A/N: Hi people. This will probably be the last chapter of the night, just 'cause my mom is getting on my case about being up late while I'm sick. It's another longer one.
Disclaimer: Only the stuff that you don't recognize belongs to me. Not that there's much.
The 12 Pains of Christmas: chapter 6
"Kagome!"
"Kagome!"
"'Gome!"
This was how Kagome entered the land of the waking the next morning. To a hyperactive six-year-old bouncing around her room, a shy five-year-old peeking out from behind her bedpost, and a drooling two-year-old laying on her chest.
"Riku, Kurai! You guys sure got here—" she was going to say early, but a look at the clock by her bed proved it was otherwise. The little red numbers read 11:27. "Hey, baby Ryo!" she finished, tickling the toddler into a fit of giggles. The other two siblings launched themselves at the bed, double-teaming her into submission.
"I give up, you guys are too good at this," she said with a smile, looking up at all three as they sat on her with identical grins. That was how Inuyasha found them a few moments later as he headed downstairs for some breakfast.
"Come on, squirts. Let's give Kagome some time to get dressed, okay?" he said, gently shooing them out into the hallway so she could change out of her pajamas. She was a little stunned. Inuyasha being considerate this early in the day? Unheard of. But then he looked back over his shoulder with a wicked grin. 'Oh no,' she thought, hurriedly pulling on a pair of jeans and a green sweater and running down the stairs. 'God only knows how much he's corrupted their little minds already.'
'Too late.' Kagome stopped dead in the doorway to the kitchen. There at the table, sat two little figures each bent over inhaling instant ramen and one baby, happily flinging noodles everywhere. Inuyasha was attempting to show the smallest one the "proper" way to eat ramen and failing miserably. She wasn't even going to try and fix this disaster. Let the adults figure it out. Speaking of…
"Inuyasha, where's my mom?"
"She and the old man are in the living room with the two other old people who dropped these pups off," he said with his usually lack of tact. Now that she listened, she could hear voices coming from behind the closed door. But she had no desire to go in; it was common knowledge that Mrs. Higurashi didn't always get along with her late husband's mother.
A happy screech called her attention back to what was happening in the kitchen. Apparently Ryo had just pulled off Inuyasha's hat, freeing his ears for all the children to see. They were twitching all over the place to avoid the three pairs of small hands. Each boy wanted to see if they were real, making a racket loud enough to alert the adults in the other room. The door swung open to reveal Jii-chan peering suspiciously with the other three looking over his shoulder. Luckily Inuyasha had had the common sense to quickly snap the baseball cap back on his head before the new people saw his ears.
Kagome's father's parents were older than Jii-chan, and just as set in the old ways. Nana Keiko had thinning gray hair pulled back into a severe bun above sharp blue eyes. She walked with a cane, but that didn't even slow her down. Grandpa Mahou was stern and tough on the outside, but was really as soft as a marshmallow once you got to know him. His shoulders stooped a bit, but he could keep up with the munchkins well enough. Riku, Kurai, and Ryo stayed with them for most of the year because their parents, her aunt and uncle, were overseas a lot of the time for business. They came home for holidays and birthdays, but other than that, seeing them was pretty rare.
"What's going on in here?" asked Nana Keiko.
"Nothing, ma'am. The runts were just excited when Kagome said she'd take them to the park after lunch," Inuyasha cut in before Kagome could stutter out something. 'So that's what he was planning earlier,' she thought with a glare in the hanyou's direction. He only grinned triumphantly in reply. The kids cheered again, digging back into their lunch so that they could leave as soon as possible. The excuse seemed to please Nana, and the living room door swung shut again.
"You…you are so…" she was having trouble finding a word that wasn't inappropriate for little ears.
"Feh, it got them to leave didn't it?" he huffed, taking his seat again and beginning to wolf down the rest of his ramen.
"Fine, get your coat." Kagome said, already walking to the hall to grab her own. Tossing the fork in the sink and the empty cup in the garbage, Inuyasha followed her. Their three shadows were right behind.
"Why?"
"Don't think you're getting out of this. You volunteered me, but I'm not leaving you here with my brother. Who knows what you two would plan while I was out," Kagome said, not looking at him as she tied her scarf and tugged on a hat.
"Why do you say that?"
"You actually thought that innocent act worked last night? I know the two of you are up to something,"
"You're seeing things," poking her forehead with one pointy claw, he looked at her like she crazy. She swatted his hand away before answering.
"I don't think so."
"Well, I know so." He was backing towards the staircase and his freedom.
"Inuyasha—" she was determined to get him to come, even if it meant sitting him and having all three kids get on his back. Kagome knew that he could easily throw them off, but even Inuyasha wouldn't hurt a group of kids.
"Kagome, we wanna go to the park now!" Riku yelled, annoyed at being ignored for the past ten minutes.
"Yeah, 'Gome. Park!" Ryo scrunched up his face exactly like his brother. Kurai, the good child, was waiting quietly, already in his coat and scarf. Kagome shot the boy a smile before starting to bundle up the squirming Ryo. Riku zipped up his coat all by himself, but he couldn't stuff his hands into his mittens. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Inuyasha go over to help and knew she had won. He wouldn't leave her with all three of them no matter how annoying he found children.
The park was within walking distance, and Inuyasha went ahead to keep an eye on the older two. Kagome strolled along pulling the wagon that Ryo had insisted riding in and whistling Christmas songs to keep him happy. As soon as they got onto the grass, the little boy scrambled out to play with his big brothers. She pulled the wagon over near the swings and sat down, looking for Inuyasha. He hadn't been with Riku and Kurai. Suddenly the swing was pushed from behind, and she screamed.
"Inuyasha, you startled me!" she said, leaning back to look at him upside down. He nudged her again, this time the swing went a little higher.
"I didn't mean to. Just thought you'd like a push," he said, his eyes on the boys a little ways away.
"Thank you. This is very nice," she commented. Looking up, she saw that the sky was filling with heavy gray clouds. 'There might be snow again tonight,' she thought happily.
"What is?" he asked softly, not wanting to wake from whatever dream he had fallen into. It had to be a dream because everything was too perfect for it not to be. 'Oi, I'm even starting to think like a sap,' he was almost too busy mentally berated himself to hear her response.
"This. You being here for Christmas. Everything," she said with her eyes closed as the swing went back and forth. His warm hands pressed against her back again, sending her even higher. She didn't see the little blush that stained his cheeks.
He was saved from having to reply by a shout from near the jungle gym. Kagome jumped from the swing and hit the ground running, Inuyasha not far behind. They found Kurai sitting on the grass with a hand to his head. Pulling it away, Kagome found a spot of blood, but deemed it nothing serious. He'd just have one heck of a goose egg in the morning.
Inuyasha was busy asking Riku what happened.
"I dunno. We were playing on the monkey bars. He musta slipped or somethin'," the boy said, peeking over the hanyou's shoulder to see if his brother was okay.
"What do you guys say we head home now? I want to tell Nana Keiko that Kurai fell and maybe get some ice on it," Kagome asked the boys.
They didn't look very happy, but they agreed anyway. The walk home was silent except for the creaking of wagon wheels and the shuffling of little feet. When the front door closed, four worried adults met the group.
"Why are you back so early? Did something happen?" Nana Keiko asked, checking over her precious grandchildren.
"Kurai had a little accident. He fell off the monkey bars, but it's not too bad," Kagome said as Kurai was ushered into the kitchen where he was given an ice pack and told to hold it to his bump.
"We'll be leaving soon, Ami. We had thought to stay for dinner, but with this, I'd like to get home quickly," the old woman said politely, and at the same time, accusingly.
"Now, Keiko, that's not very fair. It wasn't Kagome's fault," Mrs. Higurashi started, only to be interrupted.
"And I didn't say it was," Keiko looked insulted that her daughter-in-law could think such a thing.
Only Inuyasha heard Mrs. Higurashi's mumbled reply, "But you certainly implied it." Louder, she said tightly, "Well, I won't stop you if you wish to leave. Come by again soon and we'll have dinner."
Hugs and goodbyes were exchanged as they put on their coats and gathered their things. As soon as the door shut, Kagome's mother slumped onto the couch.
"I swear, that woman is a witch sent to earth to feed off people's pain and suffering," she sighed. And then, realizing what she had just said in the presence of her daughter, she made to take it back.
"It's alright, Mom. I know what Nana Keiko's like. You don't have to apologize," Kagome said, curling up on the cushion next to her.
"Good, then I don't have to pretend to like having her over anymore," Mrs. Higurashi said with a grin. Her daughter just poked her in reprimand before laughing quietly. Then, realizing how quiet it was, they both looked around. Souta and Inuyasha had disappeared again, presumably upstairs. Kagome just shrugged and made her way to the calendar in the kitchen. 'Less than a week till Christmas. Time really does fly when you're having fun,' she thought, crossing off another box.
**Man, my brain is fried. I'll be writing more tomorrow. Probably.
Please read and review. And happy holidays to everyone.
Thankies lots to all my great reviewers.
The sixth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me
Facing my in-laws
Five months of bills
Oh I hate those Christmas cards
Hangovers
Rigging up these lights
And finding a Christmas tree.