InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All I Want For Christmas ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters related to him. He is the sole creative property of Rumiko Takahashi, and therefore, not available. And since nobody tied him up and put him under my Christmas tree, he'll just have to stay that way. -_-

I also do not own any other trademark companies and/or items that may be mentioned in this story. So, no suing, ya hear!

Oh, yeah. Tsuyu and Yue are mine. They aren't much, but I did come up with them, so don't steal them.

A/N: I want to thank everyone that answered my question from last chapter. It encouraged me to continue as I have begun, but I would request that you, the wonderful people that are reading and reviewing this story, let me know if it does start to drag. I would like to ask a reviewer a question, though, because their review confused me.

So, to Rootbeer, am I doing that?

On another note, updates will be getting a little unpredictable. I'm going back to school after having left it for about 5 years and I have a lot of catching up to do. That's not to say that I'm going to stop this story. Quite the contrary. In fact, I have plans for two more set in this universe, so don't think that I'm gonna leave y'all hanging. Now, that being said, I hope that I haven't turned anybody off to this fic. It will be finished and it will probably be pretty long. But then, anything longer than eight chapters is long for me. ^_^ So, anyway, I just thought you should know and now that I got that outta my system, on with the show!

All I Want For Christmas

Chapter 5

*Beep,beep,beep* Inuyasha groaned as he rolled over and smacked the off button on his alarm clock. He couldn't for the life of him remember why he needed to be up so blessed early. School was out for Winter break, so he didn't have class and Sess didn't need him in the office today, so he must have set the blasted thing for some other reason. A reason that his sleep muddled mind just wasn't supplying for him at the moment. He lay there for a few more minutes, waiting for his brain to engage and catch up with the rest of his body in wakefulness. As the fog cleared and the memory of the other night finally presented itself, he couldn't help the smile that slid across his face. Even though it had started out in uncertainty, it had ended with the reason for his early rising.

Getting up and walking to the closet, Inuyasha made his clothing selection for the day. Slinging the jeans and maroon shirt over his shoulder, he proceeded to make his way out of his room and down the hall to the bathroom with the intent of showering before starting his day. As he stood under the warm spray, he allowed his mind to wander back to the conversation he had had with Kagome that night.

They had been standing under the branches of the lantern laden God Tree. Inuyasha had sought the solitude of the yard when his thoughts had become too overwhelming. He had been trying to decide if he should tell Kagome about his ex; thoughts that had occupied him since Kikyo threatened him at lunch. He still hadn't made a decision and had come outside to try and clear his head. He hadn't realized that Kagome was even there until she spoke.

At first, he had been a little angry at himself for interrupting her evening, but after talking to her, he was glad she had come out there. Inuyasha didn't fight the soft smile that crossed his face at the memory of their conversation.

~*~

"Why are you out here, Inuyasha?" she asked, her voice concerned. He turned to answer her and was momentarily struck speechless at the sight of her. The lantern light cast a warm glow on her skin and the moonlight shimmered in her hair, creating an effect that took the half-demon's breath away. All he could do was stare and wonder if this radiate creature would ever agree to be with him.

"I came out here to clear my head," he finally answered her. "I couldn't think in there. All the movie noise, ya know?"

"Are you alright? You've been kinda preoccupied all afternoon, especially after…um…" She trailed off, as though she weren't sure whether or not to continue. Inuyasha turned intense golden eyes on her. Had she been thinking about that kiss, or was she just so disgusted by it that she didn't want to be reminded? He could understand, after all, why would she want him-

"After Hojo," she finished quietly, breaking into his thoughts. "Inuyasha, I'm sorry that happened."

"Why are you sorry? It's not like you knew he was coming or anything." And it's not like you were enjo-

"He just had to interrupt the best moment of the day," Kagome stated, turning to the side and crossing her arms in front of her, frustration evident in her voice. Inuyasha was stunned for a moment. Did she just say…?

"Y-you were upset that he interrupted?" Inuyasha blurted in disbelief. Maybe he had a chance after all. He took an involuntary step back when Kagome turned and looked at him, her face a mask of exasperation.

"Of course I was upset." She threw her hands up at him before turning away again. For some reason, her cheeks flushed a bright red and suddenly she couldn't meet his gaze. "Inuyasha," she continued softly, "I've waited for you to do that for so long that I had almost given up any hope of it ever happening." Inuyasha just continued to stare at her as she drew a breath and just stood there, her hands clasped to her chest. For a moment he considered saying something to break the silence that stretched between them, but something about the far-off look she had made him hold his tongue. He contented himself with brushing away the stray hair that the gentle breeze had blown into her face and waited, knowing somehow that she had more to say and that it was something he needed to hear.

As the silence continued between them, Kagome moved to sit on the bench beside the tree. Inuyasha followed and perched gingerly next to her, uncertain as to her mood. She hadn't spoken in a few minutes and he was beginning to wonder if he had read her wrong. Maybe she was waiting for his response. If that was the case, he didn't have any idea what to say to her.

"You know," Kagome said, giggling lightly when Inuyasha started. He hadn't been expecting her to speak. "I find myself at almost a crossroads."

"How so?" he asked gruffly when she paused.

"Well, on the one road, I can continue as I am right now. Single, studying and pining after someone I never thought I could have, but safe and guaranteed not to be hurt." She paused again and looked at him from the corner of her eye before focusing on the Tree in front of them. "Or I could go down another road; one that I have traveled before and been hurt on, but that is so much more rewarding than the safer route." Her soft sigh made Inuyasha look more closely at her. He didn't expect the gentle smile that graced her lips. "I think that I'm ready to travel that road, especially if I'm walking it with the right person."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as the meaning to her words fully hit him. "K-Kagome?" He gulped as she turned her gentle gaze back to him. Taking her hand in his, he continued, "I would be honored if you would allow me to walk with you."

~*~

He still couldn't believe that she had agreed.

That had been two days ago. They met in the park the next day and had a picnic, spending a couple of hours together and just enjoy each others' company. He would have loved to have spent the whole day with her again, but Sess needed him at the office that afternoon and Kagome had a shopping date with Sango. So, they enjoyed what time they had and parted ways with the promise of tomorrow; a promise which brought him to the reason for being up and in the shower at 8 in the morning instead of burrowing under his sheets and snoozing till noon.

Stepping out of the shower, Inuyasha grabbed a towel and dried off, then picked up his clothes and put them on. Dressed for the day, he continued with his morning hygiene, and then made his way downstairs to the kitchen. So intent was he on his plans for the day that he didn't notice the others until he ran right into Shippo, who had been standing next to the island pouring himself some orange juice. With an "oof", followed by an irritated growl, then a crash as the glass hit the floor, the two found themselves in an O.J. splattered heap on the floor.

"Damn it, runt! Watch where the fuck your goin'!" Inuyasha's angry curse rang from the bottom of the pile. "Now I'm gonna need another shower!"

"Can it, Dog Boy," Shippo responded calmly, heaving himself up and off of the dog demon. "All you have to do is change clothes. Unlike others, at least it's not in your hair." Shippo's hair was indeed plastered to his head and orange juice dripped down his face in a steady stream. "Besides, I'm not the one that wasn't looking where he was going. If you hadn't run into me, we would both be clean and presentable for our women!"

"Shippo, what's taking you so long? We need to go before Inu-"Rin's voice cut off as she stepped into the kitchen and surveyed the scene before her. For a few seconds, all she could do was stare, and then she burst out laughing. "Y-you…should see…yourselves," she wheezed between giggles. "Shippo..Ha-ha…you're…you're a mess!"

"I'm glad you find this amusing, sweetie," Shippo couldn't control the twitching that started at his eyebrow. By now, he and Inuyasha had picked themselves up off the floor and started cleaning off the juice. "Why don't you come over here and give your man a nice, big hug?"

Shippo had that gleam in his eyes and was advancing on her with his arms open, ready to catch Rin in an O.J. covered embrace. Rin, however, wasn't having any of it and, with a high-pitched squeal that had Inuyasha pinning his ears back, took off for the front of the house at a dead run with the kitsune in hot pursuit.

"Hey, whose gonna help me clean up this mess?!" Inuyasha hollered after them. His only answer was the rumble of footsteps on the stairs followed by the slamming of a door. Then Shippo could be heard saying in a sing-song voice, "Oh, Ri-in, let me ii-in!" which was immediately followed by the sounds of feminine giggles.

Realizing that help was not forthcoming from those two, Inuyasha resigned himself to cleaning up the glass and spilt juice. Finishing with that chore, he grabbed a muffin from the basket on the counter and poured himself a glass of milk before sitting down at the kitchen table and finishing his planning for the day. Since Sango was staying with Kagome until Miroku got off later, Inuyasha had made plans to see Kagome that evening. But, just because he wasn't going to see her didn't mean that he couldn't let her know that he was thinking about her. Besides, it gave him time to go back to the mall and get her Christmas present.

So, with these plans firmly in mind, Inuyasha went back upstairs and changed his orange juice spattered clothes and then made his way out of the house and down the street to the flower shop on the corner. Now, this particular shop was really nothing special. It was small and a little run-down and its selection could easily be bettered by the florist three streets over. The thing that made this place special to Yash, though, and the reason he came here every time he needed flowers, was the owner, one Tsuyu Morimoto.

The tinkling of the bell as the door was opened summoned from the back a short, slender woman who looked to be in her mid to late 40's. Shoulder length black hair that was going a little grey; soft, expressive blue eyes that always held the spark of laughter and an open face, Tsuyu's family had been selling flowers to the Shiro men for as long as Sesshomaru could remember. Which meant that she had been there since Inutaisho, the boys' father, had started courting Sakura, Inuyasha's mother; and probably before even then. So it was only fitting that this be the place Inuyasha came to whenever he needed flowers for any reason.

"Well, if it isn't little Yashie," Tsuyu's teasing voice rang through the little shop. "What did you do this time? Lose Rin's favorite necklace again? Or did you piss off another one of Sess' secretaries?"

"Now, Tsuyu," Yash said, walking up to the counter. He let the 'little' comment slide. After all, she had known him since he was a pup, and she treated him like her own son. "What makes you think that I did something wrong? Can't I just come and visit."

Tsuyu regarded him critically. "I don't know, Yashie, maybe it's because you only come in here when you've upset some woman or other and you need to sooth ruffled feathers. I swear, for such a handsome young pup, you sure don't have real good luck with women!" She chuckled at the red that tinged his cheeks. "Oh, come on now, Yashie," she said, coming out from behind the counter. "You know I didn't mean it. Now come over here and give this old woman a hug, you little rascal."

Yash was more than happy to comply, for as much as Tsuyu teased and embarrassed him, she had a good heart and he was rather fond of her. "I think you've shrunk, old woman," Inuyasha teased. "Didn't you come to my chin last time?"

"Oh, you," she laughed, swatting at his arm. "Quit!" Stepping back behind the counter, Tsuyu was all business. "Now, what brings you to see me if not an apology?"

"Well," Inuyasha fidgeted a little and looked around the shop at the various arrangements that Tsuyu had on display. As pretty as they were, none of them really caught his eye and said "take me, I'm perfect for Kagome!" "I finally got Kagome to agree to see me…"

Tsuyu's delighted squeal cut him off. "You mean that pretty little girl that you've been chasing for years? The one that you thought you'd never have a chance with because you didn't want to ruin your friendship or some such twaddle?" Yash's blush was all the confirmation she needed. "Oh, Yashie, that's wonderful! Now, you wait right there. I have the perfect arrangement in the back; it just needs a few finishing touches. Don't you go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Without giving him a chance to respond, Tsuyu was gone, the door to the back room swinging in her wake. After about ten minutes, she reemerged with a beautiful arrangement of roses, evergreen and stargazer lilies. Yash caught his breath at the sight. It was absolutely perfect! The red and white roses blended beautifully with sprigs of evergreen and the light blush of Kagome's favorite flowers interspersed throughout added just the right touch.

"Well?" Tsuyu said proudly, "What do you think? Is this close to what you were looking for?"

"It-it's perfect," Inuyahsa breathed. "But how did you know what Kagome's favorite flower was?" Inuyasha couldn't remember ever mentioning it to the florist. Hell, the only reason he knew was because Kagome had mentioned it in passing one day at the park. They had passed a flower stand and the lady attendant had given her one.

"She told me." At Inuyasha's disbelieving look, Tsuyu elaborated. "When you came in here to get that last lot, I asked her while you were looking over there," she gestured to the other side of the shop. "She was more than happy to tell me. In fact, she said that it had been a while since some one sent her flowers."

Inuyasha was a little shocked to hear that. Kagome had still been seeing Hojo when she came with him the last time and Yash remembered seeing fresh flowers sitting on the table in her front room. He had just assumed that Hojo had given them to her. It would appear that he assumed wrong.

"Now," Tsuyu continued, breaking into Yash's thoughts. "I suppose you want these delivered?"

"What? Oh, yeah, can you get them there by around 10:30 or so?" Yash asked, looking at his watch.

And so, directions were given and timeframes ironed out and Yash was just about to take his leave of the place when Tsuyu's next question stopped him. "What do you want me to put on the card, Yashie? I assume you want to write this one."

"Card?" he responded intelligently, scratching his head. "What card?"

"'What card?!'" Tsuyu exclaimed, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "Really, Inuyasha, I thought you knew better than that! I swear you can be so dense sometimes." Ignoring the demon's irritated growl, she continued in a 'how-can-you-be-so-stupid' tone, "The card, my dear pup, which is generally attached to the arrangement that lets the recipient know where the flowers came from. It is generally acceptable to have a personal message attached as well."

"I know that, old woman," Inuyasha grumbled. "I just hadn't really thought about it." He shook his head and pouted, "Never had to do it for the others."

"That, little one, is because Yue and I always did them for you." Yue was Tsuyu's seventeen-year-old son and helped her by delivering flowers. "We figured that was better than letting you make the situation worse. Now," she tapped the sputtering dog demon on the nose, "have you thought about what you want it to say?"

The truth was that he really hadn't thought about a note. He had planned on timing the delivery so that he could call and surprise her a few minutes after they got there. But now that he had a chance to really consider the idea, the perfect words came to mind. It was the perfect way to express how he felt and to thank her for giving him a chance. "Yeah, Tsuyu, I think I know exactly what to say."

~*~*~*~*~

An hour or so later saw Inuyasha walking happily out of the mall pet store loaded down with several bags. He had needed to go and finish outfitting the kitten that was currently terrorizing Kagome's overweight feline, Buyo. He had a litter pan, dishes for food and water and a few toys. He figured that he couldn't get too many, or Rin wouldn't be able to get anything for the little guy. He couldn't resist the little fuzzy mice at the checkout, though, so the kitten now had one burgundy and one blue fuzzy to bat around the place on Christmas morning. Also contained in the bag was the rest of Sesshomaru's present. Man, was Yash ever gonna get it now! Sess was never gonna live this Christmas down!

He still didn't have anything for Kagome and that was making him a little crazy. He had been here for a while and had gone to just about every place he could think of that might have something she would like, but nothing really seemed to fit. Deciding that he needed a little nourishment, Inuyasha made his way to the food court and, after aquiring a steaming bowl of noodles, set his arm load down at a table and proceeded to wrack his brain for a possible gift. After about five minute, he still couldn't come up with anything. What was he going to do?

Inuyasha sat deep in thought. He was getting ready to break down and just call Sango when a scent in the air made his nose twitch and he sighed in irritation. Great, he thought, just what I need; to be annoyed by Rin's little fox. It's not enough that he spilled juice on me this morning. Now he has to bother me here! Inuyasha turned and regarded the kitsune, not at all surprised that the pest was right behind him. "What do you want, brat?"

Shippo just rolled his eyes. He was used to Inuyasha's rudeness. You really couldn't spend any time with the youngest Shiro without becoming immune. "I just thought that you might need some help figuring out what you can get for Kagome for Christmas." He couldn't resist baiting the older demon. "Although why she would want anything from an annoying, rude guy like you is beyond me."

"Why you…" Inuyasha stopped just shy of bopping Shippo. He knew what the kit was up to and he wasn't going to fall for it. "It's not gonna work this time, kid. I know that you and Rin are up to something and I ain't fallin' for it. So if you're just here to pester me, go away; I got stuff to do."

Shippo looked shocked for a moment. How did Dog Boy figure it out? He had thought that they had been discrete about their planning. Of course, he never had given the older demon any credit for having functioning brain cells. Shippo held his hands up in front of him in surrender, "Alright, alright, you caught us. Rin and I just wanted to see you two together. You've been trying for so long and I think Rin finally felt sorry enough for you to butt in."

Inuyasha considered being angry for a minute, and then just sighed in resignation. "Ok, kid. You two have obviously been planning this and, while I really don't approve of you butting into my life, I am stuck. Now, if you have any suggestions, I'm listening." Yash paused a moment as a thought struck him. "By the way, Shippo?" He waited for the kitsune to look at him. "Where's Rin? I thought you were spending the day together."

Shippo let out a sigh of his own, "She threw me out and said that she had some things she needed to take care of and told me not to come back until I had her Christmas present."

Inuyasha chuckled at the woebegone expression on the young fox's face. He could just hear Rin doing exactly that. "Well, Shippo," Inuyasha got up and stretched before throwing a companionable arm around the surprised boy's shoulders, "it looks like you and I both have a quest to complete." He grinned when Shippo nodded. "Shall we get to it, then?"

Picking up his other purchases, Inuyasha and Shippo headed into the depths of the mall, intent on finding the perfect gift for the women in their lives; even if it killed them.

~*~*~*~*~

Several hours and a battered Shippo later, Inuyasha had what he was looking for and was ready to go home. He was only stopping there long enough to drop off his purchases and Shippo, and then he was headed to meet Kagome for their date. Inuyasha hummed quietly to himself as he and Shippo made their way down the street. It had been a rather good day for him and the evening promised to go just as well. There had been no signs of Kikyo and that just made everything better, at least to his mind.

After going in long enough to put everything away and change his shirt, Yash found himself on the road to the shrine. He couldn't help but smile as he thought about the look on Kagome's face when she got her flowers. He could imagine her eyes lighting up and the smile that would bloom as she took in the scent of the beautiful blossoms. And he hoped that she had had a positive response to the note he wrote. He just wished he could have been there when she got them. Oh, well, he was sure she would tell him exactly how she felt when she saw him.

Making his way up the steps, he paused long enough to laugh at Buyo. The poor thing looked like he had been run over. His hair was sticking up and he kept looking around like he was expecting to be attacked at any minute, his tail lashing in fear and anxiety. Inuyasha chuckled, "Don't worry, boy. He'll only be here for a few more days." Buyo didn't look convinced and made a dive for the bushes at the top of the shrine steps.

Inuyasha was still laughing as he knocked on the door, but he quickly sobered when the door opened and he was confronted by an enraged Sango. "Inuyasha Shiro! How could you! I knew that you could be a real jerk, but this is low even for you!" Then, before he could even ask her what the Hell was going on, she proceeded to do the last thing that Yash ever expected her to do. She slapped him and then slammed the door in his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N: Well there you go. What has Inuyasha done now? You'll just have to wait and see. Hope it was worth the wait. Remember; let me know what you think.

Until we meet again,

Patch