Snow. Hiei hated it.

It was nothing more than a nuisance, something that had the potential to screw up his commute to and from work, something that got on his business suits and in his hair. It was cold, wet, and it could shut down entire neighborhoods if there was enough of it. And worst of all, it was a part of winter, which was Hiei's least favorite season.

But it was snowing as Hiei rode the train home from work as he did twice a day, five times a week, after staying late in the office, as he almost always did. As usual, he was still working on his laptop, using the time on his commute to get more work done. It was better than sleeping or spending the time staring out the window at the snow. Tonight, he would have to get to bed early, because he had an early, very important meeting tomorrow. His boss would be discussing how the company had been doing in the fourth quarter—and if he didn't turn up, he could say goodbye to that raise he was kind of hinting at, and he and his coworkers would only get their Christmas bonuses if the company performed well.

The train pulled to a stop at Hiei's station and he got off, carefully placing his laptop back in his briefcase and heading off the train, not making eye contact with anyone. The apartment he had was great, right on the rail line, and on top of some restaurants. As soon as he got to his apartment, Hiei took off his suit jacket and shoes, threw some ramen in the microwave, and sat on the couch in front of the TV, with his laptop and phone always nearby. Just as he grabbed for the remote, his phone rang—and it was his sister, Yukina. What could she possibly need, calling this late at night?

"Hello?" he said, turning on the speakerphone. Usually, whoever called him got a rather cold, businesslike "Hiei Jaganshi" when he picked up, but Yukina was one of the few who got a "hello."

"Hi, Hiei!" came his sister's bright, cheery voice over the phone. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he answered. "How are you? Are the twins okay?"

"Just wonderful!" Yukina told him happily. "Only four weeks until they're due! I'm so excited—and ready for them to be out!"

"I'll be there in January to meet them," Hiei promised, glad she couldn't see his grimace as he pulled his sweaty black socks off. He would come to meet his niece and nephew, but he had never been to Yukina's town before, and he had no interest in it. She always spent about a month or so here in Tokyo every summer, and once she got married a couple of years ago she'd brought her irritating husband along with her, but Hiei never spent any time in her town, the town she and her husband had moved to after she finished college.

"It's funny you should bring that up," said Yukina, her tone suddenly sounding slightly nervous. "You see, we—Kazuma and I—well, we were wondering if you'd like to spend Christmas here instead."

"Yukina, you know I can't do that," he told her. "I'm always busy on Christmas. I have to work."

"You say that every year!"

"Well, it's true." Hiei bit his lip. "I call you on Christmas, don't I?"

"But it's different this year, and not just because of the babies," she pleaded. "We're doing a lot more for the Christmas festival! There's going to be a snowman-building contest, a Christmas bake fair, and even a Christmas ball! And the whole town is going to light up a giant Christmas tree."

"You can send pictures," said Hiei, feeling nauseated at the very thought of participating in these activities, especially the ball. "Listen, Yukina, you know I don't do silly traditions. I don't like small towns. And I especially don't like Christmas."

"But why, Hiei? All these wonderful traditions…"

"Wonderful to you, not me," he told her. "I don't care for them."

Hiei didn't answer her why question, because she would never get it. What she saw as tight-knit and heartwarming, he saw as unnecessary and foolish. He'd gotten by for fifteen years in an institution without even one single Christmas tradition—as if the idiots who ran that place would ever go out of their way to make the kids happy—and he was just fine, wasn't he? He'd clawed his way up to a position at a successful company, one he'd worked his ass off for, and he loved living in Tokyo. Yukina and her husband weren't fond of the "soul-killing city life," as they put it, but Hiei was at his best, living life in the fast lane, on his way to a raise and a generous Christmas bonus. Christmas may not be his favorite, but he could live with the bonus.

"Well…okay, if you feel that strongly about it," Yukina said reluctantly, and Hiei could tell she was trying to hide her disappointment. Of course, disappointing his sister was the last thing he wanted to do, but this was one thing Hiei wouldn't budge on. Wasn't it enough that he would come and see the babies in January?

"Thank you for understanding," said Hiei. "I'll call you later, and I'll be there to meet the babies when they come."

"Four more weeks," she said again. "I love you, Hiei."

"I love you too," he replied, and hung up.

…

Hiei took the early train the next morning, and he was one of the first to arrive in the building. By the time his coworkers started drifting into the conference room, sipping cups of coffee like half-awake zombies, Hiei was in his seat, perfectly alert, his laptop open with his fingers poised to take diligent notes.

Just as the clock was about to strike seven, Hiei's boss, Mukuro, walked into the room. She was taller than he was (albeit most people were), with short, carrot-top hair and deep blue eyes. As usual, she was dressed in a no-nonsense pantsuit, even more businesslike than Hiei was.

"Good morning, everyone," she greeted them. Some of them mumbled good morning back, and as she started speaking about their profits, Hiei wrote down every word she said. Their company, a chain of hardware stores, was doing well, she said, even though naturally, they wouldn't sell as much in the colder months.

"Although our best months are in the summer when people are more likely to be out working on their lawns," Mukuro was saying, "our profits for the fourth quarter are much higher than last year, mostly due to our Christmas tree campaign, which was very successful."

Hiei grinned. His position was in the Marketing department, and he had headed the team that ran the Christmas tree campaign. That raise was as good as his.

The meeting went on, and Hiei continued to take notes on his laptop, but he was irritated by his coworkers. The man next to him looked like he was taking notes, but he was really just working on an inappropriate drawing of a certain male appendage. Several of them had drooping eyelids, and most coffee cups were empty.

"One of the most important things we're looking to do in the first quarter is invest," Mukuro continued. "We especially want to watch out for small, family-owned businesses that are or have the potential to be lucrative—businesses that sell things that we also sell."

That wouldn't be so hard, Hiei thought to himself. After all, their hardware store chain sold all kinds of things, from gardening supplies to light fixtures to plumbing. Still, he wrote every word she said down in his notes. When the meeting wrapped up, he was just about to surge out the door with the rest of his coworkers when he heard her call his name.

"Yes?" said Hiei in surprise, turning around.

"Between you and me, Hiei," said Mukuro, "about that salary increase you've been hinting at…I wasn't sure at first, but you've been loyal to this company for almost eight years now, and your Christmas tree campaign did extremely well. So if you can find me a good, old-fashioned, family-owned business for our company to invest in…it's yours. And not only that, but you might be looking at a bigger office."

"I-I already have an office."

"Not that old hole in the wall," said Mukuro. "I mean a big office, with a window, and maybe even your own assistant. Your deadline is Christmas Day."

Hiei could scarcely believe his boss's words. Although he was lucky to have an office at all, as opposed to a cubicle, his current office was so small he could barely turn around. And an assistant would be extremely helpful—someone to perform the more menial, less desirable aspects of his job, such as answering the phone, making copies of things, or sorting files, so he could focus on creating innovative advertising campaigns. Maybe he could even have his assistant do a coffee run! Well, a hot chocolate run, maybe; Hiei hated coffee.

"Thank you so much, ma'am," said Hiei. "I won't let you down."

…

Hiei went home from work that evening in an extremely good mood. Over the fourth quarter, he'd helped the company earn more money, his boss had noticed, and now he could look forward to a salary increase, a bigger office, and an assistant. And that wasn't a Christmas miracle; it was the reward of his own hard work. He was still dreaming of his new corporate life as he started to prepare his nightly microwave ramen, his heart feeling much lighter than it usually did around this time of year, when his phone started ringing on the kitchen table. To his unpleasant surprise, it was Kazuma Kuwabara, his brother-in-law. His sister adored the man; Hiei barely tolerated him.

"Hiei Jaganshi," said Hiei, picking up the phone. Kuwabara didn't get the "hello."

"I've got some bad news, Hiei." Kuwabara's voice was unusually anxious, putting Hiei on the alert.

"Bad news?" Hiei frowned, trying to hear Kuwabara over all the noise in the background. "Where are you?"

"We're in the hospital."

"The hospital?"

"Yeah." Kuwabara gulped. "It's Yukina."

"Yukina?" Hiei repeated, one of his hands gripping the kitchen counter. "What happened? Is she having the babies already?"

"No!" said Kuwabara. "She broke her ankle."

"What?!"

"She broke her ankle."

"I heard what you said, you idiot," Hiei told him, teeth clenched. "I mean, how did it happen, when you're supposed to be taking care of her?"

"I'm not sure exactly what happened." Kuwabara's voice sounded guilty. "They called me at work, and she's in surgery right now. They said she called the ambulance herself."

"Well, at least one of you two is intelligent," said Hiei scornfully. "How could you let her break her ankle?"

"I didn't tell her to do it!" said Kuwabara, defensiveness mixed in with his guilt now. "But I just thought you should know."

"Gee, thanks." Hiei snorted. "I don't know what you want me to do. I'm not even on the same island as your stupid little town. Just have her call me back when she can, all right?"

"All right," said Kuwabara. "And, uh, I'm sorry about this."

Hiei just hung up the phone.

…

Yukina called the next day, after Hiei got off work. Hiei was worried about her, yet he wasn't surprised to find that her voice still sounded cheerful, although tired. Yukina didn't let anything get her down.

"Your husband told me about your ankle," Hiei was saying, holding his phone in one hand as he put his nightly ramen in the microwave. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I've just got to stay off of it for a few weeks," she said. "I'll be fine."

"How did it happen?"

"I was walking down the stairs and I fell," she explained. "You know, it's not as easy for me to keep my balance these days, especially not on stairs! I was in a lot of pain, but luckily I had my phone, so I was able to call the ambulance before I passed out. When I woke up, I was recovering from surgery and my ankle was in this cast."

"Shit, I really am sorry, Yukina." Hiei breathed out through his nose. "I hope it doesn't ruin the Christmas you had planned. You know, the Christmas ball, the ice skating…"

"I'm almost full-term pregnant with twins, remember?" she said with a laugh. "I could barely walk anyway. I feel so heavy most of the time."

"Well, I don't really know anything about that," Hiei told her. Every time she mentioned the babies, he felt nervous, like she was going to go into labor at any minute—even if they weren't due until January.

"Don't worry," she laughed, as if she'd read his mind. "I'm an RN, remember?"

That was true; in fact, nursing school was where Yukina had met her husband, until Kuwabara decided he would rather heal animals than people and headed off to veterinarian school.

"Yes, but…" Hiei sighed. "What would you say if I came to visit you in Kosetsu after all?"

Hiei had to hold the phone away from his ear as she squealed in excitement. Despite himself, he smiled at how happy she seemed. He could leave her in Kosetsu while pregnant, and he could leave her there while injured, but not both.

"I'll try to join the two of you for Christmas, but don't get your hopes up," said Hiei. "My boss might not want me to leave during such a busy time…"

…

"I think it's an excellent idea," Mukuro said when he brought it up that morning. "Think about it, Hiei. Small towns are full of those family-owned businesses. I'm all in favor of you going on a little shopping trip, so to speak. In fact, if you can get me a majority share in a company, or even buy it out completely, I'll reimburse your entire stay, including a hotel and airfare."

"Well, there's no need for a hotel, because I'm staying with my sister," Hiei reminded her. "But the airfare would be great. I won't need to use any of my frequent flyer miles."

"Exactly." Mukuro nodded. "Find me majority share, and that raise and huge office is yours."

As he went about his work that day, Hiei knew he would have preferred not to go to Yukina's town. But the way Mukuro put it, this was really just a business trip, and he could handle the concept a lot better when he thought of it that way.

Hiei preferred the train over flying, but Kosetsu was on a different island than Tokyo, so he had no choice but to fly. Still, he was an experienced flyer, and when the weekend came, he found himself on a one-way flight from Tokyo to Matsuyama, the biggest city on the island of Shikoku (needless to say, Kosetsu did not have an airport). Mukuro had mentioned that this was an all-expense-paid trip if he could secure at least one majority-share investment (or even a total buy-out), and luckily, this included the taxi fare.

"Kosetsu, please," he said, and gave the cabbie Yukina's address.

"Right," the man replied, and after he waited for Hiei to buckle up, he casually asked, "So, are you from around here?"

"Yes, in fact," Hiei replied smoothly. "I live here. I'm coming home from a business trip."

This was a lie, of course, but Hiei knew perfectly well why cabbies asked that. If you admitted you weren't from around the area, they would try to cheat you by not taking the most direct path. Hiei made sure to keep his eyes on the meter. The only way the cabbie would take the most direct path, he figured, was if he thought Hiei would know the difference.

Hiei didn't feel like talking to this guy, so he was thankful that he didn't get carsick as he spent almost the entire ride working on his laptop. It was a very long ride, too; when the driver next spoke, Hiei was startled to look outside and get a view of how small-townish this place really was. There was no train station, no airport, no hospital (Yukina had been taken to one a few towns over), and possibly not even any hotels. Hiei knew for a fact that there wasn't a school, and that once his niece and nephew got to that age, they would be going to a school in some other town. Christmas decorations were everywhere, just like the snow.

"Here we are," said the cabbie. "Kosetsu. It should only be a few minutes now."

"What about you?" Hiei asked. "Are you from around here?"

"Yeah," said the cabbie, "sort of. I live a couple of towns over, but my family always comes here for the Christmas festival."

"And what sort of family-owned businesses do you usually shop at?" said Hiei, praying that there would be some. He had to get some answers without giving away the fact that he didn't actually live here.

"There's this old antiques shop my grandma likes."

"No antiques," said Hiei, knowing Mukuro wouldn't be very interested in that. "Anything else?"

"There's that new ramen shop that opened up last summer," the man mused. "Urameshi's."

"No restaurants," said Hiei impatiently. "I just mean a small business. Not an old dusty antiques shop or some old ramen shack."

"There's Minamino's," the man said finally.

"And what's that?"

"Well, the name of the company is Minamino's Herbal Solutions or something like that," said the cabbie, "but everyone calls it Minamino's. They sell flowers and perfumes and stuff like that. And a couple miles away, they have a couple of acres of land where they sell Christmas trees, and everyone in Kosetsu and the surrounding towns buy their trees there. It's also where they hold a lot of the activities for the Christmas festival, including the snowman-building contest and the big tree lighting, which occurs a few days before Christmas."

"So these people have nothing better to do than stand around in the middle of the night to watch a Christmas tree get lit up."

"That's not really my point. And I thought you said you lived here."

"I do, but that doesn't mean I like participating in all the silly festivities."

"The people of Kosetsu love each other, their town, and their traditions," said the cabbie, sounding slightly hurt at Hiei's words. "If you don't like it, I'm not sure why you didn't just stay in the big city."

"Believe me, if I could, I would," Hiei told him, leaning back in his seat. "Look, I think I might want to check this place out, maybe buy some flowers for my sister. Can you wait outside while I go in? I won't be long."

"Sure," said the cabbie, and he let Hiei out in front of a small shop with the word Minamino's right over the windows in proud, pink script. The whole place was in similar shades of pastel, and it looked fairly new, standing out against the dated buildings beside it. Decorative plants hung in the windows, giving a potential shopper a view of what was inside. The whole place seemed rather quaint, perfect for a small town—and perfect for a masterminded takeover.

"Wait here," said Hiei, handing the cabbie some money and getting out, taking his briefcase and one suitcase with him, just in case the guy tried to steal something. He was irritated by the snow, especially the fact that the street wasn't plowed yet. It crunched annoyingly under his dress shoes as he walked across the sidewalk, soaking right through them and drenching his socks and the hem of his pants. I knew I should've worn boots, Hiei thought as he headed into the little shop.

When he stepped inside the store, Hiei was instantly greeted by three things: one, a strong but not particularly unpleasant smell of flowers; two, old-timey Christmas music playing cheerfully in the background; and three, the most unusual array of inventory he had ever seen. There were tables full of creams and lotions, hair products, little barrels full of hand sanitizer, many different perfumes and colognes, and most importantly, more flowers than Hiei had ever seen in one place at a time. Stepping out of the cold, this was like entering a different world, a world where everything smelled as beautiful as it looked.

There were also Christmas decorations, of course, Hiei observed as he walked up to the counter and rang the little bell for service. All the tables were covered in fake snow and pine needles, with all the products arranged around a little Christmas tree. Each wall had at least one wreath, as well as some garland and ornaments, and they all smelled good, too. The music in the background was the sort of music you'd see elderly couples shuffling around to at a small, intimate gathering on Christmas Eve. In fact, this whole place was likely owned by an elderly couple just like that, one that had no collective business sense and wouldn't be able to keep the place alive without investors. Hiei grinned, his fingers tapping a steady rhythm on the counter as he waited for one of them to appear. He'd swipe this place right out from underneath their wrinkly old noses before you could say majority share.

"What can I help you with?"

Hiei felt his mouth fall open in shock. The man who greeted him wasn't elderly at all; in fact, he couldn't have been much older than Hiei's own thirty years. Like everything else in the store, he brought with him a pleasant floral aroma, and he almost looked like Christmas himself, with long, luscious hair the color of roses, a green-and-red striped tie, and...and the most beautiful emerald-green eyes Hiei had ever seen.

"I-I…" Hiei cleared his throat, wondering why his cheeks felt so hot all of a sudden. "I'd like to speak to the one of the owners."

"Kurama Minamino, at your service," the man replied with a slight bow and a bewildered sort of smile. Oh, Lord, that smile...It was a smile that could break Hiei's pounding heart. But he bit his lip, swearing away that feeling he knew he could never let himself experience. He knew what it was, and he didn't need this guy uncovering a secret that not even Yukina knew.

"You're the owner?" said Hiei in disbelief.

"You probably expected me to be about eighty-nine years old, didn't you?" Kurama said with a small laugh. "I started this business with a couple of friends when I was in high school. It's been around for some time now, believe it or not."

"Oh." Hiei realized he was still tapping his fingers (which now felt very tingly), so he stopped. "An entrepreneur, I see."

"You could say that." Kurama stepped out from the counter, revealing well-fitting tan slacks and a nice form. "Now, what can I help you with today?"

"I'm just looking for some of my sister's favorite flowers," said Hiei. "She's pregnant and she broke her ankle, and I'm in town visiting to make sure she's okay."

"Oh." Kurama's green eyes widened slightly. "You must be Hiei, then."

"Wha—how did you know that?"

"There's only one pregnant woman in this town with a broken ankle that I know of," said Kurama, "and she and her husband happen to be good friends of mine. Yukina speaks of you often."

"She…she does?" said Hiei in surprise.

"Of course." There was that pleasant smile again. "Now, her favorite flowers are white daffodils, correct?"

"Well, yeah, I guess so." Hiei was a bit blindsided, but he was impressed that Kurama remembered his sister's favorite flower. "I know it's a long shot, but do you have any of those?"

"I do," Kurama told him. "I could fix you a pretty bouquet. May I suggest adding in some lilacs or hyacinths, to represent family?"

"Um, sure." Hiei was looking around, trying to focus his gaze on anything but Kurama, especially those eyes. "I kind of like these purple roses. Do they represent anything?"

"Yes, indeed." Kurama chuckled slightly. "Love at first sight."

"Oh, well, I just think I'll stay away from those, then," said Hiei quickly, yanking his hand away as if the flowers had tried to attack him. "White daffodils and red hyacinths sound pretty good."

Kurama started to get the bouquet ready, and that was when Hiei remembered why he was really here. How had he forgotten? Usually he was on the ball about things like these. That was why he was getting that raise, after all.

"I don't leave town until after Christmas," Hiei said, watching Kurama arrange the flowers with expert precision. "Do you want to have lunch together sometime?"

"Lunch?" Kurama looked up in surprise, but then he smiled again. "That sounds good. When are you free?"

"I-I'm not asking you out or anything," Hiei blathered on, suddenly realizing how the words had come out. Or was he just imagining that? And why was it so goddamn hot in here? His tie was driving him crazy. "I just mean a business lunch."

"I'm familiar with the concept of a business lunch," Kurama joked, his smile even wider. "We can exchange information when I'm done with your bouquet."

It seemed to take forever. Hiei was embarrassed about mentioning that it wasn't a date, because it turned out that had been clear to Kurama in the first place. If anything, Hiei's mentioning it implied that a platonic business lunch was an exceptional case. Kurama probably thought Hiei wanted it to be a date, or that he routinely went out with handsome strangers, when really, he had never been on a date in his life, and he probably never would.

"All right, here it is," Kurama finally said, setting a beautiful bouquet on the counter.

"How much?" said Hiei, fumbling in his pocket for his wallet.

"First bouquet is free," Kurama replied with a twinkle in his eye. "It's how I've always welcomed my new customers."

"Um, okay, thanks." Hiei took his wallet out anyway, and handed Kurama his business card. "That's got all my information on it. Give me a call about when you can meet up."

"You work for Five-Star Hardware?" said Kurama, his green eyes lighting up. "I love that store! It's where I buy all my gardening supplies."

"Really?" said Hiei, feeling a weird sort of warmth in the pit of his stomach.

"Absolutely." Kurama laughed. "I probably paid for your Christmas bonus this year."

"I was in charge of our Christmas tree campaign this year, and people bought more Christmas trees from us than ever," Hiei said proudly. But when Kurama gave him a strange look, he realized that for every customer who bought a Christmas tree from Hiei's company, that was one less person who bought a Christmas tree from Kurama's. Oh well, once this place was bought out it wouldn't matter anyway, Hiei thought.

"You seem like a good salesman," Kurama said finally, and handed the red-and-white bouquet to Hiei. "Have a nice day, and please come back soon."

Hiei nodded in assent, but he swore to himself right then and there that he would never set foot in this shop again, or—unless it was their business lunch—anyplace else that Kurama happened to be. Unfortunately, when he opened the door, he realized that his cabbie must have been impatient, because there was no taxi waiting for him there.

"Damn!" Hiei muttered, the cold wind hitting him in the face.

"Is something wrong?" Kurama asked.

"My damn taxi drove away!" Hiei complained. "That fool! I should have waited to pay him until I got back."

"And the rest of your luggage is in there, too, isn't it?" Kurama lamented.

"Well, no," said Hiei. "I only brought my briefcase and this one suitcase. I like to travel light, and I never leave anything in a taxi."

"Good thinking." Kurama nodded.

"I'll just call another cab," Hiei grumbled, taking his phone out of his pocket. "Shit. What's the number for the taxi service in this town? There were a bunch of them at the airport, but I didn't see any on the way here."

"About that," said Kurama. "We don't actually have a taxi service in this town. Most people walk or take their bikes. If you need a taxi, there's a number you can call, but it will take a very long time to get here. You could probably get to Yukina's faster by walking."

"Yeah, except I have no clue how to get there," Hiei snapped. "This is my first time in this town."

"I could show you," said Kurama. "I'm a friend of the family, and I know where her house is."

Hiei bit his lip, weighing his options. On the one hand, he had sworn that he would never have anything to do with Kurama ever again until the business lunch, and he didn't feel like walking through the snow again. But on the other, he didn't really want to wait for another taxi, especially since he was running late for Yukina already, and since Mukuro was paying for this trip, she wouldn't be happy if he ran up the taxi meter any more than was truly necessary. Plus, he could use the exercise, and…and that smile…

"But…but who will mind the store?" Hiei asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"I'll just close and lock up for a bit," said Kurama. "The walk isn't long. I'll carry your suitcase for you."

"No thanks," said Hiei. "I can manage. It's a roller bag."

"Very well." Kurama smiled and picked up the bouquet. "I can carry this. Let's go."

Kurama joined Hiei by the door, turned the "Open" sign on the front door to "Closed," locked up the store, and off they went, Hiei's heart beating like a tom-tom.