InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ All I Want For Christmas ❯ Chapter 6 ( Chapter 6 )

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: Wow, you guys really didn't like that cliffy. Can't imagine why. ^_^ And nobody guessed right about the note. You'll find out soon, though.

Anyway, I'm gonna take a minute and give a couple of shout outs, 'cause I opened my inbox and got the surprise of my relatively short fic-writing life. One of my favorite authors actually reviewed this story. It made me feel a lot better about what I'm doing and where this story's going, knowing that someone whose stories I enjoy is enjoying mine. So, thank you, Emeralddragon, for taking a moment and dropping a line. I have greatly enjoyed your works and I hope that mine will live up to that standard. If you guys haven't read her stuff, go do it. You won't regret it!

And to Wyltk; whoa, cut down on the sugar. (J/k) All of your questions will be answered eventually, but you have to be patient. I'm really flattered that you have me in such outstanding company. I've read a few of those authors and they are very good. I don't think I can do half as well, but I try. I hope that I have alleviated some of your boredom for the moment. Have a good read. Oh, I know that you left the review for Ch.4, but I kinda rushed the last ones out and didn't do responses. Sorry.

I really appreciate all of the feedback that I have received so far, and I will thank the rest of you at the end of this chapter, 'cause this is gettin' kinda long.

Now, without further ado, on with the show!

All I Want For Christmas

Chapter 6

Kikyo was frustrated. She had been following Inuyasha for two days now and she was no closer to initiating her schemes than she had been when she started. The idiot just had to take that slut to a crowded park yesterday, and then he didn't even stay with her for very long. And it was no fun trying to pull them apart without seeing the reactions of both parties. It was obvious that the two were in the beginnings of a relationship, and Kikyo was determined to do everything in her power to stop it. It was so easy to sow dissent when feelings were still new and trust had not yet had a chance to blossom. All it took was a well placed deception - or an untruth overheard - and the rest generally took care of itself.

Kikyo had been unsure if an opportunity would present itself today, so she was pleasantly surprise when her target made his way to a run down flower shop. She had gone home the night before with the intention of being in front of the Shiro home early this morning in case there was a chance she could do something small, but the late night spent plotting her first malicious action and gathering the things she would need for it, had been harder on her than she thought and she barely made it in time to follow Inuyasha to his destination. Standing just outside the door, she was able to overhear the entire conversation, from what flowers he was buying to the exact wording of the note on the card. It was while they were discussing the card that Kikyo conceived a brilliant way to cause distrust between the new couple; and she couldn't wait to put her plan into motion.

The spying woman made haste to duck into a nearby alley as Inuyasha exited the shop. She had made sure that she always remained downwind or, if that wasn't possible, across the street from him. Anywhere that had enough odors to disguise her scent from the dog demon's enhanced senses. It wouldn't do to have him catch her near him. That would ruin everything.

She had his plans for the day, thanks to his discussion with the shopkeeper, who appeared to be some sort of acquaintance, so she knew that she had time to prepare. The dog would be out of the way for the whole afternoon and, by the time he found out what she was planning, it would be too late to do anything about it. Kikyo couldn't stop her evil laugh as she found a bench within sight of the florist to enjoy the morning sunshine. She would be patient and wait for the perfect opportunity. : It won't be long now, Inuyasha. Your time with that bitch will soon be over!:

~*~*~*~*~

Inuyasha was stunned. Sango had never raised a hand to him in anger before. Not once, in all the years they had known each other, had he ever made her mad enough to strike him-at least not seriously. Unless they were sparring, but even then she was usually cool and levelheaded. And, sure there were the usual half-hearted smacks when he was being stupid or making a complete ass of himself, but none of them had ever felt like this. He had been standing there, stunned, for about ten minutes, just staring at the door; his cheek still throbbed. When his mind was finally able to grasp what had happened, though, he was angry.

How dare she hit him! He hadn't done a damn thing to deserve it! And what did she mean 'How could he'? How could he what? All he had done today was send his girlfriend flowers and shop for some Christmas presents while trying not to strangle his niece's boyfriend, so it wasn't like he had done anything out of the ordinary. Okay, maybe the flowers thing was a little unusual for him, but so was having a girlfriend to send them to. And the whole not strangling Shippo thing was a little unusual, too, but that was beside the point. The point, as far as Yash was concerned, was that he hadn't done anything wrong, and who the Hell was Sango to keep him from seeing his girl!

"Well, standing here sure as Hell ain't gonna get me any answers, or in to see Kagome," he grumbled before knocking on the door again. This time though, he was ready when Sango opened the door. Grabbing her hand as she drew back to hit him again, Inuyasha forced Sango into the living room, closing the front door behind him as he went. "What the Hell is going on Sango? As far as I know, I ain't done nothin' wrong today that I deserve to be slapped for*. Shit, woman, my cheek's still throbbin'."

Sango just stared at him, her mouth gaping in disbelief. How could he possibly not know what he had done?! That note had to have come from him; it had his name on it. Besides, who else would send Kagome flowers? "Damn you, Inuyasha. I can't believe that you would sink so low as to do this and then stand there and deny that you've done anything wrong! I really thought that I knew you. Shit, Inuyasha we've been friends for years and I've never seen you this cruel. How could you do that to poor Kagome? All she ever did was like you, you bastard, and you had to go and break her heart like this!"

Inuyasha was holding his temper by the barest of threads. It was only because she was a friend that he was allowing Sango to get away with what she was saying. He had to keep telling himself that she was upset and thought he had done something that had obviously hurt her and Kagome's feelings or she never would have attacked him like that. "Sango, I am trying very hard to figure out just what the Hell you're talking about, but I can't if you don't calm down and tell me what the fuck is going on!"

Sango quit struggling to get her hand back and actually looked at her friend. He never took that forceful tone unless he really didn't know something and was determined to get the information. "You really don't know what I'm talking about." It was a statement; she could see the answer in his eyes.

"No. I don't," Inuyasha responded with a sigh. At least she was listening now and had quit her thrashing. "Now, why don't you sit down," he gestured behind him to the couch and released her hand, "and tell me what I've supposedly done that offends you so much."

Sango sat down and crossed her arms petulantly. "Kagome got your flowers," she said, looking at him. She was obviously waiting for some reaction from Yash, but from her shocked look, the smile that crossed his face wasn't it. "How can you sit there and grin like that after that note you sent with them?" she snapped.

Inuyasha's face fell a little. "She didn't like the note. Maybe I should have let Tsuyu write it after all," he finished in an undertone.

Sango couldn't believe him. "Of course she didn't like the note, you jackass! That had to be the most insensitive thing that I have ever seen you do!"

Insensitive? That note had come from his heart. How could it be insensitive? "Sango, I don't know how you can say that it was insensitive. I've never been more sincere in my life!"

"WHAT?" Sango was up and screaming in his face. "You told her that you thought the last two days was a mistake and that you didn't ever want to see her again! You led her on and broke her heart. And then you have the nerve to-"Sango cut off when she caught the look on Inuyasha's face. She really wished that she hadn't. She had never seen him that angry in her life, and the red in his eyes was enough to make her pause in her tirade.

"What did you say that note said?" Inuyasha fairly hissed at her as comprehension of her words sank in. That Sango would think that he could do something like this was enough to make him angry, but finding out why she was really mad was enough to make him see red. "Where's Kagome? We need to clear this up."

"I don't think it's a good idea that you see her right now, Uncle," Rin's voice came from the direction of the stairs. Inuyasha had been so caught up in finding out why Sango was so mad that he had missed her scent entirely. "You need to find out how this happened before you talk to her."

"Rin? What are you doing here? And where's Kagome? Is she alright? Come on, Rin, move!" Rin just stood at the base of the stairs, ignoring his rapid-fire questions and blocking his attempts to get past her. She was relying on the fact that he would never harm her to keep him in check. He really wasn't going to like what she was about to suggest.

"You need to find out what happened first, Yash," she looked up at him, her eyes begging him to listen to her. She had known that something was seriously wrong when Sango called earlier and asked her to come help calm Kagome down. Not knowing what the problem was, she had sent Shippo out to help Inuyasha with his shopping, knowing that the half-demon didn't have a clue what to get Kagome for Christmas. She had made it just in time to save a beautiful arrangement of roses and Stargazer lilies from the trash canned fate to which Kagome was about to commit it. When she heard the whole story, something about it had rung false. Inuyasha was insensitive, sure; but he wasn't cruel. And this was cruel.

"Those flowers came from Tsuyu's place, didn't they?" Inuyasha was thrown off enough to nod. "Then Yue delivered them." Without waiting for an answer, Rin grabbed Yash by the hand and dragged him to the door. "You need to go and talk to both of them. Maybe they know how those notes got switched." By now, what the girl was saying had sunk in to her elders, and they both reacted.

"You mean you believe me?" Inuyasha was relieved. If Rin believed him, then she could help explain things to Kagome and get Sango off his back.

"Of course I believe you. I know that you would never do anything to hurt Kagome and if Sango would calm down and think instead of just reacting, she would realize that, too." Rin motioned Yash toward the door. "Go on. You need to find out what happened and get Kagome to calm down."

"I'm coming with you," Kagome's voice from the direction of the stairs stopped all of them where they stood. Inuyasha turned from the door and looked behind him, getting his first good look at Kagome and what he saw made him rush to her side. Kagome's face was red and tear-stained. Her eyes, red-rimmed and puffy, held a sad determination in them. It was obvious to Yash that she wanted to know what had happened as badly as he did. He reached out as though to touch her arm, but dropped his hand when she flinched away.

"Please," she said hoarsely, "don't." She closed her eyes and drew a shaky breath. "I want to believe that you didn't mean it. I really do." Kagome's eyes opened and she stared at Yash as though pleading with him to prove her faith well-founded. "So I'm going with you when you talk to them. I want to know the truth." : No matter how much it may hurt.:

"All right," Inuyasha moved back to the door and opened it, "let's go. Rin, you and Sango stay here. This shouldn't take too long."

The trip to Tsuyu's was quiet and strained, the only noise between them the sounds of the train they rode and the barking of a dog as they walked down the street. It was as though the easy camaraderie that they had shared for the last few days had never existed and all because of a stupid note. Why was it that all of his good intentions always blew up in his face? More important than that was who had done this, and why? Inuyasha's fists clenched and a soft growl started in his throat as a possibility occurred to him.

Kikyo.

This was right up her alley and there was no question in Yash's mind that she was responsible. Hadn't she just threatened them the other day? The only problem now was how to prove it and get Kagome to trust him. As a friend, he had no doubts that she did, but with her heart? He had no illusions there. He was still earning it, and this was a setback that he was determined to overcome.

Inuyasha was so caught up in his thought that the ringing of Tsuyu's bell startled him. "Well," he looked at Kagome from the corner of his eye, "now we can get some answers."

"Answers to what, sweetie? What happened?" Tsuyu had come out of the back and was obviously confused. She had been so sure that Kagome would love the arrangement, so seeing her here, signs of weeping obvious on her face, made her wonder what Yash had done this time.

"I need to speak to your son, Tsuyu. It's important," Inuyasha growled. As close as she was to the family, right now was no time for pleasantries and Inuyasha was sure that Tsuyu would forgive him.

"Well, you don't have to be rude, Yashie," the florist huffed. At Inuyasha's impatient grumble, she rolled her eyes and turned back to the storeroom door. "He's in the back. Give me a minute and I'll get him." Standing at the door, she cracked it open and hollered for Yue.

It only took him a minute to come up front, but it seemed like forever to the impatient young demon. Inuyasha turned to Kagome and, gesturing at the boy, asked, "Is this the guy who delivered your flowers?"

Kagome studied the young man before her. It was obvious at first seeing them together that Tsuyu and Yue were related. They had the same facial structure and eye color, but where Tsuyu's hair was jet black, her son's was a dirty blonde-a legacy of his late father. It was this feature that Kagome remembered most clearly. She hadn't known that Tsuyu had married an American.

At Kagome's affirmative nod, Inuyasha turned to Yue and told him, in a tone that brooked no nonsense, "You are going to tell me everything you did today. From the time that you left to deliver those flowers, to the time that you got back here. Leave nothing out, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you. Do you understand?"

The boy swallowed and nodded nervously. Looking at the angry dog demon in apprehension, Yue was drawing breathe to answer when his mother cut in, "What's going on Inuyasha? Why are you asking him all of this? What happened?"

"Don't worry about it, Tsuyu. This doesn't concern you," Inuyasha told her brusquely. Tsuyu advanced on him and poked her finger into his chest.

"Like Hell it doesn't concern me! That's my son you're terrorizing! Now tell me what is going on or I won't let him answer you!" From the steel in the older woman's voice, Inuyasha knew that she meant it. So, with a resigned sigh, he related the events of the day, Kagome filling in any gaps. When it became obvious to Tsuyu that this was going to take some time to straighten out, she went to the door, locked it and changed her sign from 'open' to 'closed'.

"So," the florist said after they were finished telling their tale, "Now you need to know who Yue talked to on his delivery."

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Yash replied tiredly. He had hoped to clear this up quickly, but it looked like they were going to be here a while. Tsuyu had evidently had the same thought, because she gestured at them to follow her to the backroom. Coming through the door and looking around, Inuyasha wasn't surprised to see all the various paraphernalia needed for flower arranging. What did surprise him; however, were the chairs and couch that were arranged around a low table near the back of the room. Behind that, along the one wall that did not have flower containers and work tables against it, he saw a small stove and a tiny refrigerator. This was obviously where the two took their rest when they weren't working.

After everyone had settled, with Kagome and Tsuyu on the couch and the two boys in chairs across from them, the older woman nodded to her son, indicating that he should tell his story. Taking a deep breathe, Yue took a moment to gather his thoughts, and then told them about his day.

*~*~*~*~*~

From her bus bench across the street, Kikyo had an unobstructed view of everyone who went into or came out of Tsuyu's shop. She was patiently waiting for the delivery boy to make his way toward the Higurashi shrine, but her patience was beginning to wear thin. Just about the time that she was getting ready to give up and go back to her original plans, however, the boy came out of the back alley and made his way down the street, his delivery in hand. Kikyo rose a few minutes later and followed him, the crowd keeping his pace to a fast walk and providing her cover.

It only took two or three street changes for Kikyo to realize that she was not the only one shadowing this boy. Curious, she stayed behind them both, all the while making sure that she was spotted by neither. Her interest was further piqued when the stranger stopped her quarry just three blocks from their destination.

Kikyo wasn't close enough to hear the conversation between them, but what she saw had something to do with the greeting attached to the flower arrangement. She watched as the young delivery boy shook his head uncertainly and then seemed to be convinced by whatever he was told. She watched as the other follower handed the boy a small envelope, not unlike the one already in place, but refuse the old one when the boy offered it. In a matter of moments, the boy was off again, but instead of continuing after him, Kikyo decided to follow the other figure. :Perhaps this person can assist me. I must find out what that was about.:

She followed for a short time, waiting for an opportunity to speak with the stranger. Her luck was with her as she turned a corner and saw her quarry being seated at an outdoor bistro table. Approaching it, Kikyo waited for the seated figure to acknowledge her before taking the vacant seat across from him.

"I saw what you did with that note," she said without preamble. "What does the new one say?"

The stranger looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Who are you? Why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.

"My name is Kikyo and I am concerned with anything that involves Inuyasha Shiro. That arrangement was meant for his current fling and you tampered with it. So," she leaned forward menacingly, "I want to know what your little note said."

She watched with satisfaction as the figure before her swallowed nervously and seemed to consider her words before speaking. It was obvious that he thought she was someone connected with the admittedly powerful family and he didn't want any trouble from her. She was content to allow him to think so as long as it got her the information she wanted. "It said that the last few days were a mistake and that he never wanted to see her again."

Kikyo could barely keep her interest from showing. This man obviously had a reason to separate the two; and she decided right there that she needed him on her side. This whole debacle with the note was so much better than giving the slut dead flowers, which had been her original thought. This one note would break the girl's heart and make her lose any trust she ever had in the half-breed.

"You've been following them," she stated. It was a guess, but Kikyo was sure that he had; after all, the note said 'the last few days'. His startled expression confirmed her assumption. "Why?"

"Because I was looking for a way to break them up. Kagome can do so much better than that filthy half-breed." The stranger's voice was firm with conviction. "I would do anything to make her see that and come back to me."

Kikyo couldn't contain her glee and began to chuckle softly. The possibilities were endless with a partner and the person across from her was perfect. He appeared to be fairly intelligent and the thought he had put in this one cruel action convinced her that he could help her. Now she just had to convince him. "I believe that we have a mutual objective. You see, I want to split them up and get my man back. Maybe we could help each other?"

He thought about it for a few minutes. It would be easier to accomplish this task if he had some assistance. This woman seemed to be very committed to breaking the couple up and he could use the help. Making up his mind, he nodded. "Fine, but I want to be there when they end it."

"I'm sure that that can be arranged. Now, I would know the name of my partner," Kikyo smiled, holding out her hand for him to shake.

"Oh, forgive me," he said grasping her hand. "My name is Hojo."

~*~*~*~*~*~

A/N:

You don't know how tempted I was to end it before telling you who the stranger was or who changed the note, but I didn't want to be yelled at. Now, as promised, shout outs:

Anubis_himura, zuppy70, Inuyasha_For_Ever, reqs188-hope I ended your torture. About Regrets - I'm working on it, I'm working on it., Rootbeer-sorry, but I think there may be a few more coming^_~, lindy*girl(), Starflare(), and RyuuDavi0. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. They make my day. I apologize if I missed anybody.

Now about that little * further up. I realize that this sentence is grammatically incorrect and I apologize. Just to prove that I can be correct when I need to be, I'm going to write this sentence correctly.

*Ahem*

"As far as I know, I haven't done anything wrong today for which I deserve to be slapped." ^_^

Now, that done; have you ever heard Inuyasha speak correctly? Grammatically speaking, that is. I'm sure that this didn't bother many of you, but it bothered me for days, so I had to clear that up. Anyway, now that my A/N has gone on for days, I leave you with this thought: "What does not kill us makes us stronger." It doesn't really have anything to do with anything, I just like the quote. ^_^

Until we meet again,

Patch