Happy New Years everyone!

I figured I just couldn't ignore the holiday season, and so you get a new chapter of Curiosity as a present. (And besides, I'm long overdue.)

One thing I have to say before you begin reading – I don't celebrate Christmas, nor have I ever been in a place that celebrates it during the holiday… which made this chapter kind of hard to write, but very fun and interesting.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that if I've got anything wrong in this chapter, please excuse me. I would also appreciate if you told me where I was wrong, so I could rectify these mistakes.

I don't own Inuyasha.

And now, on with the story! Hope you like it!

Kagome took a long pull of the cigarette in her hand, appreciating the view around her. It was winter, and snow was falling on the ground in beautiful, perfectly shaped balls of fluff. It reminded her of the boa Sesshoumaru always wore, and she smiled to herself. Christmas was in a few days, and while she had already bought gifts for her friends and family from her time, she had not forgotten her friends from the past. In fact, she had the perfect gifts in mind for them all, but she still had some preparations before she could gift them, which was the reason she brought her camera with her, despite the fact that it might get ruined here.

She had been taking pictures of her friends for the past week, and she was certain she had enough to fill a dozen different albums, but she still had more to take, and now was just the right time.

Inuyasha had left to see Kikyou – again – not so long ago, and she excused herself, going off for a smoke, afterwhich she planned on finding another person who'd somehow become close to her heart and thus deserving of a gift, and introducing him to her camera.

Finding Sesshoumaru and his group wasn't hard – the ability to feel his aura did come in handy, and once she got close enough she could hear Rin's delightful giggles, letting her know she was on the right track.

Rin's giggles were caused by the fact that she was currently occupied with throwing snowballs at Jaken, something the latter didn't take well, considering his grumbling. Sesshoumaru sat on the side, watching them 'play'.

Not wanting to miss such a precious moment, Kagome hastily took out her camera, taking pictures of the scene. Of course, the continuous 'click' of the camera did not go unheard by the stoic Taiyoukai, and soon he was towering over her, with his eyebrow raised, no doubt wondering what inane thing she was up to now. She took a close-up picture of him before putting the camera down and smiling at him.

"Hi, Sesshoumaru! I brought something from my time that I thought you might want to see." She explained, delighting in the look of curiosity that was obvious on his face. She just loved showing him the things from her time, probably because he was always interested.

Rin had noticed them just then, abandoning her current pursuit of Jaken in order to greet the Miko.

"Hey Kagome-nee-chan! What is this thing?"

Kagome smiled. "This," she answered, unconsciously stroking the lens of the camera, "is a Digital Camera. And not just a digital camera – it's a Nikon D70!" of course, that told them nothing.

"Which means it's a very good digital camera." She hurriedly explained.

"But what does it do, Kagome-nee-chan?"

"Well, it takes pictures of people and things. See?" she asked, showing them the pictures she had just taken.

"But… that's Rin and Jaken there!" the little girl exclaimed. "How can it be? Rin is standing right here!"

Kagome smiled. "That's the great thing about a camera, Rin-chan. It captures a moment in time, to keep forever. You can look at it in ten years, and the picture will still be the same."

"Wow… Kagome-nee-chan must be very powerful, to be able to do such strong magic!"

"Oh, it's no magic, Rin-chan! Even you can do it. You just have to press this little button, and the camera does it on its own."

Rin's face was full of excitement. "Can Rin try, Kagome-nee-chan?"

How could she say no to that face? "Of course, Rin chan! You just have to be very careful not to drop it. Now, you can look through the little window here, to see what you are going to shoot. And then just press the button, ok?"

Setting the camera on automate, she gave it to the girl, making sure to put the strap around Rin's neck, first.

"Rin wants to take a picture of Sesshoumaru sama and Kagome-nee-chan!"

Smiling at the girl's enthusiasm, Kagome stood a little closer to Sesshoumaru, who had still to utter another word. "Now, Sesshoumaru, say cheese!"

"Cheese?" Sesshoumaru asked, sounding bewildered. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Kagome laughed. "Oh, this is just a saying, meaning that you should smile."

"Why?"

"So that you would be smiling in the picture, to capture you happy."

"Hn. What is the point of smiling if you are not really happy?"

"Most people like to smile at pictures. Then you can look at them later and remember the happy times."

"Hn."

"Oh, just do it, for the picture. Please?"

He gave a small quirk of his lips, and Kagome figured it was about as far as she'll get. Looking back at Rin, she smiled widely.

"Did you get that, Rin chan?" She asked a minute later, and Rin nodded.

"How about you give me the camera back, and I'll take pictures of you and Sesshoumaru?"

"And after that, Sesshoumaru sama can take pictures of Kagome-nee-chan and Rin, too!"

"Sure! If he wants to, that is," Kagome responded, looking at Sesshoumaru in question. At his nod, Rin smiled brightly, and ran back to them, giving the camera to Kagome.

Looking at the pictures Rin had taken, Kagome saw that the girl had taken at least a dozen pictures while they were talking. 'well, the more the merrier,' she thought to herself, before moving to shoot the promised pictures of the two.

A few pictures later, she handed the camera to Sesshoumaru, with the reminder to be careful with it. Hugging the girl, she told her to smile, and they both sent their biggest, brightest smiles at Sesshoumaru, who took a few pictures before giving her the camera back.

"Now, Rin chan, I have a very important question for you." Kagome had said once the photo-session was over. "Have you ever made snow angels?"

Rin shook her head. "What are snow angels, Kagome-nee-chan?"

"I'll show you."

Putting the camera down next to Sesshoumaru and asking him to watch over it, Kagome plopped to the snow-covered ground and started moving her arms and legs. Carefully getting up, she showed Rin the result.

"That is a snow angel, Rin chan. Want to make one?"

The girl nodded with excitement, and soon the two were lying on the ground, making angel after angel. When the ground was full of snow angels, most of them child-sized, Kagome called Rin with a new idea.

"How about we make a snowman now, Rin chan?"

"A snow man?" the girl had asked, and for the next hour or so they busied themselves with making the biggest snowman ever. At one point, Kagome glanced over at Sesshoumaru. He was holding her camera, taking pictures of them playing at the snow. Smiling softly to herself, she added the acorn Rin found as a nose, and stood back, appreciating their handiwork. It was then that she realized the light was dimmer.

"It's getting late." She told them, taking the camera from Sesshoumaru. "I should head back, before Inuyasha comes to yell at me for wasting time."

Sesshoumaru nodded, but Rin pouted. "Do you really have to go, Kagome-nee-chan?"

"Don't worry, Rin chan. I'll come back soon. After all, it's Christmas in a few days." Confused faces told her she needed to elaborate.

"Christmas is a holiday in my time, where people give gifts to their friends and family to show how much they care about them."

"That sounds like a fun holiday, Kagome-nee-chan!"

"Of course it is, Rin chan. And now I really need to go, but I will see you later, ok?"

A few days later, and finally at home, Kagome connected her camera to her computer, going over the pictures she had taken to decide which should go inside the albums she had planned on making. Picture after picture, she debated over every single one, taking only the best, knowing she didn't have enough room for them all. It was a long process, and by the time she had reached the pictures of Rin playing with Jaken she was tired, and considered putting it off for the day after.

She pressed 'next', though, and was rewarded with Sesshoumaru's face, up close and with a slight confusion showing on his face. Her breath hitched, and her stomach fluttered. It was a really close picture of Sesshoumaru, and she could see the different shades of gold playing in his eyes.

The next picture was one that Rin had taken; she was sitting next to Sesshoumaru, looking at the camera, while Sesshoumaru was looking at her in a baffled expression. In the next, she was laughing, and while Sesshoumaru still looked bewildered, there was something in his eyes, something that made his face seem… warmer, and her stomach gave another flutter. Just to think, that she could cause such an expression…

Kagome blinked. Yup, she was definitely past her productive hours, if she was reading that much into one picture. It was probably the light, anyway, playing tricks on her. And besides, she loved Inuyasha. Closing her computer, she decided to continue tomorrow morning, before she had to take the pictures for development.

It was a few days later, and Kagome was back in the Feudal Era, her stomach still full from the huge Christmas dinner her mother made. Her gifts to her friends already given – and much appreciated – she still hadn't found the time to visit Sesshoumaru's group to give them their gifts. Inuyasha, angry that she had wasted time for such a useless thing as a holiday, had pushed them harder than usual. She knew that all that was needed was one soul catcher floating nearby, and they could rest a little.

It took four days before one appeared.

It was late – Kagome's watch said it was about ten – and she was tired, but she knew that if she went to sleep she might not get another opportunity soon enough. And besides, it would be rude to give Christmas presents in the next year, and that meant she had about two hours.

And so, taking the gifts and putting on the Christmas hat she had brought for this specific reason – a little holiday spirit never hurt anyone – she told her friends she would be back soon, and went off to search for a certain dog demon and his group.

She didn't have to go far. He was closer than usual, maybe because he knew she would be coming to look for them soon, and was trying to make it easy for her. She didn't wonder about it for long, knowing that her chances of ever getting an answer to that were slimmer than an anorexic model. She just hoped Rin would still be awake.

When she got to their camp, she saw that she was just in time – the little girl was preparing to go to sleep, but had awoken with a cry of "Kagome-nee-chan!" the moment she noticed her, running over and hugging her legs, nearly causing Kagome to fall, and she looked at Sesshoumaru, for help, but he seemed too busy trying to hide a smirk.

"Hey there Rin chan! How are you?"

"Rin missed you, Kagome-nee-chan!"

"I missed you too, Rin chan." Kagome replied with a smile. "Come, let's sit by the fire. It's cold!" They walked towards the fire, and Kagome smiled at Sesshoumaru, getting a nod in response.

As they sat down, Rin made an observation about an odd thing on her normally strange friend. "Kagome-nee-chan, you have bells in your funny hat!"

Kagome laughed. "Yup! It's a Christmas hat, and all the more fun when it has bells on it. Do you like it?" she asked, and Rin nodded.

"Then," she said, taking off the hat and putting it on the girl. "You can have it."

"Really, Kagome-nee-chan?"

Kagome nodded, and was rewarded with a huge smile, which caused her to send a smirk of her own at Sesshoumaru. "Consider it payback for the smirk," she told him, watching as Rin ran around and tried to find the move that would produce the most jingles out of the bells on her head.

"Now," she started, causing Rin to come back and sit next to her. "It's time for presents!"

Taking the first one out of her bag, she gave it to Rin, watching as the girl squealed in happiness as she opened the wrapping and found a fluffy plushie of a white dog. Next was Jaken, who looked at her in surprise when she gave him the present, obviously not expecting one. He got a child-sized scarf, mittens and knitted hat, as Kagome had noticed that while Rin was clothed for the snow, he was still wearing his rags and shivering.

"And last, but certainly not least," she said, giving a small package to Sesshoumaru. He looked at her curiously before opening it, finding a pack of cigarettes and a zippo lighter with his name engraved on it.

After showing him how to use the lighter, she said, "Now you won't have to wait till you see me to get some nicotine. When the cigarettes run out, tell me and I'll get you some more, if you want."

He nodded, and she smiled, taking the last thing out of her bag.

"Now, this is something for all of you." She gave the last gift to Sesshoumaru, who opened it, only to look at her in surprise when he saw the picture on the cover of the album. It was one that she had taken, of him and Rin, she hugging his leg while he was looking down at her softly. Above it was written 'Happy Times', which she found mighty corny, but reminded her of her conversation with Sesshoumaru, explaining the reason of smiling at pictures. Letting Rin sit next to Sesshoumaru so she could see as well, she told him to open it, and watched their faces as they looked at themselves in the pictures.

"Thank you, Kagome." Sesshoumaru said softly when they reached the end of the album, and she realized she could not find words to respond. "I-it's nothing, really." She stammered.

"No, it's quite something." He corrected her with a quirk of his lips, before producing a small package. "We have something for you, as well."

Now it was her turn to look surprised. She didn't expect them to give anything back, just wanted to share the joy of Christmas with them. "You didn't have to—"

"But, Kagome-nee-chan, you said Christmas was for people to bring gifts for their friends!"

"Well, yeah…" Kagome looked from Rin to Sesshoumaru, once again at a loss of what to say. It was not a situation she was used to. "Thank you," she said eventually, smiling brilliantly.

"Open it, Kagome-nee-chan!"

"Alright, alright!" she laughed, taking the present from Sesshoumaru's hand and opening it, finding a beautiful silver-wrought necklace, with a tiger's eye medallion.

"Do you like it, Kagome-nee-chan?"

"It's beautiful. I love it! Thank you so much!"

"Rin picked it," Sesshoumaru explained, and Kagome smiled at the sleepy girl, before looking at the medallion again. It reminded her of Sesshoumaru's eyes up close, like in the picture she had taken.

"Kagome-nee-chan," Rin practically mumbled, obviously trying to fight fatigue. "What other holidays do you have in your time? Rin is curious."

"Well," Kagome responded. "The next big event after Christmas is New Years – it's when we celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of another. At midnight, the exact moment when the days change and the new year begins, people kiss – to start the new year with a kiss. It's really nice – there's this big countdown and everything, and in some places they have fireworks, lighting up the sky in celebration."

"It's sounds beautiful, Kagome-nee-chan."

"Yeah… I'm kinda sad that Inuyasha wouldn't let me stay to celebrate it."

"When is it?" Sesshoumaru asked, and Kagome looked at her watch.

"In ten minutes, actually. Wow, I didn't even realize how the time passed."

"Then why aren't you celebrating with your friends?"

"They're all asleep, and besides, you guys are also my friends."

"Hn." Sesshoumaru replied, his face unreadable.

"Anyway," Kagome started, intending to continue the list of holidays, but noticing that Rin was already asleep, curled next to Ah-Un for warmth. So instead she said, "I should probably get going. It's getting late, and walking through that forest in the dark is not exactly safe."

"Tell me more about this holiday, this New Year." Sesshoumaru said. "I'll take you back to your friends afterwards." He added.

"Alright," she smiled. She didn't really want to leave. "But I warn you, there's not much to tell."

"What would you have done now if you were home?"

"I'd probably go out with my friends to a pub and get drunk, I guess."

"A pub?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Yeah. In my time we have places where you can sit and drink alcohol – like sake – and listen to music and talk to friends. A lot of people my age like to get drunk on New Years Eve. Though, I have to admit, a lot of people my age like to get drunk on any night. New Years is just another cause for celebration – meaning, a reason to drink."

"Hn. So what makes this night special?"

"Not a lot, really, but it feels special. I think it's because people are doing what they want their new year to start with – whether it's drink all you can or just be with the people you like. They say that the way you begin the year will mark the way it continues, and everyone wants to have a good year."

"I see," he said, and Kagome looked at her watch. Two minutes.

"People also make lists called 'New Years Resolutions' – all the things they want to change for the coming year."

"Like what?"

"Oh, it could be anything; quit smoking, get a girlfriend, find a job, get better grades – anything they think would make their life better."

"What are your resolutions, then?"

Kagome looked at him. Since when did he develop an interest in her as a person? He was always curious about her, that she knew, but that was only because she knew things that he didn't, and he wanted to learn them. And while she had never failed to answer his questions, this was a personal subject. Still, looking at him, she felt compelled to answer.

"To move on," she answered softly, thinking of Inuyasha and Kikyou and soul-stealers and waiting and waiting and – she did not want to think about it now, on New Years Eve. Looking for a change of topic, she looked at her watch again.

"Ten seconds!" she looked up at him and smiled. "We should count down with it! 5…4…3…2…1! Happy New Year, Sesshoumaru!"

"Happy new year, Kagome." He answered with the small quirk of his lips she recognized as a Sesshoumaru-smile, and then he leaned closer, and before she had time to realize what was going on, his lips were on hers.

'Now that's a great way to start the new year,' Kagome thought, before he had deepened the kiss and she couldn't think of anything else.

Hmm… just want to add one more thing – I know I said that romance between them is gonna take a while, but the new years kiss was begging to be written… of course, that is not the end of it!

Tell me what you thought!

Lyla