InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ High Voltage- Reviving the Thunder ❯ Merry Christmas ( Chapter 8 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Matoko Shizaki 
Kagome returns from her home just in time to show her companions the true meaning of Christmas.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.16.2002 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 270 | Status: Completed
Kagome returns from her home just in time to show her companions the true meaning of Christmas.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.16.2002 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 270 | Status: Completed
High Voltage: Reviving the Thunder- Chapter 8: "Merry Christmas"
By Matoko Shizaki
Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha is copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise Inc. All of the characters have been made up by me except Kaede, Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kiara, Myoga, Hiten, and Manten.
Notes: I finally finished the last chapter!!! YAY!!! And now… I'm getting into the holiday spirit. Thanks to people who have been reviewing one some of my fics such as:
KB_girl3
Agent Mio
Insane Alice
Psycho Kittle
Lance
ChibiChibi
Mayuka/ May
DarkAngelRn
Cacat-angel
Little Washu Chan
It's really appreciated! Peace out!
@~@~@~@~@
Autumn had past and slowly regressed into winter. Time may have past, but nothing seemed to have changed.
Aoi sat at the window and smiled as she watched Manten, Witan, and Azaka playing in the snow. Azaka walloped another snowball into Witan's face just as Manten launched one at Azaka. The boy ducked and the second snowball collided with Witan's exposed face. In fury, the merchant scooped up a wad of snow, balled it up, and threw it directly at Manten. The lizard demon laughed and caught the snowball in his mouth, savoring the taste of the freshly fallen snow. Satisfied with the entertaining display of her three companions, Aoi turned back to the conversation inside. "It's a good thing you made the tavern owner believe your lies about the demon here." Shippo said taking a sip out of his huge tea cup. "A servant of Buddha doesn't lie! I merely stretched the truth." The monk protested coolly. Sango snorted. "Sure…" she muttered under her breath. Inu-Yasha looked up from the fire. "When is Kagome getting back? She's been gone for two days!" Sango shrugged. "She did have to ride Kiara all the way back to Kaede's village and return home. You can't expect her to hurry back." Hiten rolled his eyes. "Why should we worry if she even comes back?" he growled. Inu-Yasha glared at him. "She has the Shikon jewel you know."
The door to the traveling companions' room opened letting in some of the wind and snow. There was a huge bundle standing there. "Hi everyone! Merry Christmas!" It was Kagome, back from her time. She deposited her backpack on the floor and removed her heavy outer coat. "What took you so long?" Inu-Yasha growled. "It is Christmas Inu-Yasha. I had to spend some time with my family." Kagome replied coolly as she hung her scarf on the back of the chair. "What is Christmas Kagome?" Shippo asked. Kagome beamed. "It's a day where everyone celebrates being together and having friends. You get a tree and decorate it and then you open presents and eat a Christmas goose and…" Aoi interrupted her. "This sounds like fun. So today is this Christmas?" Kagome nodded. "We can all celebrate it together! I brought some decorations!" The girl dug into her pack and removed several packages wrapped in colorful paper, packets of something, boxes of candy, and a bag of plants. Hiten pulled out one of the dried plants and sniffed it. "What is this?" he asked in disgust. Kagome grabbed the plant from him and, using the tape she brought from her bag, taped it above a doorway. "It's mistletoe. When a guy and a girl get stuck underneath it together, they have to kiss." Miroku gained a hopeful glint in it at the purpose of the mistletoe and glanced at Sango. "What do we need to do to have Christmas?" Aoi asked. "Well, we need to cut down a small tree to decorate, get a game bird for dinner, and presents." Shippo's tail perked up. "Presents?!" Kagome nodded. "You buy something for everyone as a gift." Shippo bounced up and down. "What are we waiting for?!"
Coins clanked in Aoi's pocket as she strolled down road along the market place. 'Now what do I get everyone? I have enough money but…' Aoi's mind struggled to find an answer. She then spotted the stand with sweet buns. 'Perfect! Shippo will love these!' And without another thought, she hurried over to the stall.
Hiten bounced the pouch up in his hand to judge how much money was in it. "Has to be a lot…" Hiten muttered to himself. "That guy I stole it from did look pretty wealthy… I have to be in a good mood to be buying Christmas presents." The demon went to turn the corner but stopped noticed Aoi was there. 'What is she doing here?!?!' his mind roared. He noticed that she was examining one of the lovely necklaces at the stand. It hung on a leather cord and dangling from it were three stones, one of jade and two of black onyx. "Oh wow, that is so pretty! Too bad I need to get presents for everyone else. Oh well…" Aoi laughed to herself. She paid for her purchases and hurried off down the road. Hiten smiled craftily. "That's it!" he muttered.
With a thud, Aoi's pack hit the floor. "Well, now that that's done…" she muttered. The door opened and Azaka stepped in, his face bright red from the cold. "Hey sis! Inu-Yasha and Miroku have come back with the tree." Azaka exclaimed childishly. Aoi smiled. "I should help them." She followed her brother out into the cold again and watched as Inu-Yasha and Miroku trudged up the path carrying a medium sized pine tree. Shippo smiled and scooped up a ball of snow. "Hey Inu-Yasha! Catch!" Shippo tossed the snow ball but Inu-Yasha was too busy to block it, dodge it, or catch it. The furious half demon wiped the snow from his face and dropped his end of the tree. "You damn fox! I'm going to skin you alive!" he shouted. Miroku grimaced, bearing the weight of the tree until Aoi slipped under the other end. "Thank you Aoi." the monk exclaimed. "No problem. It's a good thing Azaka didn't think to shut the door."
As soon as the tree was set up, Sango and Kagome returned from the market with a huge chicken. "We got the dinner." Kagome exclaimed sitting the bird on the table. She removed her hat an gasped at the sight of the huge pine tree sitting in the corner, tiny candles decorating its majestic branches. "Oh guys! It's beautiful!" she cried. Manten lit another candle with his fire attack and nodded. "I agree. It's very lovely." he said. Aoi placed her last present under the tree and stood up. "Sorry Kagome but the fire went out while you were away." she explained gesturing to the fading coals and embers. "That's fine! We can just wrap the chicken in cloth and put it to cook in the hot coals." Sango said. Aoi nodded in agreement and helped Kagome to wrap their dinner.
Snow fell from the branch about Hiten as he reclined back against the tree. Below him, Azaka, Manten, Inu-Yasha, Miroku, Witan, and Shippo had divided into teams and were building up huge mounds of snow. "What the hell are they doing?" Hiten muttered grumpily. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the ball of snow aimed at his head. He caught it inches before it hit him. "Hey, Hiten! Why don't you join us? We're going to have a snow ball fight!" Aoi exclaimed from the ground. Hiten scoffed and glanced at the sunset. "Such children's games…" he shouted back. "Are you too afraid to fight?" Aoi taunted. Hiten's eyes glowed bright red and the muscles in his mouth began to twitch back into that crazed and boyish grin Aoi rarely saw. "Is that a challenge human?" Hiten asked jumping from his perch. Aoi nodded. "Then you're on." Hiten exclaimed.
The teams were decided quickly. On one team there was Hiten, Manten, Witan, Inu-Yasha, and Kagome. The other team consisted of Aoi, Azaka, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango. Behind one mound of snow, Inu-Yasha's team hid discussing their plans. "Alright, each one of us should choose a person to target. Witan, you have Shippo. I'll take the monk and Kagome can get Sango." he ordered. "Just so long as you leave Aoi to me. I have a challenge to defeat." Hiten whispered back. "And Azaka to me!" Manten added. Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes but agreed. "Ok, now we only have to wait for Myoga's signal to start."
Aoi cracked her knuckles. "I am so going to nail Hiten. I'll show him what humans can do!" she said craftily. "But remember, you promised not to use your command of him as an advantage." Shippo added. Aoi nodded. "I remember Shippo." She suddenly heard a voice over the snow. Miroku looked up from jamming his staff into the snow and preparing a snow ball to notice Myoga, poised on a rock with a cone in front of him to project his voice. "May the battle… er snowball fight… begin!" Myoga exclaimed. The first snowball was thrown, missing the one team and flattening Myoga to the rock. "Should have known…" Myoga mumble from below the snow.
Inu-Yasha crouched in the tree, his golden eyes focused on Miroku as he trekked through the woods. "Now where is the demon…?" the monk muttered packing his snowball tighter. Snow from the tree blew off giving the half demon cover as he dove at the monk. "Fought you!" Miroku cried. His aim landed the wad of snow into one of Inu-Yasha's sleeves but he kept going. The half demon landed right on top of Miroku, flattening him right into the snow. When Miroku pulled his head out of the snow, he yelped with shock. "It's down my robes…" he muttered coldly. Inu-Yasha, meanwhile, was sitting in the snow laughing when the snowball hit him in the chin forming a beard on his face, something like the one Santa Clause had. "You rat!" Inu-Yasha roared pushing the laughing Miroku back into the snow.
"There! It's perfect!" Witan exclaimed with joy as he hopped up from the snow, his snow angel without imperfect dents and foot prints in it. "Boo!" Shippo sprang up from the snow landing on Witan's pride and joy. "You… you…" Witan's eye twitched and Shippo backed up. "You bug! I'll squish you!!" Witan roared as he fired random snow balls all over. "Duck and cover!!!!!!" Shippo cried clasping his hands over his head and running as fast as his legs would carry him.
Snow melted as it touched Aoi's warm hands. Her breath streamed out like steam as she watched Hiten run down the path. From her spot in the trees she could see that he had no snow ball to throw. 'Perfect.' Hiten shuddered as the snow ball slammed into his head. He looked up in rage at Aoi who was poised on the slope of the hill. "I'll get you!" Hiten snarled launching himself at Aoi. Before he could nail her with a snowball, he stumbled as his feet hit a patch of ice. Colliding with Aoi, they were both sent roll down the hill.
Dizziness wore off and Aoi opened her eyes. She was at the bottom of the hill, and to her surprise, Hiten was almost completely lying over top of her, his hands next to each side of her head to hold him up. They were nose to nose, forehead to forehead, eyes locked on each other's. "Hiten…" Aoi muttered. As if they were magnetized to each other, their lips neared. "What the hell am I doing?!?!" Aoi cried. She shoved Hiten off before running off into the woods. "AOI! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!!!" Hiten yelled after her.
As the others removed their soaking wet clothing and changed, Kagome pulled the chicken from the coals. "It smells delicious!" she exclaimed sitting it on a tray on the table. It had already been set by the tavern keeper. Kagome peeled back the cloth careful and smiled, satisfied that the chicken was a light brown, neither over cooked or under cooked. Azaka and Inu-Yasha were the first to sit down. "Is it done Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked licking his lips furiously. "Yes. It's alright. But does anyone have a knife for cutting the chicken?" Aoi drew her katana and, grasping the blade in her hand, handed it to Kagome. Kagome sweat dropped. "Not what I meant but thanks." A slice came off the chicken with no hassle and was deposited onto Shippo's plate. "But why does he get food first?!?" Azaka whined above the growling of his stomach. Aoi smacked him on the head as she sat down and scolded, "He's the youngest! Wait your turn!"
Brown, warm liquid trickled into Sango's cup as she poured herself and Miroku more hot chocolate. Shippo shook another present. "Can we open the gifts yet?" Shippo asked. Kagome shook her head and sipped on her hot chocolate. "Hiten's in the back room and Aoi's getting the last present." Kagome told the impatient cub. "I'm back!" Aoi exclaimed coming through the door, Hiten at her side. A huge silence hung over the group until Hiten yelled, "Well, speak up! What is it?!" Shippo giggled. "Mistletoe!" Aoi and Hiten both looked up and sure enough, the plant of torture was hanging over the doorway. "Now you have to kiss." Kagome mused, leaning on her elbows. Aoi's eyes went wide. "You have to be kidding." Azaka looked up from where he was sitting at the table backwards with the back of the chair in front of him. "No kidding. Go on and kiss her already Hiten!" Aoi sighed and turned to Hiten. "I guess we have to…" she muttered. Hiten snorted. "Don't enjoy this too much. It won't happen again." Hiten replied. "Hn. I could say the same for you." Aoi whispered back. Hiten, slowly but surely, wrapped his arms around Aoi's waist, pulling her closer to him. Aoi slipped her arms around his neck as their lips met in a sweet kiss. As a response, the others began to whistle, hoot, and clap. The two immediately let go. "Oh shut up!" Aoi moaned.
The young kitsune pup was the first to dig into the presents. He seized Kagome's and rattled it. Kagome smiled at Shippo's curiosity and motioned for him to go ahead and open it. With another thought, Shippo ripped off the paper and buried his head in the box. "CANDY!" came his muffled cried. With eager hands, he pulled out a bag of chocolate, several candy canes, and a bag of cotton candy. "Candy!" he exclaimed again as he hugged his sugary goodness. Kagome handed Myoga his present and looked up at Sango. "Do you want to open one Sango-chan?" Sango nodded and scooped up a roughly wrapped present. "That one is from me." Miroku said. "I'm not very good at wrapping…" he added. Myoga had already slung the mini scarf over his shoulder and sat watching Sango open her present. Silk folds ran over Sango hands as she fingered the beautiful red kimono in the box. "Oh Houshi-sama, it's so gorgeous!" Miroku blushed slightly. "It's nothing…" he muttered modestly. (Inu-Yasha: Miroku? Modest? Hardly!)
From a distance Hiten watched as the others opened their presents. To Inu-Yasha, a flea collar (Kagome's doing…), sandals, and a bottle of sake. Kagome received a brand new kimono, a necklace, and several sweet cakes. Azaka became the new owner of a wide rimmed straw hat and a scarf. Manten was given one of Kagome's many candy canes. Miroku gained several scrolls of paper, ink, and a writing brush. Sango obtained the kimono and a bracelet. Myoga's sole present was the scarf from Kagome. Aoi got a black kimono and a new outfit for kendo training. But Hiten had nothing but the small box he was nervously fingering. (A/N: I'm sure Hiten fan girls would give him something!)
It was late when Hiten summoned up the courage to venture out into the snow to where Aoi was training in her new outfit. The shirt was gray like the pants and had long, baggy sleeve. It was open in the front and Aoi's chest was wrapped in cloth strips. The pants cut off below the knee and were tied don with the same cloth strips adoning Aoi's chest. Apart from that, all she had on were he sandals with her long leggings on. "Aoi, I have something for you." Hiten said. Aoi stopped, sheathed her katana, and turned around as Hiten thrust the box into her face. Aoi took in and lifted off the lid. "Hiten! How did you know this is the one I wanted?" Aoi asked studying over the necklace. "Just a guess." Hiten lied. Aoi wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you!" she cried. "OH! I have something for you." She rummaged in her pocket before pulling something out. It was a small dagger in a leather case, a tiger carved on the blade. Hiten handled it carefully like a gift from the gods. Aoi laid a kiss on Hiten's cheek. "Merry Christmas Hiten." Before Hiten could reply, Aoi disappeared back into the tavern. Like feathers from many birds, the snow drifted down spotting Hiten's black hair. "…Merry Christmas Aoi." he muttered.
@~@~@~@~@
To everyone who's read this series faithfully, many thanks and my best regards from a happy holiday season!!!!
By Matoko Shizaki
Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha is copyright Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise Inc. All of the characters have been made up by me except Kaede, Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kiara, Myoga, Hiten, and Manten.
Notes: I finally finished the last chapter!!! YAY!!! And now… I'm getting into the holiday spirit. Thanks to people who have been reviewing one some of my fics such as:
KB_girl3
Agent Mio
Insane Alice
Psycho Kittle
Lance
ChibiChibi
Mayuka/ May
DarkAngelRn
Cacat-angel
Little Washu Chan
It's really appreciated! Peace out!
@~@~@~@~@
Autumn had past and slowly regressed into winter. Time may have past, but nothing seemed to have changed.
Aoi sat at the window and smiled as she watched Manten, Witan, and Azaka playing in the snow. Azaka walloped another snowball into Witan's face just as Manten launched one at Azaka. The boy ducked and the second snowball collided with Witan's exposed face. In fury, the merchant scooped up a wad of snow, balled it up, and threw it directly at Manten. The lizard demon laughed and caught the snowball in his mouth, savoring the taste of the freshly fallen snow. Satisfied with the entertaining display of her three companions, Aoi turned back to the conversation inside. "It's a good thing you made the tavern owner believe your lies about the demon here." Shippo said taking a sip out of his huge tea cup. "A servant of Buddha doesn't lie! I merely stretched the truth." The monk protested coolly. Sango snorted. "Sure…" she muttered under her breath. Inu-Yasha looked up from the fire. "When is Kagome getting back? She's been gone for two days!" Sango shrugged. "She did have to ride Kiara all the way back to Kaede's village and return home. You can't expect her to hurry back." Hiten rolled his eyes. "Why should we worry if she even comes back?" he growled. Inu-Yasha glared at him. "She has the Shikon jewel you know."
The door to the traveling companions' room opened letting in some of the wind and snow. There was a huge bundle standing there. "Hi everyone! Merry Christmas!" It was Kagome, back from her time. She deposited her backpack on the floor and removed her heavy outer coat. "What took you so long?" Inu-Yasha growled. "It is Christmas Inu-Yasha. I had to spend some time with my family." Kagome replied coolly as she hung her scarf on the back of the chair. "What is Christmas Kagome?" Shippo asked. Kagome beamed. "It's a day where everyone celebrates being together and having friends. You get a tree and decorate it and then you open presents and eat a Christmas goose and…" Aoi interrupted her. "This sounds like fun. So today is this Christmas?" Kagome nodded. "We can all celebrate it together! I brought some decorations!" The girl dug into her pack and removed several packages wrapped in colorful paper, packets of something, boxes of candy, and a bag of plants. Hiten pulled out one of the dried plants and sniffed it. "What is this?" he asked in disgust. Kagome grabbed the plant from him and, using the tape she brought from her bag, taped it above a doorway. "It's mistletoe. When a guy and a girl get stuck underneath it together, they have to kiss." Miroku gained a hopeful glint in it at the purpose of the mistletoe and glanced at Sango. "What do we need to do to have Christmas?" Aoi asked. "Well, we need to cut down a small tree to decorate, get a game bird for dinner, and presents." Shippo's tail perked up. "Presents?!" Kagome nodded. "You buy something for everyone as a gift." Shippo bounced up and down. "What are we waiting for?!"
Coins clanked in Aoi's pocket as she strolled down road along the market place. 'Now what do I get everyone? I have enough money but…' Aoi's mind struggled to find an answer. She then spotted the stand with sweet buns. 'Perfect! Shippo will love these!' And without another thought, she hurried over to the stall.
Hiten bounced the pouch up in his hand to judge how much money was in it. "Has to be a lot…" Hiten muttered to himself. "That guy I stole it from did look pretty wealthy… I have to be in a good mood to be buying Christmas presents." The demon went to turn the corner but stopped noticed Aoi was there. 'What is she doing here?!?!' his mind roared. He noticed that she was examining one of the lovely necklaces at the stand. It hung on a leather cord and dangling from it were three stones, one of jade and two of black onyx. "Oh wow, that is so pretty! Too bad I need to get presents for everyone else. Oh well…" Aoi laughed to herself. She paid for her purchases and hurried off down the road. Hiten smiled craftily. "That's it!" he muttered.
With a thud, Aoi's pack hit the floor. "Well, now that that's done…" she muttered. The door opened and Azaka stepped in, his face bright red from the cold. "Hey sis! Inu-Yasha and Miroku have come back with the tree." Azaka exclaimed childishly. Aoi smiled. "I should help them." She followed her brother out into the cold again and watched as Inu-Yasha and Miroku trudged up the path carrying a medium sized pine tree. Shippo smiled and scooped up a ball of snow. "Hey Inu-Yasha! Catch!" Shippo tossed the snow ball but Inu-Yasha was too busy to block it, dodge it, or catch it. The furious half demon wiped the snow from his face and dropped his end of the tree. "You damn fox! I'm going to skin you alive!" he shouted. Miroku grimaced, bearing the weight of the tree until Aoi slipped under the other end. "Thank you Aoi." the monk exclaimed. "No problem. It's a good thing Azaka didn't think to shut the door."
As soon as the tree was set up, Sango and Kagome returned from the market with a huge chicken. "We got the dinner." Kagome exclaimed sitting the bird on the table. She removed her hat an gasped at the sight of the huge pine tree sitting in the corner, tiny candles decorating its majestic branches. "Oh guys! It's beautiful!" she cried. Manten lit another candle with his fire attack and nodded. "I agree. It's very lovely." he said. Aoi placed her last present under the tree and stood up. "Sorry Kagome but the fire went out while you were away." she explained gesturing to the fading coals and embers. "That's fine! We can just wrap the chicken in cloth and put it to cook in the hot coals." Sango said. Aoi nodded in agreement and helped Kagome to wrap their dinner.
Snow fell from the branch about Hiten as he reclined back against the tree. Below him, Azaka, Manten, Inu-Yasha, Miroku, Witan, and Shippo had divided into teams and were building up huge mounds of snow. "What the hell are they doing?" Hiten muttered grumpily. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the ball of snow aimed at his head. He caught it inches before it hit him. "Hey, Hiten! Why don't you join us? We're going to have a snow ball fight!" Aoi exclaimed from the ground. Hiten scoffed and glanced at the sunset. "Such children's games…" he shouted back. "Are you too afraid to fight?" Aoi taunted. Hiten's eyes glowed bright red and the muscles in his mouth began to twitch back into that crazed and boyish grin Aoi rarely saw. "Is that a challenge human?" Hiten asked jumping from his perch. Aoi nodded. "Then you're on." Hiten exclaimed.
The teams were decided quickly. On one team there was Hiten, Manten, Witan, Inu-Yasha, and Kagome. The other team consisted of Aoi, Azaka, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango. Behind one mound of snow, Inu-Yasha's team hid discussing their plans. "Alright, each one of us should choose a person to target. Witan, you have Shippo. I'll take the monk and Kagome can get Sango." he ordered. "Just so long as you leave Aoi to me. I have a challenge to defeat." Hiten whispered back. "And Azaka to me!" Manten added. Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes but agreed. "Ok, now we only have to wait for Myoga's signal to start."
Aoi cracked her knuckles. "I am so going to nail Hiten. I'll show him what humans can do!" she said craftily. "But remember, you promised not to use your command of him as an advantage." Shippo added. Aoi nodded. "I remember Shippo." She suddenly heard a voice over the snow. Miroku looked up from jamming his staff into the snow and preparing a snow ball to notice Myoga, poised on a rock with a cone in front of him to project his voice. "May the battle… er snowball fight… begin!" Myoga exclaimed. The first snowball was thrown, missing the one team and flattening Myoga to the rock. "Should have known…" Myoga mumble from below the snow.
Inu-Yasha crouched in the tree, his golden eyes focused on Miroku as he trekked through the woods. "Now where is the demon…?" the monk muttered packing his snowball tighter. Snow from the tree blew off giving the half demon cover as he dove at the monk. "Fought you!" Miroku cried. His aim landed the wad of snow into one of Inu-Yasha's sleeves but he kept going. The half demon landed right on top of Miroku, flattening him right into the snow. When Miroku pulled his head out of the snow, he yelped with shock. "It's down my robes…" he muttered coldly. Inu-Yasha, meanwhile, was sitting in the snow laughing when the snowball hit him in the chin forming a beard on his face, something like the one Santa Clause had. "You rat!" Inu-Yasha roared pushing the laughing Miroku back into the snow.
"There! It's perfect!" Witan exclaimed with joy as he hopped up from the snow, his snow angel without imperfect dents and foot prints in it. "Boo!" Shippo sprang up from the snow landing on Witan's pride and joy. "You… you…" Witan's eye twitched and Shippo backed up. "You bug! I'll squish you!!" Witan roared as he fired random snow balls all over. "Duck and cover!!!!!!" Shippo cried clasping his hands over his head and running as fast as his legs would carry him.
Snow melted as it touched Aoi's warm hands. Her breath streamed out like steam as she watched Hiten run down the path. From her spot in the trees she could see that he had no snow ball to throw. 'Perfect.' Hiten shuddered as the snow ball slammed into his head. He looked up in rage at Aoi who was poised on the slope of the hill. "I'll get you!" Hiten snarled launching himself at Aoi. Before he could nail her with a snowball, he stumbled as his feet hit a patch of ice. Colliding with Aoi, they were both sent roll down the hill.
Dizziness wore off and Aoi opened her eyes. She was at the bottom of the hill, and to her surprise, Hiten was almost completely lying over top of her, his hands next to each side of her head to hold him up. They were nose to nose, forehead to forehead, eyes locked on each other's. "Hiten…" Aoi muttered. As if they were magnetized to each other, their lips neared. "What the hell am I doing?!?!" Aoi cried. She shoved Hiten off before running off into the woods. "AOI! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!!!" Hiten yelled after her.
As the others removed their soaking wet clothing and changed, Kagome pulled the chicken from the coals. "It smells delicious!" she exclaimed sitting it on a tray on the table. It had already been set by the tavern keeper. Kagome peeled back the cloth careful and smiled, satisfied that the chicken was a light brown, neither over cooked or under cooked. Azaka and Inu-Yasha were the first to sit down. "Is it done Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked licking his lips furiously. "Yes. It's alright. But does anyone have a knife for cutting the chicken?" Aoi drew her katana and, grasping the blade in her hand, handed it to Kagome. Kagome sweat dropped. "Not what I meant but thanks." A slice came off the chicken with no hassle and was deposited onto Shippo's plate. "But why does he get food first?!?" Azaka whined above the growling of his stomach. Aoi smacked him on the head as she sat down and scolded, "He's the youngest! Wait your turn!"
Brown, warm liquid trickled into Sango's cup as she poured herself and Miroku more hot chocolate. Shippo shook another present. "Can we open the gifts yet?" Shippo asked. Kagome shook her head and sipped on her hot chocolate. "Hiten's in the back room and Aoi's getting the last present." Kagome told the impatient cub. "I'm back!" Aoi exclaimed coming through the door, Hiten at her side. A huge silence hung over the group until Hiten yelled, "Well, speak up! What is it?!" Shippo giggled. "Mistletoe!" Aoi and Hiten both looked up and sure enough, the plant of torture was hanging over the doorway. "Now you have to kiss." Kagome mused, leaning on her elbows. Aoi's eyes went wide. "You have to be kidding." Azaka looked up from where he was sitting at the table backwards with the back of the chair in front of him. "No kidding. Go on and kiss her already Hiten!" Aoi sighed and turned to Hiten. "I guess we have to…" she muttered. Hiten snorted. "Don't enjoy this too much. It won't happen again." Hiten replied. "Hn. I could say the same for you." Aoi whispered back. Hiten, slowly but surely, wrapped his arms around Aoi's waist, pulling her closer to him. Aoi slipped her arms around his neck as their lips met in a sweet kiss. As a response, the others began to whistle, hoot, and clap. The two immediately let go. "Oh shut up!" Aoi moaned.
The young kitsune pup was the first to dig into the presents. He seized Kagome's and rattled it. Kagome smiled at Shippo's curiosity and motioned for him to go ahead and open it. With another thought, Shippo ripped off the paper and buried his head in the box. "CANDY!" came his muffled cried. With eager hands, he pulled out a bag of chocolate, several candy canes, and a bag of cotton candy. "Candy!" he exclaimed again as he hugged his sugary goodness. Kagome handed Myoga his present and looked up at Sango. "Do you want to open one Sango-chan?" Sango nodded and scooped up a roughly wrapped present. "That one is from me." Miroku said. "I'm not very good at wrapping…" he added. Myoga had already slung the mini scarf over his shoulder and sat watching Sango open her present. Silk folds ran over Sango hands as she fingered the beautiful red kimono in the box. "Oh Houshi-sama, it's so gorgeous!" Miroku blushed slightly. "It's nothing…" he muttered modestly. (Inu-Yasha: Miroku? Modest? Hardly!)
From a distance Hiten watched as the others opened their presents. To Inu-Yasha, a flea collar (Kagome's doing…), sandals, and a bottle of sake. Kagome received a brand new kimono, a necklace, and several sweet cakes. Azaka became the new owner of a wide rimmed straw hat and a scarf. Manten was given one of Kagome's many candy canes. Miroku gained several scrolls of paper, ink, and a writing brush. Sango obtained the kimono and a bracelet. Myoga's sole present was the scarf from Kagome. Aoi got a black kimono and a new outfit for kendo training. But Hiten had nothing but the small box he was nervously fingering. (A/N: I'm sure Hiten fan girls would give him something!)
It was late when Hiten summoned up the courage to venture out into the snow to where Aoi was training in her new outfit. The shirt was gray like the pants and had long, baggy sleeve. It was open in the front and Aoi's chest was wrapped in cloth strips. The pants cut off below the knee and were tied don with the same cloth strips adoning Aoi's chest. Apart from that, all she had on were he sandals with her long leggings on. "Aoi, I have something for you." Hiten said. Aoi stopped, sheathed her katana, and turned around as Hiten thrust the box into her face. Aoi took in and lifted off the lid. "Hiten! How did you know this is the one I wanted?" Aoi asked studying over the necklace. "Just a guess." Hiten lied. Aoi wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you!" she cried. "OH! I have something for you." She rummaged in her pocket before pulling something out. It was a small dagger in a leather case, a tiger carved on the blade. Hiten handled it carefully like a gift from the gods. Aoi laid a kiss on Hiten's cheek. "Merry Christmas Hiten." Before Hiten could reply, Aoi disappeared back into the tavern. Like feathers from many birds, the snow drifted down spotting Hiten's black hair. "…Merry Christmas Aoi." he muttered.
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To everyone who's read this series faithfully, many thanks and my best regards from a happy holiday season!!!!