InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Cinnamon and Mistletoe ❯ Chapter 5

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The giggles eventually faded into the general cheer that usually followed a large meal with friends and wine. The younger children were sent off to bed a little after desert, yawning and complaining that the older children were still allowed to stay up. The older children happened to be a pair of teenagers that were doing their best to stay out of the way as the adults talked about “when they were their age”.

Kagome had barely escaped finding out exactly how close her mother and Takashi had been back in their first year of high school. She definitely wished for a mental eraser to deal with the image of her mom’s first date which Mrs. Aoyama was kind enough to supply in glowing detail. At least it taught her never to go on a double date – one of the other three is bound to remember all the embarrassing details. It was turning into a long evening.

She somehow managed to make it across the room from her mother and claimed a little corner for herself. Watching her mother like this made her feel old or, worst yet, alien. You could have said that mother and daughter had changed roles for the evening, but that would have had the woman scurrying across forests and fighting demons.

Kagome smiled. How dull would her life had been if her greatest worry were who to go to the prom with!

Leaning against the wall, she enjoyed the sight of her mother dancing with Takashi for old time’s sake. She couldn’t remember ever seeing her mother dance. She was happy, they were all happy.

A little further from the impromptu dance floor, Mrs. Aoyama and two other women were cheering her husband who had ended up under the mistletoe with Shiori. The two looked awkward and the women around them, especially Mrs. Aoyama, were a bit too cheery. The man settled for a peck on the cheek which seemed to please the audience and left Shiori slightly flushed.

“I think we might be too sober for this” Shuuichi said handing her a mug.

Kagome eyed the red liquid suspiciously and wanted to ask when he got there. She settled for “What’s this?” It was hot and smelled of spices, cinnamon mainly.

“Mulled wine, I think. They call it ‘boiled wine’ but same difference.” He took a sip “They insisted it wasn’t very alcoholic, but we can still pretend”

“I know what you mean”

The wine was sweet and hot and made her feel warm.

“You’ve changed” he said. He was leaning against the wall next to her.

“I’ve grown up” she said “and so have you”

“It’s not just age. You’ve been through a lot. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I can say the same thing about you, but you’re not going to tell me everything for old time’s sake” She turned away from the dance floor and was looking up into his eyes.

“True” He smiled. “We have grown up”

“There was no time for secrets when we were little, was there?”

Kagome felt awkward. It might have been the wine, but the felt a strange pull in his aura. She wasn’t sure if it had been there before, but it was faint enough and familiar enough to ignore a little longer.

“Are you done with those?” said an unfamiliar voice. They recognized her as the girl who called them to dinner earlier. She was pointing to the empty mugs they were holding “Want me to get you a refill or do you want to take up my granny’s advice?” she offered. Before they could catch up she continued “Granny told me to tell you ‘Stop holding the wall up, it can manage on its own. Don’t let the old folks have all the fun. You’re young so go ahead and dance the night away’. Also” she said before Kagome could open her mouth “she said I should kick you if you don’t ask her to dance right now and we don’t want to see our work in hanging all that mistletoe going to waste”

The two were quiet for a moment. They could see the woman, the cook from earlier, peering in from around the door.

“Well?” she insisted.

Shuuichi handed her his mug and offered Kagome a hand. “Shall we?”

Kagome found herself deprived of the empty mug. “I guess we can’t argue”

They headed off smiling towards the dance floor, just in time to catch the new song. The girl watched them for a while with a smug expression on her face. Her grandmother hadn’t really said all that, she just threatened to kick the boy.

Kagome felt light. It might have been the wine, but it wasn’t alcoholic, was it? It might have been the dancing. She was surprised of how good her partner was at this so she allowed herself to glide under his lead. There was also the prickling on her skin where he touched her. It was familiar somehow. It called to her senses, but she wasn’t sure which ones. Maybe her mom was right about them. Right now, Kagome was glad to be a normal teenager, dancing with a cute boy at a party, even if that meant having to block out her mother’s muffled cheers.