PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES, AS THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!
A/N: Whew! I'm done! I've had this written for quite some time, I just needed to edit it a lot, lol. So that's why it seems like I've updated it a lot. This isn't one of my best stories, so sorry if it STILL has some mistakes in it. The Japanese people don't celebrate Christmas like we do, but it actually works out quite nicely for my story. Also I'll be adding posting an alternate ending. Oh and I couldn't figure out how to make the words Italic, so I just put them in capital letters. Enjoy! Rated PG-13 for some cursing and an ending scene ^_^ Oh yeah. I DON'T own Inuyasha…
Miroku: *flips through the script* You mean I only get to grope twice? So many pretty girls out there…@_@
Kaykoha: Miroku.
Miroku: Yes?
Kaykoha: Shut-up. Ahem, onto the story!
Chapter 1
"Kagomeeeeeeee!!!" cried Shippo in a terrified voice. Kagome had just climbed out of the well, and looked up to see what was the matter as a brown fur-ball shot past her. The fresh forest air settled lightly around her, and the sky was crystal-clear blue like always…well unless a demon was about to attack. The dense, bright green forest surrounded the well and late afternoon sun shone brightly through the full leafy branches of the tall trees.
"Get back here Shippo!" growled Inuyasha who was quickly gaining on the little kitsune. Shippo flew into Kagome's arms trembling. Fists clenched, Inuyasha marched towards him angrily. Kagome opened her mouth and Inuyasha stopped, his eyes wide, knowing what was coming next.
"No wait Kagome! I-" he started pleaded, frantically backing away as fast as he could.
"Oswari! Oswari! Oswari!" she commanded to the hanyou. The black and white rosary beads around his neck glowed and Inuyasha slammed into the ground, leaving a three-foot dent in the earth. He cursed angrily, impatiently waiting for the stupid spell to wear off.
Sango and Miroku heard the normal 'sit' greetings, and knew that Kagome had come back. Sango was dressed in her normal red and white shirt, and long green skirt. Kirara was sitting in her arms and Sango was currently scratching Kirara on the head while the little kitten was purring contently. Miroku was standing beside her in front of Kaede's hut, his staff in hand. There had been no rumors of any jewel shards so there wasn't much to do except wait.
"Those two can't seem to get along for one minute. I wonder what Inuyasha did this-" Sango froze and her words were abruptly cut off as she felt the all-too-familiar hand squeezing her behind.
The next thing Miroku knew, he had acquired his third slap mark…today. That didn't wipe the sly grin off his face though. It was worth it.
"Hentai," Sango muttered distastefully under her breath, her cheeks heating up.
"Shall we see what they're up to, Lady Sango?" he asked offering her a hand. Sango shot him a cold look.
"Kirara, make sure he doesn't try anything," she told the kitten and walked off making sure he was at least five feet behind her before turning her head. Kirara watched Miroku with red-orange eyes as he left. Grinning, he followed Sango to the source of the shouts.
They came to the clearing near the well and could see Kagome telling Inuyasha off and him trying to curse at her. Inuyasha finally pried himself off the ground.
"What was that for wench?" he snapped at her, only to earn himself another sit. Damn those rosary beads…
"Well, stop picking on Shippo, Inuyasha," she reprimanded him. Kagome turned to Shippo.
"You know how bad Inuyasha's temper is, so you should be more careful," she warned. Inuyasha had gotten up off the ground once again, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and grass and started growling at the both of them. Kagome just ignored him. She was about to ask Shippo why he was being chased in the first place, when she noticed Miroku and Sango.
"Oh, hi guys," she greeted cheerfully. "I just came back to ask you if you wanted to spend the holidays in my time for a few days." Inuyasha instantly objected.
"What! We are not going to your stupid era when there are jewel shards out there. There can't be more than two left! I can practically smell them!" he protested.
"I'm sure you can. Come on, Inuyasha. We have almost the entire jewel, and we all need a break once in a while. Besides there haven't been any rumors about jewel shards right?" she asked them.
"Nothing yet, Kagome," Miroku confirmed. "Shall I tell Kaede where we'll be?"
"Sure, thanks Miroku," Kagome said and Miroku left. Inuyasha was still brooding on about how some dumb holiday was more important than the precious jewel shards.
"Inuyasha it'll only be for a few days," Kagome told him.
"How long?" he asked with a grumble.
"One week."
"What!??? No way! One day," He said and defiantly crossed his arms while turning his back to her.
"Three days. We'll come back the day after tomorrow." Kagome told him. She winced inside about missing more school, but it was a fair compromise.
"Feh," he said not turning around to acknowledge her. Kagome took that as an "okay", and grinned happily.
"Three days is a long time," he grumbled. Kagome opened her mouth to 'sit' him but thought of something better. She marched up behind him and pushed him towards the well until he was standing next to the chipped wooden frame.
"What-" Inuyasha started, but Kagome interrupted him.
"Oswari," she said quietly. The rosary beads glowed and Inuyasha tipped over, plunging head -first into the well.
"Damn you Kagomeeeeeeee!!!!!!!" he yelled at her as he fell; bracing himself for the promised contact of the hard, dirty well ground. Kagome quickly grabbed Sango and Miroku's hand and Shippo grabbed her waist. She leaped down and they found themselves floating in the mystical blue and purple space.
It was only a few seconds before she reappeared on the bottom of the dark well in her time, and found Inuyasha still face down, struggling against the spell. Sango and Miroku were looking around curiously.
"Kagome is that you?" called a voice and Sota's face appeared, looking down into the well.
"Sota! Can you bring the ladder down for us?" Kagome called up to her brother.
"Sure thing, Kagome!" he said and a long wooden ladder thumped against the bottom of the well.
"Follow me," Kagome told Miroku and Sango, and practically flew up the ladder, Shippo still clinging to her waist. Sango made sure Miroku went first, so he wouldn't try anything and followed him out of the well.
"Inuyasha are you-" Kagome started as soon as she had pulled herself over the side, but then a whir of red answered her question. Inuyasha leaped out of the well and landed coolly behind Kagome.
"Well? Are we going or not?" he asked impatiently. It might've been a trick of the eye, but Kagome thought she glimpsed a slightly hurt look on his face. None of the others noticed this, and Inuyasha exited the wooden Shrine rather quickly. Kagome ran out after him to ask what was the matter.
"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" she asked, genuinely concerned. He turned around not breaking the usual scowl on his face that masked his real feelings.
"What was that for, wench?" he snapped at her. Kagome blinked several times in confusion.
"What was what for?" she asked.
"You 'sat' me when I didn't do anything!" he shouted back at her. Oh. That's what. He was right; that little comment wasn't really worth a 'sit'. A small pang of guilt settled in her stomach, and Kagome attempted to apologize.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. You're right, that wasn't fair," she said gently. Inuyasha could hear the sincerity in her voice and his expression softened as well as his emotions.
"Yeah, okay, let's just go," he said dismissing the subject and headed towards Kagome's house. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo appeared at the entrance of the Shrine and were now heading down towards where Kagome was standing.
"What's wrong Kagome?" asked Shippo who found his favorite spot, in her arms.
"Mm? Oh I'm fine," she said, slapping on a bright smile and walking towards her house. They reached her house and Kagome pulled open the door. Kagome let Shippo down and he zipped around the house, eager to explore where Kagome lived. Kagome however, looked around for any signs of Inuyasha, and her face fell when she didn't see him anywhere in sight.
Meanwhile Sango and Miroku were standing at the entrance to Kagome's house.
"After you, Lady Sango," Miroku said, opening the door for her and gesturing with his arm like a greeter, a cheerful smile plastered on his face. To anyone else this might've looked like a sign of politeness. To Sango…
"You don't trust me? Lady Sango, I'm hurt," he said with a fake hurt look on his face.
"Fine, but don't try anything," Sango said as she dashed through the door. Miroku followed her in. What he would give for her to have slowly walked through the door. ^_^
Kagome came out into the room with a slightly worried look on her face. Her mother came out behind her not wanting to wait to meet Kagome's friends.
"Oh, you must be Miroku and Sango," she said kindly. Sango opened her mouth to return the greetings but Miroku was in front of Mrs. Higurashi at light speed. He grabbed her hands, but a death glare from Kagome changed his greeting. The nerve of that hentai!
"Y-you have a very lovely mother," the monk stammered and quickly backed away with a guilty grin on his face.
"Why thank you Miroku," Mrs. Higurashi replied kindly. Then she turned to Kagome.
"Why don't you show them where everything is, Kagome. Then you can have Sango pick out some of your clothes to wear, since she'll be staying here for a while. Tomorrow we'll go to the mall and buy some clothes for Miroku and Inuyasha. By the way where is he?" Kagome's mom asked. "I didn't see him come in." Kagome remained silent, feeling awful. Maybe Inuyasha ran off because she hurt his feelings.
"I'm sure Inuyasha will turn up soon," reassured Sango. Kagome nodded, hoping she was right.
"Okay, come on," Kagome said with a soft sigh, and led Sango and Miroku around the house, showing them the rooms in her house. She had to explain to them what a bathroom was.
"Okay, this is where you…um…you do your stuff, and this is where you can take a shower," she said pointing to the places in the bathroom. "This is called a toilet, flush it down…and for the shower turn it this one for hot and this one for cold and water will come from here," she said pointing to the showerhead. "If you want to take a bath just push in the plug and run the water. You can also the shampoo, and soap, but close your eyes, cause shampoo hurts if it gets in your eyes," she told them, demonstrating what she was talking about.
"Understand?" she asked. They both nodded. Good, she wouldn't have to explain it further. "Oh and this door locks, Miroku," Kagome added, just to be safe. As she had guessed, his face fell. Darn, and there were no bushes to hide himself this time.
"Okay. Sango and I are going to pick out some clothes, so you can just head downstairs, right Miroku?" Kagome told rather than asked him. Miroku consented and went downstairs back.
"Oh, hi Miroku. Can I get you anything?" Mrs. Higurashi asked politely as she saw him descending the stairs. Miroku shook his head and took a seat on the couch, leaning his staff against his shoulder. Shippo had finally come back from exploring the house, and hopped up beside Miroku.
"Hey! Where did Kagome go?" he asked looking around the room to find she was nowhere in sight.
"The girls are in Kagome's room getting new clothes," Miroku explained to him. Getting new clothes meant changing…which meant…surely it wouldn't hurt to have a peek…a sly grin crept over Miroku's face, but Shippo saw that and could practically see his perverted mind working.
"Kagome and Sango will be really mad at you if you spy on them!" the little kitsune warned him. Darn, looks like his fun was spoiled once again.
Up in Kagome's room, she had laid out several clothes that she thought might fit Sango. Sure Sango was a little taller than her, but some of the clothes might fit. They finally decided on two sweaters, one red and the other with snowflake designs, three simple, one-colored t-shirts, a pink and blue skirt and a pairs of soft pants. That would do for now. Kagome also gave Sango under-garments, and made sure she knew how to put them on. Luckily all the clothes fit her, and Kagome stacked them in a pile on her bed.
"Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes," Sango said gratefully. "What should I do when I'm not wearing the ones I have on?"
"No problem. Don't worry I'll take care of that," Kagome answered lying on her bed with her head on her big, soft pink pillow. Sango watched Kagome and could tell that something was bugging her.
"Are you worried about Inuyasha?" the young youkai-exterminator asked. Kagome looked surprised at her question but then nodded worriedly.
"I'm sure Inuyasha's fine, Kagome," Sango told her, sitting down on the bed next to her.
"I think…that Inuyasha's mad at me," Kagome confessed, staring with a frown at the white ceiling. She gave a soft, discontented sigh. They heard an odd rustling outside Kagome's window. Kagome sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She and Sango made their way over to the window a little nervously. Kagome reached out a slightly shaking hand and pulled back the drapes. They both gave a let out a relieved breath when they saw it was Inuyasha comfortably leaning against the tree on one of the thick branches with a smug look on his face.
"Going to let me in?" he asked impatiently. Kagome unlocked the latches and pushed open the window. Inuyasha effortlessly leaped inside and landed smoothly on the soft white carpet.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome started feeling quite relieved that he was still here. Then her mood changed.
"What do you think you were doing scaring me like that? I thought you had left!" she yelled at him. Inuyasha jumped back at her shout, but for a moment or two he didn't know what to say.
"Why would I leave?" he asked her, truly confused.
"I-I thought you were…" she stammered her cheeks heating up. "So…you're not mad at me?"
"No." was all he answered. "You weren't worried were you?" he teased her with a mocked grin. Kagome was about to explode on him and a vein popped on her forehead.
"Of course I was worried, STUPID!" she shouted at Inuyasha, who tried not to cringe in fear. Kagome stomped out of the room muttering incoherently to herself. Something about Inuyasha being so dense…
Inuyasha remained standing stunned. Well, that wasn't QUITE the answer he was expecting; he thought she'd deny it.
"She WAS really worried," Sango told him before also leaving the room. Worried…about him. A little tickling feeling rose inside Inuyasha, and he grinned, thinking over and over again, SHE had been worried about HIM.
Back downstairs, Kagome plopped herself into a nearby couch trying her best to stop fuming. What kind of question was that anyway? Miroku watched her curiously. He had heard her shout at Inuyasha. Maybe he'd have a talk with Inuyasha later…
Mrs. Higurashi entered the room to see her daughter grumbling on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her body and her arms pressed angrily against her chest.
"I take it Inuyasha's back?" She asked. Kagome looked up, slapped a smile on her face and nodded. Sango wandered into the room as well and Mrs. Higurashi acknowledge her.
"Did you find clothes to fit you, Sango?" she asked. Sango nodded in response.
"Yes. Thank you…" Sango started.
"You can just call me Kagome's mom if you'd like," Mrs. Higurashi prompted with a warm smile.
"Dinner will be ready soon," Kagome's mom informed them all and returned to the kitchen. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall and peeking in, contemplating on whether he it'd be okay for him to go in.
"Inuyasha! You're here!" called a voice, and Sota came running towards him. Inuyasha fell over anime-style, but then jumped up in a flash.
"Don't scare me like that!" Inuyasha growled at him, while trying to keep his voice down. Sota stopped in his tracks, a quite startled by Inuyasha's response.
"Inuyasha, come on out, we know your there," sighed Kagome who had gotten up and started heading to the room where Inuyasha was. Damn, so much for that…He stepped out and tried to act all nonchalant.
"I, uh, heard your mom say something about dinner being ready. So where's the food already? I'm starving!" he asked, his usual ignorant personality quickly returning.
"Inuyasha is that you? It's in here!" called Kagome's mom from the kitchen. They made their way to the kitchen and Kagome's mom had placed several chairs around the table, eight chairs in all. Several chopsticks were neatly set at each place as well as glasses of water and plates already filled with delicious food.
"Hm? Mom, where'd you get all the extra chairs?" Kagome asked curiously as she took her usual spot.
"I found them in the storage room. Go ahead and sit down," her mom told everyone. Grandpa, Sota and her mom took their regular places too. Sango made sure she sat across from Miroku, and Inuyasha thought about sitting next to Kagome, but as he made way towards that seat, Kagome's mother said something.
"Shippo, the one next to Kagome is yours," Mrs. Higurashi told him. "I put extra cushions on it for you. Shippo jumped up into the chair happily. Inuyasha ended up sitting next to Sota, who was more than happy to have his favorite hero there. They all picked up their chopsticks, and began eating all the wonderful food that had been prepared. There was fish, Miso soup, rice and pickled vegetables. Normally Inuyasha would be wolfing down his food, but for some reason he felt this wouldn't have been right. So he tried out his rusted etiquette and actually ate reasonably polite.
"So how's the food everyone?" Mrs. Higurashi asked around. Their answers were pretty much the same: it was great.
"So, how far are you in completing the jewel, Inuyasha?" She asked, attempting to make conversation and fill in the silence. Surprisingly he was actually decent for once.
"One or two more shards and I'll have myself a full jewel," Inuyasha replied after swallowing his food.
"That's good," Mrs. Higurashi responded, dismissing the way he answered, and continued eating herself.
"So, do you and Inuyasha have anything planned for Christmas Eve?" she asked her daughter. Kagome nearly choked on her fish and with a red face forced it down her throat.
"N-no," she stammered, trying not to look at Inuyasha. This was one of those I-would-give-anything-not-to-be-here kind of moments, and Kagome tried to sink lower in her chair. Luckily she was nearly done with her dinner and stacked her dishes.
"May I be excused?" Kagome asked her mom, her face still red and praying that she'd let her go.
"Don't you want to stay here, you have guests," her mom pointed out. Apparently not lucky enough…Her mom had no clue what Kagome was thinking or feeling. Kagome's mind raced for an excuse, but couldn't think of one that would work. Her face still burning with embarrassment, Kagome sat for an entire fifteen minutes for everyone else to get done. Those were perhaps the longest minutes of her life, and several times she felt Inuyasha's eyes watching her.
When everyone was done, she jumped up and rinsed her dishes rather hurriedly before racing up the stairs into her room. She knew it was rude, but thought she'd die if she stayed down there any longer.
Burying her face in her pillow she blew into it hard, trying to get quell the nervous feeling. Ugh, moms…always pick the worst times to embarrass you. There was a soft knock on her door and Kagome gave a startled gasp. She sat up, thinking it was her mom to see what she was up to.
"Come in," she sighed, the heat finally draining from her cheeks. The door was pushed open to reveal a confused looking Inuyasha. Perfect timing…the blush started to rise again in her soft cheeks and Kagome looked down at her carpet.
"Oi! Kagome, what was that all about?" he asked. Although, seeing her blush like that made her look really cute…
"What's Christmas Eve?" he tried again. Sota came running in right at that moment and saw his sister blushing furiously.
"I, uh gotta go take a shower!" Kagome said, grabbing a pair of clean clothes and heading to the bathroom. Well, she had to use some excuse, even if it was lame. Sota and Inuyasha watched Kagome dash out of the room. Soon enough they heard the splashing of water, and Inuyasha could smell both Kagome and the water from where he was.
"Inuyasha, let's play some soccer!" Sota suggested eagerly, but Inuyasha was a little distracted. He really wanted to find Kagome, but since she took some clothes with her, he decided that probably wouldn't have been a good idea.
"Sure, kid," he answered automatically, not taking his eyes off of the entrance from which Kagome had exited in a hurry.
"Oi Sota, what's Christmas Eve?" Inuyasha asked the little boy, hoping that he'd actually get an answer this time as to why Kagome had acted strangely during the meal.
"Oh. Christmas Eve…girls do stuff with their boyfriends," he told Inuyasha. Inuyasha turned to look at Sota.
"What's a boyfriend?" Inuyasha asked curiously. The word didn't sound that special.
"Don't ask me. All I know is they go out and stuff," Sota explained, sounding somewhat bored by the subject and only to have a really confused hanyou. This didn't make any sense to him. Maybe a 'boyfriend' was like some kind of mate. But she wasn't his woman, at least not yet…
"What did Kagome's mom mean when she asked her if we had anything planned?" Inuyasha questioned. If they did, he sure didn't know about it.
"Don't you get it? Kagome's practically in LOVE with you," Sota answered simply. In love? Kagome? With him? He knew she cared for him, but in love? He also knew that he cared for her…very much.
"So, kid. Enlighten me, what am I s'post to do?" he asked, crossing his arms and coolly leaning up against the wall.
"Do you like Kagome?" Sota asked, looking somewhat curious. Inuyasha, caught off guard, felt the blush race across his cheeks.
"So what if I do? Just tell me what to do," he growled, feebly trying to cover his embarrassment.
"Just get her stuff and take her somewhere nice," Sota told him simply.
"What should I get her?" Inuyasha asked. He didn't have much, besides Tetsusaiga. And he didn't have any money, so what could he get her?
"Kagome likes jewelry, I don't know. Girls stuff," Sota replied. "You could ask mom, she might have some ideas."
"Hey, thanks kid," Inuyasha said before exiting Kagome's room and heading downstairs to find her mom. Sota followed him downstairs, 'cause there wasn't much to do in Kagome's room.
************
Kagome ran the bath water and slipped in. She didn't need one, but it was her excuse and now that the tub was full a bath actually sounded like a good idea. Besides, it would also give her some time to think. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and luckily a Sunday as well, so that meant she had school off. Even though it wasn't exactly a holiday, it was becoming somewhat important to her. This would be the perfect time to tell Inuyasha how she really felt. Kagome closed her eyes and sunk into the steamy bath, calming her jittery nerves. A certain fantasy filled her head that started with her and a certain hanyou and ended with a heart-melting kiss…
*************
Inuyasha found Sango and Miroku in one of the main rooms sitting on opposite ends of a couch, and Shippo was watching a metal box that had miniature people moving in it. Sota sat down next to Shippo to watch. He remembered Kagome talking about it…something called a T.V. Mrs. Higurashi was washing the dishes, in the kitchen sink and looked up to see Inuyasha entering the room.
"Oh, hello Inuyasha. Is there something you need?" she asked kindly. Inuyasha nodded.
"Yeah, I need some help with this Christmas Eve stuff," he said, trying to act like it was no big deal. Mrs. Higurashi couldn't help but smile and dried her hands on a nearby yellow hand-towel.
"I could take you to the mall tomorrow and I'm sure we'll find something there," Mrs. Higurashi offered.
"Thanks," Inuyasha said after a brief pause. Well, at least it was a start. Inuyasha joined the others in the room with the T.V. and leaned up against the wall, waiting for Kagome to come back from the method of washing called a 'shower'.
Meanwhile in the tub, Kagome roused herself from her doze. Since she didn't actually need to wash, she didn't bother with it. Kagome stood up and let the water drip off her body, before pulling the plug and stepping out of the bathtub. She wrapped a towel around her body and making sure no one was in her bedroom and shut the door. She plugged in the blow drier and heated her damp hair. She dressed herself in a simple, light blue skirt that came about halfway down her thighs, and a dark blue sweater that had three small, white snowflakes printed across the chest. Kagome grabbed her wooden brush and began to gently stroke her hair in front of the mirror.
Sota came knocked on her bedroom door and Kagome paused.
"It's me, Sota. Mom wanted me to check on you," he said from the other side. Kagome breathed a little. It wasn't Inuyasha after all.
"Come on in," she called to her little brother and stood up. Sota looked her up and down.
"Trying to impress Inuyasha?" he asked with a small grin. Kagome felt her cheeks heating up and fidgeted with a crease in skirt. To save face she put on a scowl that told him he wouldn't be there for much longer.
"I'm gonna get you Sota!" she yelled at him, leaping up and chased after her brother as he dashed out of the room. He was lucky, it wasn't easy running in a skirt like the one she had on and ceased the chase at the top of the stairs. She watched him fly down the stairs and she took a deep breath before heading downstairs herself.
She found Inuyasha up against the wall and Sango pressing herself as far away from Miroku as she could. Shippo was sitting against the bottom of the couch. Her mom had just finished with the dishes and Sota was peeking out from behind her. Hm. She'd let him go this time.
"Hi, Kagome. Do you want to help your friends get set up for bed? I also rented some movies so you guys would have something to keep you busy," Mrs. Higurashi said to Kagome handing her four videos.
"Okay, thanks mom, you're the best," Kagome replied and hugged her mom.
"All right then, I'll get blankets and the sleeping bags from the closet," her mom said cheerfully and went off to do just that. Kagome went through the tapes and ticked off the titles. When they had finally chosen one, Kagome slipped it into the video player and let it play.
"How can this metal box have people in it?" Miroku asked in wonder. Kagome sighed, but proceeded to explain it.
"There aren't really people in it, Miroku. Just trust me on this one," Kagome said, and he did. By that time Kagome's mom had come back with several sleeping bags and three blankets.
"Kagome, could you help me for a minute," Kagome's mom asked her behind an armful of sleeping stuff. Kagome jumped up and took the sleeping bags and dropped them on the floor.
"I'll go make you guys some popcorn," Mrs. Higurashi said and walked into the kitchen. Miroku stood up and Sango breathed a little, only to see Miroku holding up one of the blankets with sly grin.
"I won't need a sleeping bag. Lady Sango, would you care to share a blanket with me?" he asked acting completely innocent. That earned him an exasperated slap from Sango and several large bumps on his head from Kagome knocking him upside the head. The monk ended up swirly-eyed, tipped sideways on the carpet.
"Don't you even THINK about trying something like that here," Kagome warned the perverted monk with a glare. Sango unrolled a yellow sleeping bag, and shot a dirty look at Miroku who was recovering from his minor punishments. Kagome began to unroll her own red sleeping bag but then noticed Inuyasha was still leaning against the wall.
"Aren't you going to use one?" she asked him.
"Feh. No thanks. I don't sleep in those things. I'll use the couch," he said in his usual tough-guy attitude.
"Suit yourself," Kagome muttered under her breath as she straightened out her squashy sleeping bag.
"Kagome, can I sleep with you?" Shippo asked eagerly.
"Sure Shippo," Kagome agreed kindly. Miroku wished he was Shippo at the moment; he bet Sango would let him sleep with her if he was. He sighed and grabbed the purple sleeping back and began to unpack it too. He considered setting it next to Sango, but knew he'd never get that close to her anyway. He needed a different tactic.
Everyone perked up when they smelled a buttery and salty scent. Kagome's mom came in with a large plastic bowl filled with popcorn.
"Good, you guys are getting ready for bed. Would you like anything to drink?" she asked around as she handed Kagome the bowl.
"Coke please," Kagome asked.
"I'll have a glass of water," Sango asked politely.
"Make that two," Miroku added with a grin and Sango rolled her eyes.
"Anyone else? Popcorn can make you really thirsty. How about you Shippo? Inuyasha?" Mrs. Higurashi asked just to make sure.
"I don't need anything," Inuyasha said coolly, but Kagome smiled, knowing he'd change his mind later.
"Can I please have some water?" Shippo asked Kagome's mom. She nodded with a smile.
"So that's one coke, and three waters," Mrs. Higurashi said, double-checking. Everyone nodded and she went away again to get their drinks. Inuyasha finally removed himself from the wall to try this strange food called 'popcorn'.
"So, Kagome, what's popcorn?" he asked peering into the bowl.
"Well, it's pretty much heated corn cornels. And usually you add salt and butter to it, which makes it taste really good," she explained and grabbed a small handful herself. Mrs. Higurashi returned with the drinks and distributed them out before flicking off the lights. Everyone, more or less liked the popcorn and after only three handfuls, Inuyasha ended up asking for water after all. He was really reluctant though, and stood against his thirst for as long as possible until Kagome got really exasperated.
"I don't NEED any water, okay?" Inuyasha protested once again.
"Stop being so stubborn Inuyasha! I'm getting some for you anyway!" Kagome said and muttering angrily, stormed off into the kitchen. He could be so stubborn, that Kagome wanted to shake him. Clinking in the cupboard, she got a tall glass down and filled it with cool, clear water. Then she went back to the living room, glass in hand and marched up to where Inuyasha was sitting back on the couch.
"Here," she said, shoving the glass towards the hanyou. Inuyasha looked up, surprised at Kagome's determined face and slowly took the glass from her. Their hands brushed and if Kagome hadn't been trying to cool down, she would've blushed. Kagome turned around to sit back down on the floor, but Inuyasha stopped her.
"Uh, thanks Kagome," he said, looking at down at the glass of water. Did she just hear right? Inuyasha was thanking her? Well, there's a first for everything…Kagome smiled in response and took her spot on her slippery sleeping bag. Lying down, and popping herself up with one arm she watched the movie in silence.
Except for the occasional rustling, not much happened. Shippo fell asleep way before the movie was over, and Kagome herself felt somewhat sleepy by the time the movie was finished. She looked at a nearby digital clock on a side table, and it read 9: 37 p.m. Kagome shifted, and Shippo, who had been resting in her arms, stirred.
"Is it over already? I want to watch another one!' he said, sleepily. Kagome smiled at the little kit and shook her head.
"No, maybe in the morning Shippo. Right now it's time for us to go to bed," she said and right on cue she let out a tired yawn. Kagome searched for the remote and clicked off the T.V. Everyone was more or less ready to go to bed too. Even Inuyasha felt the nagging want of sleep. Not caring that she hadn't changed from her clothes, Kagome snuggled in her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.
"Goodnight everyone," she said softly, giving another yawn and everyone gave a messy response. Inuyasha, who could sense no danger, began drifting off into sleep, but never completely zoned out because he was used to staying up and watching over everyone. But even he finally gave into sleep and for once in a long time actually got a decent rest.
No conversation this time, I'm out of creative juices…
A/N: Okie, dokie! Now, I really don't know if Kagome even likes soda, so you can sue me or whatever. Also if anything's wrong in this story, with Japanese culture and stuff, sue me for that too, I don't really care. Oh and one more thing, I couldn't tell if Inuyasha's rosary bead around his neck were black or dark purple so I just put black. Also, I'm really out of it, and I don't remember if Inuyasha says 'wench' and 'feh' just in the Manga, but I thought it added nicely to his personality. That's all for now! Please review! Flames are welcome as long as they're constructive.
A/N: Whew! I'm done! I've had this written for quite some time, I just needed to edit it a lot, lol. So that's why it seems like I've updated it a lot. This isn't one of my best stories, so sorry if it STILL has some mistakes in it. The Japanese people don't celebrate Christmas like we do, but it actually works out quite nicely for my story. Also I'll be adding posting an alternate ending. Oh and I couldn't figure out how to make the words Italic, so I just put them in capital letters. Enjoy! Rated PG-13 for some cursing and an ending scene ^_^ Oh yeah. I DON'T own Inuyasha…
Miroku: *flips through the script* You mean I only get to grope twice? So many pretty girls out there…@_@
Kaykoha: Miroku.
Miroku: Yes?
Kaykoha: Shut-up. Ahem, onto the story!
Chapter 1
"Kagomeeeeeeee!!!" cried Shippo in a terrified voice. Kagome had just climbed out of the well, and looked up to see what was the matter as a brown fur-ball shot past her. The fresh forest air settled lightly around her, and the sky was crystal-clear blue like always…well unless a demon was about to attack. The dense, bright green forest surrounded the well and late afternoon sun shone brightly through the full leafy branches of the tall trees.
"Get back here Shippo!" growled Inuyasha who was quickly gaining on the little kitsune. Shippo flew into Kagome's arms trembling. Fists clenched, Inuyasha marched towards him angrily. Kagome opened her mouth and Inuyasha stopped, his eyes wide, knowing what was coming next.
"No wait Kagome! I-" he started pleaded, frantically backing away as fast as he could.
"Oswari! Oswari! Oswari!" she commanded to the hanyou. The black and white rosary beads around his neck glowed and Inuyasha slammed into the ground, leaving a three-foot dent in the earth. He cursed angrily, impatiently waiting for the stupid spell to wear off.
Sango and Miroku heard the normal 'sit' greetings, and knew that Kagome had come back. Sango was dressed in her normal red and white shirt, and long green skirt. Kirara was sitting in her arms and Sango was currently scratching Kirara on the head while the little kitten was purring contently. Miroku was standing beside her in front of Kaede's hut, his staff in hand. There had been no rumors of any jewel shards so there wasn't much to do except wait.
"Those two can't seem to get along for one minute. I wonder what Inuyasha did this-" Sango froze and her words were abruptly cut off as she felt the all-too-familiar hand squeezing her behind.
The next thing Miroku knew, he had acquired his third slap mark…today. That didn't wipe the sly grin off his face though. It was worth it.
"Hentai," Sango muttered distastefully under her breath, her cheeks heating up.
"Shall we see what they're up to, Lady Sango?" he asked offering her a hand. Sango shot him a cold look.
"Kirara, make sure he doesn't try anything," she told the kitten and walked off making sure he was at least five feet behind her before turning her head. Kirara watched Miroku with red-orange eyes as he left. Grinning, he followed Sango to the source of the shouts.
They came to the clearing near the well and could see Kagome telling Inuyasha off and him trying to curse at her. Inuyasha finally pried himself off the ground.
"What was that for wench?" he snapped at her, only to earn himself another sit. Damn those rosary beads…
"Well, stop picking on Shippo, Inuyasha," she reprimanded him. Kagome turned to Shippo.
"You know how bad Inuyasha's temper is, so you should be more careful," she warned. Inuyasha had gotten up off the ground once again, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and grass and started growling at the both of them. Kagome just ignored him. She was about to ask Shippo why he was being chased in the first place, when she noticed Miroku and Sango.
"Oh, hi guys," she greeted cheerfully. "I just came back to ask you if you wanted to spend the holidays in my time for a few days." Inuyasha instantly objected.
"What! We are not going to your stupid era when there are jewel shards out there. There can't be more than two left! I can practically smell them!" he protested.
"I'm sure you can. Come on, Inuyasha. We have almost the entire jewel, and we all need a break once in a while. Besides there haven't been any rumors about jewel shards right?" she asked them.
"Nothing yet, Kagome," Miroku confirmed. "Shall I tell Kaede where we'll be?"
"Sure, thanks Miroku," Kagome said and Miroku left. Inuyasha was still brooding on about how some dumb holiday was more important than the precious jewel shards.
"Inuyasha it'll only be for a few days," Kagome told him.
"How long?" he asked with a grumble.
"One week."
"What!??? No way! One day," He said and defiantly crossed his arms while turning his back to her.
"Three days. We'll come back the day after tomorrow." Kagome told him. She winced inside about missing more school, but it was a fair compromise.
"Feh," he said not turning around to acknowledge her. Kagome took that as an "okay", and grinned happily.
"Three days is a long time," he grumbled. Kagome opened her mouth to 'sit' him but thought of something better. She marched up behind him and pushed him towards the well until he was standing next to the chipped wooden frame.
"What-" Inuyasha started, but Kagome interrupted him.
"Oswari," she said quietly. The rosary beads glowed and Inuyasha tipped over, plunging head -first into the well.
"Damn you Kagomeeeeeeee!!!!!!!" he yelled at her as he fell; bracing himself for the promised contact of the hard, dirty well ground. Kagome quickly grabbed Sango and Miroku's hand and Shippo grabbed her waist. She leaped down and they found themselves floating in the mystical blue and purple space.
It was only a few seconds before she reappeared on the bottom of the dark well in her time, and found Inuyasha still face down, struggling against the spell. Sango and Miroku were looking around curiously.
"Kagome is that you?" called a voice and Sota's face appeared, looking down into the well.
"Sota! Can you bring the ladder down for us?" Kagome called up to her brother.
"Sure thing, Kagome!" he said and a long wooden ladder thumped against the bottom of the well.
"Follow me," Kagome told Miroku and Sango, and practically flew up the ladder, Shippo still clinging to her waist. Sango made sure Miroku went first, so he wouldn't try anything and followed him out of the well.
"Inuyasha are you-" Kagome started as soon as she had pulled herself over the side, but then a whir of red answered her question. Inuyasha leaped out of the well and landed coolly behind Kagome.
"Well? Are we going or not?" he asked impatiently. It might've been a trick of the eye, but Kagome thought she glimpsed a slightly hurt look on his face. None of the others noticed this, and Inuyasha exited the wooden Shrine rather quickly. Kagome ran out after him to ask what was the matter.
"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" she asked, genuinely concerned. He turned around not breaking the usual scowl on his face that masked his real feelings.
"What was that for, wench?" he snapped at her. Kagome blinked several times in confusion.
"What was what for?" she asked.
"You 'sat' me when I didn't do anything!" he shouted back at her. Oh. That's what. He was right; that little comment wasn't really worth a 'sit'. A small pang of guilt settled in her stomach, and Kagome attempted to apologize.
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. You're right, that wasn't fair," she said gently. Inuyasha could hear the sincerity in her voice and his expression softened as well as his emotions.
"Yeah, okay, let's just go," he said dismissing the subject and headed towards Kagome's house. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo appeared at the entrance of the Shrine and were now heading down towards where Kagome was standing.
"What's wrong Kagome?" asked Shippo who found his favorite spot, in her arms.
"Mm? Oh I'm fine," she said, slapping on a bright smile and walking towards her house. They reached her house and Kagome pulled open the door. Kagome let Shippo down and he zipped around the house, eager to explore where Kagome lived. Kagome however, looked around for any signs of Inuyasha, and her face fell when she didn't see him anywhere in sight.
Meanwhile Sango and Miroku were standing at the entrance to Kagome's house.
"After you, Lady Sango," Miroku said, opening the door for her and gesturing with his arm like a greeter, a cheerful smile plastered on his face. To anyone else this might've looked like a sign of politeness. To Sango…
"You don't trust me? Lady Sango, I'm hurt," he said with a fake hurt look on his face.
"Fine, but don't try anything," Sango said as she dashed through the door. Miroku followed her in. What he would give for her to have slowly walked through the door. ^_^
Kagome came out into the room with a slightly worried look on her face. Her mother came out behind her not wanting to wait to meet Kagome's friends.
"Oh, you must be Miroku and Sango," she said kindly. Sango opened her mouth to return the greetings but Miroku was in front of Mrs. Higurashi at light speed. He grabbed her hands, but a death glare from Kagome changed his greeting. The nerve of that hentai!
"Y-you have a very lovely mother," the monk stammered and quickly backed away with a guilty grin on his face.
"Why thank you Miroku," Mrs. Higurashi replied kindly. Then she turned to Kagome.
"Why don't you show them where everything is, Kagome. Then you can have Sango pick out some of your clothes to wear, since she'll be staying here for a while. Tomorrow we'll go to the mall and buy some clothes for Miroku and Inuyasha. By the way where is he?" Kagome's mom asked. "I didn't see him come in." Kagome remained silent, feeling awful. Maybe Inuyasha ran off because she hurt his feelings.
"I'm sure Inuyasha will turn up soon," reassured Sango. Kagome nodded, hoping she was right.
"Okay, come on," Kagome said with a soft sigh, and led Sango and Miroku around the house, showing them the rooms in her house. She had to explain to them what a bathroom was.
"Okay, this is where you…um…you do your stuff, and this is where you can take a shower," she said pointing to the places in the bathroom. "This is called a toilet, flush it down…and for the shower turn it this one for hot and this one for cold and water will come from here," she said pointing to the showerhead. "If you want to take a bath just push in the plug and run the water. You can also the shampoo, and soap, but close your eyes, cause shampoo hurts if it gets in your eyes," she told them, demonstrating what she was talking about.
"Understand?" she asked. They both nodded. Good, she wouldn't have to explain it further. "Oh and this door locks, Miroku," Kagome added, just to be safe. As she had guessed, his face fell. Darn, and there were no bushes to hide himself this time.
"Okay. Sango and I are going to pick out some clothes, so you can just head downstairs, right Miroku?" Kagome told rather than asked him. Miroku consented and went downstairs back.
"Oh, hi Miroku. Can I get you anything?" Mrs. Higurashi asked politely as she saw him descending the stairs. Miroku shook his head and took a seat on the couch, leaning his staff against his shoulder. Shippo had finally come back from exploring the house, and hopped up beside Miroku.
"Hey! Where did Kagome go?" he asked looking around the room to find she was nowhere in sight.
"The girls are in Kagome's room getting new clothes," Miroku explained to him. Getting new clothes meant changing…which meant…surely it wouldn't hurt to have a peek…a sly grin crept over Miroku's face, but Shippo saw that and could practically see his perverted mind working.
"Kagome and Sango will be really mad at you if you spy on them!" the little kitsune warned him. Darn, looks like his fun was spoiled once again.
Up in Kagome's room, she had laid out several clothes that she thought might fit Sango. Sure Sango was a little taller than her, but some of the clothes might fit. They finally decided on two sweaters, one red and the other with snowflake designs, three simple, one-colored t-shirts, a pink and blue skirt and a pairs of soft pants. That would do for now. Kagome also gave Sango under-garments, and made sure she knew how to put them on. Luckily all the clothes fit her, and Kagome stacked them in a pile on her bed.
"Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes," Sango said gratefully. "What should I do when I'm not wearing the ones I have on?"
"No problem. Don't worry I'll take care of that," Kagome answered lying on her bed with her head on her big, soft pink pillow. Sango watched Kagome and could tell that something was bugging her.
"Are you worried about Inuyasha?" the young youkai-exterminator asked. Kagome looked surprised at her question but then nodded worriedly.
"I'm sure Inuyasha's fine, Kagome," Sango told her, sitting down on the bed next to her.
"I think…that Inuyasha's mad at me," Kagome confessed, staring with a frown at the white ceiling. She gave a soft, discontented sigh. They heard an odd rustling outside Kagome's window. Kagome sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She and Sango made their way over to the window a little nervously. Kagome reached out a slightly shaking hand and pulled back the drapes. They both gave a let out a relieved breath when they saw it was Inuyasha comfortably leaning against the tree on one of the thick branches with a smug look on his face.
"Going to let me in?" he asked impatiently. Kagome unlocked the latches and pushed open the window. Inuyasha effortlessly leaped inside and landed smoothly on the soft white carpet.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome started feeling quite relieved that he was still here. Then her mood changed.
"What do you think you were doing scaring me like that? I thought you had left!" she yelled at him. Inuyasha jumped back at her shout, but for a moment or two he didn't know what to say.
"Why would I leave?" he asked her, truly confused.
"I-I thought you were…" she stammered her cheeks heating up. "So…you're not mad at me?"
"No." was all he answered. "You weren't worried were you?" he teased her with a mocked grin. Kagome was about to explode on him and a vein popped on her forehead.
"Of course I was worried, STUPID!" she shouted at Inuyasha, who tried not to cringe in fear. Kagome stomped out of the room muttering incoherently to herself. Something about Inuyasha being so dense…
Inuyasha remained standing stunned. Well, that wasn't QUITE the answer he was expecting; he thought she'd deny it.
"She WAS really worried," Sango told him before also leaving the room. Worried…about him. A little tickling feeling rose inside Inuyasha, and he grinned, thinking over and over again, SHE had been worried about HIM.
Back downstairs, Kagome plopped herself into a nearby couch trying her best to stop fuming. What kind of question was that anyway? Miroku watched her curiously. He had heard her shout at Inuyasha. Maybe he'd have a talk with Inuyasha later…
Mrs. Higurashi entered the room to see her daughter grumbling on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her body and her arms pressed angrily against her chest.
"I take it Inuyasha's back?" She asked. Kagome looked up, slapped a smile on her face and nodded. Sango wandered into the room as well and Mrs. Higurashi acknowledge her.
"Did you find clothes to fit you, Sango?" she asked. Sango nodded in response.
"Yes. Thank you…" Sango started.
"You can just call me Kagome's mom if you'd like," Mrs. Higurashi prompted with a warm smile.
"Dinner will be ready soon," Kagome's mom informed them all and returned to the kitchen. Inuyasha was leaning against the wall and peeking in, contemplating on whether he it'd be okay for him to go in.
"Inuyasha! You're here!" called a voice, and Sota came running towards him. Inuyasha fell over anime-style, but then jumped up in a flash.
"Don't scare me like that!" Inuyasha growled at him, while trying to keep his voice down. Sota stopped in his tracks, a quite startled by Inuyasha's response.
"Inuyasha, come on out, we know your there," sighed Kagome who had gotten up and started heading to the room where Inuyasha was. Damn, so much for that…He stepped out and tried to act all nonchalant.
"I, uh, heard your mom say something about dinner being ready. So where's the food already? I'm starving!" he asked, his usual ignorant personality quickly returning.
"Inuyasha is that you? It's in here!" called Kagome's mom from the kitchen. They made their way to the kitchen and Kagome's mom had placed several chairs around the table, eight chairs in all. Several chopsticks were neatly set at each place as well as glasses of water and plates already filled with delicious food.
"Hm? Mom, where'd you get all the extra chairs?" Kagome asked curiously as she took her usual spot.
"I found them in the storage room. Go ahead and sit down," her mom told everyone. Grandpa, Sota and her mom took their regular places too. Sango made sure she sat across from Miroku, and Inuyasha thought about sitting next to Kagome, but as he made way towards that seat, Kagome's mother said something.
"Shippo, the one next to Kagome is yours," Mrs. Higurashi told him. "I put extra cushions on it for you. Shippo jumped up into the chair happily. Inuyasha ended up sitting next to Sota, who was more than happy to have his favorite hero there. They all picked up their chopsticks, and began eating all the wonderful food that had been prepared. There was fish, Miso soup, rice and pickled vegetables. Normally Inuyasha would be wolfing down his food, but for some reason he felt this wouldn't have been right. So he tried out his rusted etiquette and actually ate reasonably polite.
"So how's the food everyone?" Mrs. Higurashi asked around. Their answers were pretty much the same: it was great.
"So, how far are you in completing the jewel, Inuyasha?" She asked, attempting to make conversation and fill in the silence. Surprisingly he was actually decent for once.
"One or two more shards and I'll have myself a full jewel," Inuyasha replied after swallowing his food.
"That's good," Mrs. Higurashi responded, dismissing the way he answered, and continued eating herself.
"So, do you and Inuyasha have anything planned for Christmas Eve?" she asked her daughter. Kagome nearly choked on her fish and with a red face forced it down her throat.
"N-no," she stammered, trying not to look at Inuyasha. This was one of those I-would-give-anything-not-to-be-here kind of moments, and Kagome tried to sink lower in her chair. Luckily she was nearly done with her dinner and stacked her dishes.
"May I be excused?" Kagome asked her mom, her face still red and praying that she'd let her go.
"Don't you want to stay here, you have guests," her mom pointed out. Apparently not lucky enough…Her mom had no clue what Kagome was thinking or feeling. Kagome's mind raced for an excuse, but couldn't think of one that would work. Her face still burning with embarrassment, Kagome sat for an entire fifteen minutes for everyone else to get done. Those were perhaps the longest minutes of her life, and several times she felt Inuyasha's eyes watching her.
When everyone was done, she jumped up and rinsed her dishes rather hurriedly before racing up the stairs into her room. She knew it was rude, but thought she'd die if she stayed down there any longer.
Burying her face in her pillow she blew into it hard, trying to get quell the nervous feeling. Ugh, moms…always pick the worst times to embarrass you. There was a soft knock on her door and Kagome gave a startled gasp. She sat up, thinking it was her mom to see what she was up to.
"Come in," she sighed, the heat finally draining from her cheeks. The door was pushed open to reveal a confused looking Inuyasha. Perfect timing…the blush started to rise again in her soft cheeks and Kagome looked down at her carpet.
"Oi! Kagome, what was that all about?" he asked. Although, seeing her blush like that made her look really cute…
"What's Christmas Eve?" he tried again. Sota came running in right at that moment and saw his sister blushing furiously.
"I, uh gotta go take a shower!" Kagome said, grabbing a pair of clean clothes and heading to the bathroom. Well, she had to use some excuse, even if it was lame. Sota and Inuyasha watched Kagome dash out of the room. Soon enough they heard the splashing of water, and Inuyasha could smell both Kagome and the water from where he was.
"Inuyasha, let's play some soccer!" Sota suggested eagerly, but Inuyasha was a little distracted. He really wanted to find Kagome, but since she took some clothes with her, he decided that probably wouldn't have been a good idea.
"Sure, kid," he answered automatically, not taking his eyes off of the entrance from which Kagome had exited in a hurry.
"Oi Sota, what's Christmas Eve?" Inuyasha asked the little boy, hoping that he'd actually get an answer this time as to why Kagome had acted strangely during the meal.
"Oh. Christmas Eve…girls do stuff with their boyfriends," he told Inuyasha. Inuyasha turned to look at Sota.
"What's a boyfriend?" Inuyasha asked curiously. The word didn't sound that special.
"Don't ask me. All I know is they go out and stuff," Sota explained, sounding somewhat bored by the subject and only to have a really confused hanyou. This didn't make any sense to him. Maybe a 'boyfriend' was like some kind of mate. But she wasn't his woman, at least not yet…
"What did Kagome's mom mean when she asked her if we had anything planned?" Inuyasha questioned. If they did, he sure didn't know about it.
"Don't you get it? Kagome's practically in LOVE with you," Sota answered simply. In love? Kagome? With him? He knew she cared for him, but in love? He also knew that he cared for her…very much.
"So, kid. Enlighten me, what am I s'post to do?" he asked, crossing his arms and coolly leaning up against the wall.
"Do you like Kagome?" Sota asked, looking somewhat curious. Inuyasha, caught off guard, felt the blush race across his cheeks.
"So what if I do? Just tell me what to do," he growled, feebly trying to cover his embarrassment.
"Just get her stuff and take her somewhere nice," Sota told him simply.
"What should I get her?" Inuyasha asked. He didn't have much, besides Tetsusaiga. And he didn't have any money, so what could he get her?
"Kagome likes jewelry, I don't know. Girls stuff," Sota replied. "You could ask mom, she might have some ideas."
"Hey, thanks kid," Inuyasha said before exiting Kagome's room and heading downstairs to find her mom. Sota followed him downstairs, 'cause there wasn't much to do in Kagome's room.
************
Kagome ran the bath water and slipped in. She didn't need one, but it was her excuse and now that the tub was full a bath actually sounded like a good idea. Besides, it would also give her some time to think. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and luckily a Sunday as well, so that meant she had school off. Even though it wasn't exactly a holiday, it was becoming somewhat important to her. This would be the perfect time to tell Inuyasha how she really felt. Kagome closed her eyes and sunk into the steamy bath, calming her jittery nerves. A certain fantasy filled her head that started with her and a certain hanyou and ended with a heart-melting kiss…
*************
Inuyasha found Sango and Miroku in one of the main rooms sitting on opposite ends of a couch, and Shippo was watching a metal box that had miniature people moving in it. Sota sat down next to Shippo to watch. He remembered Kagome talking about it…something called a T.V. Mrs. Higurashi was washing the dishes, in the kitchen sink and looked up to see Inuyasha entering the room.
"Oh, hello Inuyasha. Is there something you need?" she asked kindly. Inuyasha nodded.
"Yeah, I need some help with this Christmas Eve stuff," he said, trying to act like it was no big deal. Mrs. Higurashi couldn't help but smile and dried her hands on a nearby yellow hand-towel.
"I could take you to the mall tomorrow and I'm sure we'll find something there," Mrs. Higurashi offered.
"Thanks," Inuyasha said after a brief pause. Well, at least it was a start. Inuyasha joined the others in the room with the T.V. and leaned up against the wall, waiting for Kagome to come back from the method of washing called a 'shower'.
Meanwhile in the tub, Kagome roused herself from her doze. Since she didn't actually need to wash, she didn't bother with it. Kagome stood up and let the water drip off her body, before pulling the plug and stepping out of the bathtub. She wrapped a towel around her body and making sure no one was in her bedroom and shut the door. She plugged in the blow drier and heated her damp hair. She dressed herself in a simple, light blue skirt that came about halfway down her thighs, and a dark blue sweater that had three small, white snowflakes printed across the chest. Kagome grabbed her wooden brush and began to gently stroke her hair in front of the mirror.
Sota came knocked on her bedroom door and Kagome paused.
"It's me, Sota. Mom wanted me to check on you," he said from the other side. Kagome breathed a little. It wasn't Inuyasha after all.
"Come on in," she called to her little brother and stood up. Sota looked her up and down.
"Trying to impress Inuyasha?" he asked with a small grin. Kagome felt her cheeks heating up and fidgeted with a crease in skirt. To save face she put on a scowl that told him he wouldn't be there for much longer.
"I'm gonna get you Sota!" she yelled at him, leaping up and chased after her brother as he dashed out of the room. He was lucky, it wasn't easy running in a skirt like the one she had on and ceased the chase at the top of the stairs. She watched him fly down the stairs and she took a deep breath before heading downstairs herself.
She found Inuyasha up against the wall and Sango pressing herself as far away from Miroku as she could. Shippo was sitting against the bottom of the couch. Her mom had just finished with the dishes and Sota was peeking out from behind her. Hm. She'd let him go this time.
"Hi, Kagome. Do you want to help your friends get set up for bed? I also rented some movies so you guys would have something to keep you busy," Mrs. Higurashi said to Kagome handing her four videos.
"Okay, thanks mom, you're the best," Kagome replied and hugged her mom.
"All right then, I'll get blankets and the sleeping bags from the closet," her mom said cheerfully and went off to do just that. Kagome went through the tapes and ticked off the titles. When they had finally chosen one, Kagome slipped it into the video player and let it play.
"How can this metal box have people in it?" Miroku asked in wonder. Kagome sighed, but proceeded to explain it.
"There aren't really people in it, Miroku. Just trust me on this one," Kagome said, and he did. By that time Kagome's mom had come back with several sleeping bags and three blankets.
"Kagome, could you help me for a minute," Kagome's mom asked her behind an armful of sleeping stuff. Kagome jumped up and took the sleeping bags and dropped them on the floor.
"I'll go make you guys some popcorn," Mrs. Higurashi said and walked into the kitchen. Miroku stood up and Sango breathed a little, only to see Miroku holding up one of the blankets with sly grin.
"I won't need a sleeping bag. Lady Sango, would you care to share a blanket with me?" he asked acting completely innocent. That earned him an exasperated slap from Sango and several large bumps on his head from Kagome knocking him upside the head. The monk ended up swirly-eyed, tipped sideways on the carpet.
"Don't you even THINK about trying something like that here," Kagome warned the perverted monk with a glare. Sango unrolled a yellow sleeping bag, and shot a dirty look at Miroku who was recovering from his minor punishments. Kagome began to unroll her own red sleeping bag but then noticed Inuyasha was still leaning against the wall.
"Aren't you going to use one?" she asked him.
"Feh. No thanks. I don't sleep in those things. I'll use the couch," he said in his usual tough-guy attitude.
"Suit yourself," Kagome muttered under her breath as she straightened out her squashy sleeping bag.
"Kagome, can I sleep with you?" Shippo asked eagerly.
"Sure Shippo," Kagome agreed kindly. Miroku wished he was Shippo at the moment; he bet Sango would let him sleep with her if he was. He sighed and grabbed the purple sleeping back and began to unpack it too. He considered setting it next to Sango, but knew he'd never get that close to her anyway. He needed a different tactic.
Everyone perked up when they smelled a buttery and salty scent. Kagome's mom came in with a large plastic bowl filled with popcorn.
"Good, you guys are getting ready for bed. Would you like anything to drink?" she asked around as she handed Kagome the bowl.
"Coke please," Kagome asked.
"I'll have a glass of water," Sango asked politely.
"Make that two," Miroku added with a grin and Sango rolled her eyes.
"Anyone else? Popcorn can make you really thirsty. How about you Shippo? Inuyasha?" Mrs. Higurashi asked just to make sure.
"I don't need anything," Inuyasha said coolly, but Kagome smiled, knowing he'd change his mind later.
"Can I please have some water?" Shippo asked Kagome's mom. She nodded with a smile.
"So that's one coke, and three waters," Mrs. Higurashi said, double-checking. Everyone nodded and she went away again to get their drinks. Inuyasha finally removed himself from the wall to try this strange food called 'popcorn'.
"So, Kagome, what's popcorn?" he asked peering into the bowl.
"Well, it's pretty much heated corn cornels. And usually you add salt and butter to it, which makes it taste really good," she explained and grabbed a small handful herself. Mrs. Higurashi returned with the drinks and distributed them out before flicking off the lights. Everyone, more or less liked the popcorn and after only three handfuls, Inuyasha ended up asking for water after all. He was really reluctant though, and stood against his thirst for as long as possible until Kagome got really exasperated.
"I don't NEED any water, okay?" Inuyasha protested once again.
"Stop being so stubborn Inuyasha! I'm getting some for you anyway!" Kagome said and muttering angrily, stormed off into the kitchen. He could be so stubborn, that Kagome wanted to shake him. Clinking in the cupboard, she got a tall glass down and filled it with cool, clear water. Then she went back to the living room, glass in hand and marched up to where Inuyasha was sitting back on the couch.
"Here," she said, shoving the glass towards the hanyou. Inuyasha looked up, surprised at Kagome's determined face and slowly took the glass from her. Their hands brushed and if Kagome hadn't been trying to cool down, she would've blushed. Kagome turned around to sit back down on the floor, but Inuyasha stopped her.
"Uh, thanks Kagome," he said, looking at down at the glass of water. Did she just hear right? Inuyasha was thanking her? Well, there's a first for everything…Kagome smiled in response and took her spot on her slippery sleeping bag. Lying down, and popping herself up with one arm she watched the movie in silence.
Except for the occasional rustling, not much happened. Shippo fell asleep way before the movie was over, and Kagome herself felt somewhat sleepy by the time the movie was finished. She looked at a nearby digital clock on a side table, and it read 9: 37 p.m. Kagome shifted, and Shippo, who had been resting in her arms, stirred.
"Is it over already? I want to watch another one!' he said, sleepily. Kagome smiled at the little kit and shook her head.
"No, maybe in the morning Shippo. Right now it's time for us to go to bed," she said and right on cue she let out a tired yawn. Kagome searched for the remote and clicked off the T.V. Everyone was more or less ready to go to bed too. Even Inuyasha felt the nagging want of sleep. Not caring that she hadn't changed from her clothes, Kagome snuggled in her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.
"Goodnight everyone," she said softly, giving another yawn and everyone gave a messy response. Inuyasha, who could sense no danger, began drifting off into sleep, but never completely zoned out because he was used to staying up and watching over everyone. But even he finally gave into sleep and for once in a long time actually got a decent rest.
No conversation this time, I'm out of creative juices…
A/N: Okie, dokie! Now, I really don't know if Kagome even likes soda, so you can sue me or whatever. Also if anything's wrong in this story, with Japanese culture and stuff, sue me for that too, I don't really care. Oh and one more thing, I couldn't tell if Inuyasha's rosary bead around his neck were black or dark purple so I just put black. Also, I'm really out of it, and I don't remember if Inuyasha says 'wench' and 'feh' just in the Manga, but I thought it added nicely to his personality. That's all for now! Please review! Flames are welcome as long as they're constructive.