Author's Note: I didn't make it by Christmas, but I made it in time for New Years Eve! So this chapter covers Christmas and New Years. I hope everyone has had a good holiday!

Post Date: 31 December 2016

Word Count: 5725

Chapter Twenty-One
And Happy New Year

December 24, 1997

"Merry Christmas!" Reigan groaned as she tried to pull the blanket up over her head, but the top of it was twisted up under her and Hiei.

"Why is it making noise?" Hiei growled and managed to turn over. He was lying face down on the pillow, and she stopped trying to get the blanket free and just dropped her cheek onto his shoulder blade.

"Botan really likes Christmas," she mumbled sleepily.

"Today's not Christmas," Hiei pointed out.

"No, but we're having our Christmas today and going to Enki's tomorrow. I gotta get up anyway. Me and Shizuru are going to get Kazuma and Kurama from the train station." Kurama was spending today with them and going with them to Demon World tomorrow, because his family was spending the holidays somewhere tropical and warmer. Maybe they should try that next year?

"I'll walk with you to the temple. I'm not staying here with that noise."

"Be nice to Botan." She ruffled his hair as she slipped over him, and he lazily flapped a hand at her as she pulled away. She knows he'll already be dressed and waiting on her by the time she gets dressed, so he always gets to sleep in a few minutes longer than her. It's not fair.

Twenty minutes later, she was wide awake and ready to face the day. They're having dinner and exchanging presents tonight, and she's excited to see Kazuma. She's missed her son, and two weeks is just not enough time. She'll be happy when he's done with school, because she wants him to stay around for longer than just a month or so. Hiei was sitting on the perfectly made bed when she walked out, and she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hands gently gripped her hips and pulled her closer, and she sighed as she leaned down the smallest bit to kiss Hiei good morning.

"Do we have to go?" he asked after she pulled back.

"Yes, we have to go. Today is going to be a fun day. Wasn't last Christmas fun?" She had fun last Christmas; her whole family had been together, and there was plenty of good food and presents.

"Parts of it was entertaining." She grabbed Hiei's hands and pulled him off the bed, and their fingers laced as they left their room. Time to start the day.

.xXx.

"Merry Chris—What are you doing?!" Botan yelled as Yusuke picked her up and sat her back down outside. Reigan, Hiei, and Shizuru just left so Yusuke is the only other person around. He hadn't been in his room or in the kitchen, so she had decided to check the shed. She found him, but he picked her up and carried her out before she barely even got a foot in the door!

"Working!" he yelled and slammed the door. How rude! She kicked the door for good measure and then ventured back into the house. Today is their Christmas, just for them, so they should be spending time together. Not slamming doors in people's faces!

Botan sat angrily with her arms crossed for all of ten minutes and then her good mood returned. It's Christmas, everyone is going to be here today, and she's going to have fun no matter what. Tomorrow she's going to go to Demon World with everyone and have fun there too, with her new (surprising) friends. She honestly never thought she'd get along with Koto, Juri, or Ruka after everything that happened at the Dark Tournament. They've become friends over the past year though, somewhat, and she does enjoy being in the other girls' company. So she's going to be in a good mood.

When she heard feet shuffling into the kitchen sometime later, she ignored it and continued singing along to the Christmas carols on the radio while she mixed up cake batter. She knows the others aren't back yet, and she's not speaking to Yusuke until he apologizes for almost hitting her with the shed door. Yusuke slowly walked over to where she was and leaned against the counter next to where she was working, but she made sure not to look at the giant brown puppy eyes staring up at her. It's going to take more than that for her to forgive him. After a few minutes of her ignoring him, Yusuke let out one of the loudest sighs she's ever heard and slumped completely across the counter.

"That's the worst apology I've ever heard," she said and kept mixing. If she stirred a little harder than usual, that was no one's business but hers.

"I'm really sorry, Botan. I, uh, shouldn't have picked you up like that or yelled," he said slowly.

"Or?" He's missing the most important thing! He yells all the time, so she's used to that.

"Or…or…I should not have…can I have a hint?" His upper body is actually lying completely across the counter, and he's looking at her from between his bangs. He must have forgotten to gel his hair down this morning.

"You slammed the door in my face! In my face! With no explanation!" He stood up as she slammed the mixing bowl down on the counter, and she propped her fists on her hips as he stared down at her.

"I had a good reason!"

"And what reason could that possibly be?! Hmm?!" She yelled it while poking him in the chest, repeatedly, until he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"I was working on your Christmas present! Damn thing has taken me forever to build, but you wanted a wardrobe so I ha—" Yusuke stopped yelling as she rocked up onto her toes and pressed a kiss against the corner of his lips, even though she'd been aiming for his cheek, because he's been building her Christmas present. He didn't just go out and buy some little thing; he's actually been working to put her Christmas present together, and it doesn't even matter what it looks like because that's the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for her.

"Thank you," she said quietly. He's still holding her wrist and they're standing entirely too close to each other, but she can't think of one good reason to take a step back.

"Don't thank me until you've seen the thing." Yusuke's other hand came up to rub the back of his neck, and it looks like the mighty Spirit Detective is blushing! Because of her?

"I'm sure it looks amazing, Yusuke." His cheeks darkened just a little bit, and he is blushing! She bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to keep from laughing, but it didn't work. One giggle. Two. A whole river of them flowed out of her, and Yusuke's jaw dropped.

"Are you laughing at me?!" She's really not. She's not sure what's come over her, but Yusuke is still holding her hand and blushing. It'd be a lie to say that she's never appreciated his, uh, presence…but she's never felt like this around him. She's always known that Yusuke is a softie under his tough guy exterior, but he's really surprised her this time.

"You're just so cute," she said in between quiet laughs. Yusuke's angry look faded as he slowly started to smile, and he looked down. Saw that he was still holding her hand. She stopped laughing as his fingers spread out against the top of her hand, and she tilted her head back so that she could look at him.

"Botan?" Her name was a question, but she didn't know how to answer. Yusuke is one of her closest friends, possibly her best friend if she sat down and really thought about it, and she doesn't want to mess with that. She doesn't want to lose him.

"Yusuke! Little help!" Reigan's yell shattered their moment, and Botan watched the way that Yusuke clenched his eyes shut as he pulled away from her. When his eyes reopened, he smiled at her and reached up to ruffle his hair.

"Comin', Auntie Rei!" She didn't take a full breath until Yusuke was out of the room, and she looked down at her hand. At the hand he'd been holding.

"Well, that was certainly different," she mumbled to herself. Then she remembered how sensitive demon hearing was and decided to not think about what happened for the rest of the day.

.xXx.

"Today was a good day," Reigan sighed and leaned her head to rest on Kazuma's shoulder.

"Maybe even better than last Christmas," Yusuke said quietly.

"Maybe," Shizuru hummed.

The four of them are piled onto one of the couches in the den, and it's the most comfortable that Reigan can remember being in a long time. Kazuma is sitting in the corner with her pressed tight against his side, and Shizuru and Yusuke are both lying down with their heads on her lap. The resting position means that Shizuru is spooning her younger cousin, which works because they're the same height, and it feels so good to be completely surrounded by her family. She knows that Botan and Yukina are upstairs, talking quietly as they work on organizing clothes inside of Botan's new wardrobe (that Yusuke actually built himself). Hiei and Kurama are in the room that Kurama uses when he visits, but she's not listening in on their conversation. Genkai went back home about thirty minutes ago, because the night is coming to an end.

"How long are we staying in Demon World?" Kazuma asked after a few moments of silence.

"Just for the day, I suppose. Unless any of you wants to stay longer?" She misses her old friends, but she knows there will come a time when she'll live in Demon World again. Yusuke and Kazuma have become friends with the demons they fought against in the Dark Tournament as well as her old friends, and Shizuru has become close with a few demons as well.

"Maybe until New Years?" Reigan noticed Shizuru had one eye open as her daughter asked the question, and Reigan could smell grass mixed in with the familiar scent of crisp paper and fresh ink. Strange; her extra sight rarely manifests as scents. The second scent was Shizuru, but that first one? That was Yomi. So that's why her daughter is asking for an extended stay.

"I'd be okay with that," she said quietly. She could see Shizuru's small smile, and Yusuke and Kazuma started immediately talking about what they could do during their stay. That's when it hit her. Shizuru hasn't seen Tourin since Raizen was alive, and Kazuma has never been there. They've always stayed at Enki's palace during their stays. "How about we stop by Tourin?"

"I haven't seen the place since it was upgraded," Yusuke said and started to stretch. They'll need to head up to their rooms soon, to get some rest for tomorrow.

"Then we should check it out," Kazuma said around a yawn.

"Alright, kids, time for bed." Yusuke and Kazuma shared a look, and Reigan felt her brows draw together in confusion.

"But Maaaa!" the boys yelled out in unison. Their full-on pouts caused her to laugh, and she could hear the deeper sound of Shizuru's laugh echoing hers. It took a few minutes, but she managed to get them all on their feet and up the stairs. Saying goodnight took all of ten minutes, because they kept exchanging hugs and kisses, and she was still smiling when she walked into her room.

"This whole house is ridiculous." Hiei was already sitting propped up in her bed, their bed, with his back against the headboard. He was still wearing baggy black pants and a sleeveless blue shirt, but his feet were bare. Seeing as how he's normally so covered up, just being able to see to his bare toes seems intimate to her.

"Ridiculous in what way?" she asked as she moved over to her dresser. She slipped out of her pants and long sleeved shirt, sighed as her bra was removed, and then slipped a large white shirt over her head. She kept her panties and slippers on, because the blue panties are silk and feel amazing against her skin. As for the slippers, these are the ones that Hiei actually picked out himself this year. (Again, everyone got the same thing from Hiei. The only difference is that he picked the strange slippers out this time, while Christmas shopping with Kurama.) The slippers are shaped like what humans probably think demon feet look like, and her plush slippers are black with little white claws.

"Your son and nephew say goodnight by wrestling. Shizuru is the only one in this house with any sense," Hiei said as she crawled up the bed. She sleeps between Hiei and the wall, because Hiei has claimed the edge of the bed for himself, but it's all good with her. She wiggled up the bed until she was sitting with her back against the headboard as well, and she propped her legs up on his.

"I think Kurama and Yukina are pretty sensible," she countered. Yusuke and Kazuma have plenty of sense, they're both intelligent in their own ways, but they do tend to act like children when they're together.

"They don't live here permanently," Hiei pointed out. It's a good point. Reigan hummed at that and slumped over so that she could nuzzle against Hiei's shoulder, and she smiled as he reached over to lace their fingers together.

"Did you know we've been together for seven months now?" It's not her longest relationship by far, her and Eiji were only a few months shy of their twenty-first anniversary when he died, but she knows it's the longest that Hiei has ever been with one person. (He's told her that he never really dated anyone before her; he only found other demons to satisfy him when the desire arose, but he rarely visited the same demon twice.)

"I am aware of how time works." She loves his sassy attitude. Sass, sarcasm, it's all the same in the end.

"Did you think we'd be like this last Christmas?" She tightened her fingers around his as she asked it, to accentuate what she meant, and she tipped her head back so that she could look up at him.

In public, not much has changed between them. They sit a little closer than normal, but it's hard to tell that they're even a couple. Hiei will hold her hand under the dinner table though, and he always makes a point to touch her in some way before they part ways. Even if it's just a brush of his fingers down her arm before leaving the house. So it's definitely different than her previous relationships, but she loves it because it's Hiei. She knows that he makes the effort for her, and that makes all of the small things that much more special.

"I bought you a necklace." With her free hand, she reached up and ran her index finger over the part of the silver chain resting on her collarbone.

"Aha! So you did like me!" Hiei's eyes were glaring at her, but one side of his lips had quirked up. No one else would be able to tell, but she likes to think that she's become an expert in deciphering Hiei's micro expressions.

"You were tolerable." In Hiei-speak, that's right up there with a declaration of love. "You never told me if you placed any pictures inside."

"You never asked." She's only opened it a few times over the past year just to check on the state of the drawings, and they're still in perfect shape. Like she just drew them yesterday.

"I'm asking now." She pulled on the chain so that the circular locket was pulled out from under her shirt, but then she just let it thump against her chest.

"So far, I've only heard statements." Hiei huffed, and Reigan twisted around into a new position. Once she was settled, her legs were thrown over Hiei's lap so that they were sitting in a "T" position instead of sitting parallel to one another. She can see Hiei's face easier this way, and it's always easier to read him when she can see his whole face.

"Can I see inside the locket?" And he only clenched his jaw for forty-five seconds! Instead of reaching up to open the locket for him, she tilted her head to the side and smiled at him.

"Go ahead. Take a look." She leaned her head back but looked down as Hiei reached forward, and he let the back of the locket rest against his palm as he pressed the little button on the side. The locket popped open easily, and she carefully watched his eyes as he took in the pictures. On the right side is the picture that she drew of Shizuru, Kazuma, and Yusuke. A muscle in Hiei's cheek twitched, which she knows means that he's holding in a smile.

"Sentimental fool." She quirked a brow at that and then waited for him to look at the second picture. When he first looked at it, his eyebrows pulled down in confusion. She'd only drawn their silhouettes, so she can understand why it took him a few seconds to realize what it was. His thumb lightly pressed against the center of the picture, and she smiled as his eyes flicked up to meet hers. "This is from that dance at your return celebration."

"Botan managed to snap a picture of us. It's in the scrapbook, and I used it to draw that." His thumb was still pressed against the paper, and she watched as he pressed against the paper and felt something under it.

"The note." He wasn't guessing. She could tell from the look in his dark eyes that he realized what it was, and she reached up to hold the locket with him.

"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, you sentimental fool," she recited. His other hand reached up to grab hers and pull it away from the locket, and he carefully closed it. Once the familiar weight was against her chest, Hiei pulled her arm farther out and then reached into the pocket of his pants with his other hand. She's been waiting for this.

"Kurama explained that jewelry is customary at holidays," was his explanation as he pressed something metal against her left wrist. A bracelet was placed just above the prayer beads on her wrist, and she looked down to see what it looked like.

The bracelet itself was silver metal, and it was made up of two rows of metal lilacs. The flowers overlapped, like they'd been welded together, and she squinted as she held her wrist up close to her face. She could feel a very familiar energy coming from the bracelet, and it smells like…smoke and mint. Her eyes widened as she looked up at Hiei, and she could tell that he was being very careful to keep his face impassive. Like she would hate anything that he gave her? Especially something this personal.

"You made this." When she'd been wracking her brain for a present to get for Hiei, she'd gotten a flash of a bracelet. No color or design. She'd only been able to see a line wrapped around her wrist, so she assumed that he'd picked out something when he went Christmas shopping with Kurama.

"It wasn't that difficult." Wasn't that difficult? He created at least two dozen lilacs from metal and then used his fire to weld them together to make a perfect bracelet. It fits against her arm just right, so that it doesn't move at all but also doesn't cut off her circulation.

"Yeah, well, mine was a little difficult." At his confused look, she grinned and reached behind her. Her fingers touched against something hard, and she slowly pulled Hiei's present out of her pillowcase. His eyes narrowed a little as she extended her free arm, palm up, and he sighed as he placed his hand in hers. She held his fingers together as she slipped the bracelet over his hand, and she smiled once it was resting over his left wrist. A perfect fit, just like she'd hoped.

"You knew I was getting you a bracelet." His tone was slightly accusatory, and her grin was a little sheepish.

"Not what kind, or that you'd make it from scratch." When he just continued to glare at her, she pointedly rolled her eyes and tilted her head. "I'm a seer, and the Jagan makes you a seer and telepathic. I don't know if we'll ever be able to completely surprise each other."

"We'll see about that." It's not like she was challenging him! Hiei kept a hold on her fingers as he looked down to inspect the bracelet, and she smiled at her creation. She didn't lie when she said it was difficult to do.

"The beads are made from lava from Mount Nobi, so they'll be able to withstand your fire. The dragon should too." The beads are about the same size as her own prayer beads, but they're black instead of a light cream like hers. In the center, resting over the center of his wrist, is a small dragon head carved from tungsten. She actually held her breath as Hiei leaned down to get an even closer look.

"You used jewels for the dragon's eyes. Why?" His nose was nearly brushing the silver dragon's head as he looked up at her, and she flexed her fingers against his as she gathered her thoughts.

"I wasn't going to, but I remembered that I had some taaffeite stashed in one of the weapon trunks. It's pretty rare, as far as jewels go, but it's such a dark purple that it nearly looks black. I thought it could be my little way of honoring the Jagan and the Dragon," she explained quickly. Tungsten wasn't easy to carve and setting the jewels hadn't been easy, but she's still proud of the result.

"And you infused the beads with your energy." She shrugged at that, because he did the same thing. Now any demon that gets close enough to them will be able to feel the energy coming from the bracelets and realize that they're taken, and that's more than okay with her.

"Gotta make sure all those demons in Alaric know that you're off limits." She punctuated the statement with a grin, and Hiei grinned back in response. He smirks pretty regularly, but it's still so rare to see a proper smile from him. Despite the grin though, she's being completely serious. After they finish celebrating at Enki's, they're going their separate ways to train for the tournament. She'll stay in Tourin, and Hiei's going to Alaric.

"Take off those ridiculous shoes so I can thank you properly." Her legs are still thrown over his lap, and she looked down at the large black slippers on her feet.

"But they're so cute!" Hiei glared down at her feet like they'd insulted him, and she waited for him to speak.

"I'm not kissing you with those on." The look he gave her was a challenge, and she felt the muscles in her legs tensing as she smiled wide enough to show her fangs.

"Then I guess I'll just kiss you."

Hiei grunted as she suddenly jumped on him, and he tried to twist away from her reaching arms. It took a few moments, but she managed to get her fingers tangled in his wild hair and pressed tight against his skull. All of the struggling had them rolled nearly to the foot of the bed, and Hiei's weight was pressing her down against the mattress. His cheeks were flushed and there was a small smile on his face, and he looked beautiful like this. Happy and all hers. She held his head still as she leaned up to kiss him, and she waited for him to melt against her before raising her foot to press the slipper against the exposed skin of his back. Her squeal quickly turned into laughter as Hiei put her legs in a lock and tore the slippers from her feet, and her last coherent thought was that she hoped she didn't wake anyone up with the loud noise.

December 25, 1997

"Quit glaring," Reigan whispered out of the corner of her mouth. Hiei, who was sitting next to her, made a deep humming sound and continued to glare.

"He's just being overprotective," Natsume whispered from her other side.

"There's nothing over about it," Hiei growled. That caused Reigan and Natsume to both start laughing, which Hiei completely ignored so that he could keep looking in his sister's direction. Yukina was across the room and talking quietly to Touya, and it looked like the sweet ice maiden was having a fun conversation with the ice master. It was also perfectly innocent. They weren't even touching!

"So, Natsume, given into Chu yet?" Natsume's face turned the same shade of pink as her eyes, and the younger demon looked at her straight on. Natsume never has been one to look away when embarrassed. Nope, the shadow demon faces everything head on. Her brother is the same way.

"Not until we're on an even level."

"He's in the S-Class." Hiei's voice was monotone and disinterested, since he's still watching Yukina with a laser-like focus, but he's got a good point.

"He's an idiot." Natsume also has a very good point. Reigan looked around the room and saw the giant demon laughing with Enki and Shu, and she likes what she's seen of Chu. Yeah, he drinks a lot, but he's an alchemist. He uses the alcohol to increase his strength, and he's an impressive fighter.

"But you still like him." Her voice was quiet and songlike, and Natsume's jaw clenched. Reigan can feel the pull between the two of them; Chu has already given into the pull, but Natsume is fighting it.

"I need to make sure that he's strong enough. You know that." Ah, yes. Natsume had a mate, back when she was a couple of centuries old, but he died only a few years after their mating. Reigan reached over to grab Natsume's hand, and the other woman held on tightly.

"Do you want me to see?" She'd asked Natsume the same thing before she mated the first time, but the woman had turned her down. Said she wanted to be surprised.

"Yes." Hiei's eyes flicked over to meet hers, but he didn't say anything before turning back to look at Yukina and Touya. Reigan tightened her grip on Natsume's hand and then closed her eyes, and she did her best to focus on Natsume's energy. On Chu's energy. Envisioned the two energies combined into something new, and she heard…laughter. Sweet, tinkling laughter, like little bells.

"You'll fight and you'll laugh and you'll build a beautiful life together." Blue. Pink. Rainbows and lightning. Hand outstretched and sunlight. "She's going to be beautiful, Natsume. Absolutely perfect."

"Excuse me." Natsume had pulled away and was walking away before she had her eyes completely open, and she blinked in confusion at the sight of the woman's retreating back. Her sight rarely shows her anything good, and what she just saw was pure happiness.

"What did I say that was so wrong?" She wasn't expecting an answer, since Hiei is the only one around her now, but he surprised her. It's one of his specialties.

"Knowing the future can be a burden. You just told her that she's going to have a child with someone she hasn't even decided to be with yet. She needs time to adjust."

"Knowing the future is a burden, that's true, but she's going to be happy." Reigan can feel it, deep down inside, that Natsume is going to be happy. All she has to do is just let herself.

"Have you looked at our future?" Hiei's looking directly at her now, and she felt his fingers press against the swell of her knee under the table.

"We make our own destiny, remember?" Only one side of his lips quirked up, but it was good enough for her. She leaned back in her seat to look around the room, and it was a good sight. Old friends, new friends, and family are all gathered together in one room. They didn't exchange presents, there's too many of them for that, but they ate together. She's sure the dancing will start any minute now.

"We saw our future once." That's something she'll never forget. Even though every inch of her had been vibrating from pain from her little stunt with the raven, she'd still felt the warmth of the vision she shared with Hiei. They'd been so happy. "That happiness is our future. Nothing else matters."

She leaned over to press a quick kiss against his cheek, because he's usually not so vocal about their future. They take things one a day at a time. The hand on her knee moved so that his arm was wrapped around her back, and she snuggled into his side. She can see Shizuru laughing with Yomi, and Kazuma and Yusuke are fighting with Jin and Souketsu. Yes, their future will be happy. They'll make sure of it.

December 31, 1997

Reigan swayed to the side and would have face planted if Kuwabara hadn't caught her, and he smiled as his ma lightly patted his chest in thanks for saving her. Her dark eyes were wide and a little glazed over, and some hair had fallen out of her braid. Once she was standing steadily again, Kuwabara let go of her arms but kept a close eye on her. They've been here for nearly a week, and most of the demons have been drinking nonstop since Christmas night. Kuwabara's not sure how any of them are still alive, but watching Yusuke lead a conga line is worth the worry about his liver. Demons have advanced healing, so they should be fine.

"Reigan! Come take another drink for me!" Kokou yelled out. The current queen is around six months pregnant and starting to really show, so she's the only one that's remained sober the entire time.

"I've been taking drinks for you since I got here!" Kuwabara was impressed. His ma's speech wasn't slurred at all.

"Three thousand years of bitchiness! You owe me!" Kokou was perched on a giant mound of pillows and blankets that Enki had brought outside, and Ma sighed as she looked over at the lion demon. Ma's never held back on the events of her past, so she's told him that she was always cold to Kokou when she was with Raizen. She's trying to make up for it now, but Kuwabara isn't sure that being a surrogate drinker is the right way to make amends.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'! Love ya, Kazuma!" Since she's so much shorter than him, his ma kissed her fingertips and then reached up to press them against his cheek. After that, she walked over to where Kokou was on surprisingly steady feet.

"D'ya think it gets easier with time?" Yusuke was standing on his right side now, and he was only leaning to the side a little. His speech was slightly slurred, but his eyes looked clear enough.

"They've had thousands of years," Kuwabara shrugged. He won't lie, at least to himself, but it freaks him out a little when he thinks about his ma being over seven thousand years old. Before she came out of that statue, he didn't think he'd live long enough to see the end of one century. He knows half-demons aren't exactly like full blooded demons, but there's still a strong possibility that he'll live for a lot longer than he ever imagined.

"I don't think I can do this for a thousand years," Yusuke groaned.

"They don't drink constantly. Except for maybe Kokou and Chu." Kurama was standing on his other side, and the three of them were looking out at the wide expanse of demons dancing and drinking under the night sky.

"How d'ya stay sober?" Yusuke asked. He was looking past Kuwabara at Kurama, and the redhead really does look completely sober. Kuwabara's almost positive he saw him drinking with Touya and Souketsu earlier though.

"Years of practice." Kurama's smile was small and possibly a little secretive, and Kuwabara heard a loud grunt as Hiei stepped up next to Kurama.

"He switches out his drinks for something non-alcoholic. You're not as sneaky as you think you are, fox," Hiei said and crossed his arms. Now it's just the four of them standing back and watching, and this is familiar. The four of them standing together.

"No one else has noticed." Yusuke laughed as Hiei rolled his eyes, and Kuwabara let out a few chuckles of his own. On instinct, he looked around for the other members of their family. His ma was sitting on the blankets and pillows with Kokou, and the two women looked like they were getting along okay. Shizuru was sitting next to Yomi on one of the slight hills, and he tried not to notice how their sides were practically glued together. Yukina was talking with Touya, Jin, and Koto. Botan was talking with Enki and Koenma, who had shown up earlier today with Enki's invitation.

"Did ya ever think we'd wind up here? Back when I was kicking your ass on the regular?" Kuwabara glared down at Yusuke but kept in his usual yelled insult, because Yusuke actually looked serious.

"Yeah, I knew that we were half-demon cousins and that we'd one day spend Christmas in a world of demons. You tellin' me you had no idea?" Yusuke's dopey grin looked ridiculous, and he heard Hiei mutter something about all of them being idiots while Kurama laughed quietly.

Before anyone could say anything else, fireworks erupted in the sky. All of the dancing, and fighting, demons paused to watch as the colors lit up the area around them. Kuwabara could hear the "oohs" and "ahs" at the sight of the pretty colors, as Botan called them while clapping, and he smiled. It's the start of a new year.

Ending Note: It took a little longer than I was expecting, but here's the holiday chapter! There was going to be more, but it was getting a little long. I thought about writing a scene for Hiei and Kurama's Christmas shopping trip. So, if there's anyone that would want to read that, let me know!

For anyone that likes the visuals, I've posted links for the presents on my profile page! You still have to remove the spaces because FFnet doesn't like links for some reason. I've posted pictures of Botan's wardrobe, the slippers that Hiei bought everyone, Hiei's bracelet, the bracelet that Hiei gave Reigan, and Reigan's prayer beads.

So, I don't write for reviews. I won't stop writing if no one reviews, and I won't refuse to update unless I get a certain amount of reviews. That being said, I really do appreciate every review that I get. They inspire me and encourage me to keep writing, and I like knowing my reader's thoughts! I feel like I won't become a better writer unless I get some feedback, so I would love to know what you think of the story so far!

Since I didn't really get any reviews for the last chapter, I'm going to ask again: is everyone okay with a chapter dedicated to training and then another one dedicated to the tournament? I've always enjoyed writing the action scenes, so I think doing a chapter for training and then for the tournament itself will be more fun. Also, if there's any matchups you want to see at the tournament, let me know!

Aelthya: Thank you so much for the review! I've really enjoyed building the relationship between Reigan and Hiei, and they're going to continue to grow. As for the familial bonds, I can't help myself. I just want them all to be one big happy family. Yep! There's going to be a little Enki or Kokou! (Which is kind of terrifying, but I'm really excited to write for it!) Kokou and Rei have a strange relationship, and I'll explain it more in upcoming chapters. What traumatized Rei? Yeah, it hasn't been mentioned yet. It's a plot secret. Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about your computer! You don't have to worry about me giving up on WN though. When you get back to writing, I'll be sure to read. Your story is too good to stop reading! And thank you again for the review!