B.R.E.A.K.
Everblades
Inu Yasha rubbed a hand through his hair and fiddled with his prayer beads. "I don't like this," he muttered. "Why do we have to do this?"
Kagome sighed. "Look. For the hundredth time...I haven't seen Hitomi and the others in a while...and we thought that Christmas would be the best time to get the entire gang together."
Inu Yasha held up the box in his hands. "But why do we have to lug this thing around?"
"We're exchanging presents. We're acting as Santa Claus for someone else."
"'Sahntah Claws?'" Inu Yasha asked. "What's that? A demon?"
Kagome sighed. "Uhm...something like that. But a good demon. He gives people
things."
"Ask him to give me the Shikon!"
Kagome shook her head in defeat. "...We'll see."
They both leapt into the well.
"KAGOME!" Hitomi cried, hugging the newly arrived girl.
"Hitomi...it's been forever."
"Really! I'm sorry we haven't gotten together before this, but...well, you know how hard interworldly travel can be sometimes!" They both laughed.
Inu Yasha poked his head through the doorway. "We brought this...THIS." He shoved the package into Van's (rather unwilling) arms and pushed his way inside, sniffing intently. He suddenly whipped back around. "Kagome!" he yelled, "it's an ambush! There are more people in here!"
Hitomi looked surprised, then calmed. "Those are the other guests."
Kagome widened her eyes in shock. "They're here already? Are we late?"
Hitomi smiled. "No--come in, please--you're right on time."
Kagome entered and shrugged off her shoes and jacket, and joined Inu Yasha, Hitomi, and Van and made her way into the "meeting room".
Introductions went all around.
There was Lina and Gourry, sitting on one of the couches, rapidly munching whatever food there was to be found. On the chair next to them sat a moping Dilandau, somehow saddened by his lack of mechs, minions, and the all-important, multi-purpose, oh-so-dramatic pyre to accompany his demonic laugh.
I wonder why Hitomi invited HIM, Kagome thought idly.
Hitomi and Van joined hands and made their way over to another vacant couch. Kagome sat in the final chair; Inu Yasha was content squatting next to her, his eyes warily running over the rest of the room's occupants.
"So!" Hitomi exclaimed, trying to get the party started, "who's first?"
Dilandau finally moved. "I want to open mine first," he said, utilizing his usual over-the-edge-and-into-the-precipice voice. He snatched the present with his name on it, and instantly tore off the paper and opened the box.
When he saw what lay within the box, his eyes widened with excitement and he drew out...
"WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD GIVE YOU A BLOWTORCH?!" Hitomi and Van screamed simultaneously.
"Not...a good gift?" Gourry spoke up. "He said that he liked fire..."
"YOU DID THIS?!"
"...Yes?"
Many cushions were thrown at the swordsman, and the blowtorch was (somehow)
confiscated from the pyromaniac psychopath.
"...Never let me have any fun..." Dilandau grumbled.
Van looked at Hitomi expectantly. "Which one is mine?"
Hitomi closed her eyes and swung her pendant. She pointed to one of the boxes. "That one!" she announced.
Van's eyes widened in anticipation. "This one? This one???" He held up the indicated box, and shook it violently. "What is it? What is it?"
"How am I supposed to know?" she huffed.
Van dropped his arm to his side. "Well, you're PSYCHIC, obviously," he stated,
exasperated. "You're SUPPOSED to know."
Big mistake.
Van rubbed at the newly-made hand print-shaped red mark on his cheek. "It was just a joke," he mumbled, before opening his present.
He pulled out a pair of flight goggles. "What...what are these?" he asked, puzzled.
"They're for your flight!" Kagome giggled. "Hitomi says that you have an impressive wingspan, Van! I want to see it!" She exchanged glances with Hitomi, and the two of them entered a fit of unstoppable giggles.
Van leaned over to Inu Yasha. "Is she usually like this?" he murmured.
"Perhaps." Inu Yasha cleared his throat. "So it's my turn, right?" he asked. He picked up the one that was labeled with his name, and sniffed at it. He glared at Lina, and held up the box. "What's in it?"
Lina looked surprised, then became her calm, overconfident self once again. "You found me out, huh?"
"I didn't know we were lost..." Gourry piped up.
Lina smacked him over the head. "Open it up, demon," she said to Inu Yasha.
Inu Yasha opened the present and plucked out a rosary. He sniffed at it, confused. "What is this for?"
"You can put it on her," she said, indicating Kagome, "and she'll be under YOUR
command."
Inu Yasha's eyes widened, then narrowed as an evil grin spread over his face. "Oh, Kagoooomeeeee..." she called, hiding the rosary behind his back.
"SIT!" Kagome screamed.
Inu Yasha crashed to the floor, the rosary flying out of his hands. Kagome snatched it off of the floor quickly and sat on it. "Next present!" she exclaimed, hurriedly.
Hitomi picked up one of the smaller boxes and handed it to the sorceress. "This is from me to you," she said.
Lina yanked the package from her and hurriedly opened it. She picked out the piece of paper in dismay, and looked at Hitomi in disbelief.
"It's your fortune," the girl explained. "It tells you about your love life; specifically what guy you're going to end up with, and how long it will take to get there.
Lina opened the paper and scanned it quickly, before her eyes widened in shock and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"What is it, Lina?" Gourry asked. "What does it say?"
"NOTHING!" she sharply replied, casting an extremely small fireball to singe the paper. "Next present! NOW!"
"There's only three left," Hitomi noted, and picked up the one that belonged to her. Inu Yasha scoffed when he saw the identity of the present, and she deduced that he was the one who had given it to her.
She gently opened the present, and pulled out a pouch of herbs. "They're...lovely," she finally said.
"I don't know what they're for," Inu Yasha grumped.
Kagome looked at the herb bag, then poked the youkai. "Those are from Kaede's hut, aren't they? Let me see them," she asked Hitomi. When she received the bag and read the label, she choked. "These herbs," she finally said, "...are used as a powerful aphrodisiac."
Hitomi's eyes widened in shock, and she choked as well, entering a coughing fit. Van looked at Hitomi expectantly. "What's an aphrodisiac?"
"I'll... cough ...I'll tell you... cough ...later." Hitomi waved a hand at the remaining presents. "Open another one."
Kagome lifted up her package, which had slight wisps of smoke emerging from it. "I can guess who this is from," she grumbled, and cautiously opened it.
Inside lay the remains of what had once been a crown of daisies.
Daisies tenderly picked by Celena, obsessively torched by Dilandau.
Truly, just what she had always wanted.
She put them around Inu Yasha's neck. "They...suit you," she giggled.
Inu Yasha narrowed his eyes at her, and threw the next present to the next owner. "...Want to get this over with..." was all Kagome heard before she elbowed him in the ribs and looked attentively at the next gift. Van picked it up.
"Here," Van said to Gourry, and tossed over the box. Inside was an intricately carved dagger. Gourry unsheathed it, and examined it, impressed.
"Great!" Lina exclaimed. "Now that you have that dagger, you don't need that weak old sword of light anymore!"
"Yeah..." Gourry said, half-listening. "Wait. What?"
Lina rolled her eyes. "Never mind."
"That's it, I'm afraid," Hitomi replied. "But we could all go out to dinner...I'm afraid that I haven't cooked anything for us..."
"That's all right," Kagome said, smiling. She stared out of the window, and pointed to it. "SNOW! It's snowing!" she exclaimed.
Hitomi spun around to stare out of the window as well. "You're right! It IS snowing!" She grinned at the party around her. "Hey, everyone, let's go play in the snow!"
And so the party of seven (including the moping Dilandau, who was later made into a snowman by the other six) went out to play in the snow.
End
"Plot? WHAT plot?"