InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Twelve Days: A Christmas Story ❯ On the First Day of Christmas... ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim any rights or responsibilities for the characters in this string of drabbles…especially for the one doing all the plotting.

 

Author's Note: For my Calliope, who drove me to drabbles with her epics.

 

 

Twelve Days: A Christmas Story

~forthright

 

 

 

On the First Day of Christmas

ï”

 

I've been watching Miroku-sama, and he is…unhappy. Perhaps it's the void? Of course it's the void. He holds death in his very hand, and at times it steals the life right out of him. Usually he shakes off the melancholy with a witty jest and a provocative suggestion. But not this time. It's as if he's forgotten how to taste, how to smile, how to live. This is not the Miroku-sama I know. He should be teasing, flirting, wheedling—not avoiding. When he walks, his eyes never leave the ground. I think he's trying to protect us. How foolish. Doesn't he know that pulling away will not shield our hearts? Apparently not. Instead, he is distancing himself from us, closing himself off. Is it possible—has he given up? I won't let him give up. He cannot be left to brood. He just needs something to spark his interest in living again. Something to look forward to. And I know just the thing!

 

ï”

 

Miroku stirred restlessly in his sleep, reluctant to open his eyes. Why bother? Letting his head fall to one side, he drew a deep breath to fuel a gusty sigh. Is that…cinnamon? Taking another experimental sniff, Miroku slowly opened his eyes. Just inches from his face lay a small, green bundle. Brows furrowing, he propped himself on one elbow for a closer inspection. Sweet flag grass filled the air around him with its spiciness as he prodded it gently with a finger. How…odd.

 

247 words

 

 

 

Twelve Days: A Christmas Story was written in response to forthright's Twelve Days of Christmas Drabble Challenge on Live Journal. If you're interested in taking up the challenge yourself, here is a description:

 

It's Christmastime in the Sengoku Jidai, and a few modern traditions have been brought to the attention of Kagome's feudal friends and acquaintances. The frivolities of fruit cake, popcorn strings, and trimmed trees were enjoyed by all. The introduction of Christmas carols met with somewhat more mixed reviews, though a certain song seems to have put ideas into someone's head. The Twelve Days of Christmas, with its tale of giving gifts, inspires one “secret admirer” to reach out in little ways to the one they esteem. Can the recipient of all this seasonal affection discover who is leaving them gifts—and why?

 

Challenge Requirements:

- Twelve drabbles, in succession, each no more than 250 words.

- Each drabble tells of the giving/receiving of one gift, allowing the mystery to unfold.

- The gifts do NOT need to be the same as in the carol, nor does the number of items in each gift have to increase incrementally.

- You may choose any IY characters for the giver and the receiver, and the pairing need not be a romantic one.

- The identity of the “admirer” should be kept secret until the 12th day.