Summary: It's up to Kagome to uphold her family's Christmas traditions, but Hiei has something to say about it.

AN: Sorry it's a bit after the holidays; it was one of my entries for The Deadliest Sin's (link on profile) Ringing in the Holidays fanfic/art competition. There's going to be another competition soon, if any authors/artists are interested.

It's Tradition!

Hiei didn't ask Kagome why she insisted he go out into the forest to cut down a tree and haul it back into her family's house.

Nor did he ask why she insisted on making it sparkle with baubles and strands of multi-colored lights from boxes in the attic.

Nor did he ask why she insisted on hanging from hooks embroidered stockings, none of which looked up to the task they were named for.

When he did ask, it was while she was on a step ladder, leaning precariously against the wall as she tried to attach a bit of greenery tied with a string to a hook she had nailed in above one of the entryways to the living room, where the sparkling tree resided.

"Why are you hanging a poisonous plant in your home?" He'd asked, eyebrow raised, wondering at her education as a miko if her teacher didn't even bother teaching the basics of herbology.

"Because, Hiei," she said, now done with the task and climbing down. Standing in the entryway, she leaned over and kissed him. "It's tradition."

Then she disappeared quickly to begin her next inane task.

Hiei blamed the mother. Kagome would hate him if he said it, but it was true. It was the mother's fault that Kagome was running herself ragged…and ignoring him.

Her mother had gotten sick a few days ago—not sick enough that Hiei sensed death about her, but sick enough that she was relegated to bed by the doctor, leaving Kagome to take care of her, keep her grandfather from giving her one of his 'remedies', make sure her brother stayed out of the kitchen (he had been banned from all but the refrigerator and microwave years before Hiei came along), and in between all of this, mutter about 'Christmas' and 'tradition' and run about doing strange things…like hanging poisonous plants all about the house. Though, if it resulted in kisses, the only bit of attention he'd received from her in days (other than ordering him about), he wasn't going to complain too much about that one.

Most things didn't end in kisses, though. Usually everything ended with Kagome shooing Hiei away. Especially from the kitchen. He didn't understand: she was cooking almost nonstop, and yet when he went for a taste (which she usually beamed at him for, as she loved to feed people) she scolded him! And why? "Tradition!"

It was when Kagome left, with the caroling group her mother apparently led every year, that he noticed the excess candles left by the carolers, and a plan hatched in his mind to rid Kagome of her madness.

Kagome returned a little over an hour later, too exhausted to even hang her coat properly, but with a huge mental list of things left to do. It was as she passed the stairs that she was re-energized, with anger.

There was a candle there, on the first stair, lit and burning brightly, with no one to watch it: a potential fire hazard! And there, just a few stairs up was another! And another!

One by one, she blew them out, collecting them so as to reduce the mess and prevent any tripping—and emergency room visits—in the morning. She was relieved that the candles ran out at the top of the stairs. However, she began to develop a tick when she noticed that, leading to her bedroom door, there were sprigs of mistletoe, tied with string—the same ones she had labored to set up just two days ago!

Hiei, she thought angrily, stomping toward her room, slamming open her door, determined to give the youkai a piece of her—

"Oh, my."

—mind.

He was there, sprawled on her bed, lit by globed of floating fire, naked except for the bushels of mistletoe surrounding him. He looked like some kind of pagan deity, a god of fertility. Her mind blanked in lust for a moment as the image was only intensified with his smirk. He held out his hand, not saying anything; he didn't need to; his message was loud and clear.

She began to move forward, one step, two, then stopped, remembering her responsibilities. "But Hiei, I can't, I still have presents to wrap, and baking to finish, and—"

"Why?"

"It's tradition!" she exclaimed, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Mom can't do it this year, so I need to make sure everything's perfect!"

"Well, I think it's time we start a new tradition," he said. He rose from the bed, the mistletoe tumbling off of him, revealing his immaculate body, glowing darkly in the firelight. As his grin became even more licentious, she could only guess what he had in mind.

"But—"

He put a finger to her lips, his other hand sliding around her back, finding her zipper. "I found the ribbon. I do hope I don't have to tie you up to unwrap the rest of you."

"N-no." Although, said a voice in the back of her mind, maybe another time. He was already slipping her out of her dress, and at this point, she really didn't want to stop. "I guess everything else can wait til tomorrow."

As he led her back to the bed, she missed his smirk. If Hiei had his way—and he definitely intended to have his way—she wouldn't be able to walk tomorrow.