-writes out pretty dedication- To Suzy. Or MEX-chick. Because her birthday just ever so soon. XD Yesh yesh!
Kikyou/Inuyasha. Oh, you don't like it? Your flames will melt the pretty snowmen, so just leave. -waves to Kagome lovers- Byeeee!
Maybe I'll write chapter 3 after this.
Meh.. Doesn't matter. Enjoy!
Mistletoe
"Are you sure Kagome? It's Christmas Eve, after all… I don't understand why you don't want to spend it with us."
"Yeah. Santa's not going to bring you any presents tonight"
"Don't worry, Mom.." Kagome shot a glare at her little brother, who stuck his tongue out at her before walking out of the room with a glass of milk. "I'll be back before you know it. I just want to give all my friends their presents before it's not Christmas anymore." Kagome turned back to the bag on her bed, pushing its contents to the bottom so it was easier to close. For tonight, she'd traded in her huge yellow backpack for a slightly smaller red bag. "Honey, I don't think they'll know the difference if you just give them tomorrow… I'm worried about you going out so late to a different era. It's nearly six already, and so cold out there." Her mother was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed as a worried frown laced her brow. "Mom.. You don't have to worry about me! Believe me, I'll wear enough clothes. I doubt it's even snowing in the other world." Kagome shot her mom a reassuring smile as she slung the bag over her shoulder and started downstairs.
"If you're sure…" Her mother sighed, giving up. "Be back before it's too late. You know how impatient your brother gets." She reached to close the door of Kagome's room before following her down the stairs.
Kagome laughed, ruffling her brother's hair as he watched her put her shoes on at the front door. "I know. I promise I won't be gone long. Don't worry." She repeated, zipping up her coat and closing the front door behind her.
"She's love-struck, she is." Wheezed grandpa after he heard the door close from the kitchen. "Did you see? She took nearly all the left-overs! And you know they say the way to man's heart is through his stomach.." He grumbled regretfully at the loss of all the food.
"Do you think? Kagome loves Inuyasha?" Sota asked incredulously, his eyes wide.
"Of course not, Sota. Don't listen to your grandfather." His mother said crossly. Was Kagome falling in love with Inuyasha? "He's just angry that she wants to feed her friends"
"There was almost half that ham left!"
When she hit the bottom of the well, she knew he was there. The feeling was affirmed as she heard him grunt from the top. "What took you so long? I thought you were coming earlier"
"Calm down, Inuyasha." She said, heaving herself up the side of the well and dropping her bag on the ground. She smiled as she watched him sniff the air in curiosity. "It took awhile to convince my mom. She said it wasn't right to go out on Christmas Eve"
"What's that?" The inu-hanyou asked, pointing to the bag.
Kagome sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. He wasn't listening. "You'll see"
He looked up at her and frowned, starting to walk away.
"Kagome! You're back!" Shippou didn't notice the sour mood both Kagome and Inuyasha were in as he raced to her as she entered the little cottage, grinning ear to ear. They'd fought on the way. Two travelers had passed them, talking of some beautiful priestess visiting the town over. It had ended with Inuyasha's discreetly perked ears and Kagome muttering, "Sit, boy" under her breath.
"I brought you a Christmas present." Kagome said to the little youkai, finding his smile contagious.
"Christmas?" Shippou frowned as his head tilted to one side. Miroku and Sango looked up from their places by the fire, as well. Inuyasha sat brooding in a corner, pretending he wasn't listening.
"It's a holiday from my time. Every year on this night, a man named Santa Claus brings good children presents." She patted the bag she had brought before moving to sit down on the ground.
"And I get one?" Attention piqued, Shippou smiled up at her eagerly.
"Of course! And I brought one for all of you, too."
"Oh Kagome. A present? That's unnecessary.." Sango threw in modestly, inching towards her friend.
"Oh don't worry about it. I wanted to get you all something small." Kagome started digging through her Santa bag, passing a gift to each of the people in the room. Inuyasha wouldn't accept his, so Kagome put it by his feet.
"The wrapping's so pretty!" The exterminator cried, reveling in the poinsettias and bells on the paper of her present.
"Oh, it's traditional. Just like snowmen and reindeer and Christmas trees." Kagome explained, idly picking a cookie from the tray she'd laid out while watching them open their presents.
Shippou would have asked what reindeer were, had he not been occupied with tearing the paper from his gift and crying out at the coloring book that was within. "Oh Kagome! A coloring book! And crayons, too!" He started jumping about. Kagome just laughed.
Sango carefully tore the paper from the small box she held, smiling as she brought a silk flower from its depths. "It's like the one on the wrapping! Kagome.. Thank you"
"And what may this be? Some futuristic herb, I suppose? For tea?" Miroku was holding out a little sprig of bush that held a couple of white berries. Kagome could have laughed. The gift was really, really, really really a dangerous one. But she'd make some rules for him.
"Miroku. It's called mistletoe." She said, sighing. "You don't eat it, but I thought you'd like it." Kagome frowned for a moment. Could you eat mistletoe? Hm. She was sure it was possible.. But she doubted it tasted good. Whatever.
"Mistletoe.." He said slowly, frowning. "And what is it I do with this.. Mistletoe?" Frankly.. Miroku was somewhat disappointed. The leaf wasn't pretty and didn't seem useful if it didn't serve as some medical remedy or something…
"Well. It has a special meaning." Even Inuyasha's ears perked as she said this. "If you take it and put it in a doorway, and two people get caught under that doorway at the same time.. They have to kiss."
And here we had an array of facial expressions.
From his newly found place in Kagome's lap, Shippou crinkled his nose in an immature disgust; Inuyasha, disappointed that the special meaning wouldn't grant him power, tuned out again; Miroku's eyebrows shot up and a grin spread his mouth from ear to ear.. Needless to say, Sango sported an anxious and somewhat daring look. One of those 'touch-me-and-your-dead' looks used to hide the surprise and.. Anticipation, was it? That she /really/ felt. Muaha.
"They have to?" Miroku breathed, lecherous plans surely forming in his mind.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and spat out a soft "Feh" before pretending to be asleep.
"Well.. Yeah. But you can only do it once." Kagome held out a finger, shooting an apologetic glance at Sango.
"Yuck." Shippou said through his otherwise happy coloring.
"Does it have to be in a doorway? What if it is held over a person"
"Well…" Kagome thought. Miroku's hand was simply itching to test this baby out. An /excuse/ to his perversion! At last! "I guess so. But you can still only do it once. And it only works on Christmas. Which is tonight." She said matter-of-factly. Hey.. Christmas was actually tomorrow.. But who knew how many times he could use it in a whole day? Kagome knew that Sango surely wouldn't grudge Miroku a peck on the cheek or something tonight, but if he were to pester her with it tomorrow, things wouldn't end up pretty.
Inuyasha's ears perked again… but for a completely different reason. The room, for a minute, didn't even exist to him. Hm.
"Inuyasha… What is it? You haven't even opened your present.. And I have to go home soon." She looked worried. Inuyasha was acting like he'd seen a ghost… Or something.
"Aw… Kagome you're going home already? But you just got here!" Shippou protested, his drawing unhindered by the disappointment.
"I know.. But I have to get home. My mom will be mad. There's still a bunch of food in my bag I'll leave for you and.." She trailed off, looking again at Inuyasha's unopened present.
She crawled over to him (feeling just too comfortable to stand up, walk the five feet over to him and sit back down) and poked his arm. He grunted and she picked up the present. The squabble across the small hut between Miroku's right to use his new present was unheard.
"What is it"
"Open it and you'll see." He saw her smile a small smile.
"It's just something little"
The smile melted his resolve and he took it from her hands, muttering another "Feh" before tearing open the wrapping.
"It's a crocodile's tooth"
He sniffed the necklace with the little fan hanging from it. "What the hell is a crocodile"
"It's an animal from my time. I'm sure we've run into some demon that resembled one at some time or other." She said off-handedly, glancing at Miroku, who was trying over and over to steal a kiss from Sango while she evaded each attempt with a blushing face and a slap to his.
He looked at it strangely, not sure what to do.. Kagome took the necklace from his hand and reached over him to put it on his neck.
"You know, Inuyasha. Christmas is really just a holiday you're supposed to spend with the people you love." She pulled away from him to admire the necklace as he contemplated what she said. So.. Was she saying that's why she had come back?
"I like it." She clapped her hands together, smiling. "But I really have to go now." She got up, slinging the very deflated bag over her shoulder. "I'll be back the day after tomorrow." She smiled a last time as she left the hut.
They were quiet for a moment before Inuyasha grunted to himself and got up to follow her out.
Sango watched him leave, smiling warmly. She pretended not to notice Miroku coming up from behind her. He thought he was so slick. When he sprung, she didn't move and he caught her. He planted a peck on her lips, expecting to get air and almost jumping out of his skin when he felt her mouth against his.
It was quick and pointless, but sent a smirk flying to his smug face nonetheless. "Ah. Sango. I see I've become too fast for you"
A second later he had been slapped once more. The red imprint of her hand smarted horribly, but he was still smirking. "Merry Christmas." Sango muttered as she turned to ready herself for bed. It was late. Shippou was already dozing over his coloring book.
"You didn't have to walk me out." The air was crisp and biting, but there wasn't much wind. It was almost refreshing, really.
"I needed fresh air." Inuyasha grunted.
Kagome felt a small weight lifted off her back as he took her Santa bag for her. Her smile only widened. "Inuyasha.."
"The day after tomorrow. I'll be waiting here." He said gruffly.
They were at the well and she had taken red thing from him again. They both felt the tension between them as they stood facing each other.. About a foot apart.
"I'm happy I came." Kagome said softly, closing that gap and standing on her tip-toes to plant a very small, very light kiss on his cheek. Inuyasha looked shocked. In the least. But he twitched his nose and shrugged.
He didn't yell. Kagome took that as a 'I'm-happy-you-came-too' gesture. She waved before disappearing down the well.
When he got back to the hut, that presence still tugging at his mind, everyone else was still asleep. her words played over and over in his head.
"You know, Inuyasha. Christmas is really just a holiday you're supposed to spend with the people you love."
Inuyasha felt guilty about doing it, but he spent hardly any time in the hut before leaving again, a lecherous smirk similar to the one Miroku often donned gracing his features.
She had wandered away from the little village with all it's little occupants that had learned to accept her as a town priestess and held no suspicions. Her eyes were on the sky, which was brightening, and her thoughts were far away.
Kikyou knew nothing of Christmas. How was she to know?
"Inuyasha." She said it before she saw him. He was there. Utterance of the name wasn't wholly needed to bring him out, but she said it anyway.
"Kikyou.." It had taken the good part of an hour. And he would have to leave soon. In the next quarter of an hour or so. Maybe less. "Hm. I didn't expect to see you again so quite so soon." She said softly, her words chosen carefully as she kept walking. "I… Merry Christmas." He said quietly, smirking.
"What?"
The smirk broadened to a grin. It had started to snow. The little white flakes were settling around the ground.. In her hair. His hands were clasped behind his back. He'd have to get back to the hut soon.. Or Miroku might notice the absence of his Christmas gift.
END
Hn. So there wasn't fluff. But whatever. I didn't want it to be hardcore.. Because I didn't want it to go OOC.. So yeah. Use your imaginations. xD
My spacing is hecka messing up and I don't know why. I tried to fix it three times now.. But I'm sorry if I missed anything.. x.x
-says another happy birthday cheer- xP