InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Fang of the Father ❯ Silver and Gold ( Chapter 28 )

LES: Christmas-themed chapter! Warning: All of my knowledge of Japanese Christmas traditions comes from reading other fanfics. (The importance of Christmas Eve rather than Christmas itself, chicken, romance, etc…) Oh! And there's a LEMON! Yippee!

 

Chapter XXIIX: Silver and Gold

 

The next day, true to Inuyasha's word, Izayoi opened her eyes for the first time.

Kagome had cried in happiness, for Izayoi had inherited her father's amber eyes. So their daughter would look physically like Kagome, except with her father's coloring and ears.

Inuyasha had returned the runt to Kenji and Megumi the night before, but they had yet to emerge from the den. Inuyasha couldn't blame them. Not when he remembered the easy-going light-hearted month between his and Kagome's confession of love and their mating. `Dating,' that is what Kagome had called it. And she also called the hanyou her `boyfriend' in public.

At first, Inuyasha had been confused by the term. A boy who was a friend? Did that mean that, even when they kissed and told each other of their love, she still considered him nothing more than a friend?

When he spoke to her about it, she had laughed and with Sango's help, explained that the term meant something like `potential mate.' While they were together as an intended couple, their relationship was still casual without an official commitment of any kind.

So, in human terms, a boyfriend simply meant that the woman was considering a man as a potential husband.

Kagome had explained to him in secret that the `dating' part of their relationship could end whenever he was ready, and that she would become his wife in a heartbeat.

So Inuyasha knew what Kenji and Megumi were going through. While having a mate was wonderful, being casual was fun in its own way.

And speaking of mates…

Kagome was currently changing Izayoi and trying to find new ways of keeping her small tail out of the way. The tail might not end up being a problem to the pup, but it was for the parents. They didn't know what they were going to do once it got bigger. Probably do what Shippo had to do, and tear holes in the seats of all her clothing once it got larger.

Inuyasha noticed that Kagome was humming a short tune, one that she had been humming since that morning when Izayoi first opened her eyes. “What are you humming?”

Kagome jumped slightly. “Oh? It's just an old song. It reminds me of you and Izayoi.”

“Huh? How?”

Kagome began to sing the lyrics that went along with the tune. “Silver and gold, silver and gold / Ev'ryone wishes for silver and gold / How do you measure its worth? / Just by the pleasure it gives here on earth.”

Inuyasha smiled and tossed his silver hair, his golden eyes laughing merrily. “What makes you think that song has anything to do with us?”

Kagome laughed. “It's just an old Christmas song.”

“Huh? Chriss-mas?” Inuyasha asked.

“It's a holiday in my era. Coming up soon.” She explained shortly. She didn't think that Inuyasha would be able to understand the Christian origins of the holiday since the religion was still mostly unknown to Japan during the Feudal Era.

Inuyasha shrugged, and accepted her explanation. He watched as Kagome bundled up Izayoi to protect the week-old pup from the cold of early December weather. After all, they were going to visit Kagome's family and introduce them to their daughter.

Inuyasha would have been nervous because of the prejudice he faced as a hanyou if her family had not readily accepted their mating and her pregnancy.

Kagome smiled at her mate, and handed Inuyasha his daughter. Inuyasha tucked the little pup into the warmth of his fire-rat haori, cooing to her softly in Inu, and she fell asleep against his chest.

Kagome sighed. Since she had acknowledged her father, she had been much more comfortable in his presence. She still preferred her mother's company, but she didn't get pissed off at being handed to Inuyasha anymore.

Kagome pressed close to her mate, and they exited the house together and made their way to the Bone Eater's well. Once there, they met up with Miroku and Sango.

They were both going to have to do this carefully. They were fairly certain that Izayoi would be let through, since she was Kagome's flesh and blood and had a bond with the modern era like Inuyasha had. But they couldn't be too safe where their daughter was concerned.

Sango took Izayoi for a moment, being careful that the pup remained asleep and warm. Miroku handed Inuyasha a length of rope and the hanyou tied it securely and comfortably around his mate. The plan was for Miroku to stand on the bottom of the well while Inuyasha lowered Kagome and Izayoi in. Miroku would grab the pup if it looked, even for an instant, that she wouldn't be let through.

“Are you ready?” Sango asked, handing the tiny pup back to her mother as Miroku dropped into the well, and the well denied him like they knew it would.

“Yes.” Kagome carefully climbed over the lip of the well and allowed herself to dangle, held by her mate alone. She was lowered, inch-by-inch, towards where Miroku waited, arms out-stretched.

For a few seconds, the well did not react at all. But then the time slip opened and Miroku let out an audible gasp. Previously, only Shippo had seen the time-slip up close, when Inuyasha had sealed Kagome in her own world. The well was certainly a mystery, and his inner-scholar longed to know what sort of forces operated the well. But, for now, it remained a mystery.

Kagome prayed silently for her pup to be allowed through the well, and whatever forces controlled the well heeded her call. She felt herself enter the time-slip and Izayoi was still within her grasp.

She was deposited safely on the other side of the well and leapt out instantly to give Inuyasha room to land. Sure enough, a second later, the time-slip re-opened and Inuyasha leapt out of the well, and nuzzled his mate.

“Here we go.” He said.

“There's nothing to be nervous about.” Kagome said, sniffing. “There are no visitors to the shrine right now. Let's go.”

Together, they made their way out of the well house. They first ran into Sota, who was playing in the snow that covered the courtyard. He glanced over, and jumped up with excitement at who it was. “Mom!” He called. “Kagome and Inuyasha are back! And she has the baby!”

Right on cue, Mrs. Higarashi came out of the house and rushed up to her daughter. “Oh, Kagome!” Inuyasha saw what was going to happen and took Izayoi before Kagome's mother crushed her daughter in an embrace. “How are you, dear? Did everything go all right?”

“I'm fine, Mom.” Kagome said. “It all went perfectly. Kaede said that she had rarely attended such an easy birth.”

Mrs. Higarashi noticed Inuyasha strip off his haori and wrap it around the bundle in his arms for added warmth. “Come inside! Outside in the snow is no place for a newborn!” Sota gave up his game and followed the small group inside.

Sota was bouncing around Inuyasha's legs, tugging on the fabric of his hakama, so that Inuyasha had to hold up the loose fabric to keep it from being pulled around his ankles. “Inuyasha! Inuyasha! Can I see?!?”

“Give it a minute, runt.” Inuyasha said, following his mate and his mate's mother.

Kagome smiled back at the hanyou. She should have known years ago that he was meant to be a father. No matter how much Sota crawled all over him, clung to him, yanked his hair or ears by accident, or been generally annoying, Inuyasha had never even growled at the boy.

Sota still qualified as a pup and, because of it, he could get away with practically everything in the Alpha's view as long as no holy lines were crossed.

Mrs. Higarashi managed to hold her own curiosity in check until they were all seated in the living room. “So…?” She prompted.

“Mom, Sota…” Kagome carefully took Izayoi from Inuyasha's arms were she still slept. “This is our daughter… Izayoi.”

“Wow!” Sota gasped. “She looks a lot like Inuyasha! Cool!”

“Except that she has Kagome's face.” Mrs. Higarashi said. “Izayoi… that's a lovely name.”

“It was… my mother's.” Inuyasha said. He didn't know if the Higarashi's were aware of his parentage, besides obviously being the son of a Yokai and a mortal.

“Your mother was the human?” Mrs. Higarashi asked, and Inuyasha nodded. “She doesn't have the name of a commoner.”

“She was a hime.” (Translation: Princess) Inuyasha said.

“I'm… actually not that surprised. I realized that you must be of noble birth when I learned that you could read and write. Not many could in the Feudal era.” Mrs. Higarashi turned towards her daughter, holding out her hands. “May I?”

Inuyasha growled softly. “She knows how to treat a pup, Inuyasha.” Kagome said. “She was just fine with me and Sota, and human babies are much more fragile that hanyou pups.”

Inuyasha's growl softened and then stopped all together. “Don't worry, Inuyasha. I will treat her like a human infant.” Mrs. Higarashi promised as she accepted Izayoi from her mother. “Oh, she is beautiful, isn't she?” She glanced up at her daughter. “Her eye color?” She asked, since the pup was asleep.

“Inuyasha's eyes.” Kagome said, smiling at her mate.

“It seems that Yokai traits dominate human traits.” Mrs. Higarashi commented.

“You have no idea.” Inuyasha mumbled.

“What?”

“Um…” Kagome began. “Well… Inuyasha's father was a powerful Yokai Lord, and Inuyasha has gained his father's power. So now he's much more powerful than `just a hanyou.' So Izayoi is more of a dog than normal hanyous.”

“How?” Sota asked, looking over his mother's shoulder at the pup. “She doesn't look any different.”

“She… uh… has a tail.” Kagome confessed.

Whatever reaction Kagome expected from her mother, it wasn't the one that she got. “Aww! How cute!”

“Yea! Cool!” Sota said.

Well… that went well. Inuyasha and Kagome thought at the same time.

“So… how old is she?” Sota asked.

“A week!” Inuyasha said proudly.

“A week? Do you think that you were up to traveling through the well?” Mrs. Higarashi asked her daughter.

“Feh. She's fine. Hanyous heal really quickly for injuries. And the stress of childbirth seems to be something that hanyous also heal quickly from. Kagome is almost fully healed.”

“Yes… you certainly look as if you were never pregnant.” Mrs. Higarashi sighed. “If only I could have lost my pregnancy weight so easily…”

At that moment, Kagome's grandfather came in, apparently from taking care of various shrine duties. He spotted Kagome first. “Kagome, welcome back!” And then the little bundle in Mrs. Higarashi's arms. He began to reach into his sleeve of his priestly haori. “Yo…”

“You'd better not be reaching for one of those damn sutra, old man.” Inuyasha growled. “Slap `em on me, if you want, but I'm not letting those cursed things near my pup.”

“Cursed, you say?” Kagome's grandfather said indignantly. “These sutra have been blessed by the Kami and passed down…”

“Grandfather, please, I agree with Inuyasha.” Kagome said. “Those sutra might not have enough power to affect him, but even if there's the tiniest trace of power, it could purify Izayoi.”

Grandfather reluctantly didn't pursue the sutra issue. “So, you've decided to name the hanyou pup Izayoi?”

“Yes, after Inuyasha's mother.” Mrs. Higarashi explained.

“She was the human?”

“Yes.”

Inuyasha fell silent, having no wish to contribute to the conversation at hand. Kagome's grandfather was the closest that the hanyou had ever come to seeing hanyou prejudice in Kagome's era. The old man was harmless, Inuyasha knew, especially to a powerful hanyou like himself. But it was still annoying to be plastered with annoying sutra at every turn.

Izayoi woke up and instantly began to call for her mother. :Mother! Hungry!: She barked loudly.

“Is she… barking?” Sota asked.

“Yes.” Kagome said, reaching out for her pup and Mrs. Higarashi passed her over. “All Inu-Yokai and Inu-hanyou are born knowing the canine language. She's calling for me because she's hungry.”

Automatically, Inuyasha gave her his haori and draped it over her shoulders to preserve her modesty while she breast-fed the pup.

“You breast-feed?” Mrs. Higarashi asked.

“Yes. Well… it is the most convenient method in the Feudal Era.” Kagome said. “Other methods are only used when something is wrong and the infant can't breast-feed for reason.”

“Oh yes.” Mrs. Higarashi said. She had forgotten that the Feudal era didn't have many other options for just a moment. Breast-feeding was really the only obvious choice. “So, Kagome, will you, Inuyasha, and little Izayoi be staying with us for Christmas?”

Kagome glanced at Inuyasha. “Christmas is in a few weeks.” She told him.

Inuyasha shrugged. “It's safer here in your era anyway.”

“Safer?” Sota asked, amazed.

“Yeah. Most Yokai families are under greater danger right after a pup is born.” Inuyasha said.

“Why?”

“Because I'm exhausted.” Inuyasha said shortly, and left it at that.

“You are? Would you like to go up to Kagome's room and sleep?” Mrs. Higarashi asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. “I help with Izayoi as much as I can.” He said.

Kagome placed her hand on Inuyasha's shoulder, in a safe neutral zone in the presence of her family. “You said yourself that we are safer here in my own era. Go ahead and get some rest.”

“If I go to sleep now, I'll sleep all day, bitch.” Inuyasha said.

Kagome's grandfather exploded. “How dare you call my granddaughter a bitch?!?”

“Grandfather!” Kagome sighed. “It's an Inu term. It means `female mate'.” She turned to Inuyasha. “Go ahead and get some sleep. I'll handle everything here.”

Inuyasha nodded in gratitude and ascended the stairs. Once he was in the comfort of Kagome's room and her smell, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep right away.

~~~~~~~~~~

The weeks passed, and Inuyasha took an interest in preparations for Christmas. Mrs. Higarashi explained the holiday to the hanyou, keeping it as simple as she could. And Sota managed to simplify it further.

“Christmas is about gifts!” The boy said excitedly.

“Gifts?” Inuyasha asked.

“Yeah. You give and receive gifts for your loved ones.” Sota said. “And then we get to eat a lot of chicken for dinner!”

“It's not just about gifts and food.” Mrs. Higarashi said, having overheard her son. “It's a time for family and loved ones. I'm really happy you could join us this year, as a part of our family.” Inuyasha blushed, unsure of how to handle the situation with Kagome's family, and their dynamic.

“Yeah, Inuyasha!” Sota said. “I'm really glad that Kagome decided to marry you.”

Thankfully, Kagome was nearby and saw how embarrassed he was, and came over to save him.

“Okay, I think that Inuyasha would be able to help with the decorations…”

“More?” Inuyasha asked. It seemed that he had helped put up a million odd decorations during the last few weeks.

“Yes.” She pulled him aside. “I could see that you are embarrassed.”

Inuyasha snorted. “Feh! Me? Embarrassed?” Kagome gave him a look that demanded that he be truthful with himself. “So what if I am embarrassed? I ain't used to it yet.”

“Used to what?” Kagome asked.

“To—to having a family.” Inuyasha said quietly.

Kagome's heart melted at that tiny reminder of how far he had come in a year. It reminded her that he had spent nearly a century and a half with no family at all. But during the last four years that she had known him, he had gradually learned about friendship, and then about family. She couldn't blame him for being a little embarrassed about the mushier parts of having a family.

She pulled him into an embrace and kissed him. “My poor hanyou. You'll get used to all this mushy family business.”

And then Inuyasha kissed her, returning her embrace firmly.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a sing-song voice. “Kagome and Inuyasha sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” They glared at Sota, who was making a habit of singing that annoying song every time he walked in on his older sister and her mate kissing. He quickly noticed their annoyed expressions and left, singing. “First comes love! Then comes marriage! Then comes a baby in a baby carriage!”

“Oh, that reminds me… how is Izayoi?” Kagome asked.

“Asleep. She sleeps well in your room because your smell is so strong in there.” Inuyasha answered.

“You know…” Kagome said softly. “There's another part to Christmas, a romantic part.”

“Huh?”

“Oh Christmas Eve, young couples usually spend the night alone together.” Kagome said. “They will go out to dinner and then go to a hotel… a large inn, to spend the night together.” She took Inuyasha's clawed hands. “But… I know that it is even more difficult for you to go out in public with these.” She traced the Yokai markings on his face. Short of breaking out a large amount of make-up, they would be plainly visible for all to see. They could always be passed off as a tattoo. Then people will think he's more of a punk then they already think he is. “I don't need any of that. I just need you.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!” Mrs. Higarashi said, having overheard her daughter and son-in-law.

“Mom!” Kagome gasped.

“Why don't we switch places?” Mrs. Higarashi suggested. “Grandfather, Sota, and I will go out to dinner Christmas Eve, and you two can stay home with Izayoi. Or… we could take her with us…”

“No, she'll need to stay with us. Inu-hanyou pups need to have their parents at least within scent-range. When Inuyasha and I turned mortal, she had a melt-down.” Kagome said.

“Oh, like she was a week ago?”

Inuyasha and Kagome sighed. A week ago, on the night of the waning crescent moon, both Inuyasha and Kagome had detected her Inu scent disappearing. They realized what was happening and gave the rest of the family due warning. Sure enough, Izayoi's mortal night was the night of the waning crescent moon, and no one slept that night. “Yes, like that. We'll be fine with her.” Kagome said.

“All right. I'll make the arrangements.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Christmas Eve dawned snowy, cold, and clear. But the two hanyou mates were quite warm snuggled in Kagome's (now double-sized) bed with their daughter tucked in between them.

As usual, they were awoken by Izayoi's whimpers for her morning feeding. Kagome stretched leisurely, responding to her daughter's soft cries for food.

Inuyasha woke up next, treating Kagome to the undeniably cute sight of him giving a big tongue-curling yawn. “That time already?” He asked.

“Yes.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Good morning, Inuyasha.”

“Waking up next to you… it is always a good morning.” He laid back down and dozed, deciding that it was a much better idea to stay in bed than to get up and join Sota in watching some of the early-morning Christmas specials that seemed to be everywhere on the TV these days.

With one hand, she reached over and rubbed his ears until he was growling softly in contentment. While with the other hand she assisted her pup to her breast. She was only a few weeks old, but she was already a lot more mobile, wiggling her way to her destination. Izayoi gave her mother a happy `thank you' yip before she latched on.

:Good pup.: Kagome barked softly. :Mother love pup.:

Izayoi's tiny puppy ears flicked up at the sound of her mother's voice, but otherwise she continued with her meal.

Inuyasha snuggled closer to his family, his deep comfort-rumble filling the air. :Alpha love pup. Alpha love mate.:

:Mate love Alpha.: Kagome responded.

A soft knock on the bedroom door brought them out of lover's dreamland. “Breakfast.” Mrs. Higarashi called softly. She wasn't privy to their Inu conversation, but she figured out that it probably contained a lot of sweet-nothings. She couldn't blame them. Her daughter, blushing the whole time, had confessed that she and Inuyasha hadn't… relieved their stress since well before Izayoi was born. And, as a result, the young female hanyou was getting testy.

Well, that's what tonight is for! Mrs. Higarashi thought happily. Having a new baby was always a stressful thing for young couples; not to mention that women did need a certain amount of time to recover from childbirth. So their sex life suffered accordingly.

She could tell, thanks to her own experience, that Inuyasha had developed the itch, same as her daughter. She often caught him gazing at her daughter with such longing, and he often disappeared now-a-days only to return flustered and red with embarrassment some time later.

Oh yes, it was Christmas Eve, and her daughter deserved a chance to reconnect with her mate.

~~~~~~~~~~

After KFC had delivered Mrs. Higarashi's original order of chicken to the shrine, she made sure that the small family of hanyou were set for the night; while she, Sota, and Grandfather left to go to a restaurant for a chicken dinner.

“Be safe!” Mrs. Higarashi called back at them, standing in the shrine's doorway. “We'll be back after midnight, so use your time wisely!”

Kagome blushed slightly and called after her mother. “We will! Good-bye, Mom, Sota, and Grandfather! Have a good time!”

The rest of the Higarashi's left, and the young mates and parents glanced at each other. Izayoi broke the momentary silence with a yip. :Mother!:

:What, pup?: Kagome barked back.

:Hungry!: She barked.

Kagome sighed. :Okay, pup.: She turned to go into the house, and yelped with surprise when Inuyasha's arms wrapped around her from behind.

:Alpha hungry too.: Inuyasha growled softly, sending shivers down her spine. Kagome moaned softly when he lapped gently at the mating mark on her shoulder, biting it gently. Kagome instantly got the message. Inuyasha was hungry, but not really for `food'.

However, Izayoi was too young to understand the sexual overtones, and barked angrily at her father. :My food!:

Both Inuyasha and Kagome laughed, and Inuyasha released his bitch. “Okay, let's eat and feed this squirt, and then you can feed me.” Inuyasha said seductively.

Kagome was so turned on from the lack of sex that she wanted to jump at him and ravish him right there in her doorway. But, first things first… “Okay, that chicken does smell really good with a dog's sense of smell.”

Inuyasha nodded reluctantly, and forcefully swallowed a comment that her pussy smelled even better. Gotta watch my mouth with the pup. The last thing they needed was for her to start parroting his `less-than-clean' language. Kagome would sit him into oblivion.

He followed Kagome into the house and she set out the chicken dinner, giving her mate the largest helping.

He took a bite, and proclaimed it good, but not as good as ramen. But nothing was as good as ramen. He finished his chicken off while Kagome ate her food one-handed while she helped feed her pup.

Izayoi finished her dinner and whined that she was tired. So Kagome stood up and put Izayoi down to sleep in the crib that Mrs. Higarashi dug out of storage from Sota's old things. It was in Kagome's room, and her scent permeated the air, so she was able to sleep easily even if Kagome was not near-by.

She stripped off the comforter from her bed and carried it down-stairs. Inuyasha met her at the bottom of the stairs and crept up behind her, grabbing at her tempting hips.

Kagome smiled back at him as she made her way to the living room, and spread the comforter on the couch.

“Down here?” Inuyasha asked.

“If we wake up Izayoi, we're never gonna do this.” Kagome sighed as he embraced her once again from behind, and resumed nipping at her mating mark.

Kagome moaned and turned her head to the side, giving him much better access to the skin. She reached up and found his ears, rubbing gently, and he growled low in response.

She turned around in his grip, and allowed his lips to meet hers, allowing the passion to slowly build up from dormancy.

“Kami, how I've missed this…” Kagome moaned.

“You have no idea.” Inuyasha growled, his arousal firmly pressed against her body.

Kagome firmly grasped his shoulders, pulling him until they both fell down onto the covered couch, with Kagome below him. They quickly assisted each other in removing their cloths until they were skin-to-skin.

Kagome moaned loudly as his hot mouth covered her breasts. He sucked gently, but not hard enough to take any food from his daughter. His instincts simply wouldn't allow that.

“Inuyasha…” Kagome breathed. “I want you in my now.”

“Huh?” Inuyasha asked, confused. Their foreplay had barely started, and she usually liked for him to worship her body more. Not to mention that, because of the large break, he thought that she would need more time to be ready to receive him easily.

Kagome read his mind. She took his hand and pressed it against her sex. She moaned, and Inuyasha was shocked to discover that she was plenty wet enough to take him in. “Don't think for a second that I don't want this as much as you do.” She grinded herself against his erection, and he hissed through his teeth.

Without further ado, he pressed himself into her warm heat. A steady pleasure growl rumbled in his chest as he rejoiced in his return home.

“Kagome… so good…” He whispered as he, for her sake, kept himself from losing his mind and rutting her like a Yokai reclaiming his mate. He wasn't slow, but he wasn't gentle.

The female beneath him wrapped her arms around his neck, encouraging him into a kiss. She gasped breathlessly into his mouth every time she met one of his thrusts with a stroke of her own.

“Inuyasha… I love you… I've missed this.” Kagome whispered, clinging to her mate.

“Love you… `Gome.” Inuyasha whispered back.

Honestly, Kagome couldn't believe how gentle he was being with her. After months of no sex, she had expected a wild joining that would probably at the least end up on the floor, not to mention end up going all over the house.

Kagome kissed his cheek, licked it, and then whispered. “You could… go a little… harder.”

“No.” Inuyasha replied softly. “Trust me, Kagome.”

Kagome decided to do just that, and let the feelings, both physical and emotional, overwhelm her very being.

Inuyasha continued, without slowing or quickening his pace. It's true, he wanted to rut her senselessly, but more than that, he wanted to simply reconnect with his bitch. Sure, he wouldn't be able to rein in his instincts for longer than a single mating, but it would also give her body the time it took to get to his being inside her once again.

He kissed her desperately as her hands rested on his waist. She loved the feel of his muscles contracting and relaxing in perfect control. Her hands drifted to his back and she dug her claws into his firm flesh. It drew blood, but he was too preoccupied to notice, even in the slightest.

Somehow, Inuyasha managed to control himself the whole time, keeping his pace. He coaxed her gently to orgasm, her low moan muffled by his kiss as he climaxed right after her.

His muscles froze as he released his seed into her newly-vacated womb. Kagome was at once glad that she wasn't in heat. One bundle of joy was more than enough for her at the moment. Not that she didn't desire more children with Inuyasha, but there was no harm in waiting a few years before giving Izayoi a brother or sister.

Inuyasha rested on top of her, gasping for breath and his body coated in a fine layer of sweat. He lifted his head up, and gazed into her eyes. “Kagome…”

Kagome brushed his sweat-dampened bangs out of his eyes. “I love you, Inuyasha.” She breathed, kissing him. She glanced at the luminous digital clock that displayed the time. It was only a few minutes passed midnight. She grinned at her mate. “Merry Christmas, Inuyasha.”

 

LES: I apologize for the late update! (bows) I've had some… computer problems, but they are all fixed now! (grins) Anyway, I'm going to end the Christmas theme there. After all, in Japan, Christmas Eve is a much bigger deal than Christmas day is here in America. In fact, and that Christmas Eve is for is to squeeze in the families that couldn't be seen on Christmas day. “Opps! Christmas is full! Why don't we see you on Christmas Eve instead?” Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter!