Inuyasha: A Christmas Catastrophe Part Three
Sango continued her slow trudge up to the ancient Go-Shinboku Tree, not really caring how the snow kept seeping up above the "sneakers" that Kagome had lent her. The sun hadn't risen yet, so a peaceful greyish-blue light was spread out around her, reflecting off of the snow. She smiled slightly and paused at the roots of the huge tree. It was SO old... even older than it had been in her time. Amazed, she stared up at the stretching branches and sighed.
She almost leapt out of her skin when a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Sango-san?"
She turned, eyes wide and face red, to see none other than Miroku walking up to her. Trying to get her heartbeat to slow down a bit, she stammered, "H-Houshi-sama... what are you doing out here so early?"
"I could ask you the very same question," he replied, smiling lazily.
"Err... I guess I just wake up really early."
"Ah. Well, apparently this tree is a meeting place for early-risers..."
They stood in silence for a moment, Sango's guard up high, just in case the lech would decide on trying to grope her. He finally broke the silence by clearing his throat.
"Sango-san, I came out here for another reason." She started to inch away from him, and he just laughed and held up both hands. "I'm not going to try anything funny! I swear."
"You'd better not," Sango warned him.
"I won't. But... Kagome-sama kept going on about these... Kriss-Miss presents, and I felt kind of bad that I hadn't gotten you anything..."
'Good God, what's he gonna pull this time...?' Sango groaned inwardly. Her train of thought ran right off the tracks when the houshi stepped forward, hugging her gently.
"What're you..." she started.
"Sango-san, I'm sorry for making your life a living hell for the past few years. And..."
"And...?"
Miroku said nothing, but leaned down towards her. Her heart stopped dead, but her mind ran wild again.
'He's gonna kiss me!'
His face was mere centimeters from hers... he was really going to do it...
"IIIIIIT'S CHRIIIIIIIIISTMAAAAAS!"
"GYAAH!"
Sango promptly fell from the cot that Kagome had set up for her and onto the floor with a painful thwump. She sat up quickly, not knowing that Souta was hovering over her...
"OW! Sango-sama, that HURT!" he wailed, rubbing a growing lump on his forehead.
"Serves you right for waking her up like that," Kagome grumped from across the room. Her eyes were still blurry with sleep. "Sango-chan, are you okay?"
"Ugh," Sango croaked out. "I guess so."
"Hey, Sango..." Shippou said.
"Yes, Shippou?"
"What were you dreaming about?"
Sango's face went the color of a tomato. "N-nothing..."
"Nothing, eh, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, grinning playfully at her across the room. She was catching on without even a word of her dream being mentioned.
"You kept saying Mi--" Sango clapped her hand over the kitsune's mouth.
"Say it and die, fox child," she growled. Kirara mewled from beside her, emphasizing her point. Souta scowled and left the room to go and wake Inuyasha and Miroku. Shippou struggled against her hold.
"She kept saying what?" Kagome asked curiously.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Sango said, blushing even redder.
Shippou finally broke free of the exterminator's grasp and let out a yell that echoed through the house for a few seconds afterward. "MIROKU!"
Kagome burst out laughing, falling onto her back again. Sango snarled and pounced at Shippou, who shot out of the way, only to be chased by Kirara.
Miroku walked in on the scene only moments later, immediately wondering what had been happening.
Sango was in the center of the room, face-down on the carpet and twitching with rage. Kagome was on her back in her bed, kicking her feet and giggling like an idiot. And there was a cream and rust colored blur of a ring around the room, which he guessed was Kirara chasing Shippou, since he didn't see either of them anywhere else. He stepped carefully over the ring and glanced down at Sango for a moment before offering a hand to help her up.
"Was I called in here a moment ago for any particular reason?" he asked.
"N-hahaha-ho-o reason...!" Kagome laughed. Sango accepted Miroku's help and rose to her feet. The houshi couldn't help but notice that she was blushing so hard that she was practically glowing a flourescent red.
"Are you okay, Sango-san?" he quipped.
"F-fine," she stammered back. "Err... so it's Kriss-Miss right? Let's...uh... go eat breakfast or something."
The reminder of Christmas snapped Kagome out of her giggling fit. "Oooh! No, presents first! I don't know if I can stand waiting to see your reactions any longer!" And she tore out of the room and downstairs, leaping over the ring that was Kirara and Shippou with ease. Miroku and Sango remained for a moment, sweatdropping, before they followed.
"Merry Christmas!" Kagome's mother cried cheerfully, waving to Miroku and Sango when they appeared in the living room.
Lounging around the room were Souta, a very sleepy Inuyasha, and Kagome on the couch, her grandfather in one of the armchairs, and her mother in another. They walked into the room, amazed with the number of brightly- wrapped packages lying around on the floor. Sango sat down in the last armchair and Miroku sunk to the ground beside her.
"Where's the runt and Kirara?" Inuyasha yawned.
"Kirara's trying to murder Shippou," Sango muttered. None of the Feudal gang found this remarkable, but Souta gave a shout of surprise.
"And you're not going to help him?!"
"He always finds a way out," Kagome commented calmly. Sure enough, a few seconds after she said it, a mini-Sesshoumaru in his demon form with a fox tail instead of his long, fluffy one came tearing down the stairs, chasing a terrified Kirara. Everyone sweatdropped as one.
Recovering from the shock of a demon-cat-and-dog-fight quickly, Souta exclaimed, "Let's open presents now! C'mon!"
Each gift was distributed to whoever's name was on the tag, and Souta opened one of his presents first.
"A....pack of ramen...? Uh, thanks, Inuyasha-niichan," he blinked. Inuyasha nodded proudly. He'd sacrificed his own pack of ramen to give to the brat, and he'd better like it! Kagome was next.
"Oh, a new scarf! Thanks, Mom!" And she hugged her mother.
The pattern continued until everyone had opened all of their gifts. Sango didn't know what to make of the scented soap Kagome's mother gave her, but really liked the little stuffed cat that Kagome got her. It looked quite a bit like Kirara. Miroku was rather attached to his new earrings that he'd gotten from Kagome, and laughed when the rest of her family gave him a little box that recorded voices... they had figured it'd keep him occupied and away from Sango a bit more. Shippou was over-the-moon with all the candy he recieved, Kirara loved the ribbons she got to toy with, and Inuyasha...
He loved the huge box of ramen he'd gotten from Kagome's family, but Kagome herself had given him...
"Dog....treats...?" he read slowly.
"Uh... a kind of cookie for dogs," she said, chuckling nervously. Inuyasha dug into the box and chomped down on one bone-shaped biscuit. He grinned.
"These are REALLY good!"
"Good to know you like them," Kagome giggled, while Souta literally rolled on the floor laughing. Her grandfather rolled his eyes, and her mother chuckled to herself. "But that wasn't my whole gift... now don't take this too far..."
"Take what too far?" he asked, mouth full of doggie biscuits. Kagome reached over and gently lifted the prayer beads from around his neck. His jaw dropped, littering crumbs all over his lap.
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha," she said softly. Miroku and Shippou both thought they were going to faint. Sango's eyes went as wide as saucers. The hanyou leapt to his feet, swallowed what was left of his treats, and let out a bellow of immense joy.
"I'M FREE!! WAAA-HAHA!"
He laughed for a good hour and a half before Kagome threatened to put the rosary back on him.
Christmas dinner was incredibly bizarre for the Higurashis. They had their usual turkey and stuffing, mashed potatos and gravy, and corn, but at the request of Souta, added some new things to "make Inuyasha and the others feel more at home." These new additions included pickles, ramen, and rice; the pickles were entirely Souta's idea...again. Kagome was on the brink of destroying her little brother for trying to suggest doggie biscuits, but Inuyasha had agreed that it sounded good, and so a plate of dog treats graced the table before where Inuyasha sat.
The dinner was going surprisingly well, considering Shippou and Inuyasha's table manners, up until Inuyasha finally got off of eating just ramen and dog treats and decided to try the rest of the food.
Stuffing a large amount of stuffing, mashed potatos, and turkey in his mouth, Inuyasha exclaimed, "Thish ish weawwy gud!"
"Inuyasha, don't talk with your mouth full," Miroku scolded absent- mindedly, reaching behind him for his staff to whack the hanyou, only to find it wasn't there. He whirled around, glaring at Shippou when he noticed that the little kitsune had stolen it.
Inuyasha swallowed. "But it IS good! Oi, lemme try something..."
Kagome dropped her fork to her plate with a clatter when she realized what he was doing. She stared in horror as he dumped turkey, stuffing, mashed potatos, a pickle, some rice, and a dog biscuit into his ramen. She then opened her mouth to sit him, but realized that the rosary was around HER neck for the day.
"Inuyasha, no...!" she wailed, and shuddered when he drank a bit of the stuff right out of the bowl. Sango stared in frozen horror for a moment before sliding over into Miroku, dazed. The houshi was too disgusted with Inuyasha to even notice that Sango, of all people, was leaning against him. Shippou, Souta, and Kagome's grandfather all clapped, as simple-minded men will do when such accomplishments are made, and her mother went terribly pale.
Inuyasha grinned after swallowing a few gulps of the monstrosity. "This is REALLY good!"
Kagome and Sango had stayed behind in the kitchen to help her mother clean up after dinner while the men all headed back out into the living room. It was at this point that Inuyasha noticed that he hadn't gotten Kagome anything for Kriss-Miss. This just wouldn't do. She had freed him from the rosary (granted, probably for only a day), and therefore, she deserved something good. But... what could she possibly want...?
He could smell her coming back into the living room before he saw her, so he stood and walked towards her, aiming to ask what she wanted as a gift. They stopped in the doorway, and he scowled down at her.
"Oi, wench, what did you want for--"
"HEEHEE! Kagome!" Souta cried.
"Hold on a second, Souta! What were you saying, Inuyasha?" she asked.
"Nonono! Kagome! You know the rules!" Souta shouted, giggling.
"What rules...?" Kagome snapped, then it dawned on her. 'Oh...no...'
Slowly, she looked up and to her horror, she saw... MISTLETOE. This was NOT happening... a furious blush spread up her neck and to the very roots of her hair.
Souta continued to laugh like a maniac, chanting "Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!". Miroku quirked an eyebrow and watched, interested. Inuyasha's ears swiveled from side to side, his confusion shining in his amber eyes.
"What rules?" he asked.
She gulped. "Rules are... if you're standing under mistletoe..." She pointed up. "You have to kiss whoever is standing under it with you...."
Inuyasha blushed even redder than Kagome. Now Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kagome's grandfather, and Souta were egging them on, Sango having heard Kagome from the kitchen. Kagome stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Inuyasha on the cheek. Souta let out a loud wail of disappointment.
"That doesn't count!"
"It counts, brat!" Inuyasha roared, but Kagome's mother was now in on the deal.
"It doesn't," she teased. Kagome, blushing, if possible, even redder, leaned up and kissed Inuyasha (on the lips this time) gently, then tore off to her room. Inuyasha made no move to follow her; he was too stunned to move at all. Sango laughed, then headed back into the kitchen to finish with the dishes.
Miroku grinned, an idea dawning on him slowly.
"Hey...Inuyasha."
No response.
"Inuyasha!"
No response.
"DOG BOY!"
No response. Miroku just pulled the hanyou out of the doorway and tossed him onto the couch, and took up residence where he had just been standing. Sango would have to leave the kitchen eventually... gwaahaha, this was the greatest idea he ever had.
The good thing about the stupor Inuyasha slipped into was that the idea for what he would give Kagome finally popped into his head. He could give...himself. Sure, he wasn't the greatest present, but he was sure Kagome wouldn't mind TOO much. Besides... though he'd never admit it to anyone, he loved her, and already belonged to her anyway.
The trick would be getting himself to look even distinctly like a gift. A bow would do, he supposed.
So, feeling very foolish, he gingerly approached Kagome's mom (she had escaped the kitchen in a brief moment in which Miroku surrendered his post), holding a bright green bow.
"Umn... Higurashi-sama...?" he asked.
"Yes, Inuyasha?"
"Uh... I know this sounds weird, but... could you put this bow around my neck?"
She smiled knowingly and tied the bow, careful not to make it too tight. Inuyasha grinned sheepishly at her.
"Thanks."
"You're very welcome... run along, now."
He nodded and headed up the stairs to Kagome's room. She had come out earlier, but since it was getting rather late, she had headed up to bed. He could hear her and Shippou talking, though, so he was sure she wasn't asleep.... she was probably waiting up for Sango, who was still holed up in the kitchen.
He knocked softly on the door, hearing both voices fall silent for a moment before Kagome's voice drifted through it.
"Hello?"
Grinning, an idea coming to him, Inuyasha called, "Delivery for a Kagome Higurashi?"
She opened the door, staring at Inuyasha as if she'd never seen him before. She couldn't help but laugh at the bow around his neck.
"What? What the hell's so funny?" he asked, feeling rather dejected now. She smiled and put her hand to his cheek. He blushed.
"Is this your Christmas gift to me, Inuyasha?"
"Umn...yeah."
"I love it," she said warmly. He blushed even more. "I've always wanted a puppy for Christmas!"
"Puppy?!" he repeated increduously. She silenced him by kissing him again, this time not in a hurry to run off elsewhere. His ears twitched furiously when she pulled away.
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha."
"Merry Kriss-Miss, Kagome."
"What's wrong with them?" Shippou whispered to Kirara, who gave a feline shrug.
"Miroku... can't you just give up?" Sango asked tiredly. According to the glowing clock on the... what was it called? My-crow-wave?....it was 1:00 AM. She was exhausted, not to mention bored out of her skull. She had been sitting in the damn kitchen for the whole afternoon and evening, with nothing to entertain her except for striking up conversations with the houshi blocking her only way out. She would go outside, but she had no shoes on, and she'd rather kiss the lech than freeze her feet off.
"I'll give up when you give up," he yawned. He wasn't too pleased with how she kept evading him, trying to outsmart him. He was tired of standing... and just plain tired. Inuyasha had long since returned from Kagome's room, a happy grin plastered across his face, and fallen asleep on the couch.
"I'll never give up," she challenged. Miroku decided a subject change would be good.
"Sango-san... do you understand this whole Kriss-Miss thing?"
".....not at all. What do trees and plants hanging from doorways and big fat men in red suits have to do with the birth of this savior Kagome was telling us about?"
"Nothing, I suppose. Do you think the gifts are the true meaning?"
"Maybe."
They both paused, Miroku breaking the silence after five minutes.
"That reminds me... I didn't get you anything."
"Don't bother trying to think something up.... the fact that you didn't grope me all day is gift enough."
"You think so?" he asked thoughtfully. "I wanted to do something more for you..."
Sango reddened. "You're lucky I don't have my Hiraikotsu...!"
"I didn't mean it that way!" Miroku cried, surprised that for once, she had been the one with her mind in the gutter. "I meant..." He sighed. "I wanted to give you something that would mean a lot to you."
"The no-groping meant a lot to me."
"That's not my point." He had an idea, and stepped out of the doorway for the first time since he'd let Mrs. Higurashi escape. "There. You can go. I give up."
Sango stared. He had given her two gifts that day, then... making a decision right then and there, she strode purposefully towards the monk and dragged him back into the doorway, kissing him gently. She pulled back once she was out of air, grinning at the stunned look on Miroku's face.
"There's one gift... and your second one..." she leaned up and whispered something into his ear. His eyes widened and he stared at her, completely and totally shocked.
"Y-you will...?"
She nodded and smiled at him, then headed up to Kagome's room for the night. "Goodnight, Miroku-kun."
"N-night...Sango-chan..."
He fell backwards against the wall and slid down it, his mind swirling with confusion. 'I must be dreaming.'
The next day, everyone was in a great mood and was ready for the return to the Sengoku Jidai. Kagome still had Inuyasha's prayer beads around her own neck and didn't intend to give them back for a while, Sango and Miroku weren't fighting for once, and Shippou was on a complete sugar buzz. They all said their goodbyes to Kagome's family, thanked them for their hospitality, and headed to the mini-shrine to jump back through the well, a Shikon shard per person to ensure that they would make it through.
The trip went smoothly, the only downside when Sango toppled Inuyasha over with her not-so-skillful landing on the other side. He had been in a good enough mood to let her off with a mere "Feh, wench, watch where you're going."
Inuyasha's terrific mood was truly confirmed, however, when Kouga strolled up on the snowy path, eyes glittering with malice.
"Hey, dog-turd, where'd you go with MY woman?" he snarled. Inuyasha's ears and right eye twitched, but he just grinned back at the wolf demon.
"YOUR woman? Excuse me? Whose prayer beads is she wearing?" His smile widened at the shocked look on Kouga's face. "Get lost, wolfie."
Kouga seethed with silent anger, eyes flashing, and he started to lunge forward... only to have a dog treat bounce off his forehead.
"What the--" he started, staring at Kagome, who was armed with the whole box of biscuits.
"Kouga?" she asked sweetly.
"Yeah...?"
"Get stuffed." She threw a handful of the treats on the path in front of him and calmly walked past, the rest of the gang following her and trying to withhold their laughter. Confused, Kouga stayed put, and gingerly picked up a treat once they were out of sight. He sniffed it cautiously and bit down on the bone-shaped thing, a grin spreading on his face.
"She must really love me the most! These things are GREAT!"
The End....or IS it?
A/N: Alrighty, I'm done! Hope everybody liked it! Read and review, ok? And one more thing.... An Author's Note is gonna be posted up next, with thanks to everyone who reviewed the first two parts. Thanks again! ^__^
Sango continued her slow trudge up to the ancient Go-Shinboku Tree, not really caring how the snow kept seeping up above the "sneakers" that Kagome had lent her. The sun hadn't risen yet, so a peaceful greyish-blue light was spread out around her, reflecting off of the snow. She smiled slightly and paused at the roots of the huge tree. It was SO old... even older than it had been in her time. Amazed, she stared up at the stretching branches and sighed.
She almost leapt out of her skin when a soft voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Sango-san?"
She turned, eyes wide and face red, to see none other than Miroku walking up to her. Trying to get her heartbeat to slow down a bit, she stammered, "H-Houshi-sama... what are you doing out here so early?"
"I could ask you the very same question," he replied, smiling lazily.
"Err... I guess I just wake up really early."
"Ah. Well, apparently this tree is a meeting place for early-risers..."
They stood in silence for a moment, Sango's guard up high, just in case the lech would decide on trying to grope her. He finally broke the silence by clearing his throat.
"Sango-san, I came out here for another reason." She started to inch away from him, and he just laughed and held up both hands. "I'm not going to try anything funny! I swear."
"You'd better not," Sango warned him.
"I won't. But... Kagome-sama kept going on about these... Kriss-Miss presents, and I felt kind of bad that I hadn't gotten you anything..."
'Good God, what's he gonna pull this time...?' Sango groaned inwardly. Her train of thought ran right off the tracks when the houshi stepped forward, hugging her gently.
"What're you..." she started.
"Sango-san, I'm sorry for making your life a living hell for the past few years. And..."
"And...?"
Miroku said nothing, but leaned down towards her. Her heart stopped dead, but her mind ran wild again.
'He's gonna kiss me!'
His face was mere centimeters from hers... he was really going to do it...
"IIIIIIT'S CHRIIIIIIIIISTMAAAAAS!"
"GYAAH!"
Sango promptly fell from the cot that Kagome had set up for her and onto the floor with a painful thwump. She sat up quickly, not knowing that Souta was hovering over her...
"OW! Sango-sama, that HURT!" he wailed, rubbing a growing lump on his forehead.
"Serves you right for waking her up like that," Kagome grumped from across the room. Her eyes were still blurry with sleep. "Sango-chan, are you okay?"
"Ugh," Sango croaked out. "I guess so."
"Hey, Sango..." Shippou said.
"Yes, Shippou?"
"What were you dreaming about?"
Sango's face went the color of a tomato. "N-nothing..."
"Nothing, eh, Sango-chan?" Kagome asked, grinning playfully at her across the room. She was catching on without even a word of her dream being mentioned.
"You kept saying Mi--" Sango clapped her hand over the kitsune's mouth.
"Say it and die, fox child," she growled. Kirara mewled from beside her, emphasizing her point. Souta scowled and left the room to go and wake Inuyasha and Miroku. Shippou struggled against her hold.
"She kept saying what?" Kagome asked curiously.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Sango said, blushing even redder.
Shippou finally broke free of the exterminator's grasp and let out a yell that echoed through the house for a few seconds afterward. "MIROKU!"
Kagome burst out laughing, falling onto her back again. Sango snarled and pounced at Shippou, who shot out of the way, only to be chased by Kirara.
Miroku walked in on the scene only moments later, immediately wondering what had been happening.
Sango was in the center of the room, face-down on the carpet and twitching with rage. Kagome was on her back in her bed, kicking her feet and giggling like an idiot. And there was a cream and rust colored blur of a ring around the room, which he guessed was Kirara chasing Shippou, since he didn't see either of them anywhere else. He stepped carefully over the ring and glanced down at Sango for a moment before offering a hand to help her up.
"Was I called in here a moment ago for any particular reason?" he asked.
"N-hahaha-ho-o reason...!" Kagome laughed. Sango accepted Miroku's help and rose to her feet. The houshi couldn't help but notice that she was blushing so hard that she was practically glowing a flourescent red.
"Are you okay, Sango-san?" he quipped.
"F-fine," she stammered back. "Err... so it's Kriss-Miss right? Let's...uh... go eat breakfast or something."
The reminder of Christmas snapped Kagome out of her giggling fit. "Oooh! No, presents first! I don't know if I can stand waiting to see your reactions any longer!" And she tore out of the room and downstairs, leaping over the ring that was Kirara and Shippou with ease. Miroku and Sango remained for a moment, sweatdropping, before they followed.
"Merry Christmas!" Kagome's mother cried cheerfully, waving to Miroku and Sango when they appeared in the living room.
Lounging around the room were Souta, a very sleepy Inuyasha, and Kagome on the couch, her grandfather in one of the armchairs, and her mother in another. They walked into the room, amazed with the number of brightly- wrapped packages lying around on the floor. Sango sat down in the last armchair and Miroku sunk to the ground beside her.
"Where's the runt and Kirara?" Inuyasha yawned.
"Kirara's trying to murder Shippou," Sango muttered. None of the Feudal gang found this remarkable, but Souta gave a shout of surprise.
"And you're not going to help him?!"
"He always finds a way out," Kagome commented calmly. Sure enough, a few seconds after she said it, a mini-Sesshoumaru in his demon form with a fox tail instead of his long, fluffy one came tearing down the stairs, chasing a terrified Kirara. Everyone sweatdropped as one.
Recovering from the shock of a demon-cat-and-dog-fight quickly, Souta exclaimed, "Let's open presents now! C'mon!"
Each gift was distributed to whoever's name was on the tag, and Souta opened one of his presents first.
"A....pack of ramen...? Uh, thanks, Inuyasha-niichan," he blinked. Inuyasha nodded proudly. He'd sacrificed his own pack of ramen to give to the brat, and he'd better like it! Kagome was next.
"Oh, a new scarf! Thanks, Mom!" And she hugged her mother.
The pattern continued until everyone had opened all of their gifts. Sango didn't know what to make of the scented soap Kagome's mother gave her, but really liked the little stuffed cat that Kagome got her. It looked quite a bit like Kirara. Miroku was rather attached to his new earrings that he'd gotten from Kagome, and laughed when the rest of her family gave him a little box that recorded voices... they had figured it'd keep him occupied and away from Sango a bit more. Shippou was over-the-moon with all the candy he recieved, Kirara loved the ribbons she got to toy with, and Inuyasha...
He loved the huge box of ramen he'd gotten from Kagome's family, but Kagome herself had given him...
"Dog....treats...?" he read slowly.
"Uh... a kind of cookie for dogs," she said, chuckling nervously. Inuyasha dug into the box and chomped down on one bone-shaped biscuit. He grinned.
"These are REALLY good!"
"Good to know you like them," Kagome giggled, while Souta literally rolled on the floor laughing. Her grandfather rolled his eyes, and her mother chuckled to herself. "But that wasn't my whole gift... now don't take this too far..."
"Take what too far?" he asked, mouth full of doggie biscuits. Kagome reached over and gently lifted the prayer beads from around his neck. His jaw dropped, littering crumbs all over his lap.
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha," she said softly. Miroku and Shippou both thought they were going to faint. Sango's eyes went as wide as saucers. The hanyou leapt to his feet, swallowed what was left of his treats, and let out a bellow of immense joy.
"I'M FREE!! WAAA-HAHA!"
He laughed for a good hour and a half before Kagome threatened to put the rosary back on him.
Christmas dinner was incredibly bizarre for the Higurashis. They had their usual turkey and stuffing, mashed potatos and gravy, and corn, but at the request of Souta, added some new things to "make Inuyasha and the others feel more at home." These new additions included pickles, ramen, and rice; the pickles were entirely Souta's idea...again. Kagome was on the brink of destroying her little brother for trying to suggest doggie biscuits, but Inuyasha had agreed that it sounded good, and so a plate of dog treats graced the table before where Inuyasha sat.
The dinner was going surprisingly well, considering Shippou and Inuyasha's table manners, up until Inuyasha finally got off of eating just ramen and dog treats and decided to try the rest of the food.
Stuffing a large amount of stuffing, mashed potatos, and turkey in his mouth, Inuyasha exclaimed, "Thish ish weawwy gud!"
"Inuyasha, don't talk with your mouth full," Miroku scolded absent- mindedly, reaching behind him for his staff to whack the hanyou, only to find it wasn't there. He whirled around, glaring at Shippou when he noticed that the little kitsune had stolen it.
Inuyasha swallowed. "But it IS good! Oi, lemme try something..."
Kagome dropped her fork to her plate with a clatter when she realized what he was doing. She stared in horror as he dumped turkey, stuffing, mashed potatos, a pickle, some rice, and a dog biscuit into his ramen. She then opened her mouth to sit him, but realized that the rosary was around HER neck for the day.
"Inuyasha, no...!" she wailed, and shuddered when he drank a bit of the stuff right out of the bowl. Sango stared in frozen horror for a moment before sliding over into Miroku, dazed. The houshi was too disgusted with Inuyasha to even notice that Sango, of all people, was leaning against him. Shippou, Souta, and Kagome's grandfather all clapped, as simple-minded men will do when such accomplishments are made, and her mother went terribly pale.
Inuyasha grinned after swallowing a few gulps of the monstrosity. "This is REALLY good!"
Kagome and Sango had stayed behind in the kitchen to help her mother clean up after dinner while the men all headed back out into the living room. It was at this point that Inuyasha noticed that he hadn't gotten Kagome anything for Kriss-Miss. This just wouldn't do. She had freed him from the rosary (granted, probably for only a day), and therefore, she deserved something good. But... what could she possibly want...?
He could smell her coming back into the living room before he saw her, so he stood and walked towards her, aiming to ask what she wanted as a gift. They stopped in the doorway, and he scowled down at her.
"Oi, wench, what did you want for--"
"HEEHEE! Kagome!" Souta cried.
"Hold on a second, Souta! What were you saying, Inuyasha?" she asked.
"Nonono! Kagome! You know the rules!" Souta shouted, giggling.
"What rules...?" Kagome snapped, then it dawned on her. 'Oh...no...'
Slowly, she looked up and to her horror, she saw... MISTLETOE. This was NOT happening... a furious blush spread up her neck and to the very roots of her hair.
Souta continued to laugh like a maniac, chanting "Kiss him! Kiss him! Kiss him!". Miroku quirked an eyebrow and watched, interested. Inuyasha's ears swiveled from side to side, his confusion shining in his amber eyes.
"What rules?" he asked.
She gulped. "Rules are... if you're standing under mistletoe..." She pointed up. "You have to kiss whoever is standing under it with you...."
Inuyasha blushed even redder than Kagome. Now Miroku, Sango, Shippou, Kagome's grandfather, and Souta were egging them on, Sango having heard Kagome from the kitchen. Kagome stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Inuyasha on the cheek. Souta let out a loud wail of disappointment.
"That doesn't count!"
"It counts, brat!" Inuyasha roared, but Kagome's mother was now in on the deal.
"It doesn't," she teased. Kagome, blushing, if possible, even redder, leaned up and kissed Inuyasha (on the lips this time) gently, then tore off to her room. Inuyasha made no move to follow her; he was too stunned to move at all. Sango laughed, then headed back into the kitchen to finish with the dishes.
Miroku grinned, an idea dawning on him slowly.
"Hey...Inuyasha."
No response.
"Inuyasha!"
No response.
"DOG BOY!"
No response. Miroku just pulled the hanyou out of the doorway and tossed him onto the couch, and took up residence where he had just been standing. Sango would have to leave the kitchen eventually... gwaahaha, this was the greatest idea he ever had.
The good thing about the stupor Inuyasha slipped into was that the idea for what he would give Kagome finally popped into his head. He could give...himself. Sure, he wasn't the greatest present, but he was sure Kagome wouldn't mind TOO much. Besides... though he'd never admit it to anyone, he loved her, and already belonged to her anyway.
The trick would be getting himself to look even distinctly like a gift. A bow would do, he supposed.
So, feeling very foolish, he gingerly approached Kagome's mom (she had escaped the kitchen in a brief moment in which Miroku surrendered his post), holding a bright green bow.
"Umn... Higurashi-sama...?" he asked.
"Yes, Inuyasha?"
"Uh... I know this sounds weird, but... could you put this bow around my neck?"
She smiled knowingly and tied the bow, careful not to make it too tight. Inuyasha grinned sheepishly at her.
"Thanks."
"You're very welcome... run along, now."
He nodded and headed up the stairs to Kagome's room. She had come out earlier, but since it was getting rather late, she had headed up to bed. He could hear her and Shippou talking, though, so he was sure she wasn't asleep.... she was probably waiting up for Sango, who was still holed up in the kitchen.
He knocked softly on the door, hearing both voices fall silent for a moment before Kagome's voice drifted through it.
"Hello?"
Grinning, an idea coming to him, Inuyasha called, "Delivery for a Kagome Higurashi?"
She opened the door, staring at Inuyasha as if she'd never seen him before. She couldn't help but laugh at the bow around his neck.
"What? What the hell's so funny?" he asked, feeling rather dejected now. She smiled and put her hand to his cheek. He blushed.
"Is this your Christmas gift to me, Inuyasha?"
"Umn...yeah."
"I love it," she said warmly. He blushed even more. "I've always wanted a puppy for Christmas!"
"Puppy?!" he repeated increduously. She silenced him by kissing him again, this time not in a hurry to run off elsewhere. His ears twitched furiously when she pulled away.
"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha."
"Merry Kriss-Miss, Kagome."
"What's wrong with them?" Shippou whispered to Kirara, who gave a feline shrug.
"Miroku... can't you just give up?" Sango asked tiredly. According to the glowing clock on the... what was it called? My-crow-wave?....it was 1:00 AM. She was exhausted, not to mention bored out of her skull. She had been sitting in the damn kitchen for the whole afternoon and evening, with nothing to entertain her except for striking up conversations with the houshi blocking her only way out. She would go outside, but she had no shoes on, and she'd rather kiss the lech than freeze her feet off.
"I'll give up when you give up," he yawned. He wasn't too pleased with how she kept evading him, trying to outsmart him. He was tired of standing... and just plain tired. Inuyasha had long since returned from Kagome's room, a happy grin plastered across his face, and fallen asleep on the couch.
"I'll never give up," she challenged. Miroku decided a subject change would be good.
"Sango-san... do you understand this whole Kriss-Miss thing?"
".....not at all. What do trees and plants hanging from doorways and big fat men in red suits have to do with the birth of this savior Kagome was telling us about?"
"Nothing, I suppose. Do you think the gifts are the true meaning?"
"Maybe."
They both paused, Miroku breaking the silence after five minutes.
"That reminds me... I didn't get you anything."
"Don't bother trying to think something up.... the fact that you didn't grope me all day is gift enough."
"You think so?" he asked thoughtfully. "I wanted to do something more for you..."
Sango reddened. "You're lucky I don't have my Hiraikotsu...!"
"I didn't mean it that way!" Miroku cried, surprised that for once, she had been the one with her mind in the gutter. "I meant..." He sighed. "I wanted to give you something that would mean a lot to you."
"The no-groping meant a lot to me."
"That's not my point." He had an idea, and stepped out of the doorway for the first time since he'd let Mrs. Higurashi escape. "There. You can go. I give up."
Sango stared. He had given her two gifts that day, then... making a decision right then and there, she strode purposefully towards the monk and dragged him back into the doorway, kissing him gently. She pulled back once she was out of air, grinning at the stunned look on Miroku's face.
"There's one gift... and your second one..." she leaned up and whispered something into his ear. His eyes widened and he stared at her, completely and totally shocked.
"Y-you will...?"
She nodded and smiled at him, then headed up to Kagome's room for the night. "Goodnight, Miroku-kun."
"N-night...Sango-chan..."
He fell backwards against the wall and slid down it, his mind swirling with confusion. 'I must be dreaming.'
The next day, everyone was in a great mood and was ready for the return to the Sengoku Jidai. Kagome still had Inuyasha's prayer beads around her own neck and didn't intend to give them back for a while, Sango and Miroku weren't fighting for once, and Shippou was on a complete sugar buzz. They all said their goodbyes to Kagome's family, thanked them for their hospitality, and headed to the mini-shrine to jump back through the well, a Shikon shard per person to ensure that they would make it through.
The trip went smoothly, the only downside when Sango toppled Inuyasha over with her not-so-skillful landing on the other side. He had been in a good enough mood to let her off with a mere "Feh, wench, watch where you're going."
Inuyasha's terrific mood was truly confirmed, however, when Kouga strolled up on the snowy path, eyes glittering with malice.
"Hey, dog-turd, where'd you go with MY woman?" he snarled. Inuyasha's ears and right eye twitched, but he just grinned back at the wolf demon.
"YOUR woman? Excuse me? Whose prayer beads is she wearing?" His smile widened at the shocked look on Kouga's face. "Get lost, wolfie."
Kouga seethed with silent anger, eyes flashing, and he started to lunge forward... only to have a dog treat bounce off his forehead.
"What the--" he started, staring at Kagome, who was armed with the whole box of biscuits.
"Kouga?" she asked sweetly.
"Yeah...?"
"Get stuffed." She threw a handful of the treats on the path in front of him and calmly walked past, the rest of the gang following her and trying to withhold their laughter. Confused, Kouga stayed put, and gingerly picked up a treat once they were out of sight. He sniffed it cautiously and bit down on the bone-shaped thing, a grin spreading on his face.
"She must really love me the most! These things are GREAT!"
The End....or IS it?
A/N: Alrighty, I'm done! Hope everybody liked it! Read and review, ok? And one more thing.... An Author's Note is gonna be posted up next, with thanks to everyone who reviewed the first two parts. Thanks again! ^__^