When InuYasha woke one morning, the world was covered in white, glittering snow.
Sitting up abruptly, his vision spun with glimmering dots. He glanced down from his treetop perch at the campsite below. The gleaming fire kept the frost at bay, and only a light dusting of powder lay on the sleeping figures of his friends. He shook his head, riffs of snow falling from his silver hair. When he bounded down, the tree branch shook, dislodging a bundle of snow.
"Hey! Kagome!" he said, laying a clawed hand on her shoulder. "Oy! Wake up!"
Kagome stirred, rubbing her eyes. She sat up slowly, glancing around. Her dark eyes widened with enchantment.
"Oh! It snowed!" she exclaimed, reaching over to wake Shippo. Miroku and Sango rose and stretched, both seeming delighted with the snow.
What's so great about frozen water? InuYasha wondered, kicking at a pile with his bare foot. He had only bitter memories of snow; the snow and cold made it harder to survive.
Kagome suddenly gasped, and InuYasha looked at her in surprise.
"It's Christmas Eve!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I promised my family I'd come home for Christmas Eve dinner!"
InuYasha's heart sunk, though he was careful not to show it. "You're leaving?" he asked gruffly.
Kagome nodded, hurrying to gather her few belongings. "Yeah!"
InuYasha looked down, suddenly in a foul mood. "Whatever."
Miroku glanced up. "Oh, yeah! And Sango and I were going to head back to Kaede's village to celebrate there."
InuYasha snorted, trying to ignore the fact that no one seemed to have incorporated him in their holiday plans.
"Then we should get going!" Sango said, pulling the boomerang bone onto her back. InuYasha huffed crossly as Kagome scrambled onto his back.
The trip back to Kaede's village was a rather awkward one, for InuYasha, at least. Kagome and Sango ooed and ahed at the snow, Miroku kept making comments about how romantic it was, and Shippo seemed determined to annoy them all to death.
Sango and Miroku went on ahead, leaving Kagome and InuYasha at the Bone Eater's Well. The hanyou set the girl down, letting her scramble off his back.
"Now listen up!" Kagome said, with surprising authority in her voice. "Dinner is at six o' clock, okay?"
"Whatever," InuYasha grumbled. Why the hell's she telling me this…?
"Now I'm going to get going, okay?" she asked.
"Then get going!" InuYasha snapped, trying to hide his hurting.
Kagome cocked her head. "InuYasha… why are you being such a jerk?"
InuYasha turned away with an angry huff. "No reason," he said noncommittally.
Kagome furrowed her brow. "Alright, then… don't forget its Christmas Eve, though. We shouldn't fight, tonight of all nights."
With a small growl, InuYasha walked back toward the trees. He heard Kagome call something after him, but was too angry to turn back. Why should Christmas make a difference? He thought furiously. We can't help but fight…! And why would she go out of her way to tell me what time dinner was? Just so that… I could miss her more…?
Right around six o' clock, InuYasha had his eyes glued to the Well. He was shivering, snow gathering on his shoulders and head. His ears twitched, and he could ever so vaguely hear the sounds of music and laughter coming from the village. If he glanced to his left, he could see the smoke from several fires drifting into the sky.
A scratching sound from inside the Well distracted him from his melancholy thoughts, and he glanced up in surprise. Kagome's face appeared over the wooden edge, and she looked around.
"InuYasha!" she called, heaving herself up over the Well. "InuYasha, where are you?"
InuYasha's eyes widened in surprise at how she was dressed; instead of in her normal school uniform, she wore a small black dress with glittering silver embellishments. A thin string of pearls hung around her neck.
"Oh!" she cried, spotting his red haori against the white landscape. "There you are! Come on, then! Everyone's waiting!"
InuYasha blinked. "What do you…?"
Kagome shook her head. "Oh, gosh… don't tell me you're still mad from this afternoon? So mad that you'd ditch?"
InuYasha leaped down from his perch, coming to stand in front of her. "What are you talking about, girl? Ditch what?"
"Ditch the Christmas party! My family is waiting for us!"
Us. My family is waiting for us.
"Wait… so…"
Understanding dawned in Kagome's eyes as she read his stupefied expression. "You didn't… InuYasha! Of course you're invited! Why do you think I was telling you when to be there?"
"You never said…" InuYasha grumbled lamely, trying to cover up his blunder.
"Come on, then!" Kagome said, grabbing his hand and leading him back towards the Well. A blush crept over the startled InuYasha, and he followed Kagome quickly across the clearing.
When the pair emerged from the Well on Kagome's side, the first thing that they saw was Sota, leaning far enough into the Well to almost fall in. He had on an adorable mini-suit with a poka dot tie.
"Come on, you two!" he called, motioning them up. "Mom's getting nervous!"
"Be right there!" Kagome called, turning InuYasha to face her. "You've got snow and leaves in your hair!" she quipped, using her fingers like a comb, giving his hair a quick brushing. InuYasha squirmed and blushed under her touch, not sure if he wanted to get away or not.
"Come on!" Kagome called, finishing up. She clambered out of the Well quickly, and InuYasha followed.
Outside was a crystal world of ice and snow. As the two made their way to Kagome's house, InuYasha started to notice silver tinsel draped around the tree branches. Soon lights joined the tinsel, and they found themselves in literal wonderland of lights and snow.
Maybe snow isn't so bad… InuYasha thought.
Emerging into Kagome's yard, the couple was greeted by a multitude of friendly faces. InuYasha felt the warmth of the fires and the people there, Kagome's family… his family. When had he started thinking of them like that?
"InuYasha!" called Kagome's mother. "I'm so glad you could make it!"
"Demon," snorted her grandfather. "Who ever heard of a demon at a Christmas party?"
Kagome's hand tightened around InuYasha's. The hanyou jumped as he noticed, for the first time, that she was holding it. He turned to her, and she glanced up at him, eyes closed and lips curved in a warm smile. InuYasha felt his face relax into a matching smile. The Miko rose up on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips gently to the surprised hanyou's lips in a brief kiss.
"Merry Christmas, InuYasha," she whispered.
"Merry Christmas," he answered, wrapping his arms around her. "And thanks."
(A/N)