I'll post all the chapters today except the last one. (Building up suspense… ^-^)

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 40

"Ten serving thirteen!"

"Kenshin watch out!"

"Heads!"

"Oro?!"

And so ended the strangest and first volleyball game in history.

"Kenshin are you ok?" Kat asked running over to him.

The volleyball rolled off his face and his eyes swirled.

Kat stood over him, blocking the last rays of the setting sun.

He was out cold.

"Well, at least we know he's back to being Kenshin," Kat said.

"Why does this always seem to happen?" Inuyasha muttered, picking up the unconscious redhead and heading back to the hut.

^_^

"Cheers to the weirdest Christmas Eve in history!" Kat said raising her cup of sake.

"Cheers!" everyone answered and gulped down their cups.

Kenshin had an ice pack on his head and was resting in a chair.

Everyone was gathered around the tree admiring the lights and decorations.

Kat glanced at the clock, "We should be getting to bed soon."

"You're kidding right?" Tanya asked.

Kat shook her head, "Besides it's been a long day."

There were mutters of complaints but everyone agreed with her.

They made their way to their rooms, Mayonaka sharing with Inuyasha, Kat sharing with Kenshin and Tanya sharing with Kageunsei, who was still distant.

Three doors shut and everyone found a comfortable position.

Inuyasha slept against the wall, Kenshin style, with his sword resting on his shoulder.

Kageunsei decided he wanted to get some fresh air and decided to take a run through the woods.

Mayonaka and Tanya huddled under their covers.

Kat watched as Kenshin rested against the back wall.

She grabbed her blankets and joined him, used to sleeping against the wall by now.

He draped a protective arm over her shoulder and drew her closer.

His breath tickled her ear, "I love you."

Kat smiled, "I love you too."

The hut was quiet once again.

^_^

"Kat. Kat wake up," Kenshin said gently shaking her awake.

"Five more," she muttered.

"Kat. It's Christmas! Wake up," he said.

"Christmas!" Kat exclaimed and jumped up, now fully awake.

"Show me the presents!" she said running out of the room.

Kenshin sighed and trailed after her.

Kat entered the living room and expected to see everyone else waiting there for her.

No one was there and she stared in confusion.

Kenshin came into the room, "I thought you'd like the honors of waking everyone up."

Kat grinned evilly, "You did that just for me?"

He nodded.

"Then I'm gonna need your help."

^_^

"I'm glad we took the flash off the camera."

Kenshin nodded as he watched Kat hook up the new digital camera to the computer.

"Finally! Payback time!" she hit the print button and took the picture from the printer.

"Come on!" Kat grabbed Kenshin and dragged him through the hall.

They entered Inuyasha and Tanya (& Mayonaka)'s room.

Kat tiptoed over to Inuyasha's (now occupied) bed and tacked up the picture.

She giggled and picked up the air horn.

^_^

"Oh my ears!" Inuyasha complained.

"What?!" Tanya yelled.

"Never mind," Inuyasha muttered.

"What?!" she asked again.

"That was a pretty good prank. I'm surprised they didn't get us back sooner," Inuyasha said.

"What?!" Tanya asked and saw Inuyasha pointing to the picture, "Oh, good prank huh?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

The picture above the bed read, "Merry Christmas! Don't think of getting us back or we'll use this as blackmail!"

The picture showed Inuyasha with his arm wrapped around Tanya.

Tanya had an arm around a stuffed bear and her thumb in her mouth.

"I don't remember doing that," Tanya muttered.

Inuyasha sighed, "Well that was our wake up call. Guess we better join them."

"What?!"

^_^

"Oh my god!" Tanya exclaimed, her hearing now back to normal, "The complete sceries of Slayers! How did you know I wanted this?"

Kat sighed, "You only talk about the sceries everyday!"

"Your turn Mayonaka!" Kat said handing her son a present.

He unwrapped it, "A gas powered mini car!"

"Thought you'd like it!" Kat said.

"I'll be outside trying it out!" Mayonaka announced as he left the room.

Tanya smiled, "Your turn Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha picked up a brightly wrapped package.

He tore off the wrapping and held up his gift.

Kat burst out laughing.

"What? I thought he'd look so cute wearing them!" Tanya said.

He stared at the fuzzy pink ear warmers.

Inuyasha put them on, knowing that he'd never be caught dead wearing them anytime else.

"Ok, your turn Kenshin!" Kat said handing him a gift.

He took it and unwrapped it.

He had gotten two iron sword sheathes from Inuyasha.

"They weigh more but they can serve as secondary weapons and, over time, it will make you stronger," Inuyasha said.

Kenshin unsheathed his swords, put them into their new sheathes, then placed them back under his belt, "Thanks."

"Your turn Kat!" Tanya said.

Kat took a gift from Tanya and unwrapped it, "Oh my god! The complete sceries for Rurouni Kenshin including the ending OVAs!"

"Thought you'd like it!" Tanya said.

Inuyasha handed Kat another gift.

Kat blinked at him.

"Another gift from Tanya and me," he explained.

Kat took it and unwrapped it.

Stars appeared in her eyes, "THE ENTIRE SIX DISK SPECIAL EDITION COLLECTOR SET OF TRIGUN EPISODES!!!"

Kat hugged Tanya and Inuyasha until they turned purple.

"Inuyasha, come with me to get a cup of coffee," Tanya said.

Inuyasha quirked a brow and followed her to the kitchen.

"Follow me," Kenshin said.

Kat shot him a questioning look before following him.

He led her to a door in the hall that she had never noticed before.

Kenshin opened the door and stepped back.

Kat stepped back and gasped.

The room was filled wall to wall with tanks.

Above here was a bridge that connected the two biggest tanks that went over the top of the door frame.

"Oh. My. God," was all Kat could say.

"You like it?" Kenshin asked.

Kat nodded as she stared.

"How did you know? Every type of fish I've ever seen is in these tanks. Everything from cichlids to lion fish," Kat said.

"It was Tanya's idea. We had a hard time keeping Inuyasha out of the tanks though. He kept trying to eat a fish that Tanya named after me. It looks like an ordinary feeder fish so why she named it after me is a mystery," Kenshin said.

"I love it! Look at all the fish! Discus, gorami, loaches, killi, angels, goldfish, koi, ryukin, carp, tetras, swordtails, platties, arrowana, catfish, rainbows, bettas, archers, puffers, knives, head standers, barbs, and some I can't even name!" Kat exclaimed.

Kenshin tapped her on her shoulder.

Kat turned around and he handed her another gift.

Kat unwrapped it.

It was an engraved mahogany box.

She lifted the lid and read the note engraved on the top, "Here lie five wishes. Use them as you wish, but be warned, what ever you wish for will be granted and cannot be undone."

Five softball sized brightly glowing spheres were inside the box.

Kat stared at them a bit longer, "Five wishes? How do I use them?"

Kenshin reached into the box and pulled a glowing ball out, "You hold it in your hand and wish for what you want, but remember to be very precise with your wish."

He put the wish back in the box and Kat closed the lid.

"Thank you Kenshin!" Kat said turning to leave to show Tanya.

"I have one more gift to you," Kenshin said stopping her.

Kat put the box down by the door and walked back over to Kenshin.

He paused and took a deep breath.

Then he reached into his gi and pulled something out.

Kat watch him with amusement as his fingers toyed with the object in his hand.

Then Kenshin took Kat's hand and kneeled on one knee.

Kat's mouth dropped open.

Her eyes turned wide with realization at what he was doing.

Kenshin took arm out from behind his back and opened the small box in his hand.

Kat gasped as tears of joy sprang up.

Inside the box was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

It was white gold, with three diamonds on it, the one in the middle being the biggest.

It projected crystals onto the tanks as the sun lapped at it.

Kenshin took another deep breath to calm his nerves, "Katsura Okamimure, will you marry me?"

Kat's mouth was frozen, to her horror she couldn't reply.

Kenshin slipped the ring onto her finger.

All of the sudden Tanya burst into the room running from an angry hanyou.

"I didn't do it!" she wailed.

Inuyasha charged after her, "Are you telling me that that coffee pot spilled all over me all by itself?!"

"It wasn't me!" she wailed.

Kat was crying from pure rage now, her perfect moment ruined again!

"SIT!!! SIT!!! SIT!!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Inuyasha crashed through the floor and Kat stormed out of the room picking up the box of wishes on the way.

Kenshin's eyes flickered gold as he gave Tanya a death glare.

Then he stormed out of the room too.

"It wasn't me!" Tanya wailed again.

(A/N: Please don't kill me! You'll see why this happened, it all makes sense! BTW a major clue was left in this chapter. I bet you can't find it! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)