Dante: Will you just shut up and start writing the story before you forget what happens?

Miyuki: Oh, don’t be such a worrywart. I know exactly where this is going.

Dante: I don’t like the sound of that. . .

Miyuki: Please note that this story comes entirely from the stupid humor cabinet, and it is a result of too much television and not enough sleep. The entire purpose of this story is for laughs, it should by no means be taken seriously. Also, I doubt people in Japan celebrate Christmas, but this is the only way I know of to get this idea out of my head, so no flames about that, okay? This is longer than the average drabble, probably within one-shot range.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or any related characters. I just use them mercilessly in various (and oftentimes humiliating) situations for my own amusement.

---

It was two days until Christmas, and Kagome was practically shivering with excitement as she dashed to the Wellhouse, her trademark yellow backpack slung over one shoulder. Her shivering could have been because it was currently about 10 degrees outside. Why she had chosen to wear her school uniform instead of warm pants was beyond her.

Thick grey clouds blocked the weak winter sun, and it looked ready to start snowing at any moment. ‘I hope it’s not too bad of a storm. If so, Inuyasha won’t let me leave to come home,’ she thought, frowning at the overcast sky. But then she remembered all of the goodies she had packed for her friends and her dark mood evaporated.

Sliding back the door, she stepped inside and rubbed her hands together. It was slightly warmer in here, but still cold enough to make waves of goosebumps ripple up her legs. After standing still for a moment, she turned around and ran to the edge of the Bone-Eater’s Well. Peering down inside, she wished there was a way to see what the weather was like on the other side.

Sighing, she dropped down into the darkness, praying that it was sunny in the past. The now-familiar blue lights surrounded her, transporting her back in time.

As she touched down, the first thing that Kagome noticed was that everything was distinctly white. Groaning, she looked upwards, only to get a faceful of snow.

“Oops, sorry Kagome!” a high-pitched voice drifted down to her. She wiped the snow off and tried to smile at the small kitsune perched on the side of the Well.

“That’s all right Shippo,” she said, climbing the vines growing up the sides of the Well. The vines were slightly slippery. Some of the snow on the rim had melted, dripped down the side, and refroze. After several false starts, she finally made it to the top. Tossing her backpack outside, she climbed the last couple of feet and pulled herself out. She sat on the edge, catching her breath. It was hard work climbing with that heavy backpack strapped to her.

Shippo hopped off the edge and ran over to her backpack, sniffing it curiously. “This smells different Kagome, what have you got in here?”

“Well, a lot of things,” Kagome said, standing up and picking up the backpack. Unsnapping it, she reached in and pulled out something small and reddish colored. “This is for you,” she said.

Shippo took it curiously. “What is it?” he asked.

“It’s a very special cookie. A gingerbread cookie. People in my time sometimes hang them on Christmas trees, or build houses with them,” she said.

“People build houses with these things?” asked Sango incredulously. She had been curled up with Kirara under a tree, sheltered from the snow.

“Well, not real houses, small ones. You know, like doll houses,” Kagome clarified. Digging around in her backpack again, she brought out three more cookies, and handed one each to Sango, Miroku, who was sitting a safe distance from Sango (much to his disappointment), and Inuyasha, who was perched up in the tree.

“Feh, I don’t want that sweet garbage,” he said, turning his nose up at it. Kagome’s aura darkened, dropping the temperature down another half a degree.

“Inuyasha . . . SIT!”

Inuyasha’s golden eyes widened as he did a spectacular nosedive into the dirt. Sango, Miroku, and Kirara barely had time to scramble away before an avalanche of snow buried the irritated hanyou.

“What the hell?!” said hanyou demanded, pulling his face out of the crater he had created. Kagome stood with her back to him, and her arms crossed.

“You could at least try it before you start complaining,” she said icily. Inuyasha just snorted.

“I don’t like the way it smells, and if it smells bad, it’ll probably taste ten times worse,” he spat, pine needles falling out of his mouth as he spoke.

“Anyway, let’s go to Kaede’s village, I’m freezing,” Kagome said, choosing to ignore Inuyasha’s last comment.

Sango nodded and looked over at Kirara, who moved forward to allow Sango to hop onto her back. Kagome, glancing once at Inuyasha, followed suit. Miroku looked hopefully at Kirara, but was quickly quelled by Sango’s look.

“Uh, I’ll just walk with Inuyasha, shall I?’ he said, forcing a smile. Sango nodded.

By this time, Inuyasha’s spell had worn off, and he was glaring daggers at Kagome. Muttering mutinously, he passed Miroku to take his place at the head of the line. “Let’s get going before it starts snowing again,” he said.

“We’re waiting on you to move,” said Kagome, peering over Sango’s shoulder.

With another “Feh!” Inuyasha bounded forward through the deep drifts, towards Kaede’s village.

A couple of hours later, the village came into view. Kagome heaved a sigh of relief; she was freezing!

“Welcome back,” Kaede said, greeting them outside her hut. “Has your search been successful since ye last visited?”

Inuyasha tilted his head to one side. “Well, kinda. We did get another jewel shard,” he said nonchalantly.

“Ye all look frozen. Come in and warm up,” she said, pushing the reeds over the door to one side.

“Thank you, Lady Kaede,” Miroku said, passing her and sitting down in front of the roaring fire. Sango followed him, carrying a now-small Kirara. Kagome was just behind her, Shippo perched on her shoulder, with Inuyasha bringing up the rear.

“So Kagome, what else do you have in there?” Shippo asked once they were settled.

“Well, I have this,” she said, pulling out a long strand of something shiny. “It’s tinsel. You wrap it around the Christmas tree.” Next she pulled out a large red sock with white trim. “This is a Christmas stocking. You hang it up over the fireplace, and on Christmas morning, it’s filled with various things.”

“What is that?” Sango asked, pointing to something small and green. Kagome grinned.

“This is my absolute favorite,” Kagome said, pulling out a small branch. “This is Mistletoe. You hang it up in doorways.”

“What does it do?” asked Miroku, leaning in to get a better look at it.

“Well, when two people walk up under it . . . this happens,” she said, quickly pulling Inuyasha over to her and kissing him on the cheek. Inuyasha promptly fainted.

Several slaps and two snowballs later, Inuyasha was propped in a corner, his eyes still slightly crossed. They finally had to resort to putting a snowball down his haori before he woke up.

“So, Mistletoe causes you to faint?” Shippo asked twirling the branch between his fingers as he spoke.

“Men do not faint, they pass out, and it was because of the cold!” Inuyasha snapped, crossing his arms. Everyone ignored him.

“No, Shippo. When a man and a woman pass underneath it, they have to kiss,” she said. Miroku looked over at Sango and raised his eyebrows.

“Don’t even think about it, houshi,” Sango warned, raising her hand threateningly.

Kagome laughed. “I can just see what Valentine’s Day is going to be like.”