#- Merry Christmas, Inuyasha! -#
An Inuyasha Fanfic by Tobu Ishi
-Part 1- In Which An Escape is Made and A Plan Is Laid
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"No! No way, no how! I am sick of you skipping out every time we're about to get something done, and you are not leaving! You hear me? NOT NOW!"
Inuyasha fixed an angry golden glare on the girl in front of him, his face red with frustration. Nearby, Miroku and Shippo watched from a safe distance. Miroku looked carefully at Kagome. Her feet were planted, her arms were crossed, and her jaw was set with determination. The young priest winced.
"This one's going to be bad..." he murmured, and settled himself in the grass, preparing for a long wait...
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, her voice surprisingly calm. "I am not going to miss my own Christmas party because of your never-ending quest. Period. Now you can either say goodbye nicely, or you can make this into a big, messy argument that'll probably end with me pulling an osuwari-and-run." She raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
The hanyou hesitated, looking confused and a little taken aback.
"Kagome? Two questions."
"Shoot," Kagome said, shrugging.
"Right. One; why are you being nice to me? Usually you flip out when I won't let you go back."
Kagome grinned. "I'm determined not to lose my Christmas spirit, that's why. Even you are not making me mad today, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha pondered this for a minute. Then he nodded. "Okay. Question two... What the hell is Christmas?"
He expected Kagome to fly off the handle, or at least snap at him for being crude. Instead, her eyes lit up and she got a weird, happy look on her face.
"Christmas? Oh, that's right, you don't have it here yet. Well...Christmas is kind of a winter festival, where you get together with people you care about and give them gifts. It's got a lot to do with friendship, and caring, and being nice to people when you'd rather not. It's a lot of fun! Oh, and you eat a lot of food, too. Really good food...which reminds me, I'm starving. I'd better go, Inuyasha. Christmas is tomorrow, and I have to help my mom make cookies. I promised."
With that, she hurried over to the well. To her surprise, Inuyasha didn't grab her by the arm, or yell for her to get the hell back here, or anything like that. He just stood watching her. Puzzled, but not about to question a free chance to get home, she waved to Miroku and Shippo.
"See you in a couple of days, guys!" Kagome glanced back at Inuyasha, who was still watching her, an odd look on his face. She smiled at him; maybe he was finally growing up...or at least getting used to the fact that, when she really wanted to leave, there was no way he could stop her.
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha!" she cheerily called, and hopped into the well.
When she was safely gone, Miroku and Shippo ventured out of the trees.
"Well, that was unusually mature of you, Inuyasha," Miroku observed, leaning on his staff.
"Yeah, how come you didn't throw a tantrum, huh?" Shippo chimed in.
Inuyasha had been standing with his back to them, but now he turned around, and Miroku regretted asking. Inuyasha looked ready for a good sulk.
"She wanted to go to her festival," he said crossly, and flopped down in the grass with a thump. Miroku frowned, not sure what the massive significance of this was, although Inuyasha's voice made it very clear that there was something very wrong with it.
"Yes...and?"
"And she says it's for spending time with her favorite people," Inuyasha continued, knitting his face into a meaningful frown. Miroku nodded.
"Yes. And?"
Inuyasha scowled, leaping to his feet. "And nothing!" he snapped. "If you're too stupid to figure it out, then bug the hell off already!" With that, he stomped off. Miroku stood there for a long moment, thinking. Then, a smile spread across his face, turning quickly into a wide grin.
"Ah...*now* I see."
"See what?" Shippo asked, hopping up and down eagerly. "See what, Miroku? What is it?"
Miroku walked off in the direction Inuyasha had gone, nodding to himself. "You'll see."
Shippo scowled, and ran after him. "See *what*?! Miroku..."
Ignoring the little kitsune, Miroku followed Inuyasha's tracks toward the trees. By the time they reached them, Shippo had shut up and was just following at Miroku's heels, bursting with curiosity.
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha, where are you?" Miroku called, looking around. No point in being stealthy; the dog-boy was bound to hear them coming a mile off, no matter how 'quiet' they were.
An acorn bounced off Miroku's ear. He spun around, searching the trees.
"Inuyasha?"
"Bug off," came a gruff shout from a tree overhead. Miroku looked up and spotted the hanyou crouched in the branches above him.
"Inu-ow!" Another acorn, this time smack in the middle of the forehead. "Stop being childish and get down here," Miroku snapped, frustrated.
"Why?" Inuyasha said, coolly gazing out across the forest. Miroku sighed.
"You want to go to Kagome's special festival thing, ne? And you're insulted that she didn't invite you."
Inuyasha let out a scornful snort, but didn't deny it.
"So what's the problem?" Miroku inquired, frowning up into the branches. "Just go to the festival already. It must be at her house; she called it 'hers'. What's wrong with just showing up?"
Inuyasha glanced down at him. "Without an invitation?" he said, skeptically. Miroku shrugged.
"Hey, has etiquette ever stopped you before?" he said, with more than a little irony dripping from his voice. Inuyasha snorted.
"You expect a hanyou to just walk into a human celebration unnoticed?"
Miroku grinned. "You *are* really determined to spend tomorrow wallowing in self-pity, aren't you... Or did you actually forget it's the new moon tomorrow night?"
Inuyasha started to shoot back a sharp reply-hesitated-paused to think. "Are you going?" he asked after a moment.
Miroku grinned. "Would I miss it? One thing about human festivals; there's usually no shortage of girls at them."
"Me, too!" Shippo cried eagerly. "Me, too! Kagome said there's food there!"
Miroku glanced down at him, uncertain. "I'm not sure, Shippo. You'd stick out like a white cat in a tarry sack..."
"Please?" he begged, doing his best to look sweet and innocent. The overall effect was not particularly reassuring, but Miroku felt bad about leaving him on his own.
"Maybe you could stay with Kagome's brother," he said. "He might just be able to keep you out of trouble...and he could sneak you some food if you stayed in his room."
"That's fine!" Shippo said gleefully. "I hope those cookie things will be there!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Yuck. Too sweet," he muttered. He leaped down from the tree, landing in a crouch right in front of Miroku, who didn't flinch. Standing up, Inuyasha looked guardedly at Miroku's face, sizing up his intent.
"Well?" the young priest said. Inuyasha shrugged.
"Sure," he said, and his fangs flashed white in a rare smile. "Sure...let's do it."
"Wonderful!" Miroku exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "We'd better go see Kaede..."
"Why that old hag?"
Miroku sweatdropped. "Well..." He glanced at Inuyasha's less-than-spic-and-span gi. "If you don't mind me saying, Inuyasha, your gi is fine for adventuring, but for a festival? Trust me, you need some serious work."
Inuyasha's pupils contracted. "Not..."
"I'm afraid so," Miroku nodded, trying hard to keep a straight face. "If you're planning to go with us, Inuyasha, you are taking...a bath."
The hanyou looked for a moment to be seriously considering making a run for it, but Miroku grabbed his arm and began to drag him off. Inuyasha struggled, but not as much as he could have. Miroku grinned. The dog-boy really *did* want to go to this festival.
And it would be well worth the potential embarrassment of having him along, just to hear him cursing a blue streak while Kaede scrubbed behind his ears...
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-Part 2- In Which Our Hero Receives A Most Unusual Christmas Present
Coming soon!
An Inuyasha Fanfic by Tobu Ishi
-Part 1- In Which An Escape is Made and A Plan Is Laid
________________
"No! No way, no how! I am sick of you skipping out every time we're about to get something done, and you are not leaving! You hear me? NOT NOW!"
Inuyasha fixed an angry golden glare on the girl in front of him, his face red with frustration. Nearby, Miroku and Shippo watched from a safe distance. Miroku looked carefully at Kagome. Her feet were planted, her arms were crossed, and her jaw was set with determination. The young priest winced.
"This one's going to be bad..." he murmured, and settled himself in the grass, preparing for a long wait...
"Inuyasha," Kagome said, her voice surprisingly calm. "I am not going to miss my own Christmas party because of your never-ending quest. Period. Now you can either say goodbye nicely, or you can make this into a big, messy argument that'll probably end with me pulling an osuwari-and-run." She raised an eyebrow. "Well?"
The hanyou hesitated, looking confused and a little taken aback.
"Kagome? Two questions."
"Shoot," Kagome said, shrugging.
"Right. One; why are you being nice to me? Usually you flip out when I won't let you go back."
Kagome grinned. "I'm determined not to lose my Christmas spirit, that's why. Even you are not making me mad today, Inuyasha."
Inuyasha pondered this for a minute. Then he nodded. "Okay. Question two... What the hell is Christmas?"
He expected Kagome to fly off the handle, or at least snap at him for being crude. Instead, her eyes lit up and she got a weird, happy look on her face.
"Christmas? Oh, that's right, you don't have it here yet. Well...Christmas is kind of a winter festival, where you get together with people you care about and give them gifts. It's got a lot to do with friendship, and caring, and being nice to people when you'd rather not. It's a lot of fun! Oh, and you eat a lot of food, too. Really good food...which reminds me, I'm starving. I'd better go, Inuyasha. Christmas is tomorrow, and I have to help my mom make cookies. I promised."
With that, she hurried over to the well. To her surprise, Inuyasha didn't grab her by the arm, or yell for her to get the hell back here, or anything like that. He just stood watching her. Puzzled, but not about to question a free chance to get home, she waved to Miroku and Shippo.
"See you in a couple of days, guys!" Kagome glanced back at Inuyasha, who was still watching her, an odd look on his face. She smiled at him; maybe he was finally growing up...or at least getting used to the fact that, when she really wanted to leave, there was no way he could stop her.
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha!" she cheerily called, and hopped into the well.
When she was safely gone, Miroku and Shippo ventured out of the trees.
"Well, that was unusually mature of you, Inuyasha," Miroku observed, leaning on his staff.
"Yeah, how come you didn't throw a tantrum, huh?" Shippo chimed in.
Inuyasha had been standing with his back to them, but now he turned around, and Miroku regretted asking. Inuyasha looked ready for a good sulk.
"She wanted to go to her festival," he said crossly, and flopped down in the grass with a thump. Miroku frowned, not sure what the massive significance of this was, although Inuyasha's voice made it very clear that there was something very wrong with it.
"Yes...and?"
"And she says it's for spending time with her favorite people," Inuyasha continued, knitting his face into a meaningful frown. Miroku nodded.
"Yes. And?"
Inuyasha scowled, leaping to his feet. "And nothing!" he snapped. "If you're too stupid to figure it out, then bug the hell off already!" With that, he stomped off. Miroku stood there for a long moment, thinking. Then, a smile spread across his face, turning quickly into a wide grin.
"Ah...*now* I see."
"See what?" Shippo asked, hopping up and down eagerly. "See what, Miroku? What is it?"
Miroku walked off in the direction Inuyasha had gone, nodding to himself. "You'll see."
Shippo scowled, and ran after him. "See *what*?! Miroku..."
Ignoring the little kitsune, Miroku followed Inuyasha's tracks toward the trees. By the time they reached them, Shippo had shut up and was just following at Miroku's heels, bursting with curiosity.
"Inuyasha? Inuyasha, where are you?" Miroku called, looking around. No point in being stealthy; the dog-boy was bound to hear them coming a mile off, no matter how 'quiet' they were.
An acorn bounced off Miroku's ear. He spun around, searching the trees.
"Inuyasha?"
"Bug off," came a gruff shout from a tree overhead. Miroku looked up and spotted the hanyou crouched in the branches above him.
"Inu-ow!" Another acorn, this time smack in the middle of the forehead. "Stop being childish and get down here," Miroku snapped, frustrated.
"Why?" Inuyasha said, coolly gazing out across the forest. Miroku sighed.
"You want to go to Kagome's special festival thing, ne? And you're insulted that she didn't invite you."
Inuyasha let out a scornful snort, but didn't deny it.
"So what's the problem?" Miroku inquired, frowning up into the branches. "Just go to the festival already. It must be at her house; she called it 'hers'. What's wrong with just showing up?"
Inuyasha glanced down at him. "Without an invitation?" he said, skeptically. Miroku shrugged.
"Hey, has etiquette ever stopped you before?" he said, with more than a little irony dripping from his voice. Inuyasha snorted.
"You expect a hanyou to just walk into a human celebration unnoticed?"
Miroku grinned. "You *are* really determined to spend tomorrow wallowing in self-pity, aren't you... Or did you actually forget it's the new moon tomorrow night?"
Inuyasha started to shoot back a sharp reply-hesitated-paused to think. "Are you going?" he asked after a moment.
Miroku grinned. "Would I miss it? One thing about human festivals; there's usually no shortage of girls at them."
"Me, too!" Shippo cried eagerly. "Me, too! Kagome said there's food there!"
Miroku glanced down at him, uncertain. "I'm not sure, Shippo. You'd stick out like a white cat in a tarry sack..."
"Please?" he begged, doing his best to look sweet and innocent. The overall effect was not particularly reassuring, but Miroku felt bad about leaving him on his own.
"Maybe you could stay with Kagome's brother," he said. "He might just be able to keep you out of trouble...and he could sneak you some food if you stayed in his room."
"That's fine!" Shippo said gleefully. "I hope those cookie things will be there!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Yuck. Too sweet," he muttered. He leaped down from the tree, landing in a crouch right in front of Miroku, who didn't flinch. Standing up, Inuyasha looked guardedly at Miroku's face, sizing up his intent.
"Well?" the young priest said. Inuyasha shrugged.
"Sure," he said, and his fangs flashed white in a rare smile. "Sure...let's do it."
"Wonderful!" Miroku exclaimed, clapping his hands together. "We'd better go see Kaede..."
"Why that old hag?"
Miroku sweatdropped. "Well..." He glanced at Inuyasha's less-than-spic-and-span gi. "If you don't mind me saying, Inuyasha, your gi is fine for adventuring, but for a festival? Trust me, you need some serious work."
Inuyasha's pupils contracted. "Not..."
"I'm afraid so," Miroku nodded, trying hard to keep a straight face. "If you're planning to go with us, Inuyasha, you are taking...a bath."
The hanyou looked for a moment to be seriously considering making a run for it, but Miroku grabbed his arm and began to drag him off. Inuyasha struggled, but not as much as he could have. Miroku grinned. The dog-boy really *did* want to go to this festival.
And it would be well worth the potential embarrassment of having him along, just to hear him cursing a blue streak while Kaede scrubbed behind his ears...
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-Part 2- In Which Our Hero Receives A Most Unusual Christmas Present
Coming soon!