The clouds had been looming for days, casting ominous shadows across rooves and fields, taunting the inhabitants with the hope of having a white Christmas. Kagome had been staring back just as hard, pleading to every possible deity, and it appeared they'd finally answered her prayers. She awoke the morning of Christmas Eve to find the town covered in a thick layer of snow, silencing what was left of the woodland chatter.

She'd travelled home for the holidays, taking a much-deserved break from her European tour with the Northern Ballet. After years of pulled muscles and broken toes, she'd finally landed her first lead role, and the casting director had already approached her next season, claiming the part of Odette could be played by no other.

Rumours were spreading that they were planning The Firebird for the year after that, and Kagome idly wondered if she'd ever be picked for a happier role. She'd never complain—dancing on stage in pointe shoes had been her dream since she'd been a child—and playing Giselle had been wonderful, but was there a reason she'd been pegged for all the tragic females?

Leaning against her windowsill, she twirled a lock of dark hard around her finger. It was nice to leave it loose for once and not have it weighed down with hairspray. The stylists kept making jokes that she should take out stocks in the stuff since she needed so much to keep her hair under control. When she stopped travelling, which wouldn't be anytime soon, she would make sure her home had a bathtub big enough for five people.

She'd probably live in it for a month.

Content to watch the still-falling snow, she let her mind wander to her mother's upcoming party. Emiko Higurashi had been overworking herself for weeks, planning entertainment and cooking enough food to last them several days. She enjoyed every minute of it, her face aglow ever since Kagome had told her she could make it this year. Undoubtedly, it had something to do with all the eligible bachelors she'd invited, but Kagome knew how to handle them.

She hoped.

They were all polite enough, but the lure of the ballet had always been stronger, and none of them wanted to be outshone by their wife. Even the youkai population, who had done their part to help the town flourish, appeared to prefer docile mates—or at least ones that stayed put. Being a part of high society was a goal for everyone, regardless of their heritage, and even her uncle, whom Mama had promised would be making an appearance, had chosen someone who preferred to be seen and not heard.

She'd met Izayoi a few times, and Uncle Touga had included letters from her after Kagome had joined the ballet, but there was always something off about her. She was nice enough, pretty enough, and got along with everyone else in her family, but the melancholy that surrounded her was intense. Kagome often caught her gazing out the nearest window with a faraway look on her face.

She'd asked her mother about it on more than one occasion, but Mama had shaken her head sadly and said it was something only a mother would understand. Kagome had instantly assumed she'd lost a child, but as far as she knew, there had never been any talk of her having cousins.

They weren't actually related by blood. Mama never spoke of how she'd met the boisterous daiyoukai, but he'd been coming to family events ever since Kagome could remember, teaching them about the wonders of magic. He'd even brought Mama a wolf cub, claiming his pack had abandoned him after he'd refused to attack a human village in the east. Mama had taken him in without question, though there were days Kagome wished she hadn't.

Kouga was everything she could ask for in a brother. He was always the first to defend her, the first to buy a ticket to her shows, even when she was only on stage for one number. But he also had this innate ability to annoy her to no end, coming into her room without knocking, touching her most prized possessions—even going as far as to run off any suitors she had an interest in. She loved him dearly, but she'd also love to beat him over the head with a stick.

"Oi, Kags! You up yet?"

Speak of the devil.

Her door opened wide, and Kagome turned an icy blue stare on the intruder. "A gentleman knocks, you know."

Kouga snorted. "Since when have I been a gentleman?"

"Since never," she retorted. "But I'm ever hopeful."

He proved her point by lounging across the windowsill, tangling their legs together like he'd done since they were children. She'd been worried she'd have to beat him off with a stick, especially when he started harassing suitors, but Uncle Touga assured her it was simply pack mentality. Kouga had imprinted onto her and Mama, so they had become the ones he wanted to protect—whether they liked it or not.

Before Kouga's arrival, she'd never noticed a difference between youkai and humans. Everyone in town got along, for the most part. Maybe it was different in bigger cities. She'd have to ask around when she went back to work. She wanted the fairytale to remain intact, but she was realistic in her expectations of how people viewed others who were different from them.

She'd dealt with her own slander when she'd beat out a few hanyou and even some pure-blooded youkai for the part of Giselle. There had been nasty notes left in her script, and she'd had to start locking up her pointe shoes, but everyone had been silenced after the first group rehearsal. She'd sailed across the stage without faulting, causing some of the chorus to miss their cue.

The choreographer had chastised them, but the director had given her a thumbs-up when they weren't looking, solidifying Kagome as the choice for the lead. A couple of dancers had even come by her dressing room later to apologize and offer to practice with her.

She still locked up her shoes, but nothing significant had happened since then, especially after opening night had ended in a standing ovation.

"Anything bad happen after the final show?" Kouga asked, hands behind his head.

"No," she replied, then pointed a finger in his face. "But there will be here if you don't stay away from Mama's cookies." Her brother blinked at her innocently, and she wiped some leftover icing from his cheek.

Said cheeks turned bright red, but he gave her a roguish grin. "I stashed some for later if you want one."

Kagome couldn't stop herself from laughing, but she shoved him off the sill bench. "You're incorrigible!"

"And yet you still love me."

She clicked her tongue. "I don't know… You did come into my room without knocking again." Kouga's blue eyes grew wide with worry, and she shoved him away again. "Why don't you try helping Mama for once, instead of stealing all her hard work."

"How do you think I got away with grabbing them in the first place?" He ducked her next blow, automatically getting into a defensive stance. "There she is. I thought you'd traded in your sparring gloves for your dance shoes permanently."

"You wish," she taunted, rolling up her sleeves. One of the reasons Uncle Touga had brought Kouga to them was due to Kagome's affinity with reiki. Her family had a history of holy power, but none had come to it so naturally. Her grandfather on her mother's side had hoped she would follow in his footsteps, but Mama had taken her to the ballet after a particularly gruelling day of training when she was five, and she'd come back a different person.

Uncle Touga had been the one to step in when Gramps gave her the ultimatum of choosing one or the other. She wasn't sure what had been said, but Gramps had agreed to let her take lessons as long as they didn't interfere with her training. She hadn't understood the meaning of 'balance' at such a young age, but she was glad she'd been able to do both.

The stamina and discipline needed for ballet had helped with her reiki control, aiding her movements and concentration. If Gramps hadn't been convinced before, the formation of a bow without a conduit when she'd turned fifteen had cemented it. After that, he'd finally come to one of her shows, offering up a single rose with a tearful apology for not coming sooner when she'd finished.

Reiki crackled between her fingers as Kouga brandished his claws, but a sharp warning from their mother had them both wincing. "How does she always do that?" he whined.

"Mother's intuition," Kagome said with a shrug, retracting her power. "Tomorrow?"

"If you haven't been swept away by Prince Charming tonight," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

She groaned, pushing him toward the door. "You're the one circling the castle like an ornery dragon keeping the princes away."

"Who else is going to do it?" He finally relented, letting her push him out of her room. "Besides, you wouldn't make a good wife for them. They'd tell you dancing was stupid. I bet none of them have even seen one of your shows before." It was true, and she wasn't in any hurry to get married, but his interference was still annoying.

"One of these days, you're going to meet someone who'll be doing the sweeping, and you'll finally leave me alone."

Kouga snorted as he waved over his shoulder. "Not likely. None of the court ladies can handle me."

Kagome snuck into the ballroom for a few moments before the guests arrived. Her hair still hung in loose waves around her shoulders, but Mama insisted on putting her in a corset.

Pointe shoes had nothing on the way the straps of the torture device dug into her skin.

Giving into the temptation, she spun around, grinning when the ends of her skirt lifted enough to show off her knees. The ladies of court Kouga had been complaining about would likely call her scandalous, but she preferred the open flow to the layered petticoats they'd all be sporting.

What was the point in dressing up if you couldn't dance in it?

She twirled again, then moved closer to the tree. The floor beneath its branches was already littered with presents, but she was more interested in the soft glow of the lit candles. She swore the tree got bigger each year they hosted this event, but maybe that was just because she'd missed the last few.

Hands clasped behind her back, she took in the sight, letting the candles warm her face and heart. No one could tear the stage away from her, but something about coming home never ceased to fill her with joy.

She inspected each branch, looking for her favourite ornaments. She'd sent a new one from each city she'd visited, even going as far as to custom design them when she couldn't find a dance-related one on the shop shelves. It was her way of reminding her mother that no matter what, she'd always come home.

They'd all pegged Kouga as being the one with wanderlust, but even neighbouring cities were limited in their dance opportunities. It had been Mama who'd encouraged her to spread her wings and apply to the more prestigious dance schools, even going as far as filling out the key information herself. And with Uncle Touga backing her, she'd never had to worry about the financial strain it would've put on her family.

He always got a pair of free tickets for every show, even if he couldn't make it.

Her heart beat in anticipation of seeing him again. She'd made a scrapbook of her first major show, including a program signed by the entire cast, along with the maestro. Uncle Touga somehow knew everyone in the industry but only stepped in when necessary. It had been part of why the chorus had been so nasty to her after her big break—they'd thought she was using his coattails to get her name at the top of the list. But he'd remained a silent benefactor, slipping away after opening night without coming backstage. There'd been a large bouquet of roses in her dressing room after curtain call that she'd known were from him, but the scripted card with 'That's my girl' written on it was enough.

Edging around the side of the tree, Kagome jumped back when something crinkled under her feet. She was about to yell at Kouga for opening his presents early but frowned when she realized the tissue paper was still inside the box. Kneeling down, she pushed a gnarled branch out of the way to reveal two pairs of gleaming, golden eyes.

They were made of wood, the paint of their uniforms untarnished—one in red, the other in white—and she lifted them out of the open box. There was no tag, no ripped ribbon, and she looked between the two figures, trying to decide who they were for—or from.

"I see you've found our newly invited guests," a familiar voice rumbled. Kagome nearly dropped the statues, on the verge of jumping to her feet when the daiyoukai sat down beside her. How he managed to do so in his three-piece suit was beyond her, but she was used to chalking it up to youkai magic.

Her eyes moved between the figures and her uncle. "You're supposed to run all invitations by Mama first."

He chuckled, his long silver hair tied back into a high ponytail. Most demons were more subtle about their appearance, trying to blend into their surroundings, but not Touga. He made a point of showing off his markings whenever possible, be it pulling his hair back or rolling up his sleeves. Mama constantly called him out on it, though it was more for Izayoi's sake than anything else.

"In this case, I think she'll make an exception." He had a mysterious twinkle in his eye that always preceded mischief, and Kagome held the two figures up to the light.

"Who are they?" she asked, turning them sideways.

An uncharacteristic sigh escaped his lips. "Two boys pretending to be men," he answered. "Both too big for their britches, which, incidentally, got them cursed into these forms in the first place."

The one dressed in red had been placed in front of the other in the box, and she noticed the pointed ears on the top of his head. Hanyou typically displayed features of only one parent, but even with a closer look, Kagome couldn't tell his origins. The silver hair meant he was part inuyoukai, the claws on his bare feet confirming the fact, but there was a wariness in his eyes that had her wondering about his upbringing.

"He looks like he's been through a lot," she mused.

"Indeed. But some of it is his own doing." Touga tapped the figure on the head. "He takes after his father with his short temper, but he's also fiercely protective like his mother. Once he decides you're part of his pack, his loyalty will never waver." He flicked the statue's face. "He'll argue you aren't until he's just as red as his clothes, though."

Kagome grinned, then held up the other statue. Unlike the first, his eyes were a little darker, and the sword he bore wasn't as threatening as the one prior. It looked like it was held in his hand against his will. She frowned slightly, turning him side to side before realizing he was missing an arm. She placed the red figure on the floor and held him up for a better view, tracing the broken hinge with her thumb.

"Was he in a fight?"

"He would consider it a battle, but it was his own doing," Touga scoffed. "It generates little sympathy."

She clicked her tongue, her thumb sliding to the edge of his face. His expression was stoic, if he even had one, but the eyes drew her in, glowing in the candlelight. They spoke of beauty and betrayal, and the figure dressed in red was quickly forgotten. "It must've been important if he was willing to risk a body part," she murmured. "He probably replays the event in his head repeatedly, wondering where he went wrong."

She felt her uncle's eyes on her, softly searching. She continued to look him over, and she suddenly grabbed the first figure, moving his left arm up and down. The mouth moved in time with it, but when she tried with the second, she realized his missing arm had been in charge of the rest of the mechanism.

She touched her forehead to his. "It must be hard, not being able to speak."

Touga snorted again. "It is more of a choice, little bird." She raised an eyebrow in question, and he sighed again, though the figure remained in her hands. "At first glance, he seems to be the better choice, but often ends up collecting dust on a shelf, as no one had need of a broken nutcracker." He leaned in closer. "It's also rumoured that he brings bad luck to his owner."

Kagome pursed her lips. "Well, I'll just have to change the narrative."

Her uncle's eyes widened as she got to her feet, the broken figure clasped tightly in her hands. "You're choosing that one over the other?"

Kagome cradled the warrior in one arm, as there was no doubt in her mind that was what he was. "I like him better." She glanced down at the other statue. "I have a feeling I'd get into fights with that one and end up throwing across the room. Or at Kouga."

Touga barked with laughter as he followed her across the ballroom floor. "It's very likely. But I warn you, caring for that one won't be easy."

Kagome grinned at him over her shoulder. "When have I ever chosen the easy path?"