Please feel free to go back and re-read previous chapters. I know it's been a while…okay months, since I updated, but I don't want anyone to be lost. I, personally, had completely forgotten what the heck was even going on in this story. I literally had to re-read the whole thing before I could even start writing again.

So…do what you will. :) And enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha…

Chapter 25: The Annual Taisho Christmas Party

-Start—

"Kagome, let's go. Get out of the car." My mother turned away from me in exasperation. "I just don't understand what's gotten into you … It's almost like you didn't even want to come."

Well that's because I didn't want to come.

I remained in the car until Mama looked over her shoulder and realized I wasn't following. She gave me 'The Look' that was universal to all parents and I reluctantly opened the car door and slid out of the seat. I took as long as possible to straighten out my dress, knowing that the action was only serving to piss Mama off even further.

If only you could understand Mama…

But she didn't, and this wasn't exactly the opportune moment to tell her that Inuyasha and I weren't really on talking terms.

"Look Kagome…We're already 30 minutes late and I promised Izayoi that I would help serve drinks, so let's get a move on. Your dress looks fine."

I sighed down at the red velvet Christmas dress, that was indeed quite unwrinkled and in fine condition, and then shivered. I should have brought a coat. Standing outside in a strapless, knee-length dress in the dead of winter wasn't exactly the smartest move…

"Let's go…," my mother prodded.

I crossed my arms and hunched against the cold air before following after her. This was the fourth year in a row that I'd worn this stupid dress. The fourth year. And I hated it.

"But it's part of the tradition now…," Mama would say. "And you look so cute." Of course that was all it took for me to give in every year, because even if I was out of fashion, I wanted to look cute…for Inuyasha.

My shoulders slumped. This year, there was really no point in trying to gain Inuyasha's attention. Kikyo would be by his side all night, and with her around he probably wouldn't even bother to look at me.

Well…except when he had to…. like when we were inevitably forced to dance.

The annual Taisho Christmas Party was really more of a Christmas Ball. Big business leaders and prominent CEOs were all invited to attend. Each family was formally announced as they arrived and each family showed off their finery as they descended the Grand Staircase. Couples danced to soft music, women gossiped in tight circles, men talked of business and politics…It was really quite old fashioned.

And each year there was always a special time allotted to the younger crowd so they could control the dance floor. I hadn't really been interested in this until about 3 years ago, when I was 14 years old.

At the insistent prodding of his mother, Inuyasha had finally stepped forward and asked me to dance. I was elated, of course…but had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do. Dancing was definitely not my forte. I was so nervous that my hands had begun to sweat… and then I was paranoid that Inuyasha would notice, which made my face red, which then ultimately led to me not even paying attention to where I was placing my feet.

Inuyasha's poor toes had to have been swollen to at least twice their size.

That whole night had been a disaster…but at least I'd learned how to dance by the end of it.

Last year and the year before Inuyasha and I had decided to liven things up by turning the dance portion of the night into a competition. The goal: To dance with as many people as possible. The catch: For it to count you had to be approachedfirst, not vice versa.

So basically whoever was asked to dance the most, won.

It was really quite fun, and as of this year we were tied; the previous year in Inuyasha's favor and the year before that in mine.

Yeah, well…guess that's done and over with though…I thought sourly. Because tonight Inuyasha would be monopolized by Kikyo, and I of course, would be left by myself with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

If only Koga hadn't gone out of town to visit relatives…

He would've come if I'd asked him, no doubt, but that would have been selfish of me to cut into his family time like that. And besides, I didn't really know how to act around him since that photo-booth incident.

I shivered as a frigid wind hit my uncovered legs, and picked up my pace, reaching the front door right on Mama's heels. As soon as I walked into the warm hallway of the Taisho house I sighed happily, my whole body seeming to thaw all at once.

Yet before I could completely relax Mama grabbed my hand and pulled me along behind her. Just before we reached the main entrance hall, where the Grand Staircase was located, she turned and pushed through a different door. We were plunged into darkness as we began to descend a skinny flight of stairs.

Of course.

We were taking the back staircase. Our family wouldn't even have been invited to this sort of thing if we hadn't had been close personal friends. Out of all the years we'd come, not once had my family been announced at the top of the Grand Staircase.

When we finally exited the dark passageway, Mama and I found ourselves in the kitchen.

And, oh my god, at the chaos.

You can bet I found my way out of there real quickly.

Mama wasn't so lucky. A red-faced chef grabbed her by the elbow and immediately steered her toward a counter loaded with appetizers, before promptly setting a tray in her hands, and shoving her through a door to serve it.

Well…that's what she said she'd come to do anyway, wasn't it? So who was I to interfere?

As I stepped away from the busy kitchen doors, I stopped short and gaped at the Winter Wonderland I had stepped into. Everything was fantastic. Christmas lights practically dripped from the second floor banisters and flickering candles filled the giant room with the comforting scents of cinnamon and vanilla. My neck arched back as I stared up at a huge Christmas tree that sparkled in the corner. It must have taken a whole team to get that thing inside, not to mention decorated…

Fake icicles glimmered from the chandelier hanging above the dance floor, making the women in their extravagant gowns below appear sparkly every time they moved. A small group of musicians played soft music and couples swayed together gently, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. An underlying buzz of voices filled the room and put me at ease.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, forgetting about my original feeling of not wanting to come….I wouldn't miss this for the world.

My eyes snapped open as I felt someone tap my shoulder. "Kagome?"

I turned and found myself face to face with Inuyasha's mother, Izayoi.

"Oh good, it's you Kagome. I wasn't sure for a second; you look a lot like that Kikyo girl from behind, you know…"

I refrained from rolling my eyes, though it was hard.

"But anyway," Izayoi continued, "I need you to do me a huge favor." I started to back away as soon as I heard the change in her voice. "Oh, stop looking so frightened Kagome, it's nothing bad…I haven't even told you yet."

I stopped moving away (though it might have been because she'd clamped her hand around my forearm) and stared at her guardedly. "Okay then…," I said slowly, "what is it?"

Izayoi smiled sweetly in that I've got you now kind of way, and proceeded to tell me my mission. "I need you to go drag Inuyasha out of his room. He's been sulking up there all day, and I'm through dealing with him. I figured if anybody could get him out, it'd be you Kagome… but be sure to let him know that if he doesn't make an appearance soon, he'll be in a world of trouble." She gritted her teeth, and I smiled nervously.

"Um…okay. That's fine," I said. Except it wasn't fine. "Actually, I'll go do it right this second…" Except I really didn't want to do this.

"Would you?" Izayoi breathed. "Oh, you're such a life saver Kagome!" I let out a sound of surprise as she pulled me into a spontaneous hug. "By the way, you look wonderful, dear," she gushed as she held me back at arm's-length. "The boys will be asking after you all night." Her eyes sparkled at my blush. "Make sure you save a dance for my poor son."

I laughed. "Don't I always? You and my mother will force us to dance before the end of the night anyways …"

Izayoi grinned mischievously, and raised an eyebrow. "We have never forced you and Inuyasha to dance, Kagome; both of you are usually quite willing."

I quirked my mouth. Right…keyword being 'usually'.

Inuyasha's mother gave me one last pat on the shoulder before drifting off to join a group of women, and, after realizing that I was free, I strutted off toward the stairs.

I could do this.

I could do this.

I can do this!

I couldn't do this.

Five minutes had already passed and I was still standing outside of Inuyasha's bedroom door, my hand poised to knock, but something holding me back. I stood there for a while longer, my hand raised in indecision, trying to fight off the unidentifiable feelings in my chest.

What is wrong with me?

I stared down at the familiar doorknob, one I had turned a thousand times.

It's just Inuyasha…I mean, we aren't exactly the closest of friends right now, but he wasn't so bad last weekend when I made him sit with me…

The memory of that night caused my body to tremble. Oh Lord…I really can't do this…

My breath sucked in sharply as the door suddenly swung back, revealing a nicely dressed, smirking hanyou. It took me a moment to realize that my fist was still held in the air, positioned to knock. Inuyasha's eyes gleamed in a flash of amusement as he stared at me, his eyebrow arched sardonically.

"You plan on standing outside my room all night or something?"

I dropped my fist and crossed my arms, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Actually no….And I haven't been out here that long, for your information."

Inuyasha tapped his nose. "Yes, you have."

Crap! Stupid demon senses… "Well, anyways…," I said, changing the subject, "Your mother sent me. She said she'd carve your eyeballs out and eat them for breakfast if you didn't show up to the party."

"She said really that?"

"Yep. Word for word." I backed out of the doorway as Inuyasha stepped through into the hall.

"Guess I'd better get down there, then," Inuyasha said as slipped by me, fiddling with his cuffs. He started walking down the hallway toward the sounds of the party, quickly leaving me behind.

Weird.

We'd just had a normal conversation. No yelling, no arguing, no narrowing of the eyes in anger…

Hmm…

I followed behind him quietly, my feet padding on the soft carpet in a muted beat. Kikyo must be on her way over…That's probably why he's not focused on verbally bashing me. My mood sunk a little. Or maybe she's already here and he's in a hurry to meet her.

"Hey Kagome… Can you do me a favor?"

Inuyasha stopped walking and I halted just behind him. "Depends on what it is…," I said suspiciously.

Inuyasha turned around and held his wrists toward me. "Fix these."

I hid a smile before grabbing his wrists and pulling him closer. Inuyasha's cuffs looked ridiculous. I bent my head as I focused on gently straightening and then refolding his wrinkled sleeves. "Is it really that hard to straighten a cuff?"

He flexed his fingers. "Let's see you try to do something with two-inch claws…"

I grinned, the annoyance in his voice making me relax a little. He sounded like the old Inuyasha…

"There." I said after a while. "Finished."

"Alright now tie this thing."

I put my hands on my hips and stared at the limp tie that was currently draped around Inuyasha's neck. "Geez. You're useless. You do realize that, don't you?"

"Look, just fix the stupid thing, alright?"

I rolled my eyes before grabbing the ends of his tie and crossing them, trying to remember how to do it. Inuyasha stood in silence as I experimented, looping the silky tie around in different positions to see if it would jog my memory. I was so into my task that I didn't realize how close we were until he drew in a deep breath.

I finished fixing his tie, my hand slowly drawing the knot tighter. I flicked my eyes upward, curious to see his expression.

He tilted his head and stared at me intently.

I gulped and looked down.

Inuyasha grabbed my face and forced me to meet his eyes again. He studied me carefully before speaking. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

I stared at him in confusion, not quite sure what he meant. "Um—"

"I'm talking about last weekend. I left you when you fell asleep…so I just…I was wandering if you were okay now," he finished quietly.

I grabbed his hands and lowered them from my face, ignoring the tingly sensation they left behind. "I'm fine, Inuyasha. Koga took me shopping the next day and I didn't even think about it…"

His eyes narrowed at the mention of Koga's name, but his touch was gentle as he gripped my hand. "Alright, I was just checking," he mumbled, before sliding his fingers out of mine.

I smiled, surprised and touched by his words. "Um…Thank you for worrying…"

Inuyasha stared at me for another second, like he was trying to memorize my face, and then turned away. "C'mon, then. Mom's probably going crazy by now." His silver hair swished soundlessly behind him as he walked away.

My heart thudded in confusion.

What was that all about?

"Coming?" Inuyasha asked over his shoulder.

I nodded my head haltingly, forcing myself to come out of shock, (because, yes, I was completely shocked by what had just happened) and caught up with him.

Seconds later we emerged on the landing that looked over the Taisho Grand Hall. I paused at the banister and stared at the people below us.

The room had almost filled completely in the past 10 minutes, and I felt my eyes widen at the sheer number of people in the room. "Wow…," I murmured. "Did ya'll invite enough people?" There'd never been this many before. Inuyasha snorted at my question.

"Dad and Sesshomaru made a lot of acquaintances in America."

"And they all flew to Japan for a Christmas party?"

"Yeah... a private jet can be a wonderful thing."

I gaped in disbelief. "That's crazy!"

Inuyasha shrugged casually, completely at ease with the idea.

Rich people are out of their minds…

My eyes swept over the crowd below us, noting that there were a large number of teenagers. As the band struck up another song I was inspired to go out on a limb….a very shaky limb.

"Hey Inuyasha…,"I paused long enough to make him look at me. "Bet I get asked to dance more than you do this year."

I waited for his reaction, not sure whether or not I had read his mood correctly. My breath whooshed out in relief when the corner of Inuyasha's mouth curled into a smirk.

"You wish…"

I smirked back.

"Oh really? Wanna find out then?"

-End-

Next chapter is written!

Expect an update soon!

Review this chapter while you wait!

:D

Thank You for being patient with me!

-RedThread

(B.T.W- I changed my Pen Name from PaintedWingsMoonlight to RedThread . So don't freak out…I'm the same person. Nobody took my story or anything. Just thought I'd let everyone know.)