Presents to Choose

"Christmas Eve will find me

Where the love light gleams"

- "I'll be Home for Christmas (If Only in My Dreams) by Bing Crosby

"You're kidding me with this shit, right?"

Holding on to the last shreds of his patience, Miroku closed his eyes and held his outstretched hands in front of him.

"No Inuyasha, I am not, as you so charmingly put it, 'kidding you with this shit'. I am, delicately put, in deep and am asking you as my best friend to help me out." He waved his hands, and the two contenders fighting over the honor of being his beloved Sango's Christmas gift, in front of Inuyasha's face. "Now stop whining and help me pick."

Said best friend crossed his arms over his chest and contemplated the floor, which, Miroku noted sarcastically, was nowhere near his two gift ideas.

"Miroku," Inuyasha began slowly and sedately, as if he were talking to a very small, not very bright child. "It's Christmas; Christmas eve to be exact. The shopping center is full of stressed out, freaked out last-minute shoppers and sales people ready to flash a shotgun. And you waited till now to pick Sango's gift?"

The waving was now turning to frantic gesticulation. "You think I wanted this? You think I freaking planned this? I have been searching for the perfect Christmas present since Easter!"

He took a deep, calming breath, attempting to stop his mind from racing around like a panicked rat. "This is our first Christmas together, Inuyasha. I want it to be special and I want to get Sango a gift she will really, really like."

Inuyasha raised his eyes from their deep contemplation of the department store's carpet and glanced first at one, then at the other possible gift. His voice was utterly deadpan. "So you're giving her lingerie?"

He was back to waving and shouting. "Well there's no law saying that the perfect Christmas present for her can't also be the perfect Christmas present for me, now is there?"

"Yeah, right. And how long did it take you to convince Kohaku to take away the restraining order again?"

Miroku hung his head, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "Three weeks."

"I reiterate: and you're giving her lingerie?"

Miroku was starting to feel defensive now and slightly petulant as well. "Well, what are you giving Kagome?"

"Keh, the perfect gift. What else?"

Miroku began to feel the tiniest of glimmers of hope. Maybe his friend would share his idea?

"And no, I'm not telling you, so you can get one for Sango as well."

He was not going to cry. He was not going to cry. He was not…Ah, to hell with it.

Miroku threw himself at his best friend, lingerie and all, clutching the other man's red shirt and beseeching him with big, teary eyes. Pride had taken a definite holiday.

"Please Inuyasha, please, please. I need help. Sango is the most beautiful, intelligent, kindhearted woman I have ever met and if I don't get her the perfect gift she will kick my ass from here to kingdom come."

"For fuck's sake Miroku, get off." Inuyasha was looking around wildly; hoping that no one he knew was witnessing this rather embarrassing scene. Sweet tinsel, there was lingerie in his hair. If this really was the season of miracles, he could sure use one right about now.

Clutching Miroku's shoulders, trying to pry him off, Inuyasha said desperately, "Alright, I'll help you. I'll help. Just stop with the balling already."

Wiping tears and snot from his face with his sleeve, Miroku gave him a watery smile. "You're a true friend Inuyasha."

Miroku nervously fiddled with the bright green bow for what was probably the one hundred and twenty-seventh time. It had to be just so. He gingerly poked the ribbon on the right side, sliding it another millimeter or so towards the center. After six more hours of grueling shopping, running from store to store and nearly getting strangled by Inuyasha on no less than four different occasions, Miroku finally felt that he had the perfect gift for his girlfriend. He hoped.

Sango came into the living room, looking absolutely ravishing in her red and white Christmas sweater and dark jeans. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail and he nearly melted at the shy expression on her face as she brought a small gift bag from behind her back.

"Merry Christmas, Miroku."

He took the gift, then gave Sango hers, with a nervous expression of his own. "Merry Christmas, Sango."

She smiled and looked eagerly at the brightly wrapped present. "Can I open it?"

He laughed at that, just a little. She was so absolutely adorable sometimes. "Of course my dear. That's what Christmas presents are for after all."

She tore into the gift eagerly and in the few seconds between untying the bow and Sango's small gasp of surprise, he nearly had a nervous breakdown.

"Oh Miroku, it's beautiful." She held up the wind chime by its string, causing a musical tinkle to filter through the silence of the living room. At the end of each chime was a small, round frame with pictures of her family: her deceased parents, her brother, studying abroad, her pet cat Kirara. In the middle was a picture of the two of them together, Miroku with his arm around Sango's waist, both of them smiling.

He scratched the back of his head nervously. "You really like it. I wasn't so sure. But I know how much you like music and how you're always going on about not having enough pictures of your folks and …"

He didn't get to finish the sentence, because Sango had pressed her lips against his in a kiss he would have been happy to continue until New Years. When they broke apart again, she was smiling at him.

"I really do love it." Then, to his surprise, she blushed a very bright red that would have put Rudolph to shame. "I feel so silly now, getting you your gift."

"Silly?" he questioned and turned towards his own Christmas present. It was a standard gift bag, bright gold with red and green Christmas ornaments printed on it, a green and gold bow closing the top. He looked at the still blushing Sango, then proceeded to open his gift.

He gaped. His jaw nearly fell to his shoes. He was speechless.

Sango was blushing even more furiously now, desperately trying to explain. "I figured you'd like it more than a tie or aftershave or anything else and it was just my size and I…" She trailed off at her boyfriend's decidedly spaced-out look.

To call the flimsy thing lingerie would have been an overstatement. It was several see-through pieces of fishnet held together by various straps and buckles. It was red and black, with gold trimmings and just the thought of his dearest Sango in it made Miroku's brain shut down all conscious thought and redirect his blood flow to other critical areas.

"Miroku?" Sango was waving her hand in front of his face, snapping her fingers to get his attention. "Miroku? Are you still in there? Please say something."

His brain finally kick started again and he slowly shook his head to clear it. There was a strange buzzing sound in his ears.

"I'm sorry Sango. I was just thinking that we're going to be late to the Christmas party." A lecherous smile worked itself onto his face. "Really late."