"Read it and weep," I grinned, shoving the splendid sheet of paper in a green detectives face. And for a change it was not his clothes that were green -he was as a matter of fact dressed quite nicely, but that's beside the point.

I stood, feet planted wide, in the door opening. Of course arms crossed over my chest, not to mention the triumphant smile gracing my lips. I was feeling strangely good this day, and that had nothing to do with my new, decently high heeled shoes my mum had been feeling generous enough to by me on a whim. She was probably just as pleased as me with my school results.

Nevertheless, our quick-witted detective only lost face for a few seconds. A smug smirk crept onto his face.

"Hard to believe you are the same girl who had such problems calming down, and wept her sweet nose red and blue not all too long ago."

"I wasn't crying," I snatched the sheet listing all my exams' grades from his hands. "You're just jealous because someone here is actually able of getting better than a D - in their "best subject" even." Indeed the rumours of his grades had not passed me by, even after he had worked so hard as to not bring any attention to the matter these past two weeks.

And following, this called for a ten minutes hunt around the living room with a quite a few offending remark blows, and attempts to trip the other -which in the end only ended with two supposedly nicely dressed teenagers now with hair poking in all directions, red faces and panting breaths. The female one, if possible, redder than the male.

"Mind if I have a look?" Kurama picked the sheet from my hand at my nod and looked it over. "This is not bad," he smiled after a short while. "Not bad at all. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"Mind helping me, Hiei? As these two appear a little immobilized at the moment," he gave back my grade's sheet and motioned toward the kitchen with a smile. The fire demon sent us a glare of this being all our faults from behind us, and true to his ability; even though we couldn't see him, our necks felt more than enough, hairs standing on an end.

"I can help you," Kuwabara pointed to himself. "What do you need?"

"Thanks. The food should be ready just about now so if you don't mind fetching it from the kitchen, I'll be right back."

"Sure," Kuwabara goofed happy to be of help and as Kurama went up stairs to do- well, whatever it might've been, while Kuwabara set sails for the kitchen and I wondered briefly if the food would even make it to the dinner table. From Yusuke's pained expression I had a feeling he was dwelling on the same thought.

However, the kettles made it all the way out into the living room in one piece and Yusuke could again return his attention to me.

"You look a little out of stamina," he said. "Have you gained on weight?"

I scowled. "Isn't that a pathetic try to get some payback. It's the shoes." Believe it or not, but the art of high-heeled walking is not mastered in a day.

"Yeah, yeah sure," Yusuke grinned.

Kurama must have finished whatever he was doing, for he had joined us once again.

"Though I must say Kurama, you really have gone all out. I'd normally order a pizza and be done with it," Yusuke turned from me, and eyed the red table cloth, the white candle lights, the paper snowflakes hanging from the roof, the perfectly decorated tree, and the food which smelled –and looked- so delicious it hurt.

"But I'm really glad I'm celebratin' with you guys this year." Yusuke, his fatigue long gone, nearly tackled the closest chair to the floor as he monopolized the spot as his. Kurama smiled with a shake of his head, before he turned to me.

"Shall we sit down then, before Yusuke eats it all by himself?"

"Agreed a hundred times," I said.

Without thinking it over I had grabbed Hiei by the collar and more or less yanked him across the sofa. It all happened too fast for him to react and a puzzled Hiei with one shoulder sloping down in a moment of discomposure sat next to me by the table. However, he was soon the same glaring, cross-armed, foul looking demon again so no one was worried.

"M- By the way Kurama," Yusuke said through a mouth full. "Why you got mistletoe hanging in that door frame?"

"You know, it's not like it's gonna burn you or anything," I pointed out as Kuwabara jumped through the doorframe. He looked half scared to death when he realised Yusuke was accidentally not all too far away from him, currently licking his plate clean.

"Well, I just don't wanna end up under here with the wrong person," he protested. Indeedy, Botan and I exchanged a grinning glance. Right now, Yukina was in the kitchen helping Kurama out, after all.

The other girls had come after we had finished dinner. Botan and Yukina had seemingly had something to sort out in the spirit world and Keiko's family had wanted her to eat dinner with them. But now Shizuru was the only one missing.

"Oh man, I've been waiting forever," Yusuke jumped up for the second time that day: Kurama and Yukina had exited the kitchen and carried Yusuke's lover in their hands.

"Someone hold him!" Botan shrieked. "Or else we won't get any! Go, Fai," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," and I was over Yusuke before he could say "cake".

"Can you two never do anything else than fight?" Kuwabara hovered over us, poking at the back of Yusuke's head. "You look like two sweet lovebirds," he teased goofily. The detective's eyebrow twitched. Once, twice- and I was free to sit at the table.

"Oh my, this is delicious Kurama," Botan commented.

"And it is such a beautiful day," I added, ducking away from a book thrown from behind, and smiled cheerfully. Kurama coughed. "I am glad you like it," he said and attempted a smile as an arm, a random leg and shortly after Yusuke's head poked up and disappeared out of view under the table, stumbled through some chairs and out on the floor again. Not even cake could stop them now, not even-

They stopped, dead in their tracks. -Which was quite a sight as they were in the middle of choking each other and so limbs were poking in all kinds of weird directions. The two boys had stopped inches away from the door frame to the hallway. The mistletoe shook ever so slightly.

Quietly and quickly Yusuke and Kuwabara got off each other. Yusuke coughed. "It smells delicious, care to join me old friend?"

"It'd be an honour." And side by side they sat down by the table.

"Merry Christmas kiddos, what have I missed?"

"Shizuru," Yukina lit up, turning toward the door.

After that it felt like nothing could put an end to the good mood. Shizuru added her donation of Christmas presents to the already all too huge pile to fit under the tree and Yusuke would never shut up wondering when we were going to open them. Botan started a game of limbo which -after a lot of laughter, music and tripping- Kurama won. Hiei had of course not participated and just smirked at me when I commented he probably could have won since he was so small, attempting to annoy him. "Then what about you?" he just said as I had been the first to go, and my only offence was a small pout and a mumble in the lines of "it's the shoes" though I doubt he heard me. Yusuke and Kuwabara also managed to end up in an eating contest where they had to pull out the vacuum cleaner afterwards, which should speak loudly enough on its own of how messy they could get.

All the while Kuwabara was walking a scary lot close to the door to the hallway. His scare for the little plant must have been miraculously cured. Granted, he only did so when Yukina was around of course, which me and the other girls couldn't help grinning at each other about. Especially when Hiei was close to killing him once and only Kurama was able to discreetly hold him back.

And then, finally, after everyone had had their fill of food and cake and what-not Kurama had seemingly magically brought to the table, and felt like they had pained Yusuke long enough with the waiting -and were on the brim of losing patience themselves- Botan announced that it was time to open the presents.

Never before had it been witnessed how fast eight people -not counting Hiei of course- could move from being chit-chatteringly spread throughout a room to sit excitedly by a tree.

By the door the mistletoe waited patiently.

"We'll take it one by one, right?" Botan said.

"What?" Kuwabara and Yusuke groaned in unison.

"Hey," Keiko put them in place with one, strict word.

"She's right guys," I grinned. "It's a lot nicer to open and see properly what each and everyone got."

"Aw, man," Yusuke sighed but gave it up as he and Kuwabara was a clear minority.

It took us good and well two hours to open the presents from each other, all the while sending the presents around for everyone to see, and comparing with one another.

I stared at Hiei. He had been forced to leave his beloved window sill to open the presents for him -even though he had protested first for a while. He was at the last present. A soft package in blue and white snow crystal wrappings. He opened the tapes and rolled it out. On the floor in front of him, sliding out of the paper, a knitted scarf landed softly. Hiei blinked surprised looking at it. Then;

"I already have a scarf."

"I know," I said. "But it's not of wool right? I just thought the winter nights could get really chilly sometimes, so," I shrugged. Botan reached over to rub it between thumb and index finger. "It's really soft," she noted surprised. "Is it really wool?"

I nodded.

Hiei motioned to get up.

"Where are you going?" Kuwabara wondered. Hiei glanced at him.

"I've played your game of "Christmas", now I am going to attend some business of my own."

"Without trying the scarf?" Yukina asked, looking at the soft heap on the floor. Botan grabbed it and got on her feet before Hiei had gotten the chance to get up. "That's mean," she said. "You could at least try it on," and she held it toward him. He looked at it. For a moment it even looked like he was going to do as she said. But then he scowled at her and with voice as cold as the snow falling outside he said: "And why should I?"

Botan was at a loss of words, and Hiei used those few seconds to turn away and head for the hallway and the exit door.

The mistletoe hung peacefully.

"Come on, Hiei," Botan followed hot on his tail. "Now you are just being rude. She made it by ha-"

"And why should I care?" Hiei spun around, grabbed her by the wrist and for a second it looked like he would snap it. "It's not like I asked her to make it." He let go, turned around and escaped to the hallway. Botan followed after a short halt in front of the door way. The mistletoe billowed slightly in a non-existing breeze.

"But you could at least try it on," she carried on. Hiei merely growled in reply.

"Botan, it's nothing. It's not like I expected him to sky-rocket with happiness either," I tried to ease the situation from my position in the living room.

"You know kid," Shizuru said, seated on the couch with presents and wrappings everywhere. "I'm surprised at how much you take from that guy. He is supposed to be your partner after all." She got up and went over to the window to blow out a stream of smoke. "Just a thought," she shrugged, tapping the glowing end off her smoke.

"She's right," Kuwabara balled a fist. So long as Hiei was occupied by Botan he obviously dared to speak his mind more freely than otherwise. "You should tell him."

"But it's not that easy," I rolled my eyes. "It's not like I can force him to be friendly. And really, he is not all that bad-" I wavered between staying to clear it up or follow after Botan to make sure she didn't get killed. I took a few steps, halted, then a few more steps.

The mistletoe hung innocently in the door way.

"Yeah," Yusuke snickered. "He'd just like to put fire to that scarf," flicked a cookie into the air and caught it with his mouth. "Sweet as honey pie, our Three Eyes," he grinned.

I took two steps backward in direction of the hallway, subconsciously still not decided on where I was going.

"I suppose," I smiled wryly.

"Just a little bit Hiei," Botan was starting to get annoyed, which was a daring thing to be with Hiei. The fire demon in question sent her a knockout glare -that didn't seem to have any effect- and jumped out of the way of her try to force it on him.

"She made it by hand. You could at least try to look happy," Kurama noted as he walked past to return the vacuum cleaner from earlier back up stairs.

"You see?" Botan tilted her hips reproachfully. Hiei tried to ignore her, heading for the door. She got in his way and again he stepped back; away from her.

"Are you okay?" Yukina wondered gently. I shook my head without understanding. "Yeah, why shouldn't I?" subconsciously moving closer to the hallway.

"Really, don't you think you're over-reacting? Even for you?" Botan said. "Well look whose fault it is," Hiei threw back.

The mistletoe shook slightly.

"It must have taken a while to knit it," Yukina said silently. Yusuke sat up a little. "Yeah," Kuwabara said goofily thoughtful. "I'll take it though," he added. "Thanks, but it's okay," I tried to ease.

"Come on, Hiei!"

"Then again it is Hiei we're talking about," Yusuke sighed.

"Hiei, are you still protesting?" Kurama had returned. "This is starting to get a little ridiculous, even for you."

"Fai, you know you could stand t-"

"Really, try to g-"

"I think he was-"

"Hiei, you-"

My back bumped into something and someone could just as well have flicked a switch. The room had gone completely silent. Seconds of silence passed, but then Yusuke whistled a long, low blow. "Oh my," Botan whispered from the hallway behind me.

"What?" I asked, strangely frozen. Kuwabara pointed. His eyes looked like they would pop out any minute. I turned around. And found myself-

-face to face with none other than Hiei. Across his shoulder I could see Kurama at the bottom of the stairs, his eyebrows lifted high.

Yusuke was the first to burst out laughing, closely followed by Kuwabara. Not long after the only ones quite were Hiei and I, staring at each other, neither part not quite sure of what expressions to show. Above our heads the mistletoe hang still and silent.

"You gotta be kidding me," I finally managed to mumble under my breath as Yusuke on unsteady legs made his way over to us.

"Careful, don't get too close Urameshi," Kuwabara warned. Yusuke was about to buckle over with laughter at that point.

"No, we wouldn't want a threesome, huh?" he gulped in-between gasps of laughter.

"Well kiddos, you know what's gonna happen," Shizuru lit another cigarette. "So, best to just get it over with," she winked.

Hesitantly I looked back to Hiei, expecting the worst death glare of my life. And true enough; there it was. -Though it was not pointed at me, but rather the ones behind me. Couldn't help feeling a little relieved about that.

Pulling in a breath I paused to look at him more thoroughly. Nearly scanning him. I let out the breath in a puff to move a couple strands of hair from my eyes.

"Shizuru is right; you're not getting away, so it's better to just get it over with," Yusuke had recovered a little and was able to stand more up-right again. Nevertheless, he was still grinning so widely it was a wonder his entire scull wasn't slipping out through his mouth. I sent him a scowl.

"Gimme a break Yusuke, like we haven't been bothering Hiei enough already."

"Aw, sounds like you're feeling sorry for him," his eyes glinted.

"Well, do you wish me dead?" I snarled back.

"Fai, a mistletoe is a mistletoe," Keiko pointed out with an excusing smile, making me stare baffled at her.

"You too? B- but be rational," I tried to reason with them. "It's not like he'd-"

A hand on the back of my head, fingers intertwining with my hair, and I was jerked forwards. My face forced to turn and I met red eyes and rough lips.

Somewhere I registered a strong arm wrapping around my waist, pulling me even closer. The same part of my mind would also have noted, triumphant, that he was half an inch smaller than me. -Had not my mind been white blank, a pool of hot liquid bubbling in my core.

Then it was over.

"Pleased?" the fire demon's voice was low. His gaze red, directed at the detective who was –to put it gently- at a loss of words. And before anyone could react Hiei was gone out the door, a few snowflakes tumbling their way inside before the door slid closed behind him. I could feel a brief gust of cool wind brush against my bare arms.

"Um…" Even Botan was speechless, and that was the second time within half an hour. The talkative grim reaper was having quite a day.

"So," Yusuke said slowly. His entirely baffled expression smoothed slowly into a sly grin. "Did he stick his tongue in?"

I know Christmas is celebrated in different way in different countries, and I'm a little embarrassed to say I don't really know how any other celebrate it. Therefore I just went with the Norwegian way. We eat the Christmas dinner on the 24th, unwrapping our presents on the same day, in the evening.

Anyhows, hope you enjoyed, even though this one was a little short. .