A/N: Merry Christmas! Sorry bout not getting it up sooner, I was hooked on my new DDR.
Disclaimer: Turns out, they weren't waiting under the tree. So I guess they ain't mine.
The 12 Pains of Christmas: chapter 9
"Look Kagome! Ice-skating! Can we go? Can we? Please!" Riku cried the moment he spotted the outdoor rink. They were about a four blocks from Kagome's house. His whole face lit up and he started bouncing up and down with his hands clasped under his chin.
"We have to get home now, Riku. But I promise we can come back when your Auntie Ami says so. Okay?" she asked the little boy. He looked down and scuffed his shoe on the pavement.
"Okay, I guess," he sounded so sad. But they were expected home, so she couldn't just say yes.
"You know what? I don't think Auntie Ami has gone ice-skating in a long time. I'm sure she'll say yes," she said, trying to make him feel better. Anything to bring that smile back to his face. He looked a bit happier.
When Inuyasha opened the front door, Mrs. Higurashi was there waiting.
"Wait! Don't take off your coats yet, little ones," she said to Riku and Kurai, who were already wiggling out of their snowsuits. "I thought we might go ice-skating down at the rink. How about that?" she asked, thoroughly oblivious to her daughter's shock. How had her mother known exactly what they were going to ask? Must be a mom thing, she figured.
"Souta!" Kagome called up the stairs. "We're going ice-skating. Hurry up and get ready!" He wasn't going to sit home this time. Meanwhile, her mother had gone to find Jii-chan.
"Father, would you like to go with us to the skating rink?" she asked the meditating man. He was sitting perfectly still with his eyes closed, and she stood there, waiting for an answer. It came in the form of a particularly loud snore.
Souta, who was passing the door at the moment, suddenly tripped and landed face-first on the floor. Rubbing the back of his neck, he stood with a roll of his eyes.
"Leave it to Jii-chan to fall asleep during his 'meditation,'" he whispered so that his mother wouldn't hear, already walking to the living room to get his coat and hat.
With a nervous laugh, Mrs. Higurashi reappeared in the doorway.
"Guess Grandpa won't be joining us. How about we take the car so the kids don't have to walk all that way again?" she asked, more to Inuyasha and Kagome than the others. Inuyasha shrugged, still not fond of the large boxy thing that moved.
"Okay, Mom," Kagome answered, ushering the youngest three out the door and to the van waiting in the driveway. She secured Ryo in his car seat and Riku and Kurai buckled themselves into their booster seats. By the time she climbed into the back, her mother was starting the car and Souta had clambered into the front seat, grinning widely at her. Then she realized whom that left her sitting next to.
'That little brat! He did it on purpose,' she thought, looking over at Inuyasha as he fumbled with the seat belt beside her. The frustrated look on his face made him look absolutely adorable. 'Wait a minute—adorable?! Since when have I thought of him like that?'
Inuyasha was watching the emotions play across Kagome's face. There was something he couldn't name behind that anger and embarrassment. Was she embarrassed to sit next to him? She seemed deep in thought, not even noticing when he waved a hand in front of her face or poked her shoulder. He was so busy trying to get her attention he didn't even notice the car start or the ride to the rink. It was Mrs. Higurashi's shout of "Who's up for some ice-skating?" that finally woke her up.
They were in the parking lot, driving in circles as she looked for an open spot. But there didn't appear to be any. It seemed everyone had had the idea to come ice-skating today. Kagome's mother continued to circle, now starting to growl. They must have ranked up five miles before Souta finally observed an old man with his granddaughter heading towards their car. Just as the car began to swing into the opening, a flashy little sports cars whipped by and took it. Mrs. Higurashi had to slam on the brakes in order to not slam into its rear bumper. Several curses escaped her mouth, and the pups began to gleefully repeat them loudly.
"No, no! That's bad! Good little children don't say those words," Souta scolded, turning around to wave his finger at them reprovingly. Three identical lips curled and three pairs of eyes began to water.
"But Auntie Ami did!" cried Riku. Souta sighed, and his mother, Inuyasha, and Kagome all looked on in interest.
"That's different. She's an adult. You're kids. Kids don't use words like that. Okay?" Kagome was impressed. Souta sounded really grown-up right then. Riku and Kurai nodded tearfully, while Ryo looked back and forth from his brothers to his cousin. He seemed to understand though, and kept quiet until they found a place to park.
Inuyasha let Kagome get out before him, following her lead on where to go and what to do. Her mother paid a man for these little stubs of paper, and she passed one out to everyone, including little Ryo. The hanyou stared at it, turning it upside down and reverse side up before Kagome yanked him in the direction of a large wooden booth. There another man behind the counter asked him, "What size?" Inuyasha stared confused for a moment, prompting the girl at his side to pipe up for him.
"He'll take an eight mens, please." She handed the man the stub and he disappeared behind a rack of funny-looking shoes. He returned with a pair of red and black ones with what looked like sharp blades strapped to the bottom.
Kagome led him over to a bench alongside the rink and showed him to tie the laces on the skates. He had to be careful because his claws kept snagging on the string. When he finally finished, he tried to stand. Suddenly he was looking up at Kagome as she laughed. He had fallen flat on his butt in the thin layer of fluffy snow. God, he was blushing more this week he had spent with Kagome and her family than in his entire life put together.
Trying to muffle her giggles, Kagome took his hand and helped him stand on wobbly feet. Soon his natural sense of balance kicked in and he was able to walk just fine. Of course, that was only until he came to the edge of the ice. As soon as his skate hit the ice, it slipped out from under him again. This time he lay flat on his back, looking up into the gray sky and the faces of Kagome and her brother.
"And I thought you were a half-demon, Inuyasha," Souta said, easily sliding out of the hanyou's reach when he tried to hit him over the head. Inuyasha could only watch as the boy sped off to circle the rink with grace and ease.
'Damnit! Why can't I do this? Work legs, work!' he mentally screamed. He tried again to stand up, this time finding it much easier. Kagome circled him once before stopping in front of him and holding out her hands.
"Do you trust me?" she asked, and he just stood there for a second, completely lost. Where had that come from? She repeated her question, and this time she grabbed hold of his hands.
"Feh. Of course," he replied automatically. What, did she think he let just anyone fight alongside him and protect the jewel shards…among other things?
Her smile brightened and she began to gently tug him forwards. The look of momentary panic on his face made her hesitate for the shortest of seconds. But then he began to understand. He looked so sexy as he grinned and glanced at her from beneath his bangs. 'There I go again. Bad subconscious!' she thought, never faltering. Soon he was pushing off on his own, breaking her hold on his hands to use them for balance.
Kagoem watched as he began to get braver, moving farther away from both her and the edge. After a while, he was racing Souta around and around the rink. Kagome was content to go slowly, watching everybody skate after her mother dropped the little ones in a group lesson. It was a very peaceful afternoon.
After he was tired of playing with the runt, Inuyasha made his way back to Kagome. She was skating with her eyes closed; not realizing her was sneaking up on her. But when her skates left the ice, her eyes snapped open with a shriek. The first thing she noticed was that she was upside down and the ground was far away. Then, she felt the hard shoulder pressing into her stomach and the warms arm looped over her hips. And finally, the silver hair that was tickling her nose.
"Inuyasha! Sit!" she yelled, not fully realizing what would happen if she sat him while he held her. They crashed towards the ground, somehow twisting so that Inuyasha took the brunt of the fall. Kagome sprawled across his back, rubbing her abused rear while a man in a black and white shirt skated over.
"You two alright? Let me help you up, sir," he offered, reaching for Inuyasha's arm. When the body attached didn't budge, he tugged harder. The spell chose to wear off at precisely that moment, sending the referee flying backwards. Inuyasha windmilled his arms, trying not to topple over again. Kagome just watched from her seat on the ice, coughing to conceal the laughter.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. It was just automatic reaction when you scared me," the hanyou was already reaching out to help her up, forgetting all about the other guy who was buried headfirst in a snowdrift.
"Feh, it didn't hurt, so stop apologizin' already," he said, trying to sound tough when Kagome knew it really had hurt. Her bruised bottom was evidence of that. But she just smiled and let him pull her over to where her mom was waiting, Ryo asleep in her arms. 'Poor pup must be tuckered out.' Then she realized what she had just thought. 'Now I'm even starting to think like him! Argh!'
** Done. I had tried to get this whole story done by today, but 9 out of 13 chappies ain't bad. It's passed one AM now, so I'm definitely done. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Thankies lots to:Demongirl6381, kittykathy, InuLover12, Lei Xang, Defafaeth Mechqua, Xxspit-firexX, The Turmoil Twins, LadyKNightAlanna, Akako the panther hanyu, sashlea, xo-Kagome-ox, Shinigami-Sama1, and inukid.
Going in backwards order from chappie 8 to 5:
Demongirl6381: I worked my butt of trying to finish it by today. But I'll keep posting a couple chapters a day and it'll be done tomorrow or the next day.
kittykathy: Same to you!
InuLover12: I'm surprised you could drag yourself away from Johnny long enough to even write such a short review. I certainly wouldn't have been able to…
The Turmoil Twins: I can't just leave it. I got the inspiration for this chappie right as I was heading to bed. Merry Christmas to you too!
sashlea: I'm sorry it was raining wherever you are, but I'm glad my fic makes it better. I hope your holidays were better.
The Turmoil Twins: I based the in-laws after my step-dad's parents. His mother's just plain bitchy a lot of the time, but his father's really a great guy.
xo-Kagome-ox: I actually have no idea what they're up to. It was just a plot thingy I added, but I haven't fleshed it out yet.
The ninth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to meFinding parking spaces
Daddy, I want some candy!
Donations
Facing my in-laws
Five months of bills
Writing out those Christmas cards
Hangovers
Now why the hell are they blinking?!
And finding a Christmas tree.