Cinnamon and Mistletoe

[kdheart]

Fandom: Inuyasha, Yuyu Hakusho
Pairings/Characters: Kagome Higurashi/Shuuichi Minamino, their respective mothers and a lot of random OCs
Rating: PG
Word count: 9647
Summary: Christmas in the mountains, away from time-travelling wells and dangerous, power-hungry youkai sounds like a dream come true to Kagome. Christmas, cinnamon and mothers who think their kids look nice together.
Warnings: mothers bent on matchmaking
Disclaimer: I only own Ana and the random people that are not directly related to the main characters. Kagome, Kurama and whoever else you might recognize belong to their respective creators.
Note: This story has a long history behind it. For something so short, it took an ungodly amount of time to write (it was intended as an entry to a Christmas contest about five years ago on a forum that is long dead). It has also influenced a major decision in my life - if the events would have happened the other way around, I'd have said the story was actually based on personal experience. As it is, it is just a little piece of fluff that just happened to push me in the right direction.

Links:  You can also find it on FF.net, A3O and dA

Cinnamon and Mistletoe

1

Outside, the winds were howling and snow was building up in large drifts; inside, Christmas sprit was building up.

Kagome hadn't planned to spend Christmas this way. Come to think of it, she hadn't planned to spend Christmas at all. She usually put all her hopes in the New Year celebrations and spending them with her family. Christmas was an excuse to go out with friends, an occasion easily ignored by a girl who spent most of her time out of the normal flow of time, thus having most of her friend on the other end of a very strange temporal phenomenon.

Her mother wasn't usually the one to get nostalgic, but she had her moments. After spending most of autumn cradling a photo album from her school days and most of November getting in touch with people Kagome was almost certain she'd never seen before, she had announced they were going to spend Christmas abroad with a bunch of her school friends and their families. This didn't really say anything to Kagome until a week ago when her mother forbade her to go back through the well. "History can take care of itself for a few weeks," she'd said "and we've been organizing this little get together for ages."

There wasn't much else to do - her mom took care of the packing, she already had a passport even if she never had the chance to use it before and, before she knew it, they were on their way to a little country in Europe she'd never heard of before to spend the holidays in the mountains. One of her mother's old friends had come up with the brilliant idea of not going to a resort, so they were housed in an isolated lodge, large enough for five families to have fun without getting on each other's nerves.

"Sorry I couldn't introduce you properly to anyone yet, dear," her mother apologized. "It's been a long trip and everyone's had their share of trouble." It was a nice way to sum up the misplaced luggage, bad weather, poor travel guides and their initial shock when they realized Japanese English and local English weren't on the same wavelength. It worked out eventually.

"It's ok, mom."

The woman looked thoughtful. "Do you remember my friend Shiori? We used to spend Christmas together when you were little…"

Kagome thought back to all those years ago and thought she remembered a woman that looked so much like her mother she had thought they were related. She used to call her "Aunt" and looked forward to here visits. "Was she the one with the red-headed boy?" she asked, wondering where the memory of the little boy spring from.

"That's the one."

Late in the evening they met up with everyone for diner. Kagome was right not to recognize anyone, her mom didn't really keep in touch with her friends after her marriage and had lost track of even her closest friends after her husband had died. She did recognize the woman she was being introduced to right now "Shiori-san, right?"

The woman looked surprised and pleased "I can't believe you still remember me, Kagome. I haven't seen you since you were … seven? Eight?"

"We've been talking about you earlier," Kagome's mother said. "We were also talking about your son."

Kagome found herself blushing under the gaze of the two women. Their conspiratorial smile made her blush even worse.

"You two are about the same age, aren't you?" Shiori commented without any actual reason. "He should be around here somewhere…" she said looking around and waved when she eventually spotted the tall, red-headed youth that was her son.

2

Kagome remembered Shiori's son. She remembered an annoying little boy that acted older than his age and shredded every bit of magic her four year old self would cling to. She also remembered the boy who would tell her tales of demons and curses far worse than those her grandfather ever came up with. What she remembered was starting to fade into shadow. He was coming their way and he was nothing like she remembered him; there still was the impossibly red hair which she had since only seen on one other person – a little kitsune back in the feudal ages – and those green eyes would probably stick in her memory from now on for certain. He used to be shorter than her, now she felt dwarfed, and, though he might have been cute when they were little, could no longer be described by such a diminutive word.

She gulped and hoped no one noticed.

"Shuichi, do you remember Kagome?" Shiori asked when her son was next to them.

"It's nice to see you again," Kagome said eagerly, bowing in order to hide her blush.

"You used to spend a lot of time together when you were little," her mother explained.

He didn't seem to recall at first but, seeing Kagome's flustered expression, something seemed to connect. "I think… we were still in primary when we last met," he hesitated.

They sat there uncomfortable as their mothers went on and on about what a pity it was they'd lost touch for so long and how they should have done this sooner.

"Have you seen Takashi's youngest, yet?"

"He's brought here along? She can't be more than five! Kagome, wanna come see her? I hear she's the cutest thing," Kagome's mom said excited.

The girl gave Shuichi a desperate look. Something inside her suggested a group of middle-aged women and five year olds wasn't the best environment for a girl in her late teens.

Luckily, the boy picked up on her panic. "I thought we could … negotiate some hot chocolate and catch up. I haven't seen Kagome in ten years, after all," he said.

Kagome smiled gratefully and added "If it's ok with you, mom."

They hadn't expected their mothers to agree so eagerly. What was there to be eager about?

3

It was an adopted holiday. The two women had long ago fallen in love with the atmosphere: the tree, the decorations, the cookies and the mistletoe – and their loved ones were along for the ride. Their husbands didn't mind the parasitic weed under which they would 'accidentally' meet their wives and the children loved any excuse to get presents. Sipping their hot chocolates, the two friends enjoyed every moment of it, especially the sight of their children under the tree.

A little girl was just fighting her way through the wrapping of her gift under the Christmas tree, a red-haired boy watching patiently while leaning on his own, yet unopened box. Wrapping paper was flying around and small fingers finally pried open the box inside. The boy slowly inched behind his present as the girl took out a teddy bear half her height and started hugging it and ran to her mother to show it off. He sighed and took the chance to unwrap his own gift. He was more meticulous about it, untying the bow and looking for the edge of the wrapping paper, but he didn't get far before he found himself knocked to the floor and caught in a group hug between the little girl and the stuffed bear.

Their mothers watched as the hug turned into a tickling match and they had to drag them from under the tree before they knocked it over. Lucky they were easily distracted by cookies and further damage was avoided.

There was also a snow fight. There was always a snow fight. The children came back looking like living snowmen, completely exhausted, not caring who won. They let their mothers change them out of the many layers of clothes they had been bundled in for the fight and into their pajamas. Before they new it, they were tucked into bed, teddy between them, and the light turned off.

A small hand reached across the fluffy obstacle in the darkness. It was met by another and tiny fingers knitted together. "I'll get you next time," one of the children promised into the bear. A soft 'umhm' was lost in the soft fur and sleep overcame them before they could plot anything else.

~+~

In the kitchen of a little mountain lodge, a boy and a girl managed to find the only spot next to the stove that wasn't in anybody's way. They watched the people fuss around, getting everything ready for Christmas dinner. The place seemed to be run by a short woman of unintelligible age who ruled with an iron rolling pin. She had offered them hot chocolate as soon as they came in and ushered them to their current spot only to completely forget about them after. Not that they minded.

They tried to catch up on their lives so far but found it awkward. You just couldn't tell a guy about your adventures in Feudal Japan without sounding … an apple short of a fruit salad and she wasn't very proud of her school work either, so Kagome did most of the listening. She always did like to listen to his stories. He was going to one of the best private high schools and was one of the best students there, though he didn't say it, and she was surprised to hear about his friends, about as mismatched as her own. He didn't tell her everything about him, but she was happy enough not to dwell on the blanks. They couldn't be filled with more colorful details than hers.

"I have the strange feeling one of our moms will show up," Kagome said out of nowhere, taking another sip. It had a strong cinnamon flavor and she liked the spicy taste.

Shuichi looked up from his own cup. "Is there something wrong?"

The girl shrugged. "Mine's been acting a little weird lately. Nothing wrong, just…" Another shrug. Maybe she'd been away from her mother for too long and had become unaccustomed to her. "But I'm still expecting one of them to show up," she insisted, smiling.

He was about to comment just when a young woman showed up in front of them. "Sorry," she started in an English better than what they've been used to. "Diner's ready and your mothers asked me to fetch you"

Kagome threw Shuichi an I-told-you-so look. They followed her into the dining-room, trying hard not to giggle.

4

Kagome managed a great job of not bursting into a fit of giggles as they were lead to the dining room. Unfortunately, it was all in vain as the sight of her mother grinning wildly and Shiori waving 'discreetly' at them delivered that final push over the edge. Shuichi had to steady her before she knocked over a chair that wasn't really in the way. "You should breathe," he advised and the forced seriousness of his expression made her crack up all the worse.

"I'm sorry," Kagome gasped, leaning on his arm. She took a forced breath and tried to stop laughing. "It's too much," she said before erupting into another fit.

He quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing about it. He helped her over to the table where her mother was ready with a glass of water. "Are you alright, dear?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah," she nodded and took another sip. It was dangerous to gulp in her condition. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

"What have you been up to?" Shiori asked, brimming with curiosity and eyeing her son suspiciously.

"Nothing much, mom," her son answered. "Just catching up over a cup of chocolate."

"Sorry about that," Kagome's mother told the other people at the table after the two teenagers sat down on either side of the two women. There were five other people at their table, the youngest barely five and giving Kagome a huge, toothy smile. "Kagome, Shuichi, this is Takashi and his family," she introduced everyone, the little one being called Mia, before they all turned their attention to the various dishes that kept coming their way.

Kagome kept biting her lower lip to prevent herself from giggling. Mia spotted her efforts and was doing everything in her powers to break her resolve. It almost worked before a slight nudge distracted Kagome. "What's wrong?" he mother asked her. "You've been acting strange."

"I'm fine, mom. Really."

"You almost chocked laughing. I've never seen you like that."

"There's nothing wrong" Kagome insisted "It's all normal. It's all so normal."

"If you say so…" her mother trailed off.

It was normal. It was so normal in fact that it made her feel awkward. It was the first time in years she could spend time with her mother without worrying over Inuyasha popping out of the well and dragging her off to find more shards, or demons coming after her to steal the ones she had, or seeing the worried looks on everyone's faces, aware that any of the above could happen at any time and they'd be unable to help her. They were thousand of miles from home, surrounded by people she hardly knew but whom her mother trusted. There were no traces of demons, no time traveling wells – unless there was a whole network of those things waiting to drag her off to the past, which she hoped was not the case – and no concerned phone calls from her friends wondering if she'd pulled through the latest exotic disease her grandfather announced she suffered from.

"You know, Shuichi's turned out to be quite a handsome young man," her mom said. "Shiori says she doesn't even remember him ever having a girlfriend."

Kagome dropped her fork in the plate.

"And you used to be so close when you were kids," her mom went on. "It would be a shame to lose touch again."

"Mom? Are you trying to hook me up with your friend's son?" Kagome asked.

"What? No!" the woman said innocently, a bit too much so.

"You are," the girl said plainly. "At your age, too!"

"At my age, I'm too young for grandchildren. I just hate to see you alone and worried all the time. And you never know…"

Kagome started laughing again. They'd picked her out of her usual demon chasing, jewel searching existence, dropped her in a barrel of normal and expected her to stay afloat. She couldn't help laughing.

At the other end of the table, Shiori was quietly talking to her son. "I'm glad to see you're getting along well with Kagome."

Shuichi nodded, smiling silently.

"It's nice to have everyone back together and even better to see the next generation getting along," She was rewarded with another smile and a nod. "How well were you getting along when we had you called?" she asked innocently.

Her son almost choked. "What?"

"I'm just saying, the poor girl was rather flushed and, well, giggly."

"Mom."

Shiori caught the reproachful look in her son's eyes and beamed. "Oh, it can be tough at first, but you can always turn to me if you're stuck for ideas. I've been your age once. More importantly, I've been her age."

He set his fork down and looked at his mother for a moment. He wanted to say he deals with demons on an almost daily basis. He wanted to tell her he's faced far greater foes than the awkwardness of a first date. He wanted to remind her he'd just met the girl after ten long years. He was faced with his mother's most disarming smile and the feeling she had been waiting for the chance to act like this for quite some time. She was given the chance to play matchmaker and no amount of supernatural challenges could have prepared him for it.

From the other end of the table, he could hear Kagome burst into another fit of laughter. He gave in, finding no better reaction to his predicament.

5

The giggles eventually faded into the general cheer that usually followed a large meal with friends and wine. The younger children were sent off to bed a little after desert, yawning and complaining that the older children were still allowed to stay up. The older children happened to be a pair of teenagers that were doing their best to stay out of the way as the adults talked about "when they were their age".

Kagome had barely escaped finding out exactly how close her mother and Takashi had been back in their first year of high school. She definitely wished for a mental eraser to deal with the image of her mom's first date which Mrs. Aoyama was kind enough to supply in glowing detail. At least it taught her never to go on a double date – one of the other three is bound to remember all the embarrassing details. It was turning into a long evening.

She somehow managed to make it across the room from her mother and claimed a little corner for herself. Watching her mother like this made her feel old or, worst yet, alien. You could have said that mother and daughter had changed roles for the evening, but that would have had the woman scurrying across forests and fighting demons.

Kagome smiled. How dull would her life had been if her greatest worry were who to go to the prom with!

Leaning against the wall, she enjoyed the sight of her mother dancing with Takashi for old time's sake. She couldn't remember ever seeing her mother dance. She was happy, they were all happy.

A little further from the impromptu dance floor, Mrs. Aoyama and two other women were cheering her husband who had ended up under the mistletoe with Shiori. The two looked awkward and the women around them, especially Mrs. Aoyama, were a bit too cheery. The man settled for a peck on the cheek which seemed to please the audience and left Shiori slightly flushed.

"I think we might be too sober for this," Shuichi said handing her a mug.

Kagome eyed the red liquid suspiciously and wanted to ask when he got there. She settled for "What's this?" It was hot and smelled of spices, cinnamon mainly.

"Mulled wine, I think. They called it 'boiled wine' but same difference." He took a sip "They insisted it wasn't very alcoholic, but we can still pretend."

"I know what you mean."

The wine was sweet and hot and made her feel warm.

"You've changed," he said. He was leaning against the wall next to her.

"I've grown up," she said "and so have you."

"It's not just age. You've been through a lot. I can see it in your eyes."

"I can say the same thing about you, but you're not going to tell me everything for old time's sake." She turned away from the dance floor and was looking up into his eyes.

"True." He smiled. "We have grown up."

"There was no time for secrets when we were little, was there?"

Kagome felt awkward. It might have been the wine, but the felt a strange pull in his aura. She wasn't sure if it had been there before, but it was faint enough and familiar enough to ignore a little longer.

"Are you done with those?" said an unfamiliar voice. They recognized her as the girl who called them to dinner earlier. She was pointing to the empty mugs they were holding "Want me to get you a refill or do you want to take up my granny's advice?" she offered. Before they could catch up she continued, "Granny told me to tell you 'Stop holding the wall up, it can stand on its own. Don't let the old folks have all the fun. You're young so go ahead and dance the night away'. Also," she said before Kagome could open her mouth "she said I should kick you if you don't ask her to dance right now and we don't want to see our work in hanging all that mistletoe going to waste."

The two were quiet for a moment. They could see the woman, the cook from earlier, peering in from around the door.

"Well?" she insisted.

Shuichi handed her his mug and offered Kagome a hand. "Shall we?"

Kagome found herself deprived of the empty mug. "I guess we can't argue."

They headed off smiling towards the dance floor, just in time to catch the new song. The girl watched them for a while with a smug expression on her face. Her grandmother hadn't really said all that, she just threatened to kick the boy.

Kagome felt light. It might have been the wine, but it wasn't alcoholic, was it? It might have been the dancing. She was surprised of how good her partner was at this so she allowed herself to glide under his lead. There was also the prickling on her skin where he touched her. It was familiar somehow. It called to her senses, but she wasn't sure which ones. Maybe her mom was right about them. Right now, Kagome was glad to be a normal teenager, dancing with a cute boy at a party, even if that meant having to block out her mother's muffled cheers.

6

The living room had been cleared of furniture and an old record player had been dug out from the attic and set up on the table in the corner. Mrs. Higurashi was rolling up the carpet to take it out and her husband was watching in horror as his lovely home was being stripped and turned into an improvised dance class. Kagome, barely six and eager to help, was arranging and rearranging the cookies on a plate, taking one when she thought no one was looking. Shiori and her son were over as usual on such occasions, little Shuichi pouting in a corner. They we trying to teach the kids to dance for a school pageant.

"Why can't you use the tape player?" Mr. Higurashi complained.

"I promise nothing will happen to your records," his wife assured him. "It's no fun to waltz to tapes."

"Besides, it's more fun this way. This kind of music should be live or on vinyl, tapes and CDs are too modern for it," added Shiori. "And we promise we won't let the kids play with them"

He was still a little suspicious of this but he didn't have the time to argue with them. He needed to get to work. "Kagome, precious, you pay attention to what these crazy ladies teach you, ok?" he told his daughter, earning a death glare from the two women. "And than you'll dance with me properly tonight," he promised her.

Kagome abandoned the cookies and ran into her dad's arms for a goodbye hug. "You promise you won't get jealous if Shuichi dances with mom?" she asked.

He laughed. "I'm jealous enough knowing he's dancing with you."

"OK, honey, get a move on. You'll be late for work," his wife said. "You'll have enough time tonight to dance with both of us," she promised with a smile. "Now go on and give us time to practice."

He sighed, gave Kagome a kiss on the cheek and finally left for work.

An album of Famous Waltzes was selected from the small pile of records that had been brought down from the attic and set carefully in the player. The two women were more excited about today's lesson than the children. It made them feel like teenagers again, though waltzes weren't exactly what they used to listen to on a regular basis. The Blue Danube started playing and Kagome was whisked away by her mother and was clumsily following her lead, mostly stumbling and laughing all the way.

Shiori found it was harder to convince her son to join in. He preferred being alone and hardly ever allowed his mother to get too close to him. He kept to himself. Dancing was a bit too intrusive for him and that was one of the reasons she had insisted he take part in the pageant. She was determined to get him out of his shell.

"I don't need to practice," he insisted, "I can dance."

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you show me, then?"

"You'll see at school," he insisted.

Arms akimbo, she shook her head and smiled. "Not good enough, I'm afraid." She picked him up and, hugging him tight, began whirling around the room. His glower only making her hold him longer. "You'll have to lighten up eventually" she told him.

Kagome and her mother were having fun in their side of the room. They had given up on waltzing, mostly because the height difference made it uncomfortable, and were now just fooling around, twirling and spinning and even trying to tango. The girl loved it.

"I don't think we're getting anywhere like this," Shiori complained.

"Wanna switch partners?" Kagome's mother asked. "We can lead by example."

Shuichi was finally released and Kagome was a bit disappointed to be abandoned.

"OK, now watch us!"

The two women started to dance. They kept count so the children could follow. "One, two, three, one two three…"

Kagome watched closely, itching to dance properly. Shuichi looked bored. He was startled by the girl seizing his hand and pulling him away from the wall. "You're supposed to hold me like this," the girl explained, putting his hand on her back. She placed her hand on his back as well, unsure of how this was actually supposed to go. "One, two- sorry!" she started to count, stepping on her partner. "One, two, oops!" she tried again with the same result. "You could at least move your feet out of the way," she suggested. "Here we go: one, two, three, one…"

With a quick look at their mothers every now and then, Kagome managed to lead Shuichi through the dance, his greatest contribution being to get his feet out of the way in time. By the third song, they were actually dancing and by the fourth, even Shuichi was smiling.

"Shouldn't we tell him he's supposed to lead?"

Shiori looked at her son. "Neah. It'll spoil his fun." It was amazing how Kagome could always take him by surprise and pull him out of his world.

~+~

The two teenagers moved gracefully on the dance floor, caught in their own little world, without even noticing the song switching to a waltz. Without noticing, Kagome took the lead, slipping with ease into her new role.

Kurama didn't notice the change either. He was pleased to see her relax for the first time that night. He had enjoyed her displays of emotion, but this was how she looked best. Electrifying, that was one way he could describe her. His skin prickled here he touched her. The feeling was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. Maybe it was the wine.

He closed his eyes and gave her full control. She guided his steps and filled his senses. A small part of him told him he should watch out. There was something dangerous in this abandon. He could feel a pull in her aura.

For a moment, he wished reality wasn't meant to be and he hoped she did was well.

Then the music stopped and the lights went out.

He tightened his grip on her and realized her fingers were already digging deeper into his shoulder. "It's alright," he whispered.

She shook her head, hoping he couldn't see her in the dark.

"Not again!" an irritated voice came from across the room. "Just sit tight everyone! I'm going to get some candles so you can go back to your rooms," the voice said loudly to reassure everyone and added under her breath, just loud enough for Kurama to hear "Fucking generator!"

He focused on their surroundings. He could sense no threat. It was a plain old blackout. He couldn't understand way Kagome was so tense all of a sudden. He tried hugging her to him. "It's really alright," he tried to comfort her. But when he looked into her eyes, he knew it wasn't so. He couldn't blame the prickling on his skin on the wine this time and she seemed to be looking straight into him. "Kagome?"

"You're…" she hesitated.

A candle was lit somewhere near them. Kagome's lips were frozen on the word she had been about to say. The light flickered a couple of times and Shiori's voice broke the spell "Time to go." She handed Kagome a candle. "You'll still have time to catch up tomorrow."

7

The power was still out when Kagome got into bed. She waited for her mother to come back from the bathroom with the flashlight before putting out the candle on her nightstand. Pulling the covers over her head, she waited for sleep to claim her.

"I'm sorry your night ended so soon," her mother apologized. "You were having so much fun," she continued when Kagome didn't answer. "The two of you were so cute." This earned her a little grown that just encouraged her. "And to think you were just under the mistletoe when the lights went off…"

This time Kagome reacted. She turned on her side, facing away from her mother and pulled the covers tighter around her. She didn't want to talk about it.

"I didn't think you'd be that disappointed about it. I was just teasing."

"It's nothing, mom," Kagome's voice was muffled by the thick covers.

"Shiori and I were having a good time and you two were very cute together. I didn't really expect you two to-"

"Really, mom, nothing," the girl cut her off. "It's just… I chase after youkai almost every day."

"I know. That's why I thought you and Shuichi could-"

"And there's Inuyasha."

"Oh. I thought he wasn't…"

"He isn't but he's still a part of my life." She wanted to add she didn't need another youkai in her life, least of all a part of her time, but she didn't want bring that up. There were thing better left untold for now.

Still, she couldn't understand how she'd missed it. She was supposed to tell when demons were around. Until this evening she had even though she'd gotten better at it. Nice way to be proven wrong. She'd even blamed it on the wine. So much for the competent miko speech she'd been preparing for when she got back.

It dawned on Kagome that she was running out of air if she stayed under the covers any longer.

The room was dark and warm and her mother's snores were keeping her company as she tossed and turned trying to find sleep.

At least she couldn't sense any danger. Come again, she hadn't sensed the demon either.

No, she wasn't going to think about that again. Not tonight. She'll just ask him about it. That was what normal people did, right? They discussed things. They didn't go around time and feudal Japan fighting demons and looking for pieces of mystical jewels - that only happened in manga. OK, manga and her personal life, but she was the exception that confirmed the rule.

Shiori on the other hand was human. It wasn't even a question of extra senses. She was just human, as human as her own mother.

A particularly loud and complex series of snores issued from the other bed.

So maybe the last point was debatable.

Even so, he should be at most a half-demon. That would explain why she couldn't tell at first sight. There was still the blackout – that was what gave him away or when he gave himself away. The brusque release of energy she felt then was stronger than any half-demon she'd ever met could manage.

She should be getting some sleep by now. There was something planned for that morning – a ski outing she remembered. They had to drive to another mountain because there were no usable ski slopes on this one and they were supposed to get an early start.

What time was it, anyway?

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the sky, Kagome was finally falling asleep; resisting her mother's every attempt to wake her.

"It could be jetlag," Shiori offered over breakfast.

"She was pretty tired already; flying half-way around the world and all the excitement must have taken their toll on her. I'm sorry she won't get to go skiing, but she'll be better off with the extra hours of sleep. I tried to wake her and the only response I got was 'Five more minutes, I'll go back to math'."

"At least she's OK. I think Shuichi caught something. He's been more quiet than usual and he said he can't come with us."

"Well, I can stop worrying about Kagome being alone after she wakes up," said her mother.

Shiori raised one eyebrow. "You don't think they planned this, do you?"

"We can only hope…" She didn't bring up the talk she'd had with her daughter the previous night.

~+~

It was late morning when Kagome finally woke up, alone in her room. Once the initial moment of confusion passed, she managed to pull her body through its morning routine before heading down for breakfast. She hazily remembered being awoken by her mother, though she couldn't remember why, and she had a feeling she was skipping something. It couldn't have been school; she ruled that out once she realized she wasn't at home.

Since there didn't seem to be anyone around and the table in the dining room had been cleared, she headed for the kitchen. Here she found she was in luck. The woman from last night, the owner's daughter if Kagome remembered right, was there, standing guard over an old kettle left to boil on the stove. She noticed the girl just as she shut the door back behind her. "You're still here?" she asked "Didn't you go with the others on the ski trip?"

So that's what she was missing. "I overslept."

"Then you've missed breakfast," the other sighed. "Sit down and I'll make an omelet."

Kagome sat at the kitchen table and watched the woman scan the fridge for something to put in the omelet. "Do you want some cheese?" the woman asked from the fridge. "Sure," Kagome answered.

"I warn you, I'm not known for my cooking skills." She was slicing some cheese and bread. "Here, this should hold you until I'm done murdering these eggs."

"Thank you."

"Ana. Call me Ana. And you're…"

"Kagome."

"OK, Kagome. What were you up to all night because you don't look like you've been sleeping at all? You were thinking of that boy, right?" she teased. Then she jumped and turned to the stove where the coffee was poring over the kettle in rich, foamy waves "Shit! Shit! Shit!" she intoned, trying to save what was left of the precious liquid. "Want some coffee? I think there's enough left for two," she offered, already poring two cups.

"Um, sure."

The coffee was thick and rich and smelled of cinnamon and chocolate. Ana grinned. "You'll probably want some milk with that" she offered the carton to Kagome. "It's better than hot chocolate and, the way I make it, stronger than your usual coffee."

Kagome sipped her milk, chocolate and cinnamon coffee and nodded in agreement.

She was staring into her cup, not thinking about anything in particular and waiting for Ana to finish whisking the eggs, when the kitchen door creaked open again.

~+~

Kurama was stalling. He didn't want to talk to Kagome just yet, not really sure what to talk about. She knew something, that was certain, but he'd wait until everyone got back from the ski trip before asking her. That was after all the easiest way to see what she knew.

There were however simpler problems to be solved. Right now, they mostly involved breakfast so he headed for the kitchen to see if he could wrestle something up. Interesting how their hosts, when not overly hospitable, gave them the all clear when it came to the kitchen.

He opened the door and found someone was already there. He recognized the woman from the night before and Kagome who was as surprised to see him as he was.

"Oh, hello!" Ana chimed. "If you're here for breakfast, you'll have to wait a bit."

"Thank you," he said hesitantly, still standing by the door.

She waved it off. "Anyone else decided to stay in on this wonderful day?" Ana looked at the two looking at each other. "You know what? How about you two go wait in the dining room until I'm done here and I'll bring everything over when it's done."

"Are you sure you don't need a hand?" Kagome asked.

"It's an omelet, how badly can I screw up? Now shoo! I can't work when there's too many people around."

Kagome hesitated but sat up. "If you insist…"

"I do."

The two teens left the kitchen in awkward silence.

8

The omelets turned out a bit on the crunchy side and the coffee had been rescued at the last moment. To Ana's relief, there was no one in the dinning room when she came in with breakfast. At least she didn't have to explain why the eggs were an odd shade of green – frankly, she was looking for an explanation for that one herself.

~+~

Snow was falling in huge flakes.

The landscape around them seemed taken out of a postcard – thick snow on the ground, fur trees burdened under white coats, the clear morning sky. What postcards generally didn't portray was the mind-numbing cold which Kagome, despite her thick jacket, felt to her very bones.

Winter wasn't really her season. She liked the heat of summer better. Even when she was running around, hunting down an ancient evil hundreds of years in the past, it was better to do it in light, summer clothing than bundled up in winter gear.

What she liked in winter were the hot springs. There was nothing better than to spend an evening at the hot springs with Sango. It was even better if they got to clobber Miroku for peeping. But there was no Miroku, no Sango and definitely no hot springs here. Just snow.

"You're still shivering?" she heard Shuichi ask.

"It didn't really get any warmer."

He laughed and stood up from the stump he'd been sitting on. "You're the one who suggested we take a walk before breakfast."

She had to admit he was right. She thought it would be better to talk with no one listening in, even if they couldn't be understood. A walk in the snow seemed like such a good idea at the time, but she had underestimated how cold it got this high up.

Maybe if she didn't think of the cold anymore she could focus on why she wanted to talk to Shuichi in the first place.

"Listen… last night, during the blackout…" she started.

He frowned. "Yeah, about that…"

"How come I couldn't sense you?" Kagome's experience with youkai had taught her never to give them the chance to avoid a confrontation. If you wanted to get anywhere, the best way was to ask whatever was on your mind.

Kurama smiled. So that was how they were going to play it. "Because I didn't feel like being found out. I've always known you had high spiritual awareness and it's always best not to show off around people who can sense you are different. It took a lot of concentration, especially back then. I had no idea you were going to be here, but I was used to playing it safe around people in case they could sense me so I got really good at not being noticed. Last night I was distracted by the blackout."

He hadn't expected her to panic, but he hadn't expected her to take it so well either. It wouldn't do any good to show worry now.

"You know" Kagome said, standing up. "I bet you're a kitsune… Definitely a fox." The smile she gave him as she leaned against the tree would have qualified her as one as well.

A look of surprise flashed across the foxes face, but only for a moment. His brow arched and his voice was as clam as ever. "You're better than I thought."

"And you're a lot better than you let on. You almost had me there, I was so sure you were nothing but human."

"I've had a lot of practice."

She laughed. "Practice? It takes more than practice to pass for human that well. Your parents are both human, at least your mother is. If you were a hanyou, I'd have figured you out sooner, so your dad must be human as well. How come you're youkai, then? Not just youkai, but one powerful enough to pass almost undetected."

She was pleased to see him speechless. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"You're a miko," he observed, staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"I was raised on a shrine, yes."

"No, a real miko, the kind that knows about us and not just as myth," he said, drawing closer to her.

"I've had proper training, but I still need to work on my skills," she said a bit shyly.

"It's been a while since I last met a proper miko. I'm not sure if I should be surprised or shocked that I've been dancing with one."

Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "How long of a while? You're barely 17."

"I've been Shuichi Minamino for 17 years," he pointed out.

"Don't go Edward Cullen on me; I'm not in the mood." Twilight was the last thing she needed and she could already picture Shuichi covered in glitter. A furious shake of her head should have cleared that image away, but it lingered at the edge of her thoughts, doing nothing for her concentration.

"I won't, but there are things that can't be explained that easily," he said, leaning against the tree next to her.

Carefully studying her boots and not thinking of sparkles, Kagome nodded. "I guess there's time for that later."

"There aren't many people out there that could have trained you properly, not anymore," he said absently. "What's your story?"

She smiled and looked up at him. "I think it's another one of those stories that would have to wait for later." Seeing the trace of disappointment in his eyes, she added, "Let's say time travel and leave it at that for now."

She knew she had his interest now.

"Later it is," he conceded.

They stood like that for a while, ignoring the cold and enjoying the view that the mountainside offered. Maybe it was worth a little frostbite.

"You have no idea how long I spent trying to get back in touch with you after we moved," Kagome eventually broke the silence.

"I might have. It was pretty hard for an eight year old to find information before the Internet was big."

Kagome stared at him in surprise. "You've… googled me?"

"I don't really have time for that but… occasionally…"

She started giggly. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"You'd probably find me on some blog on exotic diseases," she said and, seeing his confusion, added "Blame my grandfather; he's the one coming up with them."

He shrugged and was about to change the subject when a curtain of snow fell around them. With a swift movement, he pulled her into his embrace and she buried her face in his coat, shielding her eyes. The snowfall stopped as abruptly as it had started, leaving them only slightly powdered.

Carefully, she pulled back just a little so she could look up at the empty branches above them and the little squirrel that had stopped to stare down at them.

"You don't want to scare it, do you?" Shuichi cautioned before she could burst into another fit of giggles.

She nodded and realized he was still holding her. A blush crept into her cheeks, already flushed from the cold.

He wasn't, however, looking at her. His eyes were fixed on a point above the little creature that had caused the mini avalanche and her blush grew deeper red – it was a mistletoe bush. She quickly buried her face in his coat again, pretending not to have seen it.

"My nose is freezing!" she said with a muffled voice. "Let's go back!"

She was sure she could hear the smile in his voice. "Don't pretend you haven't seen it."

"Can we go back if I did?" she tempted.

"We could have even if you hadn't," he whispered in her ear.

Still leaning over her, he pressed his lips to hers softly before pulling away, but the girl stood on tip-toe too fast for him to break the kiss.

"I though your nose was freezing," he reminded her and placed a kiss on the tip of her frozen nose.

She smiled. "You can keep it warm for me."

9

"Ana told us she found you in a snow drift!" Kagome's mother exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the bundle of blankets that engulfed her daughter.

"How did you get yourselves buried in snow in the first place?" Shuichi's mother asked, sitting down next to the other bundle that contained her son.

The two teens had settled in front of the fireplace with mugs of the spicy hot chocolate Ana loved to prepare. She had found them a little after the incident with the squirrel and swiftly blew the incident out of proportion – her official story was that she had had to dig them out of half a meter of snow and that cocooning them in blankets in front of the fire was definitely not her twisted idea of getting them to share a romantic evening. She might even go so far as to insist that they were frozen to each other, though she would go to greater lengths to avoid saying how.

Truth was, they had gotten into a snow fight for old time's sake and, struggling to get the upper hand, they'd managed to dig themselves in. The rest of the story was entirely her making, but they weren't going to argue when they were being bribed with hot chocolate and the alternative was having to explain why certain demonic plants were better than others at flinging snow and how a single burst of purifying energy was enough to render them useless and leave their wielder under a snowdrift.

"It was just a snowball fight," Kagome tried to wave the subject away, though waving anything was nearly impossible from under three layers of blanket.

"And the blankets?" Shiori asked with concern, probably convinced that the two suffered from frostbite or hypothermia.

"Ana tried fixing the generator and blew up the heating system. They've got an expert in, but it was already freezing when we got back," Shuichi explained with a shrug, his head partly disappearing into the cocoon.

Ana again. That girl seemed to get her nose into everything and had concentrated her attention on the two teens and on ruining the plumbing of the lodge. On the other hand, the two mothers thought, sharing a conspiratorial smile, she was concentrating her attention on the two teens. At least they couldn't be accused of meddling.

"Do you want some more chocolate?" Shiori asked, getting up. She was glancing toward her friend and discreetly nodding toward the door. The message must have gotten across, as Kagome was finally released from her mother's embrace and the two women walked out, presumably to get more hot chocolate.

"They're not very good at being subtle, are they?" Kagome asked, suppressing a giggle.

Kurama chuckled. It was alarming and amusing to watch their mothers being so excited about playing matchmaker. "They're having fun."

"It makes me want to play along to see what how they'd take it." Kagome scooted closer to Kurama, their blankets pressed close between them.

The kitsune grinned, his eyes taking on a mischievous gleam. "What are you suggesting, Miss Higurashi?" he asked with mock-innocence.

She giggled and nudged him gently with her shoulder.

As if on cue, the old grandmother walked in with a tray. Without a word, she placed the two mugs on the table in front of them and looked them over with a knowing smile on her face. She was probably satisfied by what she saw, as she left looking quite pleased and Ana didn't show up to convey threatening messages afterwards.

"We probably shouldn't," the girl argued, "but it's the only way they'll get over it."

"Or it could make them worse. They might actually be serious about… us." He reluctantly left the warmth of his blankets to reach for the two mugs – still hot – and handed one to Kagome who had somehow managed to get only one hand out. She looked thoughtful and he wondered if it was such a bad thing if their mothers really were serious – Kagome knew of his job helping the spirit detective and knew a little of his past before he became human, although he still left out the part about still being on probation, and from what she had told him, even if she wasn't fully aware of it, she could hold her own against powerful demons and, unlike himself, she had her family's support in her adventures.

Kagome took a sip of her hot chocolate and sighed. She had wondered about this nearly all day but couldn't bring herself to answer – why not? After all, what were her options? A reckless hanyou who even now pinned over his dead love and was set on bringing her back no matter how it hurt Kagome, an over-possessive wolf who was after her to satisfy his ego and poor Hojo who didn't even deserve to be dragged into the mess that was her life at the moment. It would be nice to have someone to come back to who understood her, someone who wasn't family. "Would it be that bad?" she eventually asked with a shy smile.

~+~

There was a phone call that evening from home. Kagome was startled when her grandfather had passed the phone over to Inuyasha. He sounded impatient and she could imagine him giving angry looks to the receiver. "You said your mom needed you and what do I find when I come to check on you? You're gone! Out of the country!" her friend complained in an increasingly annoyed tone.

"You've managed without me for longer before," she protested.

"Out of the country!" Inuyasha insisted. "Did you take the shards with you?"

She couldn't tell if he was worried or glad that she had. To be honest, she hadn't, but she wasn't going to tell him where she had hidden them – she wasn't going to take something like that with her on a plane, especially not now that she knew youkai were still around. "They're safe," she said flatly.

"Keh! I can come after you, make sure you're safe," he offered.

Kagome gritted her teeth at the image of Inuyasha bounding across Asia and part of Europe after her. He would do it, she knew he would.

"I thought I told you to sit-" She heard a thump and imagined him twitching on the floor. "Sit tight and wait for me to get back. Did you have another argument with Kikyo?"

"I was worried about you!" he protested, his voice muffled by the carpet.

She knew he meant it, but he had long given up on the right to meddle in her life on this side of the well. "I bet you were. Stay out of trouble for a few more days until I get back," she told him and handed the phone over to her mother. There was no need for good byes the same way there was no need for hellos.

~+~

It was odd at best.

Despite being stuck babysitting for the whole day, Kagome and Kurama hadn't found the time to plan anything for the evening. The day was a long string of games and snow fights and getting Mia not to burry her brother under the failed igloo – the children were a handful even when they didn't cause permanent damage. Meanwhile, the adults were busy preparing for the big night, making the two wonder if they shouldn't be more worried by what they had planned.

It looked like they were preparing for a grand ball – the hall was all decked out, a stage was being improvised for a live band, the kitchen was off-limits and , once the children were tired of playing in the snow, the two teens were snatched by their mothers before they got a moment for themselves. There had been quite a few deliveries made during the day, but what exactly had been brought in remained a surprise until they made it to their respective rooms.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Kagome's mother enthused over the dark blue dress she was holding up. It looked… Victorian. It was long, frilly, with a narrow waistline and an anachronistic cleavage. The colours were nice – pale gray-blue with delicate crimson embroidery. It looked like it had cost a fortune.

Kagome's lips moved soundlessly.

"It's rented, don't get so worked up," her mother assured her, seeing her visible distress. "We've been planning this from the beginning. Actually, we were starting to worry the costumes wouldn't get here on time, but we're safe."

The girl still wasn't sure how to react. Her mother was definitely acting out of character. Trying hard not no make any sudden movements, she took the dress. "And what are you going as?" she asked carefully.

Her mother beamed. "You'll see."

Kagome wasn't entirely sure she liked the gleeful tone in her mother's voice. Whatever she was going to wear, there was probably nothing Kagome could do about it at this point. Instead, she set about preparing herself for the evening, while her mother sequestered herself in the bathroom.

~+~

Kurama was praying he was hallucinating. He hoped Ana had spiked their drinks and he wasn't really seeing a group of 40-ish women, dressed like harem girls (very modest harem girls, but with distinctly too much skin to make him feel easy about it), doing the Dance of the Seven Veils. And there was a high chance someone had drugged the food as well, because one of those women was his mother and none of the men present found anything wrong with that.

Incidentally, there seemed to be a general understanding among them, as they were all dressed like Count Dracula – or at least that what it looked like to him.

Kagome and Mia stuck out as the youngest and most covered up of the bunch, both wearing Victorian dresses, though Kagome's would have most definitely been deemed immodest at the time.

The other kids had skedaddled to bed, a bit unsure of what was going on and were probably going to grow up with the conviction that they had been witness to an orgy… at least until they were old enough to know what an orgy was.

He finished his mulled wine and walked over to the two girls. He bowed. "May I have this dance?"

Mia shook her head. "No, but you can have the next one. I've promised this one to Daddy!" she replied without hesitation.

Kagome kept on a straight face during the exchange, but nearly cracked up when she saw the deeply hurt look on the boy's face. She fought the giggle and extended her hand. "Ladies' choice!" she called, and pulled him onto the dance floor, leaving a giggling Mia behind.

The band smoothly transitions to the Arabian rhythm from earlier into a more traditional waltz, somehow keeping an Oriental flavor to it.

The two eased into their practiced dancing style, neither of them actually leading, but both moving with grace. They moved quietly around the dance floor, the oddly dressed couples around them providing a surreal setting for the scene.

Eventually, Kagome broke the silence. "I've been trying all evening to figure out what you're supposed to be dressed as." He was wearing a mask, his hair was braided and he was dressed in a crimson suit that gave her an eerie feeling.

"Apparently, I'm supposed to be Reynard the Fox," he said, twirling her away from him.

"I thought she didn't know," she said when she was back in his arms.

He shrugged and twirled her again. It wasn't exactly a waltz, not really, but neither was the music and they soon found themselves giving up on the flourishes and dancing much closer than the music required.

When the music eventually stopped, they were still in each other's arms and Kagome was leaning her head on his shoulder.

The adults, with their mothers as leads, had stopped to watch them, waiting almost breathless to see how this was going to play out. No one had noticed the mistletoe bush growing out of the woodwork just as the two came to a stop.

With a cheeky smile, Kagome raised her face to look into Kurama's eyes. Though they hadn't discussed the details of the plan, she knew they were going to leave their audience speechless for a long while.

As if no one was looking, the young man leaned down and brushed his lips against hers only to have her stand up on tiptoe and deepen the kiss.

Indeed, the crowd had gone quiet except of a tiny 'squee,' not loud enough to break the spell of the moment.

The End