Happy Holidays, Caleescik!
Author: Sakura Dragon
Title: An Unplanned Holiday
Rating: T
Gift for: caleescik
Prompt used:s nowed in at a cabin/total Christmas scene
An Unplanned Holiday
Chapter 1
“Hey, Miroku! Move your lazy ass or we're gonna leave without you! Ow! Hey, what was that for, Kagome?”
“Control your language, Inuyasha. There are kids in the car,” Kagome said, giving him a cold look.
Inuyasha glared back and tried to get support from Kikyou, his girlfriend and Kagome's twin, but the look she was giving him matched her sister's perfectly. It was a look they had inherited from their mother and it was very effective.
“Keh, whatever,” he said, his puppy ears flattening to his head.
It always amazed him how different the two were. It wasn't just their hair and eyes, it was their personalities: they were like fire and ice. Kikyou was the oldest and she was always calm and level-headed. Some people said that she was cold and emotionless, and while Inuyasha had to admit that she didn't often voice her opinions, he believe she was very kind and loving. Kagome on the other hand was rash, completely useless in a serious crisis and loud-mouthed. Her emotions changed faster than than traffic lights and he knew that to get her angry only got him a fast and painful retribution. But despite her quick temper she was also loving, very loyal and a great organizer (unless there was a crisis). After she'd moved out of the shrine her grandfather owned she took in Shippou, a little orphaned fox kit that she'd found outside her apartment building. The kid's main hobby seemed to be to drive Inuyasha crazy with his pranks and fox magic, but he loved Kagome like a mother. It was a fact that the two sisters weren't always on good terms: they argued and fought sometimes, but in the end they always stuck up for each other. Why couldn't he and his brother be the same?
Speaking of his brother... Inuyasha threw a quick glance in the rear-view mirror at the tall, silver-haired figure sitting at the back of the van, looking bored. He wondered again why Sesshoumaru was coming with them when he couldn't stand any of his friends. The answer to that was simple, could be summed up in one word and was currently sleeping in his brother's lap: Rin.
It had been a huge shock to everyone in the family when the cold, stoic demon had adopted the sweet, bubbly, five-year old human girl two years before. The child had instantly warmed up to Kagome and Shippou, especially since they were regulars at the house. She was also very fond of Sango's fire-cat, Kirara.
Inuyasha had planned to spend two romantic days with Kikyou before Christmas at a cabin his father owned. But Kikyou hadn't taken the hint and had invited Kagome along as well, who'd also invited Sango and Miroku. Then Sango's father left town so she had to take her brother Kohaku as well. And because he was going Kikyou asked Souta to come. And because Shippou didn't want to be lest behind, he cried until he could come too. So Inuyasha's plan had turned into a group holiday. Since the car wasn't big enough for all of them, his father had lent him one of the company vans. The plan was to spend two night at the cabin and return on Christmas Eve, when Kagome, Kikyou and Shippou had been invited over for dinner by his mother Izayoi.
When Rin had heard that Shippou was going to be at the cabin, she insisted on going as well. The little girl had a determination and stubbornness that he was sure she'd picked up from Sesshoumaru: whatever she wanted she did everything in her power to get, without actually being a spoiled child. However, Inuyasha couldn't help but be in awe of her persuasion technique. While he would have thrown a tantrum and sulked, a tactic that had stopped working when he was about six, Rin used something that his father called 'puppy eyes' in order to get what she wanted. She looked so sweet that even Sesshoumaru had a hard time refusing her. And because he refused to leave his ward alone with them, even if Kagome was going to be there, he came with them as well.
Miroku's approach pulled him out of his musings and he got out of the car to help his friend load his and Sango's bags in the back, while she got in beside Kagome and the three girls exchanged greetings. An excited laugh came from the back, where Souta and Kohaku were playing with the slightly sleepy Kirara, and Shippou craned his neck around Kagome's arm to see.
“If you two break anything, you'll be in big trouble,” Inuyasha threatened as he got back behind the wheel and threw Miroku the map.
“Stop threatening the children,” Kagome glared, allowing Shippou to join the others next to Sesshoumaru, who didn't complain to being cramped by the four youngsters.
“Okay, here we go,” Inuyasha said, pulling the van out of the driveway.
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After about an hour Sango nudged Kagome.
“What, Sango?” she asked.
“We've driven past that gas station three times already,” Sango whispered, leaning closer so the others wouldn't hear. “Don't you think we should do something before Inuyasha gets frustrated and ends up causing an accident or something like that?”
“What can we do? You know he's not going to listen anyway,” Kagome whispered back. “Besides, he's the only one that actually knows where we're going.”
“Sesshoumaru knows too.”
“So?”
Kikyou leaned in as well:
“So ask him to help us. I want to get there sometime today, please.”
“Why me?” Kagome asked incredulously.
“Because he's actually civil to you and hates you the least out of all of us.”
“Okay, you two realize he's sitting right behind me and can probably hear us, right?”
The three of them turned slowly to see Sesshoumaru stare at them with an amused expression. Kagome smiled meekly at him.
“So can I,” Inuyasha glared at the girls in the rear-view mirror. “Are you saying I don't know where I'm going? Because none of you have ever been there before. And I have. Lots of times.”
“Have you ever driven there before?” Kikyou snapped at him, losing her patience with his antics.
“No. Dad or Sesshoumaru always drove.”
“Have you ever navigated?”
“No. Mom did that.”
“What did you do?” Kagome asked, trying to keep her sister from throttling her boyfriend.
“Well, I slept in the backseat most of the time,” Inuyasha admitted guiltily. Kagome put her hand over her eyes in a dramatic gesture. “Okay, so I don't know the way. It's not entirely my fault. Miroku's navigating. Why don't you pick on him?”
“We're getting to that,” Sango quipped, leaning over the back of the seat to look at the map over his shoulder. “Where are we, exactly?” Miroku pointed vaguely at a spot on the map and yelped as Sango punched him. “Idiot! That's not even the highway we're on! Honestly, you can't read a map to save your life.”
“Why the hell did you agree to navigate then?” Inuyasha yelled, turning to Miroku with a murderous look.
“KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!” the three girls shouted, startling the two of them.
“Eh... because you asked me to?” Miroku answered nervously, rubbing his temple where Sango had punched him.
Kagome mumbled something under her breath about stupid boys before turning to the only person that could help them. The three boys had stopped playing and were looking at the adults in incomprehension. Rin, humming gently to herself and oblivious of the drama, was concentrating on expertly braiding Sesshoumaru's long hair. Kagome cleared her voice.
“Um... seeing as you know where we're going, could you please help Inuyasha navigate so we can get there today and without wishing to kill each other? Please?”
He stared at her for what felt like the longest time, making Kagome wonder if she had something on her face. The part of her brain that knew she spent way too much time around Miroku wondered if he would lean closer and brush whatever it was off, running his fingers gently over her cheek, and then probably... She mentally slapped herself. This was so no the time for her mind to wander off into the gutter.
“Very well,” Sesshoumaru answered finally, tilting his head slightly so Rin wouldn't pull to hard on his hair. “Inuyasha, take the next exit and then listen to my instructions.”
Inuyasha was about to protest about being bossed around by his brother, but he knew that the girls were almost out off patience and pushing his luck any further would be a very unwise choice so he did as he was told. He still had the marks from the last time he made Kagome and Kikyou really angry.
“Thank you,” Kagome mouthed to Sesshoumaru, getting a slight smile in return.
After about another hour of driving, they left the main road and entered another road that wound like a snake up the side of a steep, woody hill. The children were pointing excitedly at the white patches of snow that were visible between the trees and were growing larger and closer together the higher up they went. At the top of the hill, through a gap in the trees, they could see a long valley, cradled between hills, with tiny villages scattered here and there under a thin snowy blanket.
“That's so beautiful,” squealed Kagome, pressing her nose against the window. “Just like a Christmas postcard.”
They drove on into the valley and through the quiet villages. A large pine tree that grew in the middle of the square of one of the towns had been cleared of snow and was being decorated with silver tinsel and huge red globes. Children were trying to build a snowman with the little snow around the square. At Sesshoumaru's instructions, Inuyasha turned onto a side-road and kept driving for two more kilometers until they reached a heavy iron gate set in a tall concrete wall. Sesshoumaru got out and unlocked the gate, that swung open with difficulty, allowing the van to pass through. The road continued to wind between the pines until the cabin appeared after a bend. It was a sturdy wood construction, two stories high and with big windows. Off to one side was a shed and Kagome knew that behind the house was a large lake, now frozen and fenced off.
Inside the cabin it was a little cold, but Sesshoumaru turned on the central heating and said that it would get warm soon. Rin had already run off to give the boys and Kirara a tour of the house. Sesshoumaru showed the others around as well. The front door opened directly into a large living room with a small dining area and the kitchen at the back, from which it was partially separated by a large counter. The dining area had a door that opened into a small porch facing the lake. On the left wall of the living-room there was a large fireplace. On the other wall, a door led into a study. The walls of the study were lined with tall bookcases. Next to the door was a winding staircase. Under the stairs there was a door leading into a small bathroom and another door that led to a cold storage pantry that they found fully stocked with everything from milk and flour to chocolate and wine.
“Wow,” Kagome said. “I thought you said nobody's been here in over a month, Inuyasha.”
“That is true,” Sesshoumaru answered. “But father prefers to keep the pantry stocked because whenever he argues with his mate he would come here and 'sulk' for about a week.”
“Huh, sounds like someone else I know,” Kagome smiled.
“Hey, I heard that,” Inuyasha grumbled.
The winding staircase let to the upper floor, which was divided between four rooms and a bathroom. There was also a hall linking the rooms, with a window facing the front and a coffee table and chairs at which the children were sitting. The guest room was the largest, since it contained a separated bathroom, and it faced the front along with Inuyasha's old room on the other side of the hall. The master bedroom, Sesshoumaru's room and the bathroom faced the lake. Another steeper staircase went up into the attic. The adults decided to leave the assignment of room for later, except for the master bedroom, which was given to the children by majority vote.
“Why?” Inuyasha protested once he heard the decision.
“Because it has the only bed big enough to hold four people. That is the best solution,” Kagome said, cutting his protests short.
After the tour was concluded they all went to the living-room and she, Sango and Kikyou played with the children and Kirara outside until dark. Unfortunately, there was too little snow to make a snowman, but they had a nice snowball fight.
After dinner, where they had Sango's special French Potatoes, the children wanted to watch 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and Sesshoumaru went into the study to read, only coming back out when Rin had started getting a little cranky from lack of sleep. As he picked her up and declared it was 'bed time' for all the children, Kagome realized that his hair was still braided to the side, complete with the pink ribbon the little girl had used to tie it. She had to admit it quite suited him. She was distracted from her thoughts when Shippou asked her to carry him upstairs and put him to bed. After all the four had been tucked in, she returned downstairs with Sesshoumaru. While they had been gone, Sango and Kikyou had cleaned up.
With more than a little dread, Kagome addressed the neglected problem of assigning the three remaining room. She had a feeling it wasn't going to go very well and wasn't disappointed when Inuyasha came up with an arrangement.
“That's easy,” Inuyasha said. “I'll stay with Kikyou and Sango can stay with Kagome and Miroku with Sesshoumaru.”
“What? No!” Miroku pouted. “I want to stay with my lovely Sango. He's your brother, you share a room with him.”
“No way! I'm not sleeping in the same bed as Sesshoumaru and I'm not letting Kagome or Kikyou do that either.”
“Well, neither am I and...”
“That's enough!!” Kagome growled. It had been a long day and this wasn't helping. “You two are acting like kindergarten children. We're going to draw for rooms. Does anyone have a problem with that?” She glared at Inuyasha who grumbled something and hung his head. She took six colored marbles from a bowl on the table and put them in an oven mitt. “Okay, we each take one of these. Red gets Inuyasha's old room, blue Sesshoumaru's and green the guestroom. The decision is final. Let's do this then,” she smiled sweetly, but the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes didn't match it.
“Kagome is really scary when she's angry,” Miroku whispered in Inuyasha's ear.
“You have no idea how scary,” he whispered back...
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Kagome leaned her back against the guestroom door. She couldn't believe her bad luck. After the draw, Inuyasha had started making a fuss over sharing a room with Miroku and the fact that neither Sango or Kikyou wanted to switch. She'd hit him over the head to prevent him from waking up the kids and her knuckles still hurt. Which brought her to the real problem: she was going to share a room and a bed with Sesshoumaru for the next two days. It wasn't that she didn't like him... that was just it: she did like him.
She started when the bathroom door opened and the object of her recent thought came out, drying his long hair with a towel. In light of her problem she'd forgotten that the guestroom had its own bath and she hadn't even known he was in there. He must have gone upstairs while Inuyasha was making a scene. What if she'd gone in? She didn't even want to consider it. The fact that he was wearing sweatpants and a rather tight T-shirt really didn't help her situation.
She realized she was staring and he was waiting for her to speak so she tried to swallow her nervousness.
“Um, I think we should choose which side of the bed we want to sleep on. So, you know, there's no debate afterwards. I mean...” she stopped talking, realizing she was making a fool of herself. “What side do you normally sleep on?”
“I generally sleep in the middle,” he said, folding the towel and putting it on the radiator to dry. “But you may choose whichever side suits you best and I shall comply.”
Kagome pondered for a while. Sleeping arrangements had always been a problem when Inuyasha had stayed over in the past. He would stretch over the entire bed, crushing her into a corner or pushing her out of the bed, depending on what side she took.
“Okay, you take the left side and I'll take the right. But if you come over to my side, I will bite you,” she finally answered, firmly. It took her a few seconds to process what she had actually said, and a deep blush crept up her neck. Why on Earth had she said that? And to him off all people. She felt like she wanted to die of embarrassment. Sesshoumaru watched her curiously for a minute before he stalked over to her and close enough that their noses were almost touching.
“Hn, is that a threat... or an invitation?” he teased, enjoying how her blush spread even further at his words.
His amber eyes pierced her, making it very difficult to form a coherent thought and she prayed he would attribute her quick heart-rate to embarrassment, and not to the effect his closeness had on her. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights. He held her gaze for a little longer before smirking and turning away and getting into bed. He turned on the light and picked up a book, ignoring her.
Kagome swallowed down the lump in her throat and managed to convince her body to move, her heart still hammering in her chest. She went to her suitcase and took out a towel, her toiletries bag and pajamas before going into the bathroom to take a shower. She let the hot water pour over her for a long time and take away all of the day's worries. When she came out Sesshoumaru had turned off his light and was presumably asleep. She quietly got in under the covers on her side and tried to sleep. Her mind kept going back to what he'd said and she tossed and turned for over an hour before finally falling asleep.
Meanwhile, outside the cabin, the slight flurry of snowflakes had turned into a full-blown storm.
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Chapter 2
Kagome woke up the next morning to the excited laughter of the children. She threw on a bathrobe and went to the window. She was surprised and worried to see that the thin layer of snow covering the ground the previous night was now more than a meter tall, making the van no more than a mound in the field of glittering white.
The three boys, wrapped in enough layers to keep them warm until next October (thanks to Sango, no doubt), were chasing Kirara in her full form around the freshly cleaned patch that Inuyasha and Miroku were widening with shovels. Off to the side, Sesshoumaru was carefully pulling Rin out of a snow-angel she'd just made in the deep snow, brushed her thoroughly , then went on shoveling, creating an island around the angel.
The little girl ran to the others, just as Inuyasha was yelling at them to stop kicking the snow around. Shippou protested and squealed as he was picked up by the tail and dumped in the snow. The other two boys helped him up and the four plotted together for a minute or two before attacking Inuyasha and tackling the screaming boy face-first into a mound. Kirara sat on him, holding him down while they piled snow on top. Miroku and Sesshoumaru had stopped working and were enjoying the show leaning on their shovels.
Kagome chuckled. The kids were certainly having fun. She was sure none of them had seen that much snow before. Inuyasha's muffled curses and screams followed her all the way to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, combed her wavy hair into a ponytail and brushed her teeth. She put on a cream cashmere sweater with flowers embroidered on it and a pair of jeans. She heard Sango calling that breakfast was in ten minutes and went downstairs. Kikyou was kneeling behind Inuyasha in front of the fireplace, working on untangling his thick white hair, which was a handful even on a regular day, without all the snow and melted ice currently in it. Sango was helping Rin get out of her shoes.
“Good morning,” Kagome said, taking over the geometry-defying knots that were Shippou's laces. It always amazed her how he managed to do that and not remember how to untie them afterwards.
“Morning. Sleep well?” Sango asked, winking at her over Rin's head.
“What happened?” Kagome asked, choosing to ignore the question.
“A bad snowstorm hit the valley last night,” Kikyou said, nodding her head to the muted television, where an unhappy-looking reporter was trying to stand upright in the wind whipping swirls of snow around him. The image changed to a line of half-buried cars and houses. “All the roads in and out are closed and they say that until the storm ends they can't clear the roads because the wind is too strong and blows the snow right back again. Look like we... Inuyasha, keep still unless you want me to yank your hair out of your head.”
“Aren't you done yet? It hurts,” he complained.
“Ha... served you right for dumping me in the snow,” Shippou gloated, jumping up and into a fierce stance.
“What did you say, squirt?” Inuyasha asked, getting up as well.
“Knock it off, you two,” Kagome huffed, dragging Shippou back into her lap as Kikyou pulled her boyfriend back on the carpet. “Grow up already.” She exchanged a glance with her sister that said 'not likely'. “So we're stuck here?”
“Yes. They said the storm won't be letting down for a few more days,” Sango shrugged. She had wrapped Kirara in a towel and was trying to dry her fur. The kitten didn't look very happy with the situation and tried frantically to get away.
“A few more days? They can't be serious! What are we going to do?” Kagome stared in disbelief from one to the other.
“I don't know about us, but dad sure is having a fit,” Inuyasha groaned. “He called this morning and he didn't sound happy at all. But short of sending a helicopter to get us out of here, there's not much he can do.”
“And you think that's going to stop him?” Kagome raised an eyebrow at him. The effect was spoiled slightly by the fact the Shippou's tail was tickling her chin, making it hard for her to keep a straight face.
“Well, no. But Sesshoumaru talked him put of it. Something about him 'not spending his money on something so stupid'. I don't know what the old man said, but I heard him laughing on the other end then Sesshoumaru made a face and hung up.”
Kagome smiled. Inuyasha's father likes teasing and making fun of his sons. Maybe a little to much for their liking.
“Anyway, dad said he was going to call your mother to tell her what's going on and invite her and your grandfather over for dinner on Christmas Eve.”
“That's very considerate of him.”
“And I called father to tell him we might not make it tomorrow,” Sango said, giving up on Kirara and going into the kitchen to finish breakfast.
Just then, Sesshoumaru and Miroku came in, stomping the snow off their boots.
“It started snowing again pretty hard. At this rate we might be here until spring,” Miroku said, taking off his coat. He backtracked when he saw their horrified expressions. “I'm just kidding. What's to eat? I'm starved.”
“We're having French toast and it's going to be ready in a minute. Kagome, can you set the table, please?”
After breakfast the children went outside to make a snowman, armed with coals, a carrot, an old broom and a pot. The six adults gathered in the living-room to discuss plans for the next day.
“Okay,” Kagome said, “since it's most likely that we are going to be here tomorrow night, we have to decide that we're going to do. We need to think about the tree, decorations, dinner and presents. Let's start with the presents, since they're the easiest.”
“But we didn't bring any presents,” Miroku and Inuyasha both grumbled.
Kagome looked at the other girls, who both nodded. They had finished their shopping the day before the trip and had decided to bring the presents and have a small gift exchange since Sango and Kohaku had planned to spend Christmas with their father, who was out of town.
“Don't worry, your girlfriends thought of that for you,” she smiled. “Let's move on the the next issue: the tree. I don't think this is really going to be an issue at all.”
“Indeed,” said Sesshoumaru. “While it may seem wrong, father owns the forest around the cabin so procuring a tree will not be a problem.”
“Okay then. Although I don't entirely approve, we really don't have a choice. Let's move on to the decorations. Please tell me we have some of those because otherwise it's going to be damn near impossible to pull this off.”
“Of course we have decorations,” Inuyasha piped in. “Mom thought it would be safer if we didn't have to bring the decorations from home all the way here so there are boxes in the attic with everything we need: globes, tinsel, light.”
“That's great to hear. We'll go look for them after we finish here. Now on to the final and most important point: dinner. What can we put together on such short notice?” she asked Sango.
“Quite a lot, actually. I can make a Shepherd's Pie, chicken breast croquettes, and that mushroom and mayonnaise salad that Shippou likes. There's some sausages that we can fry, and we have pickles for side-dishes and...”
“I get the picture. What about dessert and drinks?”
“We can make sugar cookies and gingerbread and decorate them. That would be fun for the kids as well. But I'd have to make the gingerbread dough now so it can cool. And I could also make some fruit tempura. As for drinks I could make eggnog and mulled wine.”
“That's great, Sango. You're a real expert. Make the eggnog a little lighter on alcohol, though, so the children can have some too. I guess that's everything we need for now,” Kagome said.
“What if the storm ends tomorrow and we can leave?” Miroku asked.
“It is unlikely,” said Sesshoumaru. “And it is unwise to drive after nightfall considering the state of the roads.”
“Even if the storm ends, it's not like we can't take everything with us. And Sesshoumaru is right: if we don't leave by three, were staying here. Besides, we won't start decorating until after lunch.”
“I suppose you're right.”
“Okay then, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and I will go up to the attic to find the decorations, Miroku you go outside and keep an eye on the children and Sango, Kikyou you get started on the gingerbread dough, since it needs to cool for at least two hours.
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“Wow, this place is like a scene from a horror movie,” Kagome said, staring at an overflowing toolbox perched precariously on a sack of old toys, with an old fishing hat on top. She walked gently around a dismembered bike and started searching. From further in came a loud bang.
“Ow! Who the hell hung that here?” Inuyasha whined, rubbing his forehead where it had been hit by a large cooper tray hanging from a beam.
“Honestly, Inuyasha, stop being a baby and look where you're going,” Kagome rolled her eyes, moving aside some boxes. She smiled as she picked up a bag of metal cookie cutters. They were shaped like stars, trees, angels, hearts, bells, snowflakes and gingerbread men in different sizes.
“Hey, I think mom's been looking for these,” he said, coming up behind her. “But that's not what we want.”
“Yes they are,” she stuck her tongue out at him, “we're going to cut the cookies with them. Keep looking.”
“Here,” Sesshoumaru said, unearthing six or seven large cardboard boxes labeled 'ornaments' from behind some hangers of old coats. From the one on top he pulled a smaller clear plastic box with little white globes and one with red velvet bows. Another box showed a tangle of Christmas lights and in another was a carefully wrapped glass star.
“Good work. Now let's get out of here because this place gives me the creeps,” Kagome said, picking up a box and heading for the door.
They came back down with their findings just as Sango was putting the dough in the refrigerator. Kikyou was teasing Kirara with a piece of string.
“All done?” Kagome asked, handing her the bag of cookie cutters.
“Yeah. We're going to make the cookie dough after lunch. Hey, these are great. Did you find what we need?”
“Sure did. Let's sort out these boxes.”
They looked through the boxes, putting aside anything they thought they could use until Miroku came in with the children and said they were hungry. Sango started making making Pasta Carbonara and they had an uneventful lunch. After lunch they made the cookie dough for the sugar cookies and let it cool while they made some table decoration from pinecones, tree branches and red ribbon.
The girls spent the afternoon baking cookies and gingerbread with Shippou and Rin. Originally, the boys were supposed to help as well, but after Inuyasha challenged Miroku to swallow a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, which ended in a small tragedy, they were banned from the kitchen and forced to untangle and test the mess of wires that were the Christmas lights. The children were in charge of decorating and were having a lot of fun painting faces on the gingerbread men and covering with frosting the cookies they had made using the cutters found in the attic. There was plenty of decorating candy and Kagome had made a green frosting for the trees from lemon juice, sugar and green tea powder as well as a white frosting from egg whites and powdered sugar. Sango was also making candy canes to hang in the Christmas tree. Since she was the only one that had successfully done it before, she didn't let the others help and they weren't blaming her since they remembered what had happened the previous Christmas, when Miroku, eager to impress her, had tried to pull a candy strip before it was cool enough.
Baking and decorating took the better part of the evening and it was already seven when they were done. Since no one except Inuyasha was really hungry, they had a light snack of milk and cookies and decided to play Monopoly in teams: Kikyou and Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku, Kagome and Shippou, Rin and Sesshoumaru and Souta and Kohaku. Inuyasha complained every time he had to pay rent and Sango and Miroku argued about where to place houses, but all in all it was a fun game until Rin fell asleep in Sesshoumaru's arms around nine and he declared 'game over', taking all the children upstairs to bed.
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Chapter 3
The next morning the children were enthusiastic, considering it was Christmas Eve. After breakfast, consisting of okonomiyaki, Miroku, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru got ready to go out and find a Christmas tree. The storm had settled around where they were but according to the news it still ragged strong in the valley. When Rin heard that they were going to find a tree she wanted to go too.
“Sweetie, this is something for the adults to do,” Kagome tried to convince her.
“But grandpa always trusts me to help him select the perfect tree,” the child said in a serious voice, tilting her head to the side, looking like a lost puppy and making Kagome regret she didn't have a camera. Inuyasha had told her about the 'puppy eyes' technique, but she'd never seen it in action before.
“Very well, you may come with us,” Sesshoumaru told her. “But under no circumstances are you to leave our side, understand?”
“Okay,” Rin smiled, getting ready.
“Remember to bring some extra branches to make wreaths,” Kagome said as they were walked out into the snow. She then turned to Sango. “What do we do now.”
“We can start on the croquettes and the salad so we have less to do later.”
It didn't take very long for them to come back with the tree. Miroku had also found some mistletoe and was cutting it into smaller bundles and tying it with ribbon. Kagome and Kikyou started making the wreaths, putting tinsel, beads and globes on them. After they were done they began tidying up the living-room and preparing it for decorating and then helped Sango in the kitchen.
After a light lunch Inuyasha and Miroku went outside to hang up the lights with the children, who didn't miss any opportunity to play in the snow, and the other started decorating the living-room, putting tinsel around the windows and doors, setting the table for dinner and wrapping green garlands around the mantelpiece and counter.
“Hey, it's looking good in here,” Miroku said as he came in from outside. Kagome and Sesshoumaru were up on chairs, putting tinsel and lights on the front window. Kikyou was writing 'Happy Holidays' with pine branches and red beads on the wall. Sango had gone upstairs to put some bows on the window.
“All done?” Kagome asked him.
“Just about. I'm plugging it in right now.”
“Put some tape here too, please,” she told Sesshoumaru, holding the tinsel in place. “We're almost done here.”
“Aren't you going to bite me if I come over to your side of the window?” he teased her as she wound the remaining tinsel into a ball.
Kagome stuck her tongue out and threw the ball at him, which bounced off his shoulder and onto the floor. There was a loud slap and scream from upstairs and an angry Sango came down, rubbing her knuckles.
“You should keep an eye out because Miroku has been hanging mistletoe everywhere and forcing us to keep keep to the tradition. Damn pervert.”
“Um, you do realize you've been dating him for over a year now, right?”Kagome said, getting down and putting the chair back in its place.
“And your point is?”
“Stop being like that. He's kissed you before.”
“Yes, but never in public.”
“And done other things as well,” Kagome wiggled her eyebrows.
“None of those happened in public either,” her friend blushed.
“We're the only ones here. And most of us, including your brother, have heard him do some of those things to you.”
“Do you want me to hit you as well?” Sango threatened, blushing even redder.
“Okay, I'm sorry.” There were bouts of exited laughter and cheering from outside. “If those two are done with hanging the outside lights, tell them to bring in the tree. We're almost done here,” she said, handing Sesshoumaru the wreath so he could put it over the fireplace. “And get the children inside as well. It's already dark outside.”
The tree was brought in and set in the corner, between the window and the fireplace, and Kikyou put on a CD of carols. Sesshoumaru lifted Rin up onto his shoulders so she could put the glass star op top before they started decorating. They wrapped the lights and tinsel on first then everyone started hanging red and white globes from the branches, small velvet bows and stars and metal bells, laughing and singing along to the carols as they did. Last came the candy canes and a few cookies that had been tied with bits of red ribbon. As they added the last ornaments, Sesshoumaru lit the fireplace. Then they plugged in the tree lights and stepped back to admire the scene.
Garlands of pine branches, decorated string of red beads and little white globes had been draped over the mantelpiece and the counter. The table had been laid with a Christmas tablecloth that they'd found at the bottom of the drawer. In the middle was a red candle surrounded by mistletoe and pine needles. The windows had been framed with white tinsel and lights. Wreaths had been hung over the lit fireplace and the front door. The tree sparkled with glittering ornaments and on the coffee table in the living-room there was a tray of cookies and gingerbread, set on top of a nest of pine branches and gold bows and surrounded by oranges. Miroku had hung mistletoe wherever he could and even the banister of the staircase had been wrapped in a garland. The smell of fresh pine mixed together with that of cinnamon, oranges, sausages and wine, forming an enticing holiday aroma.
“Perfect,” Kagome smiled. “Now, what are we going to do until dinner?”
“Watch a movie,” Shippou and Rin replied promptly.
“I'll finish the eggnog and the pie,” Sango said.
While she was putting the finishing touches to the dinner, the children watched the animated version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. Dinner was happy, filled with laughter and smiles. The kids each received a small glass of eggnog and mulled wine and they sang carols until Kagome decided they'd had enough excitement for the day and marched them off to brush their teeth and sleep.
As she was tucking him in, Shippou voiced his concern:
“Mamma, are you sure Santa knows that I'm here?”
“Of course he does. I'm sure your grandmother left a note for him.”
“That's good then.”
“Okay, off to sleep now. The sooner you sleep, the sooner Santa will come,” she said, patting him on the head.
“Mamma, can you read us a story before we sleep?” he asked. Rin looked pleading, while Souta and Kohaku tried to pretend that they were too old for stories because they were eleven.
“Okay, sweetie, I'll be right back.”
Kagome went down to the study where she found Sesshoumaru reading in an armchair.
“They want a bedtime story,” she answered his silent question.
He went to the bookcase, took out an old, worn volume and leafed through it before finding what he was looking for and handing her the book.
“Here, this is Rin's favorite Christmas story.”
“'A Kidnapped Santa Claus' by L. Frank Baum,” she read with a smile. “Shippou likes this too. Thanks.”
She went back upstairs where the children were waiting. She sat on a chair and began reading:
“Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which his toys are manufactured. His workmen, selected from the ryls, knooks, pixies and fairies, live with him, and every one is as busy as can be from one year's end to another...”
The four listened to her with rapt attention. But soon, the day's excitement caught up to them and one by one they fell asleep until only Shippou was left, barely managing to keep his eyes open at the end of the story. Kirara was wrapped in a little fluffy ball at the foot of the bed.
“As for the wicked Daemons of the Caves, they were filled with anger and chagrin when they found that their clever capture of Santa Claus had come to naught. Indeed, no one on that Christmas Day appeared to be at all selfish, or envious, or hateful. And, realizing that while the children's saint has so many powerful friends it was folly to oppose him, the Daemons never again attempted to interfere with his journeys on Christmas Eve. The End.”
She smiled and kissed Shippou one more time before going downstairs to help with the last-minute preparations and keeping Inuyasha out of his presents. When she finally went to bed, Sesshoumaru hadn't returned yet and she took a quick shower and went to sleep.
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“Wake up, Mamma! Santa's here!” Shippou cried out, jumping on the bed and startling Kagome awake.
“Shippou? Stop that, you're going to wake Sessh...” she grumbled, still dazed before realizing he'd already woken up.
“Come on, Santa's here,. I want to open my presents,” he insisted, trying to drag her from under the covers.
“Alright already, I'm coming. Just give me two minutes to brush my teeth and get dressed.”
She found it rather difficult to get ready while he was bouncing excitedly on the edge of the bed. She pulled on a purple sweater and a pair of jeans and eyed the box wrapped in blue paper sitting in the corner of her suitcase suspiciously.
“Who's that for?” Shippou asked, coming up behind her.
“It's for Seshoumaru,” she answered, a little flustered.
“Why did Santa bring it to you?” he asked, confused.
“It's not from Santa, exactly.”
“Oh, I see,” he said with a knowing smile.
“Come on. Didn't you say you wanted to open your presents,” she said, even more flustered. When had Shippou become so insightful?
He dragged her downstairs where the others were opening their presents. Sango was frowning and Miroku had a palm print on his face. Kagome smiled. So he'd actually bought her those panties despite her warnings. Kohaku had tied a red ribbon around Kirara's neck, who was enjoying the attention. Inuyasha was trying on a sweater and Sesshoumaru was helping Rin put a kimono on the porcelain doll she'd gotten from her and Kikyou. The little girl kissed her father then ran under the tree to show Shippou her new doll. Sesshoumaru got up and went into the kitchen. Kagome saw her chance and followed him.
“I, eh... wanted to give you this as a thank you gift for everything,” Kagome said softly and pressed the small box in his hands. She was very aware of the others looking at her. “Well, Merry Christmas!”
Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away and pulled her back. She looked at him with a confused face.
“Mistletoe,” he said, pointing upwards to the little green bundle hanging from the kitchen light above their heads. Kagome stared up in a daze for a few moments before the meaning sunk in and she blushed.
“Y-you don't have to do this,” she stammered, embarrassed by his reaction. The look in his eyes was so intense she didn't know what to do.
“But I want to do it,” he whispered before leaning forward and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. She melted in his embrace.
Inuyasha balked and Miroku whooped, both earning a smack on the back of their heads from their girlfriends. From under the Christmas tree, Rin giggled behind her hand and whispered excitedly to Shippou:
“I think my dad likes your mom.”
“That's fine,” he shrugged, still working on unwrapping his presents, “because she likes him too. A lot.”
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Title: An Unplanned Holiday
Rating: T
Gift for: caleescik
Prompt used:s nowed in at a cabin/total Christmas scene
An Unplanned Holiday
Chapter 1
“Hey, Miroku! Move your lazy ass or we're gonna leave without you! Ow! Hey, what was that for, Kagome?”
“Control your language, Inuyasha. There are kids in the car,” Kagome said, giving him a cold look.
Inuyasha glared back and tried to get support from Kikyou, his girlfriend and Kagome's twin, but the look she was giving him matched her sister's perfectly. It was a look they had inherited from their mother and it was very effective.
“Keh, whatever,” he said, his puppy ears flattening to his head.
It always amazed him how different the two were. It wasn't just their hair and eyes, it was their personalities: they were like fire and ice. Kikyou was the oldest and she was always calm and level-headed. Some people said that she was cold and emotionless, and while Inuyasha had to admit that she didn't often voice her opinions, he believe she was very kind and loving. Kagome on the other hand was rash, completely useless in a serious crisis and loud-mouthed. Her emotions changed faster than than traffic lights and he knew that to get her angry only got him a fast and painful retribution. But despite her quick temper she was also loving, very loyal and a great organizer (unless there was a crisis). After she'd moved out of the shrine her grandfather owned she took in Shippou, a little orphaned fox kit that she'd found outside her apartment building. The kid's main hobby seemed to be to drive Inuyasha crazy with his pranks and fox magic, but he loved Kagome like a mother. It was a fact that the two sisters weren't always on good terms: they argued and fought sometimes, but in the end they always stuck up for each other. Why couldn't he and his brother be the same?
Speaking of his brother... Inuyasha threw a quick glance in the rear-view mirror at the tall, silver-haired figure sitting at the back of the van, looking bored. He wondered again why Sesshoumaru was coming with them when he couldn't stand any of his friends. The answer to that was simple, could be summed up in one word and was currently sleeping in his brother's lap: Rin.
It had been a huge shock to everyone in the family when the cold, stoic demon had adopted the sweet, bubbly, five-year old human girl two years before. The child had instantly warmed up to Kagome and Shippou, especially since they were regulars at the house. She was also very fond of Sango's fire-cat, Kirara.
Inuyasha had planned to spend two romantic days with Kikyou before Christmas at a cabin his father owned. But Kikyou hadn't taken the hint and had invited Kagome along as well, who'd also invited Sango and Miroku. Then Sango's father left town so she had to take her brother Kohaku as well. And because he was going Kikyou asked Souta to come. And because Shippou didn't want to be lest behind, he cried until he could come too. So Inuyasha's plan had turned into a group holiday. Since the car wasn't big enough for all of them, his father had lent him one of the company vans. The plan was to spend two night at the cabin and return on Christmas Eve, when Kagome, Kikyou and Shippou had been invited over for dinner by his mother Izayoi.
When Rin had heard that Shippou was going to be at the cabin, she insisted on going as well. The little girl had a determination and stubbornness that he was sure she'd picked up from Sesshoumaru: whatever she wanted she did everything in her power to get, without actually being a spoiled child. However, Inuyasha couldn't help but be in awe of her persuasion technique. While he would have thrown a tantrum and sulked, a tactic that had stopped working when he was about six, Rin used something that his father called 'puppy eyes' in order to get what she wanted. She looked so sweet that even Sesshoumaru had a hard time refusing her. And because he refused to leave his ward alone with them, even if Kagome was going to be there, he came with them as well.
Miroku's approach pulled him out of his musings and he got out of the car to help his friend load his and Sango's bags in the back, while she got in beside Kagome and the three girls exchanged greetings. An excited laugh came from the back, where Souta and Kohaku were playing with the slightly sleepy Kirara, and Shippou craned his neck around Kagome's arm to see.
“If you two break anything, you'll be in big trouble,” Inuyasha threatened as he got back behind the wheel and threw Miroku the map.
“Stop threatening the children,” Kagome glared, allowing Shippou to join the others next to Sesshoumaru, who didn't complain to being cramped by the four youngsters.
“Okay, here we go,” Inuyasha said, pulling the van out of the driveway.
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After about an hour Sango nudged Kagome.
“What, Sango?” she asked.
“We've driven past that gas station three times already,” Sango whispered, leaning closer so the others wouldn't hear. “Don't you think we should do something before Inuyasha gets frustrated and ends up causing an accident or something like that?”
“What can we do? You know he's not going to listen anyway,” Kagome whispered back. “Besides, he's the only one that actually knows where we're going.”
“Sesshoumaru knows too.”
“So?”
Kikyou leaned in as well:
“So ask him to help us. I want to get there sometime today, please.”
“Why me?” Kagome asked incredulously.
“Because he's actually civil to you and hates you the least out of all of us.”
“Okay, you two realize he's sitting right behind me and can probably hear us, right?”
The three of them turned slowly to see Sesshoumaru stare at them with an amused expression. Kagome smiled meekly at him.
“So can I,” Inuyasha glared at the girls in the rear-view mirror. “Are you saying I don't know where I'm going? Because none of you have ever been there before. And I have. Lots of times.”
“Have you ever driven there before?” Kikyou snapped at him, losing her patience with his antics.
“No. Dad or Sesshoumaru always drove.”
“Have you ever navigated?”
“No. Mom did that.”
“What did you do?” Kagome asked, trying to keep her sister from throttling her boyfriend.
“Well, I slept in the backseat most of the time,” Inuyasha admitted guiltily. Kagome put her hand over her eyes in a dramatic gesture. “Okay, so I don't know the way. It's not entirely my fault. Miroku's navigating. Why don't you pick on him?”
“We're getting to that,” Sango quipped, leaning over the back of the seat to look at the map over his shoulder. “Where are we, exactly?” Miroku pointed vaguely at a spot on the map and yelped as Sango punched him. “Idiot! That's not even the highway we're on! Honestly, you can't read a map to save your life.”
“Why the hell did you agree to navigate then?” Inuyasha yelled, turning to Miroku with a murderous look.
“KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!” the three girls shouted, startling the two of them.
“Eh... because you asked me to?” Miroku answered nervously, rubbing his temple where Sango had punched him.
Kagome mumbled something under her breath about stupid boys before turning to the only person that could help them. The three boys had stopped playing and were looking at the adults in incomprehension. Rin, humming gently to herself and oblivious of the drama, was concentrating on expertly braiding Sesshoumaru's long hair. Kagome cleared her voice.
“Um... seeing as you know where we're going, could you please help Inuyasha navigate so we can get there today and without wishing to kill each other? Please?”
He stared at her for what felt like the longest time, making Kagome wonder if she had something on her face. The part of her brain that knew she spent way too much time around Miroku wondered if he would lean closer and brush whatever it was off, running his fingers gently over her cheek, and then probably... She mentally slapped herself. This was so no the time for her mind to wander off into the gutter.
“Very well,” Sesshoumaru answered finally, tilting his head slightly so Rin wouldn't pull to hard on his hair. “Inuyasha, take the next exit and then listen to my instructions.”
Inuyasha was about to protest about being bossed around by his brother, but he knew that the girls were almost out off patience and pushing his luck any further would be a very unwise choice so he did as he was told. He still had the marks from the last time he made Kagome and Kikyou really angry.
“Thank you,” Kagome mouthed to Sesshoumaru, getting a slight smile in return.
After about another hour of driving, they left the main road and entered another road that wound like a snake up the side of a steep, woody hill. The children were pointing excitedly at the white patches of snow that were visible between the trees and were growing larger and closer together the higher up they went. At the top of the hill, through a gap in the trees, they could see a long valley, cradled between hills, with tiny villages scattered here and there under a thin snowy blanket.
“That's so beautiful,” squealed Kagome, pressing her nose against the window. “Just like a Christmas postcard.”
They drove on into the valley and through the quiet villages. A large pine tree that grew in the middle of the square of one of the towns had been cleared of snow and was being decorated with silver tinsel and huge red globes. Children were trying to build a snowman with the little snow around the square. At Sesshoumaru's instructions, Inuyasha turned onto a side-road and kept driving for two more kilometers until they reached a heavy iron gate set in a tall concrete wall. Sesshoumaru got out and unlocked the gate, that swung open with difficulty, allowing the van to pass through. The road continued to wind between the pines until the cabin appeared after a bend. It was a sturdy wood construction, two stories high and with big windows. Off to one side was a shed and Kagome knew that behind the house was a large lake, now frozen and fenced off.
Inside the cabin it was a little cold, but Sesshoumaru turned on the central heating and said that it would get warm soon. Rin had already run off to give the boys and Kirara a tour of the house. Sesshoumaru showed the others around as well. The front door opened directly into a large living room with a small dining area and the kitchen at the back, from which it was partially separated by a large counter. The dining area had a door that opened into a small porch facing the lake. On the left wall of the living-room there was a large fireplace. On the other wall, a door led into a study. The walls of the study were lined with tall bookcases. Next to the door was a winding staircase. Under the stairs there was a door leading into a small bathroom and another door that led to a cold storage pantry that they found fully stocked with everything from milk and flour to chocolate and wine.
“Wow,” Kagome said. “I thought you said nobody's been here in over a month, Inuyasha.”
“That is true,” Sesshoumaru answered. “But father prefers to keep the pantry stocked because whenever he argues with his mate he would come here and 'sulk' for about a week.”
“Huh, sounds like someone else I know,” Kagome smiled.
“Hey, I heard that,” Inuyasha grumbled.
The winding staircase let to the upper floor, which was divided between four rooms and a bathroom. There was also a hall linking the rooms, with a window facing the front and a coffee table and chairs at which the children were sitting. The guest room was the largest, since it contained a separated bathroom, and it faced the front along with Inuyasha's old room on the other side of the hall. The master bedroom, Sesshoumaru's room and the bathroom faced the lake. Another steeper staircase went up into the attic. The adults decided to leave the assignment of room for later, except for the master bedroom, which was given to the children by majority vote.
“Why?” Inuyasha protested once he heard the decision.
“Because it has the only bed big enough to hold four people. That is the best solution,” Kagome said, cutting his protests short.
After the tour was concluded they all went to the living-room and she, Sango and Kikyou played with the children and Kirara outside until dark. Unfortunately, there was too little snow to make a snowman, but they had a nice snowball fight.
After dinner, where they had Sango's special French Potatoes, the children wanted to watch 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' and Sesshoumaru went into the study to read, only coming back out when Rin had started getting a little cranky from lack of sleep. As he picked her up and declared it was 'bed time' for all the children, Kagome realized that his hair was still braided to the side, complete with the pink ribbon the little girl had used to tie it. She had to admit it quite suited him. She was distracted from her thoughts when Shippou asked her to carry him upstairs and put him to bed. After all the four had been tucked in, she returned downstairs with Sesshoumaru. While they had been gone, Sango and Kikyou had cleaned up.
With more than a little dread, Kagome addressed the neglected problem of assigning the three remaining room. She had a feeling it wasn't going to go very well and wasn't disappointed when Inuyasha came up with an arrangement.
“That's easy,” Inuyasha said. “I'll stay with Kikyou and Sango can stay with Kagome and Miroku with Sesshoumaru.”
“What? No!” Miroku pouted. “I want to stay with my lovely Sango. He's your brother, you share a room with him.”
“No way! I'm not sleeping in the same bed as Sesshoumaru and I'm not letting Kagome or Kikyou do that either.”
“Well, neither am I and...”
“That's enough!!” Kagome growled. It had been a long day and this wasn't helping. “You two are acting like kindergarten children. We're going to draw for rooms. Does anyone have a problem with that?” She glared at Inuyasha who grumbled something and hung his head. She took six colored marbles from a bowl on the table and put them in an oven mitt. “Okay, we each take one of these. Red gets Inuyasha's old room, blue Sesshoumaru's and green the guestroom. The decision is final. Let's do this then,” she smiled sweetly, but the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes didn't match it.
“Kagome is really scary when she's angry,” Miroku whispered in Inuyasha's ear.
“You have no idea how scary,” he whispered back...
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Kagome leaned her back against the guestroom door. She couldn't believe her bad luck. After the draw, Inuyasha had started making a fuss over sharing a room with Miroku and the fact that neither Sango or Kikyou wanted to switch. She'd hit him over the head to prevent him from waking up the kids and her knuckles still hurt. Which brought her to the real problem: she was going to share a room and a bed with Sesshoumaru for the next two days. It wasn't that she didn't like him... that was just it: she did like him.
She started when the bathroom door opened and the object of her recent thought came out, drying his long hair with a towel. In light of her problem she'd forgotten that the guestroom had its own bath and she hadn't even known he was in there. He must have gone upstairs while Inuyasha was making a scene. What if she'd gone in? She didn't even want to consider it. The fact that he was wearing sweatpants and a rather tight T-shirt really didn't help her situation.
She realized she was staring and he was waiting for her to speak so she tried to swallow her nervousness.
“Um, I think we should choose which side of the bed we want to sleep on. So, you know, there's no debate afterwards. I mean...” she stopped talking, realizing she was making a fool of herself. “What side do you normally sleep on?”
“I generally sleep in the middle,” he said, folding the towel and putting it on the radiator to dry. “But you may choose whichever side suits you best and I shall comply.”
Kagome pondered for a while. Sleeping arrangements had always been a problem when Inuyasha had stayed over in the past. He would stretch over the entire bed, crushing her into a corner or pushing her out of the bed, depending on what side she took.
“Okay, you take the left side and I'll take the right. But if you come over to my side, I will bite you,” she finally answered, firmly. It took her a few seconds to process what she had actually said, and a deep blush crept up her neck. Why on Earth had she said that? And to him off all people. She felt like she wanted to die of embarrassment. Sesshoumaru watched her curiously for a minute before he stalked over to her and close enough that their noses were almost touching.
“Hn, is that a threat... or an invitation?” he teased, enjoying how her blush spread even further at his words.
His amber eyes pierced her, making it very difficult to form a coherent thought and she prayed he would attribute her quick heart-rate to embarrassment, and not to the effect his closeness had on her. She felt like a deer caught in the headlights. He held her gaze for a little longer before smirking and turning away and getting into bed. He turned on the light and picked up a book, ignoring her.
Kagome swallowed down the lump in her throat and managed to convince her body to move, her heart still hammering in her chest. She went to her suitcase and took out a towel, her toiletries bag and pajamas before going into the bathroom to take a shower. She let the hot water pour over her for a long time and take away all of the day's worries. When she came out Sesshoumaru had turned off his light and was presumably asleep. She quietly got in under the covers on her side and tried to sleep. Her mind kept going back to what he'd said and she tossed and turned for over an hour before finally falling asleep.
Meanwhile, outside the cabin, the slight flurry of snowflakes had turned into a full-blown storm.
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Chapter 2
Kagome woke up the next morning to the excited laughter of the children. She threw on a bathrobe and went to the window. She was surprised and worried to see that the thin layer of snow covering the ground the previous night was now more than a meter tall, making the van no more than a mound in the field of glittering white.
The three boys, wrapped in enough layers to keep them warm until next October (thanks to Sango, no doubt), were chasing Kirara in her full form around the freshly cleaned patch that Inuyasha and Miroku were widening with shovels. Off to the side, Sesshoumaru was carefully pulling Rin out of a snow-angel she'd just made in the deep snow, brushed her thoroughly , then went on shoveling, creating an island around the angel.
The little girl ran to the others, just as Inuyasha was yelling at them to stop kicking the snow around. Shippou protested and squealed as he was picked up by the tail and dumped in the snow. The other two boys helped him up and the four plotted together for a minute or two before attacking Inuyasha and tackling the screaming boy face-first into a mound. Kirara sat on him, holding him down while they piled snow on top. Miroku and Sesshoumaru had stopped working and were enjoying the show leaning on their shovels.
Kagome chuckled. The kids were certainly having fun. She was sure none of them had seen that much snow before. Inuyasha's muffled curses and screams followed her all the way to the bathroom. She took a quick shower, combed her wavy hair into a ponytail and brushed her teeth. She put on a cream cashmere sweater with flowers embroidered on it and a pair of jeans. She heard Sango calling that breakfast was in ten minutes and went downstairs. Kikyou was kneeling behind Inuyasha in front of the fireplace, working on untangling his thick white hair, which was a handful even on a regular day, without all the snow and melted ice currently in it. Sango was helping Rin get out of her shoes.
“Good morning,” Kagome said, taking over the geometry-defying knots that were Shippou's laces. It always amazed her how he managed to do that and not remember how to untie them afterwards.
“Morning. Sleep well?” Sango asked, winking at her over Rin's head.
“What happened?” Kagome asked, choosing to ignore the question.
“A bad snowstorm hit the valley last night,” Kikyou said, nodding her head to the muted television, where an unhappy-looking reporter was trying to stand upright in the wind whipping swirls of snow around him. The image changed to a line of half-buried cars and houses. “All the roads in and out are closed and they say that until the storm ends they can't clear the roads because the wind is too strong and blows the snow right back again. Look like we... Inuyasha, keep still unless you want me to yank your hair out of your head.”
“Aren't you done yet? It hurts,” he complained.
“Ha... served you right for dumping me in the snow,” Shippou gloated, jumping up and into a fierce stance.
“What did you say, squirt?” Inuyasha asked, getting up as well.
“Knock it off, you two,” Kagome huffed, dragging Shippou back into her lap as Kikyou pulled her boyfriend back on the carpet. “Grow up already.” She exchanged a glance with her sister that said 'not likely'. “So we're stuck here?”
“Yes. They said the storm won't be letting down for a few more days,” Sango shrugged. She had wrapped Kirara in a towel and was trying to dry her fur. The kitten didn't look very happy with the situation and tried frantically to get away.
“A few more days? They can't be serious! What are we going to do?” Kagome stared in disbelief from one to the other.
“I don't know about us, but dad sure is having a fit,” Inuyasha groaned. “He called this morning and he didn't sound happy at all. But short of sending a helicopter to get us out of here, there's not much he can do.”
“And you think that's going to stop him?” Kagome raised an eyebrow at him. The effect was spoiled slightly by the fact the Shippou's tail was tickling her chin, making it hard for her to keep a straight face.
“Well, no. But Sesshoumaru talked him put of it. Something about him 'not spending his money on something so stupid'. I don't know what the old man said, but I heard him laughing on the other end then Sesshoumaru made a face and hung up.”
Kagome smiled. Inuyasha's father likes teasing and making fun of his sons. Maybe a little to much for their liking.
“Anyway, dad said he was going to call your mother to tell her what's going on and invite her and your grandfather over for dinner on Christmas Eve.”
“That's very considerate of him.”
“And I called father to tell him we might not make it tomorrow,” Sango said, giving up on Kirara and going into the kitchen to finish breakfast.
Just then, Sesshoumaru and Miroku came in, stomping the snow off their boots.
“It started snowing again pretty hard. At this rate we might be here until spring,” Miroku said, taking off his coat. He backtracked when he saw their horrified expressions. “I'm just kidding. What's to eat? I'm starved.”
“We're having French toast and it's going to be ready in a minute. Kagome, can you set the table, please?”
After breakfast the children went outside to make a snowman, armed with coals, a carrot, an old broom and a pot. The six adults gathered in the living-room to discuss plans for the next day.
“Okay,” Kagome said, “since it's most likely that we are going to be here tomorrow night, we have to decide that we're going to do. We need to think about the tree, decorations, dinner and presents. Let's start with the presents, since they're the easiest.”
“But we didn't bring any presents,” Miroku and Inuyasha both grumbled.
Kagome looked at the other girls, who both nodded. They had finished their shopping the day before the trip and had decided to bring the presents and have a small gift exchange since Sango and Kohaku had planned to spend Christmas with their father, who was out of town.
“Don't worry, your girlfriends thought of that for you,” she smiled. “Let's move on the the next issue: the tree. I don't think this is really going to be an issue at all.”
“Indeed,” said Sesshoumaru. “While it may seem wrong, father owns the forest around the cabin so procuring a tree will not be a problem.”
“Okay then. Although I don't entirely approve, we really don't have a choice. Let's move on to the decorations. Please tell me we have some of those because otherwise it's going to be damn near impossible to pull this off.”
“Of course we have decorations,” Inuyasha piped in. “Mom thought it would be safer if we didn't have to bring the decorations from home all the way here so there are boxes in the attic with everything we need: globes, tinsel, light.”
“That's great to hear. We'll go look for them after we finish here. Now on to the final and most important point: dinner. What can we put together on such short notice?” she asked Sango.
“Quite a lot, actually. I can make a Shepherd's Pie, chicken breast croquettes, and that mushroom and mayonnaise salad that Shippou likes. There's some sausages that we can fry, and we have pickles for side-dishes and...”
“I get the picture. What about dessert and drinks?”
“We can make sugar cookies and gingerbread and decorate them. That would be fun for the kids as well. But I'd have to make the gingerbread dough now so it can cool. And I could also make some fruit tempura. As for drinks I could make eggnog and mulled wine.”
“That's great, Sango. You're a real expert. Make the eggnog a little lighter on alcohol, though, so the children can have some too. I guess that's everything we need for now,” Kagome said.
“What if the storm ends tomorrow and we can leave?” Miroku asked.
“It is unlikely,” said Sesshoumaru. “And it is unwise to drive after nightfall considering the state of the roads.”
“Even if the storm ends, it's not like we can't take everything with us. And Sesshoumaru is right: if we don't leave by three, were staying here. Besides, we won't start decorating until after lunch.”
“I suppose you're right.”
“Okay then, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha and I will go up to the attic to find the decorations, Miroku you go outside and keep an eye on the children and Sango, Kikyou you get started on the gingerbread dough, since it needs to cool for at least two hours.
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“Wow, this place is like a scene from a horror movie,” Kagome said, staring at an overflowing toolbox perched precariously on a sack of old toys, with an old fishing hat on top. She walked gently around a dismembered bike and started searching. From further in came a loud bang.
“Ow! Who the hell hung that here?” Inuyasha whined, rubbing his forehead where it had been hit by a large cooper tray hanging from a beam.
“Honestly, Inuyasha, stop being a baby and look where you're going,” Kagome rolled her eyes, moving aside some boxes. She smiled as she picked up a bag of metal cookie cutters. They were shaped like stars, trees, angels, hearts, bells, snowflakes and gingerbread men in different sizes.
“Hey, I think mom's been looking for these,” he said, coming up behind her. “But that's not what we want.”
“Yes they are,” she stuck her tongue out at him, “we're going to cut the cookies with them. Keep looking.”
“Here,” Sesshoumaru said, unearthing six or seven large cardboard boxes labeled 'ornaments' from behind some hangers of old coats. From the one on top he pulled a smaller clear plastic box with little white globes and one with red velvet bows. Another box showed a tangle of Christmas lights and in another was a carefully wrapped glass star.
“Good work. Now let's get out of here because this place gives me the creeps,” Kagome said, picking up a box and heading for the door.
They came back down with their findings just as Sango was putting the dough in the refrigerator. Kikyou was teasing Kirara with a piece of string.
“All done?” Kagome asked, handing her the bag of cookie cutters.
“Yeah. We're going to make the cookie dough after lunch. Hey, these are great. Did you find what we need?”
“Sure did. Let's sort out these boxes.”
They looked through the boxes, putting aside anything they thought they could use until Miroku came in with the children and said they were hungry. Sango started making making Pasta Carbonara and they had an uneventful lunch. After lunch they made the cookie dough for the sugar cookies and let it cool while they made some table decoration from pinecones, tree branches and red ribbon.
The girls spent the afternoon baking cookies and gingerbread with Shippou and Rin. Originally, the boys were supposed to help as well, but after Inuyasha challenged Miroku to swallow a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, which ended in a small tragedy, they were banned from the kitchen and forced to untangle and test the mess of wires that were the Christmas lights. The children were in charge of decorating and were having a lot of fun painting faces on the gingerbread men and covering with frosting the cookies they had made using the cutters found in the attic. There was plenty of decorating candy and Kagome had made a green frosting for the trees from lemon juice, sugar and green tea powder as well as a white frosting from egg whites and powdered sugar. Sango was also making candy canes to hang in the Christmas tree. Since she was the only one that had successfully done it before, she didn't let the others help and they weren't blaming her since they remembered what had happened the previous Christmas, when Miroku, eager to impress her, had tried to pull a candy strip before it was cool enough.
Baking and decorating took the better part of the evening and it was already seven when they were done. Since no one except Inuyasha was really hungry, they had a light snack of milk and cookies and decided to play Monopoly in teams: Kikyou and Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku, Kagome and Shippou, Rin and Sesshoumaru and Souta and Kohaku. Inuyasha complained every time he had to pay rent and Sango and Miroku argued about where to place houses, but all in all it was a fun game until Rin fell asleep in Sesshoumaru's arms around nine and he declared 'game over', taking all the children upstairs to bed.
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Chapter 3
The next morning the children were enthusiastic, considering it was Christmas Eve. After breakfast, consisting of okonomiyaki, Miroku, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru got ready to go out and find a Christmas tree. The storm had settled around where they were but according to the news it still ragged strong in the valley. When Rin heard that they were going to find a tree she wanted to go too.
“Sweetie, this is something for the adults to do,” Kagome tried to convince her.
“But grandpa always trusts me to help him select the perfect tree,” the child said in a serious voice, tilting her head to the side, looking like a lost puppy and making Kagome regret she didn't have a camera. Inuyasha had told her about the 'puppy eyes' technique, but she'd never seen it in action before.
“Very well, you may come with us,” Sesshoumaru told her. “But under no circumstances are you to leave our side, understand?”
“Okay,” Rin smiled, getting ready.
“Remember to bring some extra branches to make wreaths,” Kagome said as they were walked out into the snow. She then turned to Sango. “What do we do now.”
“We can start on the croquettes and the salad so we have less to do later.”
It didn't take very long for them to come back with the tree. Miroku had also found some mistletoe and was cutting it into smaller bundles and tying it with ribbon. Kagome and Kikyou started making the wreaths, putting tinsel, beads and globes on them. After they were done they began tidying up the living-room and preparing it for decorating and then helped Sango in the kitchen.
After a light lunch Inuyasha and Miroku went outside to hang up the lights with the children, who didn't miss any opportunity to play in the snow, and the other started decorating the living-room, putting tinsel around the windows and doors, setting the table for dinner and wrapping green garlands around the mantelpiece and counter.
“Hey, it's looking good in here,” Miroku said as he came in from outside. Kagome and Sesshoumaru were up on chairs, putting tinsel and lights on the front window. Kikyou was writing 'Happy Holidays' with pine branches and red beads on the wall. Sango had gone upstairs to put some bows on the window.
“All done?” Kagome asked him.
“Just about. I'm plugging it in right now.”
“Put some tape here too, please,” she told Sesshoumaru, holding the tinsel in place. “We're almost done here.”
“Aren't you going to bite me if I come over to your side of the window?” he teased her as she wound the remaining tinsel into a ball.
Kagome stuck her tongue out and threw the ball at him, which bounced off his shoulder and onto the floor. There was a loud slap and scream from upstairs and an angry Sango came down, rubbing her knuckles.
“You should keep an eye out because Miroku has been hanging mistletoe everywhere and forcing us to keep keep to the tradition. Damn pervert.”
“Um, you do realize you've been dating him for over a year now, right?”Kagome said, getting down and putting the chair back in its place.
“And your point is?”
“Stop being like that. He's kissed you before.”
“Yes, but never in public.”
“And done other things as well,” Kagome wiggled her eyebrows.
“None of those happened in public either,” her friend blushed.
“We're the only ones here. And most of us, including your brother, have heard him do some of those things to you.”
“Do you want me to hit you as well?” Sango threatened, blushing even redder.
“Okay, I'm sorry.” There were bouts of exited laughter and cheering from outside. “If those two are done with hanging the outside lights, tell them to bring in the tree. We're almost done here,” she said, handing Sesshoumaru the wreath so he could put it over the fireplace. “And get the children inside as well. It's already dark outside.”
The tree was brought in and set in the corner, between the window and the fireplace, and Kikyou put on a CD of carols. Sesshoumaru lifted Rin up onto his shoulders so she could put the glass star op top before they started decorating. They wrapped the lights and tinsel on first then everyone started hanging red and white globes from the branches, small velvet bows and stars and metal bells, laughing and singing along to the carols as they did. Last came the candy canes and a few cookies that had been tied with bits of red ribbon. As they added the last ornaments, Sesshoumaru lit the fireplace. Then they plugged in the tree lights and stepped back to admire the scene.
Garlands of pine branches, decorated string of red beads and little white globes had been draped over the mantelpiece and the counter. The table had been laid with a Christmas tablecloth that they'd found at the bottom of the drawer. In the middle was a red candle surrounded by mistletoe and pine needles. The windows had been framed with white tinsel and lights. Wreaths had been hung over the lit fireplace and the front door. The tree sparkled with glittering ornaments and on the coffee table in the living-room there was a tray of cookies and gingerbread, set on top of a nest of pine branches and gold bows and surrounded by oranges. Miroku had hung mistletoe wherever he could and even the banister of the staircase had been wrapped in a garland. The smell of fresh pine mixed together with that of cinnamon, oranges, sausages and wine, forming an enticing holiday aroma.
“Perfect,” Kagome smiled. “Now, what are we going to do until dinner?”
“Watch a movie,” Shippou and Rin replied promptly.
“I'll finish the eggnog and the pie,” Sango said.
While she was putting the finishing touches to the dinner, the children watched the animated version of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'. Dinner was happy, filled with laughter and smiles. The kids each received a small glass of eggnog and mulled wine and they sang carols until Kagome decided they'd had enough excitement for the day and marched them off to brush their teeth and sleep.
As she was tucking him in, Shippou voiced his concern:
“Mamma, are you sure Santa knows that I'm here?”
“Of course he does. I'm sure your grandmother left a note for him.”
“That's good then.”
“Okay, off to sleep now. The sooner you sleep, the sooner Santa will come,” she said, patting him on the head.
“Mamma, can you read us a story before we sleep?” he asked. Rin looked pleading, while Souta and Kohaku tried to pretend that they were too old for stories because they were eleven.
“Okay, sweetie, I'll be right back.”
Kagome went down to the study where she found Sesshoumaru reading in an armchair.
“They want a bedtime story,” she answered his silent question.
He went to the bookcase, took out an old, worn volume and leafed through it before finding what he was looking for and handing her the book.
“Here, this is Rin's favorite Christmas story.”
“'A Kidnapped Santa Claus' by L. Frank Baum,” she read with a smile. “Shippou likes this too. Thanks.”
She went back upstairs where the children were waiting. She sat on a chair and began reading:
“Santa Claus lives in the Laughing Valley, where stands the big, rambling castle in which his toys are manufactured. His workmen, selected from the ryls, knooks, pixies and fairies, live with him, and every one is as busy as can be from one year's end to another...”
The four listened to her with rapt attention. But soon, the day's excitement caught up to them and one by one they fell asleep until only Shippou was left, barely managing to keep his eyes open at the end of the story. Kirara was wrapped in a little fluffy ball at the foot of the bed.
“As for the wicked Daemons of the Caves, they were filled with anger and chagrin when they found that their clever capture of Santa Claus had come to naught. Indeed, no one on that Christmas Day appeared to be at all selfish, or envious, or hateful. And, realizing that while the children's saint has so many powerful friends it was folly to oppose him, the Daemons never again attempted to interfere with his journeys on Christmas Eve. The End.”
She smiled and kissed Shippou one more time before going downstairs to help with the last-minute preparations and keeping Inuyasha out of his presents. When she finally went to bed, Sesshoumaru hadn't returned yet and she took a quick shower and went to sleep.
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“Wake up, Mamma! Santa's here!” Shippou cried out, jumping on the bed and startling Kagome awake.
“Shippou? Stop that, you're going to wake Sessh...” she grumbled, still dazed before realizing he'd already woken up.
“Come on, Santa's here,. I want to open my presents,” he insisted, trying to drag her from under the covers.
“Alright already, I'm coming. Just give me two minutes to brush my teeth and get dressed.”
She found it rather difficult to get ready while he was bouncing excitedly on the edge of the bed. She pulled on a purple sweater and a pair of jeans and eyed the box wrapped in blue paper sitting in the corner of her suitcase suspiciously.
“Who's that for?” Shippou asked, coming up behind her.
“It's for Seshoumaru,” she answered, a little flustered.
“Why did Santa bring it to you?” he asked, confused.
“It's not from Santa, exactly.”
“Oh, I see,” he said with a knowing smile.
“Come on. Didn't you say you wanted to open your presents,” she said, even more flustered. When had Shippou become so insightful?
He dragged her downstairs where the others were opening their presents. Sango was frowning and Miroku had a palm print on his face. Kagome smiled. So he'd actually bought her those panties despite her warnings. Kohaku had tied a red ribbon around Kirara's neck, who was enjoying the attention. Inuyasha was trying on a sweater and Sesshoumaru was helping Rin put a kimono on the porcelain doll she'd gotten from her and Kikyou. The little girl kissed her father then ran under the tree to show Shippou her new doll. Sesshoumaru got up and went into the kitchen. Kagome saw her chance and followed him.
“I, eh... wanted to give you this as a thank you gift for everything,” Kagome said softly and pressed the small box in his hands. She was very aware of the others looking at her. “Well, Merry Christmas!”
Sesshoumaru grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away and pulled her back. She looked at him with a confused face.
“Mistletoe,” he said, pointing upwards to the little green bundle hanging from the kitchen light above their heads. Kagome stared up in a daze for a few moments before the meaning sunk in and she blushed.
“Y-you don't have to do this,” she stammered, embarrassed by his reaction. The look in his eyes was so intense she didn't know what to do.
“But I want to do it,” he whispered before leaning forward and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. She melted in his embrace.
Inuyasha balked and Miroku whooped, both earning a smack on the back of their heads from their girlfriends. From under the Christmas tree, Rin giggled behind her hand and whispered excitedly to Shippou:
“I think my dad likes your mom.”
“That's fine,” he shrugged, still working on unwrapping his presents, “because she likes him too. A lot.”
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