Indeed the snow fell heavy at the start of the season in Musashi. The weight of the ice broke branches that blocked the main trade routes. The top layer of the river froze in two days. The overhead sky was gray and white with the barest glimpses of sun but the residents were comforted by the rice and wheat and grain stored in the village larder. The Princess Shrine Maiden even brought hot cocoa to share while the men cleared the path to the river.

"Isn't it wonderful, Inuyasha? We're going to have a white Christmas. So pretty!"

It was good to be done with her first semester. Wonderful shy Sara had spent so much time tutoring her past her absence that she had lost track of the hours. Her friend protested but she had a knack for the science which made her a great partner for practicals. It was a pity she couldn't come to the shrine for Christmas Cake because she was going to be out of time during their break but they'd be on the same schedule next semester. We made sure of it! The poor girl has trouble making friends.

She was sure Inuyasha had been prompted by her little brother but he had asked her on a Christmas date. She had a cute outfit picked out complete with winter hat for their stroll through the city to admire the displays. Thankfully the sweater gracefully hid Baby so she could maintain her silhouette.

At least she had her own ofuro at home to warm her frozen toes. The beautiful simple room fit onto the backside of their home so they could use the runoff water to water the garden if desired. It was not as convenient as turning a tap but the atmosphere was superior. Her wonderful, thoughtful husband had merely dragged her home by the hand and shown her the addition with a gruff 'here'. No explanations, nothing. Just a personal bath that upgraded their home above certain personal manors. Inuyasha's eyes lit up with pride whenever she used it.

The baby moved a bit when she sank into a bath to raise her temperature. It might freak Inuyasha out but she found it comforting, the little life force she sensed was reacting back occasionally. She rested against the lip to enjoy the heat while it lasted.

Inuyasha and Miroku had conspired to put an end to lessons under the Goshinboku which would involve her praying on the cold hard ground covered with snow. Kaede refused lessons which required abstaining from food or comfort to attain higher enlightenment. So where did that leave her? Quiet meditative lessons inside the shrine that really only bored her. Inuyasha had the same fervor to self-improve but they were stuck. Baby comes first.

She was halfway down the path when she noted the phenomenal demonic aura. Sesshomaru was almost visually imperceptible to her human eyes but there was no mistaking that power. She waved politely expecting him to pass, ignoring her human existence as normal, with nary a glance. Baby flipped like a little goldfish.

"Good morning, Sesshomaru-sama. Did Totosai fix your Tenseiga?"

Silence judged her. Kagome did her best to stifle her nerves while he towered over her. She clenched her hands when her body reacted. Inuyasha was a powerful half-demon but his aura was safe and familiar. His brother was like a swirling dark whirlwind that never relented.

"Why are you bothering with this human, milord?" A nasally voice peered from behind his lord. Jaken banged the Staff against the ground to announce his irritation. "Must you stand in his way? Move, girl. The arrogance of mortals!"

"Is this yours?" The question startled her. Per his silent invitation she stepped forward to examine the curious thing he held. A crystallized arrow head rested in his palm. Even the broken shaft had turned to crystal with variations in light and opacity. It certainly felt at-home in her hands. The harsh line on his skin made her feel guilty.

"This was claimed by humans from the ashes on the Crow's battlefield. It carries your scent."

"So you think I made it? I didn't have any wooden arrows." Kagome closed her fists but it did not break. It would make a stylish paperweight but it doesn't have any power. "Hey, are you staying around until the New Year? We're having a big group gathering at the house. You are welcome to join if you want. There will be plenty of food to share. Whaddya say?"

"When is your child due?"

"Late spring?" The question was so personal she answered on reflex. The eyes were similar in color to her husband's but so cold. It made judging his motives impossible. What if the baby has dagger eyes?

"Hn." With a final sweeping look the demon turned on his heel. Jaken mumbled under his breath but wished her a good morning after all. She let out the breath she was holding. The big guy didn't turn down my holiday invitation. Maybe we could have a civil family dinner!

Inuyasha didn't turn down a flask of hot cocoa with little pink marshmallows. He had taken a mallet to the sheet of ice covering the river to get the water running again. Big, strong Jinenji was taking care of the blockage upriver. She showed him the crystal arrow but edited the conversation just a tidbit. As quick as possible they began to quarrel over the task of getting the house cleaned nice and proper to ensure a lucky fortune.

"I have to go to the shrine, why?"

"Because families go together at Christmas, stupid!" Her hormones got the best of her imagining their little family paying respects at the shrine all-together. Inuyasha waved his hands when she started to tear up. Why did he have to ruin it? It was perfectly pleasant family rituals. What was wrong with tradition?

"Sure, Kagome. Whatever you want! What the hell is Cross-mast Cake? Can Kaede make it?"

"Noo-oo. Only Mom can make it. What's wrong with you?" Inside she knew it was unfair to bewilder her beautiful husband but the words came out anyway. It was easier once they returned to Kaede's hut with water to roll clean bandages and mix thick-smelling salves to help with winter fevers. There was a new communicable disease running through the residents that resulted in a nasty cough and trouble breathing. It was another avenue from which she was completely socially banned.

No nursing, limited spiritual training -

An entire basket's worth of clean linen bandages were rolled into tight professional rounds. Herbs and clay and alcohol were mixed together for a chest salve to open the nasal passages potent enough to make a dog demon retch. Many families wanted to request she be the first visitor of the year to bless their dwelling over tea and food. There were even special requests that she didn't understand.

"Well, Kagome-chan. The women know that you are newly married and quick with child - "

"So they want to rub my belly for luck like a Buddha?! How do they even know? I am barely showing. Back me up, Inuyasha." The hanyou quit tapping his fingers. Pensive eyes looked back. "You jerk! Did you tell everyone?"

"Shippo gives the children art shows in the eastern fields where they play. I fear he may have let your secret slip in his newest paintings. The cat and the dog have made a lovely home together but now the cat looks rather - "

"Rather what, Kaede?"

"H-happy! The cat looks very happy with her dog-friend. That is all I meant."


The Higurashi Shrine was blanketed in a thick layer of snow that left it feeling isolated from the rest of the busy world. Women owned the kitchen where the men were banished. Not that it mattered to Inuyasha. The permanent smell of good food filled the little house with only the occasional swear from his wife when she touched a scalding pot. His mother-in-law was completely oblivious to the pink light that would wrap around her fingers to heal her burned human.

Kagome came downstairs at midday in a long blue dress with a pink shawl. A dotted knit hat covered her scalp. The girl stuck her tongue at him before performing a little twirl for his admiration at the base of the stairs. The scarf around her neck swirled.

"You look r-really - "

"Say what?"

"Cute. You look cute! Shut up. Where's your purse?" It was a good question. The girl ran back up the stairs to claim her belongings. The distraction provided time to leaf through the instructions in his pocket. The modern clothes were idiotic but they pleased Kagome.

Keep Kagome warm and hydrated. Make her sit down every hour. Don't let her catch sick.

Ankle-high boots were added to his wife's attire at the door while they bid her family a good day. The streets outside were lined with people enjoying the decorations in the windows and shopping in the crisp air. In his pocket he carried an unusual amount of paper yen Souta had helped him withdraw from the machine as a precaution.

"Are you kidding? Big Sis loves Christmas Eve. I bet she spends a bundle!"

Kagome marveled at the lights but his attention stayed on her. The beautiful girl could barely contain the radiance of her soul. He agreed with her happiness. Without doubt it was the best year of his life. In four seasons he had gained a home, a wife, a family and a community. Their hands stayed interlocked while she pulled him through the crowds to find the best displays and the nicest costumes in a public contest. The humans tried to bump into his wife but he kept her safe.

"This way Inuyasha! Midtown has the best lights."

The glossy buildings made his head spin. Lights strung in trees. Lights on benches. There were even women wrapped in strings of lights and short skirts. It was madness. Kagome loved it. It didn't take much convincing to drag her towards the restaurant Souta had recommended. The smell of roasting chicken spilled out into the street until the waiting crowd was saturated with the flavors. It took time to reach the counter to order a 'bucket' of chicken but it was worth it. They were given not a paper bin filled with fowl meat and oily bread.

"Is this healthy?"

"Absolutely not, that's the fun." Kagome waved a salty fry in his face. She deliberately took a long sip of her sugary soda to spite him. The girl's foot bumped his beneath the table. Outside the snow was resuming its descent on the streets, he could feel the cold seeping in from the glass covered in funny little decals. Couples were strolling together. A few had their children out to marvel at the winter festival.

"So humans tore down the forests but now they erect dead trees to decorate?"

"Umm...pretty much?" Slim fingers tore a biscuit in two. The blueness of her eyes stopped him before he could tease her about this era. The noise outside faded while he tried to figure out if she was flirting with him. The gentle press of her thumb on his hand in a circular motion made the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Kagome withdrew her hand to focus on her plate. He voluntarily handed over his portion of the potato slices drenched in pepper.

Darkness. The machines in the restaurant stopped buzzing. The street went silent.

There was a long moment that hung in the air while the humans realized what happened. Outside there were screams from newly blind mortals. Kagome reached across the table for him to clutch onto his wrist. Around them humans were climbing out of their chairs. His wife squeezed his arm while they stepped out of the building into the cold air. The only lights were coming from the portable telephones humans carried in their pockets.

The humans are going to panic.

"Kagome, don't argue. Just do what I say - "

There was zero argument about climbing onto his back. It was easier to navigate through the crowd without leading his wife through the frightened blind. None of them were paying attention when he jumped from a higher ledge to the top of a residential store where they couldn't be trampled. From the vantage point it was easier to confirm the entire city was dark. The only lights moving were the metal carriages.

Inuyasha crouched to let Kagome stand on the steady cement roof. She flipped open her telephone to call the shrine but no one answered. Her fingers were trembling.

"It is powered by lightning, right? I bet they are fine. Hey." He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her back. Even though they lived without constant lights in his era, the sudden lack here terrified her. "There's nothing to blubber about."

"I wanna go home."

"I can manage that. Got your phone? Careful." Inuyasha waited for her to settle comfortably before leaping off the roof. Despite being afraid of the world's unnatural blackness, he could feel Kagome's face buried in his back. Humans were scrambling for order and safety but unlike his era they were unprepared. It was cold and snowing and humans were exposed in the night.

"Hey, you, gimme that purse!" Inuyasha dropped Kagome on a safe ledge to deal with the problem. Two men were trying to rob an old woman in the alley where she was walking. They never saw him coming. Both hit the wall hard, afterwards he pulled the woman towards the street.

"T-thank you, Santa Claws!"

Kagome pulled his hair mid-leap to point him towards a creature skittering down a wall above a family of unsuspecting humans. It looked like the head and torso of a naked woman had been attached to the body of a particularly ugly spider. Her jaw opened to draw another man into her web but he intervened first.

"Not today, Jorōgumo!" The thrown Tetsusiga pierced her body and the concrete behind her. She turned to spit acid in his direction. I fucking hate spiders. Kagome's hand extended past his face to burn the bitch with reiki. A crumpled husk tumbled into a trash bin. He hung from his impaled sword to check the web but the man inside was already burned to a crisp. The only thing he could do was cut the body to the ground to be found later.

"You good?"

"Duck!" Kagome's warning gave him time to pull Tetsusaiga free and avoid being pierced by a spear. He landed easily atop a truck. An oni floating on gray smoke changed direction.

What the hell?

A naegatsuku was scaring humans away from a konbini so it could consume everything in the store. Maikubi were chasing a group of teenagers down the road spewing noxious smoke from their floating heads. Man, what a pain! He stopped an enkō from drowning children in the wishing fountain of a nearby shopping mall so it could eat their fresh livers.

"I thought there weren't any demons in your village?"

"I have never seen so many. Where did they all come from? Ōkubi!" A giant floating head was weaving through the street. It seemed to think vehicles were a challenge. Flames expelled from between its blackened teeth to roast an empty parked bus.

Humans screamed from the stairs which lead to the underground tunnels. He sprinted forward only to turn at the last second to avoid the giant snake barreling up. It caught several humans in its widened jaws before he could react. The uwabami flicked its tongue forward before focusing on Kagome.

"Priessstesss…"

"I hate snakes, kill it, kill it!" Hands pulled too hard on his hair. Duh!

It took forever to fight through the streets leading to the Higurashi Shrine. He planted a foot on the ledge of the candy store down the block to survey the situation. The branches of the Goshinboku were filled with orbs of light. Humans on the street below ignored it but a protective dome covered the grounds. Kagome's fingers squeezed his shoulders.

A barrier.

Inuyasha struck down a waniguchi snapping at passersby at the bottoms of the steps but it was only a little blue dragon with an enlarged shrine bell for a head. It dissolved in a bundle of sparks. Kagome easily passed through the intense protection magic, her damp little shoes paused on the stairs.

"Go check on your family."

"Inuyasha - "

"No. You made a promise. You remember?"

"Of course I do. But I can't leave you! These people need help."

"Then I will bring people to the shrine for protection if you swear to stay. Change into your kimono. Get your bow and keep everyone inside. And warm your damn feet." Inuyasha turned to confront the newest threat but it was only a spirit dancing in the streets. A female body donning pink kimono jingled with each step, its head was a bell. It made no signs of attacking anyone.

"Promise me, Kagome."

"At least let me get your clothes?"

"Fine, just hurry!"

An empty carriage rolled down the road alight with ghostly green chōchinbi. He waited until Kagome disappeared up the stairs to stop the metal beast from impacting with a store. Youkai strength kicked open a red water fountain to put out the flames. The stupid coat he was wearing caught on fire so he dropped it in the street.

A blue-skinned isogashi ran aimlessly towards him. The demon had floppy ears and a floppy tongue, the bastard tried to lick him. A solid punch to the face separated the human inside from the spirit pouring out of its mouth. It groaned before searching for another body. An arrow struck through the air. Kagome shouldered her bow to pass his clothes through the barrier.

"You'd better not die, stupid!"

Inuyasha waited until his teary wife went up the steps a second time and through the gate. The light from the Goshinboku did not penetrate far into the shadows surrounding the shrine. At least Kagome and the baby are protected. Thank you, Tree.


The Higurashi family did not understand but they were happy to host Christmas visitors. Each confused set of wanderers that arrived at the steps per the instructions of the 'Santa cosplay boy' reassured Kagome that Inuyasha was alive and fighting. It didn't matter that he wasn't wearing his hat when they were being chased by people-eating monsters.

"Is this an event?"

"We're being invaded by aliens!"

Mama distributed blankets to the children in Souta's charge. Grandpa waited at the steps to encourage visitors to visit the shop for special discounts on lucky Christmas amulets! Kagome didn't have time to scold him for scalping refugees on purchases. There were several people injured from fleeing the demons and spirits running loose in the streets of Tokyo.

Lanterns.

Blankets.

Blood! Kagome pressed a clean cloth to the young man's forehead to stop the bleeding. It was scraped from contact with the pavement where he had fallen. The electrical grid had failed but the water was still running. There were no signs of a concussion but she paired him with a kindly grandmother to be watched in the main room. She went to wash her hands in the kitchen.

The shimenawa adorning the Sacred Tree glowed with mystic light. The surrounding area was warmer than the snow. Spirits danced in the upper branches and made their guests awe. Her oblivious mother was telling people that they were Christmas lights and wasn't it a miracle they were still on? Of course they had a generator.

Without the protection of the Tree we would be under attack. People could die.

It was one thing to be attacked in the Feudal Era where she expected trouble. This was her childhood home!

Buyo meowed for her attention from underneath the table. She took a moment in the panic to coax him out with treats. He perched happily on her shoulder while she skipped up the stairs to deposit the feline in her bedroom where he could better hide from strange children under her ruffled bed-skirt.

Gold light spilled out of the cracks in her desk drawer.

The drawings of the ensō were bright.

Screams from the street interrupted her contemplation. She raced down the stairs prepared to fight. A frightened man hit her shoulder hard enough that she spun. It was a split-second decision to catch herself on the railing rather than her arrows. People were stampeding into the house. Booted feet stomped on her weapons.

"We're all going to die!"

Kagome pushed through the crowd but they were determined to go through the front door and gather at the back. It took forever to reach the front door so she could hang onto the frame. A giant skull made of skulls was floating above the barrier trying to break through to the tasty humans inside. She forcibly spun her mother around.

"Kagome, what in the world? It is only a parade balloon."

"Get inside, that's an order!"

"Kagome?"

"Mom, there's no time for denial." A ring of gold light encircled her forearm. It was the easiest thing in the world to let it flow down her arm into her mother so she was more compliant to hiding inside with the others. The skeleton head bashed into the barrier with enough force to worry her.

"Hey ugly!" The creature's sockets were empty but they seemed to focus on her. It flew over her when she ran for the gates. The flying head was waiting for her at the street with its bony mouth open intending to swallow her whole. After the barrier washed over her like a second skin she focused on the demonic energy. The golden ring around her forearm flared in reaction to the dark blue aura of the Skull Head. It chuckled at her apparent sacrifice.

"I am nobody's dinner, you jerk!"

Kagome let the magic flow through her. Skull Head was bombarded with purifying energy. It flowed through one empty eye socket into the other, it lit the inside of his horrid empty mouth, until everywhere that was once black turned bright with color. There was no escaping the purification. In a burst the skull dissolved into a mound of ash on the street outside her home.

"Dammit, wench!"

In the light of the newly rising sun was her dirty, tired, bleeding Inuyasha. The Robe was in shambles from many battles. Tears of relief rose in her eyes when she could touch him. What did it matter that he was angry? He's alive.

"What about your fucking promise, eh? I could have finished that thing without your help. Are you stupid?"

The street looked like it had been hit by a typhoon. Cars were in shambles. There was glass on the road. Corpses were dissolving under the light of the sun. Demons had routed through garbage bins for sustenance which was now attracting vermin. There was a wail in the distance from a passing police van.

"What would I do if you died? Did you think of that? No! You and the baby come first! You have to run, eejit." Strong hands gripped her shoulders. Inuyasha kissed her. It was chaste and greasy and not very good but wonderfully reassuring. It soothed his frenzy a bit to hold her. He was covered in black soot like he'd survived a fire blast. There was a layer of char on his neck and clothes. Even his hair was dotted with black spots.

"What happened to you?"

"Bastard fire snakes in the tunnels."

"Fire snakes?"

"Ah-huh. Led the fire snakes right to the tar beast. The blast hurt like hell." Inuyasha squeezed her. The idea of her husband involved in any kind of oil explosion in the subway! No wonder he's so dirty.

"You saved a lot of people. I'm really proud."

"All I could think about was you."

They simply swayed together for a quiet moment. People would need help getting home. The man with the head wound needed to go to hospital. Her family deserved an explanation but she had none. Only the terrible rumble of an empty stomach could distract her.

Sorry, Baby. We'll have some breakfast soon. Promise.