InuYasha Fan Fiction / Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction ❯ Let's Give Thanks ❯ Let’s Give Thanks ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or Inuyasha.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! ;) This is another one-shot…

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Let's Give Thanks

            "No, no, no…more to the right…that's the left. Try going the other way. Stop right there…perfect. Thanks Kuwabara, you've been a real help! I would never have been able to put that banner up without you!" Keiko sincerely thanked with a wide grin. "Unlike Yusuke." she added, throwing a dirty look at her boyfriend, who was peacefully slumbering in one corner of the gym.

            "Eh, it's nothing." Kuwabara replied, his face taking on a crimson tinge. "After all, I can't leave this kind of work to a girl. Hey, wasn't Urameshi supposed to be helping you with the interior decorations?" A swift nod from Keiko confirmed Kuwabara's suspicions. "That punk…" he growled.

            "INCOMING!" a cheerful voice yelled in a last minute warning. Immediately, three blurs rushed past Kuwabara, nearly stampeding him in the process. "Sorry about the Kuwabara…" the voice dimmed as the three blurs disappeared behind a set of double doors.

            "What was that all about? Botan, get back in here! You almost made me into pancakes!" Kuwabara angrily accused, his right hand clutching his pounding heart. Several droplets of spit accompanied his outraged outburst, which his fellow classmate did not hesitate to comment on.

            "Buffoon, I hope you're cleaning up after yourself. I am not touching your saliva." Hiei coldly spat, an annoyed glint in his eyes. "I don't see why this monkey is on the set-up committee. He'll only get in the way."

            "Now, now, Hiei, be nice." Kurama gently scolded, successfully interrupting Kuwabara's onslaught of feeble threats. "And Kuwabara, try not to provoke Hiei, he's in a sour mood. After all, being part up the clean-up committee is a tiring job."

            "Degrading," Hiei corrected, narrowing his ruby-red eyes in disgust. "Who signed me up for that position anyway?" At the accusing glare, Kurama reflexively held up his hands in a sign of innocence. Kuwabara quickly shook his head from side to side when he found himself on the other end of Hiei's wrath.

            "It was me," a feminine voice proudly announced.

            "Hey Sango!" greeted Keiko, a bright smile on her lips. "How are the exterior decorations coming along?"

            "It's going fine…" Sango trailed off. "I think Kagome might be overreacting, though." she muttered the last part. "She's been such a slave driver today." she explained when Keiko blinked her eyes in confusion.

            "Don't get too upset about it. Kagome's just worried. It's not everyday that she gets elected to plan the whole Thanksgiving Evening." Kurama soothed, earning a sly look from Sango.

            "You're sure quick to defend Kagome, aren't you?" Sango grinned; her eyes lighting with mirth when the red-head blushed in embarrassment. "You know what; I don't think Kagome has been asked to the Thanksgiving Evening yet." Sango hinted, causing Yusuke to hoot widely.

            "I'm glad you have decided to grace us with your presence, Yusuke!" Keiko growled before tossing her boyfriend a handful of tape, wallpapers, and borders. "If the rest of this gym isn't decorated by the end of today, I'm going to the Thanksgiving Evening with your friend, Jin. At least, he's a responsible young man!"

            "Oooh," Kuwabara laughed. "Someone's in love with Jin…"

            "I never said that!" Keiko cried, her face glowing a bright red. "I just said I will go with him if Yusuke doesn't do his job!" she protested. "Plus, he asked me to the Thanksgiving Evening a few days ago."

"He did what?" screamed Yusuke, causing everyone to wince.

"A lover's quarrel," Kuwabara remarked with a small sigh.

            "Who asked you to sign me up for the clean-up committee?" Hiei demanded, advancing towards the slightly taller girl. Everyone's attention was immediately redirected from Yusuke and Keiko to Hiei and Sango.

            "You looked bored. So I thought, why not put you to some good use. Think about it, the clean-up committee isn't that bad of a job…I've got it ten times worse." Sango replied, standing her ground. "Hey, don't give me that look!" she growled. "Moping the floor, picking up trash, and washing the dishes after the Thanksgiving Evening will do someone like you a whole lot of good!"

            "I don't need you to tell me what's good and what's bad, wench!" Hiei hissed. "Mind your own business."

            "Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed." Sango retorted while defiantly crossing her arms across her chest. "It's too bad you don't like your job, because you're going to have to live with it!"

            "Girl, listen here!" Hiei icily bit out.

            "Don't call me a girl!" Sango lashed back.

            "When did you become a boy?"

            "That's not what I meant!"

            "How am I supposed to know what you are thinking?"

            "Because…"

            "There you are!" Kagome shouted while rushing through the double doors with inhuman speed. Unable to stop herself, Kagome crashed into the unsuspecting Yusuke, who, in turn, grabbed Keiko's skirt in an attempt to regain his balance.

            "YUSUKE!" shrieked Keiko when a loud rip followed Yusuke's fall.

            "I'm so sorry!" Kagome apologized while stumbling to her feet.

            "Keiko…" Yusuke trailed. "Uh…sorry?" he asked sheepishly after regaining his balance.

            "YOU JERK!" Keiko shouted, slapping her boyfriend soundly across his right cheek. Stumbling back from the sudden assault, Yusuke tumbled into Kagome, who had just barely regained her bearings. Seeing Kagome about to fall again, both Kurama and Sango moved to catch her at the same moment.

            Surprisingly, Kurama surpassed Sango's speed and caught Kagome before she fell. Sango eyes widened when she realized she was going to topple over Kurama and Kagome if she didn't come to an immediate halt. Thinking Sango was going to add to everyone's injury, Kuwabara stretched out his arms to catch Sango.

            Feeling two, foreign hands on her waist (though they was keeping her from falling) Sango immediately spun around and smacked the offender across the cheek. Retaliating from the sudden impact of flesh, Kuwabara turned a 180, coming chest to face with Hiei. Sango, who still hadn't comprehended the fact that Kuwabara was just trying to save her, quickly kicked the orange-top in the ribs, causing him to fall forward. Hiei's eyes widened for a split moment as Kuwabara's massive form crushed down upon him.

            CRASH!

BAM!

          &nb sp; "Woah, did I miss something?" someone asked with a questioning voice.

            "What happened?" where quickly echoed as several students stormed into the gym, trying to find the cause of the disturbance.

            "Can I join in?" Miroku asked lecherously, eyeing Yusuke, who had a small piece of Keiko's skirt in his hands. Keiko immediately turned tomato-red. Miroku's raised a suggestive eyebrow when his eyes traveled to Kurama, who had Kagome gently cradled in his arms.

            "Khem," several voices coughed when their eyes fell on Kuwabara and Hiei.

            "And I thought you two hated each other." Miroku sighed. Kuwabara immediately rolled off of Hiei, who was slightly breathless from the impact. "What is this world coming to? You do know that you two will be kicked out of this school for male and male relationships."

            "Maybe they were doing CPR." Jin suggested, earning a withering glare from Hiei. "Without the breathing barrier." he added as an afterthought. Now Hiei looked purely murderous. "Kuwabara and Hiei sitting in a tree: K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" he sang in a delight voice. "Ah don't worry, the faculties left already…no one's going to kick you two out." he assured as Hiei slowly advanced towards him, intent on ripping out his throat.

            "What's going on?" a soft, melodic voice asked, pushing through the crowd.

            "Hiei and Kuwabara are in love." Jin quickly supplied before Hiei had a chance to explain to his sister.

            "Oh," Yukina whispered. "Congratulations, Hiei." she smiled. "Wait, no, you can't Hiei! It's not appropriate! Plus, I wanted a sister-in-law."

            "Nothing happened!" Hiei growled, daring any one to challenge his statement.

            "Sango," Touya calmly addressed. "Since you're the only one not indulging in this inappropriate game, do you mind explaining what happened in here?" Sango scratched her head, unsure of where to begin her story.

            "Like Hiei said, nothing happened!" Kagome replied, standing up with Kurama's aid. "I tripped and fell on Yusuke, causing a chain reaction. Okay, explanation done. Now get back to work! All of you!" With that, the crown dissipated, leaving a blushing group in their wake.

            "Are you all right?" Kurama asked, his eyes shinning with unhidden worry.

            "I'm fine, really." Kagome replied, causing Sango to whistle. "Anyway, I want everyone to get back to work." With that, she picked up her clipboard, which had clanked to the ground with her fall. "Kuwabara, Yusuke, I want this gym decorated by nightfall! Keiko, after you change, I want to you to supervise them."

            "Man, this sucks." Yusuke grumbled before grabbing the tape and a handful of turkey cutouts. Kuwabara picked up the stapler and a handful of wallpapers before trailing after his best friend.

            "Hiei, take out the garbage." Kagome continued, earning a growl in response. "Sango, start working on the men's bathroom - they need to be cleaned before the day's over."

            "Wait, hold up!" Yusuke shouted, turning his attention back to Kagome. "What did you just say?"

            "The janitor is sick and Sango was elected to fill in that position by the teachers, because she disrupted morning class a week ago." Kagome quickly explained; her eyes trained on the list in her hands. Hiei gracefully hefted the garbage back across his shoulders and turned towards the double doors, but didn't exit until he threw a triumphant glance in Sango's direction.  Sango clenched her teeth and fists, mumbling something along the lines of arrogant, self-centered boys under her breath.

            "Kurama, will you please follow me for a moment." Kagome stated, more than asked. "Will you please help the gardening group…if you don't, we'll never get done by the end of the day!" she whispered, giving the red-head a pleading look. "I know you're not on the gardening team and that you already finished planning the Thanksgiving Evening dishes, but we really need your input!"

            "It's no problem, I'll help in any way I can." Kurama promised, earning a relived sigh from Kagome.

            "Don't forget to ask her." Sango hissed, before hurrying off in the general direction of the men's bathroom.

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            Late that night, everyone on the Thanksgiving Evening committee gathered in the school garden. The last to arrive was Sango, who looked beyond disgusted. "What do you boys do in the bathroom?!? It's disgusting! You don't even flush the toilet! Also, I want to know what that gunk is on the mirrors! No wonder the janitor called in sick! I might too if this keeps up!" she growled as soon as she was in hearing range.

            "Ew," the girls cried in unison.

            "Anyway, I think this will be the greatest Thanksgiving Evening ever!" Keiko smiled, changing the subject. "Just look, everything's perfect!"

            "Yes, we can all go home peacefully now." Sango agreed. "I need a shower. I think I smell like waste."

            "Wait, before everyone leaves, I want to know something!" Botan chirped, gaining everyone's attention. "I want to know who everyone is going with to the Thanksgiving Evening." At this, several students stiffened and became uneasy. "Since I suggested this, I'll go first!"

            "Okay, that sounds like a good idea." Ayame agreed.

            "I'm going with Koenma." Botan whispered as her cheeks flushed a bright red. Koenma suddenly found the ground very interesting as he shuffled his feet.

"Who asked?" asked Ayame.

"I asked him." Botan replied, earning several hoots in response. When everyone fell silent again, Botan grinned. "Kuwabara, who are you going to go with to the party? I hope the rumors aren't true that you're going with Hiei…" she trailed off, cringing slightly at the mental image of Kuwabara and Hiei together. "The faculty will have both your heads if they find out."

"Of course not!" cried Kuwabara. "I'm going alone." he replied. A prolonged silence followed his declaration. "Hey, I'm fine! Stop giving me those looks! I don't need to be pitied! I'll just get the best girlfriend in the world next year!"

"Now that's taking optimism to the max." Botan mumbled. "Okay, we all know Yusuke's going with Keiko…they always go with each other."

"What do you mean?" Keiko asked, averting her gaze. Yusuke just grinned boyishly before pulling his girlfriend closer towards him.

"Miroku's going with Shizuru." Botan thought aloud.

"SINCE WHEN?!?" demanded Kuwabara, slightly flabbergasted.

"Since yesterday, idiot." replied his sister.

"Oh, that's where you go the flowers."

"Anyway, Yukina, who are you going to go with to the party?" asked Botan, a warming smile on her lips. "It's okay if you're not going with a date. After all, it's not required." she quickly assured, thinking Yukina was too innocent to be going out with any guys. That is, if those guys ever got past Hiei to begin with.

"Actually, I'm going to go with Touya." she whispered, her cheeks taking on a small tint of pink.  

"What?" Hiei nearly snarled, causing his sister to wince. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't get the chance. Touya asked me just an hour ago."

"I won't do anything to your sister." Touya assured, his face showing nothing but seriousness. After Hiei seemed to relax somewhere, Botan continued with her questioning.

They soon found out that both Kouga and Hojo had asked Kagome, but neither had been accepted. Currently, Kouga was going with Ayame and Hojo with Eri. After a few minutes of negotiation, Yuka blurted that she was going with Jin.

"I see, I guess most of us are going with dates." Ayame whispered before turning her attention to Hiei. "What I am curious to know is who Hiei asked…if anyone. Or maybe he really is secretly in love with Kuwabara."

"Wench, watch what you're saying or you might just find yourself without that annoying voice box of yours." Hiei threatened.

"Please Hiei, I want to know." Yukina pleaded, causing her brother's eyes to soften. After several minutes of relentless pleadings, Hiei nearly snapped. "Hiei…please?" begged Yukina.

At that moment, Sango was beginning to squirm with discomfort. When Hiei looked about to spill the beans, she began to edge away - hopefully unnoticed. "Where do you think you're going?" teased Yusuke, firmly holding Sango in place.

"You're kidding, you asked SANGO?" Ayame shouted, nearly blowing everyone's eardrums. Hiei tossed the hyperactive girl a murderous glare, daring her to make another comment on the touchy subject.

"Quite unbelievable," Kagome whispered.

"Yes, quite." Sango grumbled. "Anyway, Kagome." she laughed in a sing-song voice. "Who are you going with? I heard you rejected two perfectly sensible guys. So, who's the lucky man?"

"Wha-?" asked Kagome, slightly startled to find that Sango had asked her that question. "I'm not going with anyone." admitted Kagome, causing Sango's mouth to drop open in disbelief.

"B-but…" Sango stuttered, jabbing a finger at Kurama. "D-Didn't he ask…"

"I'm sorry, I'm tired." Kagome interrupted. "I need to go if I'm going to take the last bus home." Having excused herself from the discussion, Kagome briskly walked out of school without giving a thorough explanation.

"Will someone please tell me what happened? Why hasn't Kagome chosen a date yet? The party's tomorrow evening!" Sango yelled. "If I'm willing to go with my worst enemy, the least she could have done was accepted one of the offers!" she huffed. "If I had a better choice between a lecher and idiot, I would have taken it."

"You wound me Sango." Miroku sighed. (Many people were wondering how Miroku, the school lecher, got accepted into their private school.)

"Who are you calling an idiot, wench?" hissed Hiei.

"Kurama, did you ask?" Sango demanded, purposely ignoring both Miroku and Hiei. Suddenly, Kurama found himself in the center of attention. "Did you ask her to the party?"

"Excuse me, I need to get home." Kurama replied. "My mother's still waiting for me." Sango gritted her teeth as she watched Kurama walk away without giving her a direct answer.

"Leave it be, Sango." Keiko whispered. "I saw what happened. It wasn't the best ending one could have hoped for. Kurama asked, but Kagome rejected."

"Whoa, did I hear wrong? Someone rejected Kurama? You've got to be joking!" Yusuke laughed, thinking his girlfriend was playing a trick on him. When Keiko glared at him, he realized it wasn't a trick. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"But why?" everyone, except a selected few, whispered in unison.

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            "Hey, this is Kagome. How are you doing?" Kagome whispered into the phone. Leaning back against the headboard of her bed, she slowly licked her dry lips in an attempt to think of the best way to spill the questions that rested on the tip of her tongue. "Um, are you coming tomorrow? For the Thanksgiving Evening party I told you about a week ago? It means a lot to me, not only because I planned it, but because I want to spend Thanksgiving with you."

            A small pause followed before her face became crestfallen. "I-I understand," she whispered, unable to keep her voice from wavering. "Maybe I'll see you on Christmas?" she asked, biting back a small sob. "What? I'm fine…after all, it's just a holiday, right?" she joked, hoping to lighten the mood. She slapped a hand across her mouth when a small sob escaped from her lips.

            "I-I'm sorry. I'm being selfish." Kagome whispered before abruptly placing the phone back in its cradle. "I'm so selfish…I should have realized that not everything revolves around my schedule." The phone rang, but Kagome made no move to pick it up. After a few minutes, it silenced.

            Again and again, the phone rang throughout the night. Wiping the tears from her puffy, red eyes, Kagome hovered over her phone. After a minute of contemplation, she decided on her course of action. After pulling out the phone line, she slid back into bed and cried herself to sleep.

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            "Hey Kagome, why didn't you answer the phone when I called you last night?" demanded Sango, narrowing her eyes. "I know you weren't asleep yet. We've been friends since forever, so I want to know why you rejected Kurama." Kagome seemed to be in a daze as she stared unseeingly into space. "Hey, Kagome, what's wrong?" Sango asked.

            "Nothing's wrong," Kagome replied. "Anyway, what do you think of my dress?" she asked, changing the subject.

            "Lovely," Sango brushed off. "Now tell me!"

            "Look, there's your date." Giving Sango a small push in Hiei's direction, Kagome quickly hurried off in the opposite direction. Refusing to give up, Sango grabbed Kagome's arm and pushed her into a spare chair.

            "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on." Sango hissed as their friends slowly ambled towards them. Kagome quickly averted her watery eyes from Sango's piercing ones in hopes of keeping her tears from spilling.

            "Sango, excuse me for a moment. I have to start the party." Before Sango could protest, Kagome was already atop the stage with microphone in hand. "Everyone, I'm glad you could all make it to the annual Thanksgiving Evening." Kagome began, gaining everyone attention. "Today, like every year, we'll be starting off with a small prayer to God in thanks for all he has done for us."

            The participants fell silent as they bowed their heads and closed their eyes.

            "Thank you God for all that you have given and done for us - things that we do not deserve. We thank you for your kindness and love. We are all so lucky to be able to come together and celebrate this holiday together…with food and games. Lord, please help each one of us to be able to remain thankful throughout this year." Kagome whispered, feeling the beginnings of unshed tears prickling her eyes. "Protect everyone this night…in Jesus' name, Amen." she quickly finished before rushing towards the bathroom.

            "Kagome!" shouted Sango. Stopping outside of the girl's bathroom, Sango tried in vain to bust the door open. "Kagome get out of there this minute!" she yelled. A sniffle and a small hiccup answered her request, telling Sango that her friend was crying. "Kagome, you better not flood the bathroom I worked so hard on!" she threatened, hoping to lighten the mood with a small joke.

            "What's wrong?" Yusuke asked with Hiei, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Keiko in tow. "Is she okay?"

            "I don't know, but she's crying." Sango replied, a troubled look in her eyes. Everyone snapped their eyes to the bathroom door when a cell phone went off. They quieted in hopes of catching the conversation.

            "Hello," they heard Kagome whisper. A few seconds passed before Kagome excitedly asked, "Is he really? When will he be here?" After a few more exchanges of words with the unknown person, Kagome hung up.

            When Kagome suddenly flung the bathroom door open without a warning, everyone tumbled into the bathroom. "Hey, Kagome." grinned Sango. Keiko looked sheepishly at her foot as the guys tried to come up with a legitimate excuse for eavesdropping.

            "Hey," she smiled. "If you guys needed to use the bathroom, you should have asked." she joked. "But I think the guy's bathroom are further down the hall." she winked before retuning to the party.

            "What happened?" Kurama asked, earning several shrugs in response.

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            After Kagome gave thanks for the Thanksgiving Feast, everyone settled back into their seats and took up their forks. Dinner was filled with laughter and small talk. Music and signing began half-way through the feast.

            Everyone jumped to their feet when someone loudly shrieked, "WHAT?" Eri's whole body was shaking as she dropped her cell phone. "Everyone, the plane flying here from New York just crashed. My father, who works at the airport, just told me that. Everyone on the plane died…it's sad that all this happened on Thanksgiving."

            As soon as those words left Eri's mouth, Kagome collapsed to the floor. "No, no, no, you're lying." she cried as unbidden tears flowed down her cheeks. "That plane didn't crash…it didn't."

            "Kagome…" Eri whispered.

            "Why Lord? Why on Thanksgiving night? Is this a trial to see if I can still give thanks in tough circumstances? Why did you take him away before I had a chance to tell him about you?" Kagome whispered. "Why didn't you give him a chance? Why? I was really ready to tell him about you this time...I really was. Now, I'll never be able to tell him."

            "What happened?" Sango asked, kneeling down beside Kagome.

            "Someone important…was on that plane…he was unsaved."

            "Who was it?"

            "I didn't get to tell him." Kagome whispered again and again while clutching her head.

            "What did not tell me about?"

            Kagome's eyes snapped open as she rubbed the tears from her eyes. Her eyes quickly went to the double door, where a pair of silver-haired teens with golden eyes stood. "You jerk." she whispered before getting up and rushing towards the taller and more refined-looking stranger. Kagome quickly wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. "I thought you died…they said the plane crashed."

            "Keh, we're still alive."

            "Inuyasha, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked, turning her attention to the other stranger.

            "Spending Thanksgiving with you." he snorted as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You know what? He dragged me out of bed 1:00 in the morning and tossed me into the car…"

            "You did this for me?" Kagome asked. "Thank you, Inuyasha, for being here. Thank you, Sesshoumaru, for coming. Thank you, Lord, for giving me a second chance…"

            "Whoa, whoa, what's going on here?" Yusuke demanded.

            "Kagome wanted Sesshoumaru to come to this party of hers for some girly reasons...I guess. Girls are so weird. Anyway, Sesshoumaru here couldn't come because of business. Then something I wasn't aware of happened and he changed his mind. The next thing I knew, I was thrown into the car. When I regained consciousness, we were already at the airport. We were going to take the plane, but at the last minute, Sesshoumaru decided to take his private jet because it was faster. I thought he had lost his mind…but I guess if we didn't, we'd be dead."

            "Who is Sesshoumaru to Kagome?" Sango asked; her eyes glued to the man who had Kagome wrapped tightly in his embrace.

            "Keh, Kagome's going to be my sister-in-law in a little more than a year. I'll give you a hint, Sesshoumaru's my proud, annoying, older….half-brother." Inuyasha replied with disgust, but his smile belayed his true feelings.

            "You're engaged?!?" the whole room erupted at once.

            "I'll tell you guys later. For now, Sesshoumaru, I need to tell you something really important."

            "What is it?" Sesshoumaru asked; his eyes devoid of emotion.  

            "This is going to be harder than I thought…Lord, give me strength." she silently pleaded before tugging her fiancé towards the gardens. "I'm going to tell you about my Lord and my God."

            "The God this school worships? I told you, I don't believe in such things." Sesshoumaru replied.

            "You haven't even listened to me yet!" Kagome protested. "Lord…I'm going to need A LOT of help…" she silently muttered. "Inuyasha, I want you to come too! You need to hear this too!"

            "Do I have to?" Inuyasha whined.

            "Please open their hearts to the message I am going to tell them." Kagome prayed. "Yes, I'm not giving you a choice in this matter." Grasping Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's larger hand within her smaller ones, she tugged the brothers towards the garden.

            "And that's that…for now…I guess. Kagome's got a lot of explaining to do when she gets back." Sango growled. "I'm going to go clean the girl's bathroom."

            "You think she's in love with that job?" Yusuke asked.

            "Lord please help us…we really need that bathroom in one piece." Ayame whispered as she watched Sango storm towards the girl's bathroom. "Please save our bathroom!" she pleaded.

&&&

END!

This story was based on the Thanksgiving party I attended in sixth grade. ;)