A Christmas Story
Chapter 9:
The Night Before Christmas

Kagome sipped on her hot cocoa gingerly as she perused the text messages she had received from Inuyasha moments ago. He had sounded upset about something and needed to come over to vent, so after pushing aside her gift wrapping and a quick, 'See you soon!', she had meandered into the kitchen to brew a hot pot of water and brought out a plate of cookies she had baked the night before.

Waiting patiently in the kitchen, the low hum of Christmas music playing in the background, she watched as Inuyasha pulled up in his beat-up red Ford truck. She smiled and raised a brow as he killed the engine and got out of the car, slamming the door behind him. His quick walk up to her front door spoke of boiled-over frustration, and she knew he would need a minute to vent.

"Hello, Inuyasha," she greeted, beaming brightly up at him as she opened the door.

His pinched brows and stiff posture were anything but friendly as he stepped into the foyer, slipping off his boots and hanging his coat on the rack. "Hey," he grumbled before making his way into the kitchen.

She followed after him as he helped himself to some hot cocoa and cookies, making himself at home as he often did. She leaned up against the counter and let him get settled at the table.

He peered around as he bit off a piece of gingerbread. "Where's your family?"

"Out Christmas shopping," she answered, pushing off the counter and taking a seat beside him, glad he was at least being civil this time. Usually, his foul mouth was running before she even greeted him. "Souta needed to buy some thing for his friends, so Mom and Gramps went with and made a day of it."

Inuyasha hummed with acknowledgement and they sat in silence for a moment, Kagome waiting patiently for him to voice his true reason for visiting. Not that she was complaining - as seeing her boyfriend was always enjoyable regardless of the circumstances.

"Traffic sucked this morning," he finally grumbled.

Kagome shrugged. "It wasn't so bad."

He rolled his eyes. "Keh, were we sitting in the same rush hour? Just because it fucking snows, everybody forgets how to drive!" She cleared her throat, a quick reminder to him regarding his foul mouth. "Sorry," he off-handedly commented. "Its just that work sucked, and then I get home and nobody had shoveled. At that point it was practically ice! Never let anyone tell you snow is light – they obviously haven't tried shoveling their driveway."

She nodded, letting him express his irritation. Souta had been off school because of a snow day, and had spent the morning clearing their driveway, so she had gotten lucky when she came home from class that afternoon. Inuyasha, however, still lived with his father, and although often Toga would pay a neighborhood kid to shovel their driveway while he was at work or holed up in his home office, apparently today he had forgotten and had left Inuyasha to his own devices. Not uncommon for Toga, but still annoying all the same.

"Not to mention, Dad's been in a foul mood this month because of how cold its been. Our bills are going up because of trying to keep the house warm, and he's been cranking down the thermostat, so we practically freeze at night."

"You can borrow my electric blanket," she offered, knowing how much her boyfriend loved curling beneath it with her on cold winter nights."

He scoffed. "And get my head chewed off by dad? No thanks."

She scrunched up her nose at his brash words, but kept her opinions to herself. This was just Inuyasha's way.

"Then I had to swing by the mall because my snow boots have holes in them and my gloves are falling apart, but of course ever since the day after Thanksgiving, everyone's on a shopping spree for the holiday rush. I was so fed up with the crowds, I left before I even bought anything."

Kagome glanced over at the entryway to Inuyasha's boots, which indeed looked worse for wear. They had to be a few years old, if she remembered correctly, and he was a simple person in the fact he only had perhaps five pairs of shoes at best. Its no wonder they needed replacing.

Inuyasha exhaled deeply and took a long sip of cocoa before cramming a cookie into his mouth. Kagome took this as a sign that he was finished and gave him a smile. "You sure are grumpy for it being the Christmas season," she pointed out.

"Bah Humbug."

She chuckled. "Come on," she said, standing up and placing her empty cocoa mug on the counter. She moved to the entryway and started wrapping her scarf around her neck.

Inuyasha raised a brow. "Where are we going?"

Kagome practically glowed as she smiled. "To bring you some Christmas spirit."

He rolled his eyes, already used to his girlfriend's Christmas antics, but didn't deny her request. Still not really in the mood, he grumpily pulled his jacket back on and slid on his boots that were damp with snow.

She pulled him out into the front yard, breathing in the crisp evening air. A light snowfall had begun only an hour ago, gently beginning to cover the roof eaves with a thin layer of snow.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" she said in a sing-song voice.

He rolled his eyes and stuffed his hands into his pockets, replying with a clipped, "No," that almost snuffed out her Christmas spirit. But she somehow always knew the way to cheering him up.

They started walking toward the town square, which Inuyasha griped about the whole way. Kagome simply brushed off his complaining. She smiled and tilted her head back, opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue.

Inuyasha shot her an incredulous expression. "What are you doing?"

"Catching snowflakes on my tongue."

He shook his head. "You're ridiculous."

She chuckled. "Hey! It's harder than it looks." Her eyes brightened as excitement filled her voice. "I know! Let's see who can catch the most!"

"No way."

"Come on, Inuyasha," she urged, nudging him playfully. "Are you scared I'm going to win?"

And after so many years of knowing her, Inuyasha shouldn't have been surprised she was able to find his weakness. Challenge him to any competition, and he was sure to get fired up.

"Doubtful," he replied with a smirk, the frustration and anger he had come storming over with beginning to melt away. "I'll kick your butt any day."

He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue just as she had done moments ago, causing her to laugh with amusement as she mirrored the action. For several minutes, the pair sidestepped each other as they wandered down Main Street – receiving several humorous looks from bystanders – each diving to catch a snowflake, shouting out numbers for each successful attempt.

"Thirty-four!" Inuyasha shouted triumphantly as they neared the enormous Christmas tree in the square.

Kagome moved to catch another one, determined not to lose this particular game, but managed to bump into Inuyasha, sending her off-balance toward a patch of grass and careening backwards into the snow. As soon as she hit the ground, splayed out on her back, she laughed at the silliness of it all.

Her boyfriend towered over her, chuckling at her predicament. "You okay?" he asked, holding out a hand for her to take.

"Snow angels!" she simply responded with a laugh, beginning to move her arms back and forth in the snow.

He rolled his eyes at her childish behavior, but couldn't deny her infectious energy. He plopped down beside her in the snow-covered lawn and coped her action, waving his arms in the snow, watching as snowflakes fell from the sky, the soft glow of Christmas lights illuminating the town.

After a while, their laughter died down and they laid still. Inuyasha's arms remained outstretched as he watched his breath puff into the frigid air. The cold of the snow soaked through his clothes, but it felt good as the searing hot anger he felt less than an hour ago dissipated completely.

Kagome suddenly rolled over and tucked herself to his side, leaning over him with a smile. Her eyes were bright, shining from the lights of the tree, snow melting into her raven hair, her cheeks blushed prettily from the cold.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" Inuyasha murmured, reaching up and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear affectionately. And he meant it, in more ways than one.

She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I've been told that once or twice," she teased, leaning down and giving him an Eskimo kiss.

He chuckled. "Let's head home, you goof."

He helped her to stand, and the pair locked hands as they ventured back toward her house. As they walked, a couple of kids rushed by them, laughter filling the air, as they carried a brightly painted star. Two townsfolk wearing angel wings and home-made halos sat near a manger, strumming on guitars and singing Christmas songs. And almost on every corner stood a man of faith, murmuring Christmas prayers to each person that walked by.

Kagome sighed deeply, and for once, Inuyasha mimicked the feeling. Ever since his mother's death, it wasn't often that Inuyasha felt Christmas spirit. But walking down the snow-covered street, buildings alight with multi-colored bulbs, and festive songs in the air… with the most beautiful woman of all… He couldn't help but feel a sense of peace settle over him.

It wasn't long before the pair escaped back into the warmth of Kagome's home. She disappeared upstairs to fetch Inuyasha an extra set of clothes he had left there a while ago – a pair of sweatpants and his favorite hoodie – and once they were both dry, Inuyasha curled up on the couch in front of the fireplace while Kagome disappeared into the kitchen.

Expecting hot chocolate, Inuyasha was surprised when Kagome returned with a stash of eggnog. "Let's listen to Christmas albums and get drunk," she proposed with a grin.

Inuyasha chuckled, unsure how he could love this woman anymore than he already did, as she sat down beside him, pouring them glasses and turning on the stereo, a chorus of Do You Hear What I Hear belting out through the speakers.

He sipped on his eggnog, enjoying the creamy taste hug his throat, as Kagome curled up beside him with a throw over their laps. "You know," she said off-handedly as they watched the flames curl and sway. "I think the best part about Christmas is that you don't ever have to grow out of it."

Amber eyes glinted curiously. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "You don't have to be a kid to love the mystery of it all. To sing in harmony. To believe in the imaginable." She pursed her lips thoughtfully, and then, "The heart of Christmas isn't something tangible. It isn't found wrapped in presents or on store shelves. It isn't even found in wonderfully cooked meals."

He frowned. "But I love Christmas dinner."

She giggled and slapped him playfully. "I mean, I believe that the heart of Christmas is found in you. And in me."

For the first time, the unadulterated lingering sadness that had followed Inuyasha around year after year, especially during the holidays, evaporated completely. There would always be a part of him that would miss his mother dearly, but his desperate loneliness that had started upon her death was a little less hopeless. He would always cherish the memories of Christmas morning with his mother – bright eyes, a cup of coffee, eager anticipation, tinkling laughter – but he knew that there was another woman in his life he was making memories with; someone who made him love Christmas again.

Inuyasha leaned down and kissed her, catching her completely unaware, and causing their eggnog to spill. But he kissed her deeply, lovingly, unaware of the song ending and a new one beginning. His fingers curled into her obsidian locks as he held her tight, loving the way her body melted into his.

They inevitably pulled apart, taking shaky, shallow breaths. Kagome looks up at him, her head foggy as she tried to string a thought together. And finally, she found her voice. "Pass me the eggnog."

Laughing, Inuyasha did as he was told and filled their glasses, receiving a stern scolding from her regarding the mess he made, before she found her place in the crook of his arm again. And as the evening wore on and the eggnog disappeared, he knew years from now they would both be looking back on tonight as a cherished memory.


So, I'm super sorry for the late-ness of this chapter. I honestly didn't mean to. The end of this year has been terribly busy and financially tight, so stress has been at an all-time high. But I wanted to make sure that I was still able to pump this out in time for Christmas. Don't forget what the holiday season is all about, and make sure to spread plenty of cheer. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and have a blessed New Year!