were passed around and the young redhead grabbed a cup of hot chocolate and brought it to the fire demon by the door.
"Hey Hiei, hot chocolate?" She questioned holding the drink out to him. He hesitantly took the cup from her hands looking down at the substance inside.
"This is chocolate cat?" He questioned. The demon enjoyed the sweet human treat, but he had yet been introduced to it in this form.
"Just try it Hiei, it taste like chocolate I promise." She urged sitting down beside him, unaware of the eyes on them. The Jaganshi slowly took a sip, trusting the cat beside him not to lie. Surprisingly the drink did taste very similar to the candy he had eaten, the girl hadn't led him wrong. He met her eyes as she smiled at him. "So? Good isn't it?" She asked with a knowing tone.
"Hn, it's not bad." He admitted, she was one of the only people she'd admit something to. It made her happy though which was enough as she hopped up and returned to her brother's side to drink her own hot chocolate and talk with the others.
Soon the grouo had eaten the meal Kurama had prepared for the night. Once everyone was stuffed and getting ready for the night to end, they decided it was time to swap presents.
Gifts were exchanged putting smiles on everyone's faces. Sayuri had gotten a knife from her older brother, she had hers taken from her in a fight not too long ago and he couldn't give it to her in front of thier parents. Yukina and Keiko had gotten her some jewelry which they received from her as well.
Everyone had gotten gifts, even Hiei, though he had not recieved one from a certain red headed girl. He didn't understand this human holiday at all, it was about giving gifts to each other to share 'happiness' or whatever it was Kurama had told him. He also remembered something about a fat guy coming down the chimney to bring presents to kids. This was just a strange holiday just to make someone feel, strange, when they didn't recieve a present from the one person thag meant something to them.
"Well we better get going." Keiko stated referring to herself and Yusuke. "Thanks so much for inviting us."
"Thanks for coming." Sayuri replied giving Keiko a quick hug.
Not long after Urameshi and his mate announced their need to leave, everyone else came up with a reason too. Shuichi, being the gentleman he was, walked everyone out bidding them goodbye and safe travels home. Sayuri caught Hiei before, he could leave out the door he sat bye.
"Hiei wait!" She called drawing him away from the door, hands behind her back.
"What do you want cat?" He asked. He didn't want to admit it but not receiving a gift from her bothered him.
"I wanted to give you this." She replied reveling a long black box with a crimson red ribbon neatly tied on it.
He took the box from her hands, removing the ribbon allowing it to fall to the floor. Hiei gave the girl in front of her a questioning look before opening the box to see what lied within. To his surprise it was a new katana. His story was similar to Sayuri's one about her knife, but his sword had unfortunately been broken in his last fight.
Taking the blade out he let the box drop to the floor with the ribbon and inspected the sword. It wasn't human made that much he could tell, but it was rare to see such skilled work in demon world as well.
"Where did you get this sword." He questioned tying it to his side like he did with his old one.
"I found an old acquaintance of mine in the demon world, it took some convincing that I was actually Katsumi, but he finally accepted it and specially made this for me." She replied.
"Then why give it to me rather than keep it for yourself?" He questioned.
"I wanted to give you something you needed and would use for Christmas and besides I have the one you gave me." She said looking down at her hands as she clapsed them together.
"Hn, T-thanks then." Hiei said not used to thanking people for things.
Sayuri looked back up at him only to notice something right above them. A blush covered her cheeks as she stared at it with an unbelieving and nervous look. The fire demon followed her gaze to see the plant hanging above them, but knew nothing of it.
"What is that plant?" He asked since it seemes to upset the demon before him, his eyes returned to her.
"Well it's called mistletoe. It's another tradition if Christmas, though I'm not sure how it got placed there..."
"And what's so special about it?"
"W-well um, whoever stands under the mistletoe are supposed to share a kiss." She practically whispered. A blush dusted Hiei's face at the news as he watched the girl shift uncomfortably in front of him.
"Hn...So we have to..." She nodded her head.
"Yeah, but we could just walk away, no one would no we didn't listen to the stupid rule humans associate with mistletoe."
"I'd know." Kurama said walking into the room slightly. Neither had noticed he had come back inside the house, both more focused on the gift being given and then the mistletoe. Sayuri sent her brother a glare, suddenly realizing that the mistletoe hadn't been there the entire time, he made it grow there knowing her feelings for the jaganshi.
"Hn stupid fox.." Hiei muttered, turning Sayuri's face to make her look at him. A deep blush covered her cheeks and only darkened as he leaned forward. He pressed their lips together and shared thier first kiss.
It wasn't heated, but gentle and sweet and neither would have it any other way. The red head brought one hand up to rest against his cheek while the other laid on his chest as she stepped closer to him. He slowly wrapped an arm around her waist while the other hand rested on her hip. He hadn't been looking for a mate, but sharing this kiss made him believe he had just found his. This cat standing here with him, he could see having her around him all the time, yeah, he could see having her as his mate.
As the two kissed, Kurama stood in the doorway watching the two with a smile on his face. He knew the two liked each other, all they needed was a little push to start off their relationship and that's just what he gave them. This was definitely going to be a good Christmas.