This was inspired by wallpaper I saw of the group in the winter. Hope you like it.
Chapter 6: the Snowmen contest
Inuyasha lay silently on the air mattress on Kagome’s floor, staring vacantly up at the ceiling. A few feet from him, Kagome slept soundly on her bed, her soft even breathing sighing in the background. The night was peaceful as soft snow fell noiselessly against the windowpane. Inuyasha sighed and rolled over onto his side, switching his view to the sidewall as he closed his eyes tightly and buried himself deeper into the blankets. It did not work. Swearing, he finally gave up and sat up in the darkness. Damn it, why can’t I get to sleep, he thought irritated. But he knew the answer to that question and the answer only served to irritate him even more. He couldn’t get to sleep because his mind was racing, and his mind was racing because of one little kiss.
Growling, he flopped back down on the air mattress, furious to be the only one awake in the silent house. He froze when Kagome turned in her sleep. Holding his breath, he watched as she turned to her side and sighed before settling back down. He exhaled in relief before adjusting his position more carefully, this time to face the window. He growled again, irritated at his racing thoughts. Memories of the day swirled in his mind, relentlessly stirring up emotions that were keeping him awake. Deep within his chest, the strange fluttering he felt when his lips met Kagome’s still echoing within his heart. The feeling of love burned in his chest like an ember quickened by their shared breath, leaving the Hanyou confused. The kiss happened so suddenly and was over so fast that it seemed more like a pleasant dream then reality. Of course, the whirlwind of activity afterward did not help much.
After the mistletoe incident, Kagome’s mother regretfully called them to dinner, breaking their fragile embrace before Inuyasha could even comprehend what was happening. Kagome did not speak during dinner and Inuyasha had been too afraid to break the silence. When the meal was finished, Kagome’s mother decided that she wanted half a dozen of the sugar cookies they baked to be iced, a task that took about an hour and a half to complete. All during this time, Inuyasha focused completely on his work, trying to repress the feelings that he didn’t understand which had been stirred up by their kiss. Laying alone in the darkness, he was only now beginning to realize that he was scared by those feelings. He feared the chance that the incident would ruin their friendship forever. What if Kagome regretted it? What if she started to feel awkward and decide to leave? Inuyasha thought as he stared at the falling snow. Too may what ifs. Kagome’s behavior after the incident terrified him as well.
Every time Inuyasha had worked up the courage to glance over at Kagome during their work, he would find her encased in her own thoughts. Though they worked side-by-side to ice the cookies, they did not speak. Inuyasha had felt as if they were on two different worlds. Two different planes of existence. He had wished with all his heart that he could just read her mind for a moment, just long enough to know what she was thinking.
Shortly after that task was finished, Kagome’s mother separated the two once again when she sent Inuyasha to bathe with Souta’s assistance. For a moment, Inuyasha was actually scared to be left alone with the boy, fearing that he would ask a million questions about the incident that Inuyasha had no way of answering. However, to his surprise, while the youth helped Inuyasha wash the powdered sugar out of his long silver hair, the boy chatted about safer topics, school and his favorite TV shows mostly, and said nothing about the subject of mistletoe until near the very end. It wasn’t until he was helping Inuyasha blow dry his hair that he simply stated. “You like Kagome don’t you.” It was not a question and it caused the young teen to turn bright red. The boy merely laughed and continued with his work, much to Inuyasha’s relief.
By the time he was finished bathing, the sunlight had long since disappeared from the sky and Kagome had already disappeared into her bathroom to take her own shower. Inuyasha had sat on Kagome’s bed to wait for her, but had soon found his eyes drooping as the sound of the running water lulled him to sleep. The next thing he had known was Kagome shaking him gently and telling him to get up.
“We can’t both sleep on the bed, silly,” the girl had joked but then regretted it the second Inuyasha’s face turned the color of a beet. “No, no, that’s not what I meant I… Er just go lay on the air mattress ok.” she had muttered turning an impressive shade herself before snapping off the light. Inuyasha had obeyed and lay down on the floor where he still laid three hours later.
Damn it, I should have talked to her. Should have at least asked her why she had kissed me. She might have sat me into the ground, but at least then, I would not have to lie here all night. Sighing, he turned again and laid face down on the mattress, banging he head against the material a few times before giving up and beginning to pout. Why do I even bother? It’s not like she loves me anyway. And what about Kiko. Ain’t I supposed to be in love with her instead? Inuyasha realized suddenly that this was the first time in two days that he had even stopped to think about the dead priestess. Hasn’t he been fighting all this time to get back at Naraku for what he did to them? He should be focusing on her.
But Kiko didn’t cause his stomach to flutter like a bees hive. Kiko didn’t make him throw himself in front of arrows, sword attacks, and fits of magic in an attempt at protection. Kiko did not make him feel like he was at peace with everything and everyone. Kiko had always wanted him to be human; but kagome did not care about things like that. Was what we had love at all? Or was it just desperate loneliness that drove us into each other’s arms again and again? Inuyasha closed his eyes, thought back to the kiss under the mistletoe, and felt his heart begin to race. No, it wasn’t love was it. Not like this. Not like what Kagome makes me feel just by being near her.
Forgetting sleep, the hanyou quietly rose from the mattress before
crossing the room to stand by Kagome’s bed. Inuyasha kneeled beside it and looked at Kagome’s sleeping face. Why do you stay with me? Why have you put up with me all these years despite all the pain I caused you? Inuyasha thought as he studied the sleeping girls face. Kagome stirred in her sleep, sighing softly, “Inuyasha.”
Inuyasha’s ears perked up at the sound of his name. Kagome shivered from the cold before turning over on her back. Seeing the shutter, Inuyasha carefully pulled the covers up farther on her, tucking them under her chin. She sighed again and smiled in her sleep causing another wave of feeling to hit Inuyasha. Leaning forward towards the girls ear Inuyasha whispered, “I’ll always protect you.” causing the girl to stir again this time turning towards his voice. Careful not to wake her, Inuyasha reached forward to brush Kagome’s hair away from her face before leaning down to gently kiss her forehead. Inuyasha then tiptoed back over to the air mattress and lay back down. Within minutes, he was asleep.
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A beam of light shining through the windowpane woke him a few hours later. Inuyasha opened his eyes once again to the sound of Kagome’s even breath. For a few minutes, Inuyasha just lay there, enjoying the peaceful silence, before he rose from the bed and headed towards Kagome’s bathroom. He noticed that this time he could not hear Kagome’s mother wandering around the house. I must be the first one up. After he finished in the bathroom, he quietly descended the stairs, careful not to wake Souta and the old man who he could hear sleeping through the doors in the hall. Must be early if the old terror is not awake yet, he thought silently. Pausing at the foot of the stairs, he again listened for any sound indicating that Kagome’s mother might be awake. Instead, he heard another softer sound.
Peaking into the living room, Inuyasha’s face softened as he spotted Kagome’s mother asleep on the couch a blanket thrown over her and a magazine still in her hand. Must be exhausting taking care of two children and an elder all by yourself. Inuyasha thought, remembering how much trouble just he was as a child. She must be one strong woman. Inuyasha thought back on all the things the women has done for him over the few short years that he had known her. She had let him monopolies her daughters time, was endlessly courteous whenever he came to drag Kagome back to the feudal era, and treated him with the utmost respect and decency, something he was not use to receiving in his time. Suddenly, he wanted to repay her for her kindness, but was unsure how. At that moment, his stomach growled and suddenly he had an idea. Satisfied, he headed into the kitchen to get to work.
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Kagome stirred as the daylight from her window brightened her eyelids, willing her to wake. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and squinted against the sunlight. She had the most beautiful dream last night and was sad to see it end. She dreamed that she was sitting under a blooming cherry tree on a warm spring day when she saw Inuyasha walking towards her. Sitting beside her, he had took her into her arms and told her that he would always protect her and then kissed her forehead before laying back with her to watch the blossoms sway in the breeze. The kiss had felt so real and his words still echoed in her head. Sighing, she turned away from the sun and threw the covers over her head, trying to fall back asleep so she could dream again. Downstairs, she could hear soft voices and her mom’s laughter from the kitchen. Suddenly, she sat up and sniffed the air (A.N ok that sounds like Inuyasha but can’t think of anyway else to put it). Something smelled really good. Leaping out of bed, she hurried towards the kitchen. Do I smell what I think I smell? Yes! Yummy pancakes. Thrilled, Kagome ran around the corner into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks.
Kagome stared first at her mother sitting comfortably at the table, laughing at something her grandfather had just said, to her brother stuffing large forkfuls of syrup-drenched pancakes into his mouth, and finally to the hanyou standing by the stove in her mother’s flowered apron flipping a pancake over. Kagome’s jaw hit the floor as several thoughts ran through her mind all at once. One, since when can Inuyasha cook, two, since when was Inuyasha kind enough to even consider cooking for someone else, and three, Inuyasha is the only boy that could look that good in a flowery apron. That last thought made Kagome blush madly, which was just when her mother decided to notice her daughter’s presence.
“Oh Kagome, your awake dear. Come on sit down. Inuyasha’s making us all breakfast today. He thought he would give me a break, isn’t that sweet.” Kagome’s mother greeted, prompting a blush and a “Keh” from the boy at the stove.
Kagome approached the table cautiously before sitting down beside her mother. Kagome glanced over to her brother’s plate and stared at the golden brown perfectly cooked pancakes the boy was now inhaling. Raising an eyebrow, she turned to watch Inuyasha flip another pancake expertly onto a small stack before taking the plate over to the table and plopping it down in front of Kagome’s mother. “I’ll get yours in a minute, Kagome.” the boy muttered softly before heading back over to the stove.
“And two more for me if you don’t mind Inuyasha,” her grandfather added in a friendly voice which caused Kagome to stare at him in shock. The boy at the stove nodded. Inuyasha and Gramps getting along. I think I might be still dreaming.
“Kagome, are you feeling ok? You look a little pale.” Kagome’s mother asked, eying her daughter with concern. Kagome realized her grandfather and Souta were looking at her too and blushed.
“Oh no, I’m fine,” She said in a hurry. Trying to change the subject, she turned towards the boy cooking at the stove. “Hey Inuyasha, these pancakes smell great. Where did you learn to make them?”
The boy flipped another pancake before answering. “I wanted to make breakfast and this was the only thing with pictures on the back of the box. I just looked at the pictures and followed the directions. Took me awhile to get the temperature right though,” the boy stated pointing towards another plate sitting near the sink. On it sat several black undistinguishable lumps. Kagome giggled. The boy behind her flipped one more pancake onto a plate, before switching off the stove carefully and carrying two towering plates of pancakes towards the table. He sat one down in front of Kagome, paused to fork two pancakes from the other plate onto Kagome’s grandfather’s plate, and took the seat beside Kagome.
Instead of drowning his pancakes in syrup and downing them as if someone was waiting to snatch them away from him, Inuyasha folded his hands and simply stared at Kagome expectantly. Kagome blushed and gave him a confused look. Inuyasha glanced down at Kagome’s towering stack of pancakes before giving her an eager look. Kagome realized what he wanted. Kagome asked for the syrup and poured it on the golden cakes, trying to ignore the fact that her whole family had stopped eating to watch her. Cutting a sliver of pancake, she stuck it into her mouth. She closed her eyes as a wave of buttery deliciousness assaulted her senses. Oh, these are so perfect, her mind squealed in delight. Opening her eyes, she saw Inuyasha giving her an anxious look.
“These are absolutely delicious.” she stated evenly, watching as those honey eyes lit up.
Inuyasha nodded, satisfied, before digging eagerly into his own breakfast making her smile. Now that is the Inuyasha I know, she thought as the hanyou crammed a full pancake into his mouth in one forkful. She looked over at her mom, whose eyes were sparkling in amusement as she also watched the hanyou. She turned towards her daughter and smiled, giving her a look that said ‘he’s a keeper’. Kagome blushed before turning her attention back to her own breakfast.
“Well, that was a great breakfast. Maybe you’re not so bad after all, demon.” her grandfather said in a joking tone as he rose from the table. His comment prompted a “Keh” from the teen, who did not pause from his breakfast. Kagome’s grandfather crossed the kitchen to place his plate in the sink before stating, “I will be tending the shrine if anyone needs me.”
“Dress warmly father, its cold outside.” Kagome’s mother called after him before turning back to her children. “While we are on the subject, what are you three planning today?”
Souta eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. “Oh yeah, hey Kagome, can Inuyasha help make my snowmen today. I mean since we were too late to do them yesterday.” Souta asked, giving Kagome a puppy dog look.
“Now wait just a minute, what if I had plans? Nope, I just don’t think we will have time” Kagome said, teasing.
“Inuyasha’s the family’s guest. You can’t hog him all to yourself. I want to hang out with him to. You got him yesterday, now it’s my turn,” Souta protest looking to his mom for help.
“So did you,” Kagome pointed out smugly.
“Yeah, only to help him wash his hair. That’s no fun. You got to go
for a walk with him all day.”
“Well, he is my guest, mostly; therefore, I should get to spend the most time with him.” Kagome stated, trying to keep from smiling when her little brother started to turn red with frustration.
“That’s not fair!”
“Now Souta, Kagome’s right. Inuyasha came to spend time with Kagome, so she has a say in what they do,” Kagome’s mother stepped into the conversation as a diplomat before her children started to pull hair. Inuyasha watched the group with an amused look as they haggled his time without his input. Kagome stuck her tongue out in triumph at her little brother. “But, maybe since you asked Kagome politely, Kagome will consider allowing you to spend some time with him today.” Kagome’s mother added, giving Kagome a look that said, ‘stop bothering your brother.’
Kagome smiled, “Well, since you asked so nicely, I guess we can make snowmen today.” Souta rolled his eyes. “But only if Inuyasha want to,” Kagome said sincerely, turning to the hanyou. She had just now remembered the story Inuyasha had told her about his past and wondered if that would stop him from having fun making snowmen.
Inuyasha looked up, surprised by the question. He looked from Kagome’s concerned face to the eager pleading eyes of Souta. “Yeah sure, I’ll help ya.” He said softly. He could tell it would mean a lot to Souta. He liked the kid and didn’t want to disappoint him. Kagome looked so reassuring and encouraging that he couldn’t disappoint her either. She would be there for him if anything bad happened. Suddenly, Inuyasha groaned and looked at Kagome’s mother. “I’m going to have to wear those funny looking clothing again, ain’t I?” Inuyasha asked, those dreaded boots popping into his mind.
The rest of the table’s occupants giggled. “I’m afraid so Inuyasha.” Kagome’s mother replied. The boy nodded, surrendering to his fate. He rose to place his dish with the rest in the sink, but Kagome’s mother stopped him. “Leave that there Inuyasha. I’ll get it. After all, you’re the one that made breakfast. You guys just go on and play.”
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“Come on Inuyasha, hurry up.” Souta cried, yanking on the teen’s robes once before running out into the yard and trudging into the freshly fallen snow. Inuyasha watched from the porch in amusement as he struggled to finish the job of hooking the buttons of his trench coat. His fingers were clumsy since he was doing it without Kagome’s help. Finishing and pulling on his hat, he stepped into the cold landscape.
“Come on.” Souta pleaded already holding a snowball to start the snowmen with.
Inuyasha walked over to the boy and turned to glance at the house as he heard the door open and Kagome join them. Inuyasha sighed. Even bulked up in the heavy clothing, Kagome still looked beautiful. Kagome bend down to pick up a handful of snow before raising her head up to stare at the falling snowflakes. Inuyasha felt his pulse. Smirking, he studied her wondrous expression, admiring the way the snow settled on her lashes. She looked so innocent. Kagome turned towards him making him freeze. Feeling guilty for staring at her, he blushed. She smiled at him and he marveled at the way her smile warmed him like a ray of sunshine.
Inuyasha smiled shyly back. Kagome made a move forward, but stopped in shock when a ball of snow hit her square in the chest. Inuyasha’s eyes widened and he glanced behind him, searching for the culprit. Souta smiled wickedly at his sister. Inuyasha glanced back at Kagome just in time to see her return fire. The ball impacted the side of the boys face. Souta launch himself at his sister with impressive speed, knocking them both to the ground. Inuyasha gasped and surged forward to separate the two but stopped when he heard laughter.
“Souta, you little jerk,” Kagome said between giggles. She flipped her brother over easily and sat on him piling snow onto his back.
The young boy grunted. “Oww sis, get off. Your heavy.” he cried out. Inuyasha watched the two with a mixture of amusement and longing. They fight just as bad as Sessomaru and me. But they fight in a good way. Not trying to kill each other but with love. Souta screamed as Kagome stuffed a hand full of snow down the collar of his coat. Inuyasha shook his head as he watched the little boy through his sister off him and dance around the yard as the ice slid down his back. Well, maybe not.
“Uncle, I give up sis, stop.” Souta pleaded when he saw Kagome approaching with another handful of snow. Kagome smiled before dropping the snow and walking over to join Inuyasha.
“And you said I couldn’t handle myself in battle.” she said joking.
Inuyasha smirked. “When I need help handling ten year olds (A. N How old is Souta?) I’ll let you know.”
Kagome looked up, surprised. Cooking breakfast, getting along with gramps, and joking with me without getting angry. What’s up with him today? Kagome was definitely enjoying Inuyasha’s new attitude so she decided not to question it. Smiling brightly at him, she gave him a mischievous look before pulling him down into the snow. Inuyasha gasped as he was forced to sit in the snow. He was about to ask Kagome what she did that for when he saw her laying in the snow, moving her arms and legs from side to side with purpose. He watched her actions, confused. She sat up silently and rose, careful not to destroy her work. Inuyasha stared at the impression and then back at Kagome.
Kagome plopped down beside him in the snow, “It’s a snow angel. See, here are her robes and her wings and look I can even add a halo.” Kagome said as she leaned over to draw a circle around the head of her snow angel. “There, your turn.” She said smiling as she rose to get out of his way.” Inuyasha gave her a funny look, but decided that it couldn’t hurt. He lay down and carefully mimicked the movements that Kagome had made a few seconds before. Sitting up, he looked back at the imprint in the snow.
Kagome held out a hand to help the hanyou up, “See, easy.” Kagome stated as she pulled the Hanyou to his feet and admired his handy work. She leaned forward to add a halo to the angel’s head before brushing her hands of snow and smiling at him. “Now, they are a couple.”
Inuyasha looked down at the two angels and nodded.
“Sis, come on, let’s get started on the snowmen.” Souta urged from behind them, recovered from his overwhelming defeat by his sister.
Kagome rolled her eyes. “All right, all right,” she replied, walking the boy’s direction with Inuyasha on her heels.
“So what should we do this year?” Souta asked, tossing a newly made snowball up and down in the air. Inuyasha gave him a questioning look. “Every year we do a different theme. Last year we made elves.” Souta explained. Before Inuyasha could turn and ask Kagome what an elf was, Souta’s eyes brightened. “I know, let’s have a contest.”
Kagome gave him a funny look, “What do you mean a contest? What kind of theme is that?”
“It will be a lookalike contest. We will each make each other. I get Kagome.” Souta called, plans of an extra-plump funny looking version of his sister already forming in his mind.
“I want to do Kagome.” Inuyasha protested suddenly making the two siblings look at him. He blushed faintly and stared down at the snow.
“Fine, then I get to do Inuyasha.” Kagome responded causing the little boy’s face to fall.
“Hey, that’s not fair. Who am I suppose to do. I can’t make my own snowmen. That won’t be any fun.” Souta whined.
Kagome thought for a minute before responding. “I know. You and mom can be judges. Someone has to make sure that no one breaks the rules or cheats. Then when the contest is over, the winner gets a prize.”
“What rules? And what is the prize going to be? This doesn’t sound like very much fun.” the little boy pouted.
“Oh, it will be lots of fun, trust me Souta. But your right, we need rules.” Kagome grabbed a stick and motioned to the two boys that they should follow her. She moved to a corner of the yard and blocked of a small block of snow using the stick. After that was done, she used the stick to draw the words CONTEST RULES in the snow and put a one underneath it. “Ok, what should the rules be? Number one should be no looking. I want my snowmen to be a surprise till the very end.” Kagome said as she wrote ‘no looking’ by the number one.
“How can we do that? You guys will be working side by side. “Souta pointed out.
Kagome bit her lip, thinking. “I know. You remember those room-dividing screens that mom use to put up when one of us was sick so no one bothered us. We could ask her if we could borrow them and set them up out here in the snow. It should not hurt the wood too much and if we work on either side no one could see our work.” Kagome smiled, slightly proud of herself for fixing that problem. Seeing the boys had no protests against her idea, she leaned back over the rule list. “Ok, what else?”
“Well, no one should be allowed to sabotage the other’s work.” Souta suggested. “That includes yelling sit.” The boy added giving his sister a pointed look, making the young girl roll her eyes.
Inuyasha had not even thought of that and silently thanked the boy for remember that little detail. Looking over the snow, he added another, “We should each get the same amount of materials.” he pointed out.
Kagome paused. “How are we going to do that without crossing into each other’s work space?” she asked, knowing that some things like the pointed pinecones she was planning to make Inuyasha’s ears out of were on one side of the yard.
Souta smiled, “Easy, if you two need anything on the other side of the yard I will get it. Since I am a judge, it won’t matter if I see the snowmen.”
“Fine, but new rule. The judge is not allowed to tell the contestants about the other person’s snowmen either.”
“Well duh.” Souta said exasperated.
“Just making sure,” Kagome said as she added the rule to the others. “Anything else.”
“We got to figure out a prize,” Souta reminded her.
“Oh yeah,” Kagome said as she squatted down in the snow to think. After a few minutes without any ideas, Kagome gave up. “How about the winner gets to choose its prize?”
“But what if they chose something really embarrassing or gross?”
“Well, we will just have to decide when the time comes. I can’t think of anything right now.” Kagome said, frustrated. “Besides, I want to get started. This is going to be fun.” Kagome stated as she headed for the house to ask her mother for the screens. The others went off to prepare for the contest themselves.
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Inuyasha made one final adjustment to the screens before glancing towards the porch for the approval of the officials. Kagome’s mother gave him thumbs up in approval from her place on the steps. Beside her, Kagome’s grandfather sat with a cup of tea in his hands. When he heard they were having the contest, he decided to put off his work at the shrine long enough to participate. He became the third judge. Once the screens were set up, the two ‘artist’ took their places on either side, awaiting orders.
Kagome’s mother rose and looked at the two contestants, “Ok, you both know the rules. You both have forty-five minutes to complete your snowmen before its lunchtime. If you need something from across the screen, you ask Souta and he will fetch it for you. Once you guys are done, me, Souta, and Father will chose the winners. The winner gets to choose his prize within reason. Ok, go.” and the youths were off.
Souta’s name was called almost immediately, and he scurried over towards Inuyasha side of the screen. On Kagome’s side, Kagome began rolling the first ball for the base of the snow hanyou she was planning. She moved as fast as she could, careful to stay within the box they had measured after they put up the screen. As long as she stayed within its confines, she could not see past any part of the screen to catch a glimpse of the half-demon work. She paused when she saw her brother dart part with a few stones and random bouts of evergreen branches. She glanced behind her and saw that her mother and grandfather seemed to be looking at Inuyasha’s side of the screen and discussing something.
Sighing, she ruled the base of her snowmen into place and started to form the ball for the middle section. She wondered what Inuyasha’s snowmen looked like so far. She couldn’t picture the boy being very creative. His talents only seemed to span from fighting to yelling. Still, she did not know he knew how to cook until he had set down those delicious pancakes in front of her. She would have to do her very best to defeat him. She wondered what she should pick for a prize. The thought of one month without him yelling at her which would start the minute they returned to the feudal era sounded appealing. So did one claimable week of staying home without him protesting whenever she chose. Maybe another kiss.
She stumbled a bit when this thought popped into her mind. She regained her balance and set the middle segment she had been carrying carefully on her snowmen.
A voice came over the screen, “You ok, Kagome?”
Kagome blushed. Must have heard me stumble. “Yeah, fine. You’re going down, you know that right.” She teased as she prepped the last ball. A Keh came as a reply along with the sound of breaking branches. What in the world is he doing over there, the young girl wondered.
“Twenty minute warning.” Kagome’s mother stood to call out. Kagome turned to glance at her. Her mother was looking over at Inuyasha side again and she had a wide smile on her face. Kagome growled. What in the world is so interesting?
A snort could be heard from behind the screen, “Getting frustrated?” The hanyou’s confident voice rang out.
Kagome almost sat him out of reflex before she remembered that that was against the rules. I’m going to kill Souta for that. Nothing I can do about it now. She thought as she picked up the last segment and plopped it down on top of the others. She called her brother over and gave him a list of the things she would need to make the features. While she waited, she filled in the spaces in between the snowmen’s segments to make it more stable and clean looking. When Souta came back with her stuff, she set them out before her and started to make the features. Let’s see. Two stones for the eyes one for the nose. A curved stick for the mouth, she giggled as she arranged that into a slight frown. Then she placed the two pinecones on the top of the snow hanyou’s head. Sticking the two arms into the side, she backed up to admire her work. Hm something is missing. Suddenly an idea occurred to her.
“Ten minute warning.”
Oh no there is not going to be enough time. “Souta, come here now.” The boy did not answer. A minute went by and Kagome began to get worried. “SOUTA!!”
“What do you need, dear?” Her mother asked as she approached. “Souta’s busy getting Inuyasha’s things.”
“I need more stones. Some round and some pointed ones.” Her mother’s eyes lit up with understanding.
“I know what you need. I will get it.” Her mother said heading off.
“Five minutes.” Her grandfather called out, taking her mother’s place as timekeeper. Come on mom, I need that stuff now. As if answering Kagome’s prayer, her mother showed up and dumped the stones quickly into her waiting palm. She had just placed the last one on her snowmen when her grandfather called out, “Times up, step away from your snow art.”
“You kids just stay behind the screens until we announce the winner.” Her mother instructed as they stepped off the porch and around to Inuyasha’s side of the screen. Kagome pressed her ear against the screen in an attempt to hear their muffled voices as they studied his creation. Then they came over to her side to take a closer look at her creation. Souta snickered when he saw the stone subjugation beads around the snow hanyou’s neck. The three judges returned to the step and huddled together in discussion for a few minutes before turning towards the two contestants.
“And the winner by a landscape is. . .Inuyasha.” Her mother reported with a wide smile. “You may now come out from behind the screens and view each other’s work.”
Kagome was surprised. Inuyasha won? Curious, she came out from behind the screen to check out his work. She was shocked. Inuyasha’s snow Kagome looked just like her. She studied the long black hair created by some tall grass that had died from the cold. Two chocolate brown stones formed the eyes with a small nose sculpted out of snow between them. Two pink petals from some of the winter roses her mother grew formed perfect little lips. Even the sculpted cheeks had color added to them. How did he do that? Studying the reddish tint, she leaned over to sniff the snow. She recognized the smell. Blood?
“A pinprick to the finger. I wanted to make your cheeks look perfect.” A voice said from behind her. She glanced back at the blushing hanyou in surprise. Scanning the rest of his snowmen she took in the green skirt created from pine bouts, the detailing carved into the body to look like her school uniform shirt, the carefully pressed pinecones that made up the green neckline. He had even buried a scarlet glove to make the red decorative tie.
“Ha ha sis. He destroyed you,” Souta teased.
“I could have made a better one if I had more time.” Kagome protested despite the fact she knew it wasn’t true. Not in a million years could she have done such a good job.
“Yeah right, you suck.” Souta said laughing. Inuyasha tried to suppress a smirk.
Kagome turned red with furry. Suddenly, she smiled. “I’ll prove it then. Sit boy.”
Inuyasha eyes widen as the beads pulled him face first into the snow.
“Kagome!!” Her mother chastened.
Inuyasha coughed as he pulled his face up, snow clinging to his face, clothing, and hair. Kagome smiled triumphantly. “See, a perfect replica
.”
They couldn’t help it. They all laughed. All but Inuyasha who was trying to brush the snow out of his eyes. Kagome smiled and offered him a hand up, her eyes apologetic.
“Well, we better be getting inside. I need to get lunch started and you kids should warm up. I’ll meet you in the house.” Kagome’s mother said smiling as she and Kagome’s grandfather headed towards the house with Souta at their heels.
“So did you like mine?” Kagome asked the boy as she helped him brush the snow off his clothing.
“Did you have to add the beads?” the boy asked prompting a laugh from Kagome.
“Of course silly, it’s part of who you are.”
Inuyasha thought about this and nodded. Without them, I could have hurt Kagome long ago when I was still obsessed with obtaining the jewel. The beads allow her to help me control my inner demon the beads allow me to visit her any time I want. Yes, the beads are a part of him.
Kagome tugged at the boys sleeve, “You coming in, Inuyasha?” she asked as she took his hand and treaded her fingers through his.
Inuyasha blushed, his pulse increasing, and nodded. Halfway to the door he remembered something. “I got to go get that glove from the snowmen. It’s Souta’s.” He explained as he let go of her hand. Kagome made a movement to follow him but he held up a hand. “Go ahead and go inside before you get sick.” he said sternly in his ‘I’m a hanyou. Listen to me’ voice. Kagome rolled her eyes, but headed inside.
Inuyasha quickly crossed the yard and carefully removed the glove from his snow Kagome. On his way back, he noticed their snow angels still sitting innocently in the snow. “Now they are a couple.” Kagome had said. Inuyasha reached forward to the small space in between the angels and drew a shape in the snow. He stared at the newly formed heart and smiled. Maybe in time Kagome and I could be that way too. Maybe in time, she will love me like I love her. Warmed by that thought, the hanyou stood and headed for the house.
