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Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine. They belong to Yoshihiro Togashi, Studio Perroit, and any other people who worked on the creation of this wonderful series.
Chapter 6: Christmas Eve
Kurama
Hiei's hair grew back in quite nicely, after I coaxed it with a special Makai potion. The fire demon was in a very bad mood for a few days after I applied the potion to his scalp. He wouldn't admit it, but I think his head itched. He gets pretty pissed when he's uncomfortable.
It's Christmas Eve. I told my parents that I was going to a Christmas party, and that I would come to their house tomorrow morning. For once, I was telling the truth. I'm going to stay at my apartment with Hiei tonight to give him one of his...gifts. The party is at Genkai's temple. I actually managed to convince Hiei to come.
Everyone is exchanging gifts, but we won't open them until after the party, when we're at home. I took Hiei out last week to get Yukina a gift. He picked out a silver necklace with a silver snowflake charm. I know Yukina will love it.
I got her a silver barette to match the necklace that Hiei got her. Hiei and I are also giving gifts to Genkai, Yuusuke, and Kuwabara. I got Kuwabara a pair of roller skates. I got Yuusuke a camera and Genkai a pair of ninja stars. Hiei disappeared for a few hours, and reappeared with three bottles of Makai brew, one for for Yuusuke, one for Kuwabara, and one for me, and a very ornate no dati for Genkai. I don't even want to know how he got those gifts. I can't drink that much alcohol, so I'll bring it along to the party and share it. I hope Hiei understands. He also brought something else home, but he hid it and won't tell me what it is. I know where he hid it, but I want to be surprised, so I don't peek.
I wonder what Yukina's making Hiei. She never told me. In fact, I haven't seen much of her in the past few weeks. She's probably staying in her room, making people's gifts.
I help Hiei wrap the gifts and he shoves his in a small black canvas bag and carries them over to Genkai's to put them under the Christmas tree that Yuusuke and Kuwabara dragged in and that everyone helped in decorating. I follow with my gifts.
The decorations are beautiful. Yukina is pleased when I tell her that. Apparently, she helped make them. Yuusuke and Keiko show up about an hour after I arrive with two bags filled with gifts. Kuwabara and Shizaru follow soon after, also loaded down with presents. We set them around the tree for later.
Keiko made a special Western drink called 'eggnog', and Shizaru made fruitcake. Genkai had a turkey imported, and she and Yukina cooked it. I've never had turkey before, but I hear that it's really good. I brought the Makai brew that Hiei got for me.
Dinner is good. The meal is all American holiday food. There is turkey, stuffing, vegetables, cranberry sauce, rolls, and mashed potatoes for dinner. For dessert there is pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate cream pie, ice cream, most of which Hiei ate, and (of course) fruitcake. To my surprise, Hiei likes fruitcake. Unfortunately, so does Kuwabara, so we get to listen to them fight over it. Finally, Shizaru cuts it, and, since no one else likes fruitcake, gives them each half of it. They each eat their half, glaring at each other the entire time.
Shizaru grins. "Great!! I've been trying to get rid of that stupid fruitcake for years!!"
Kuwabara gags. "This was that fruitcake?!"
Smirking, Shizaru punchs his arm. "'Course it is, baka. You didn't think I'd actually make another one, did you?" She turns to Hiei, still chuckling. "Gomen, Hiei. I had to watch him eat that, otherwise I would've warned you."
Hiei shrugs. "I've eaten worse. Besides, it tasted good."
Kuwabara looks disgusted. "I'm gonna be sick. You're disgusting."
"Hn," Hiei sniffs. "If you don't like fruitcake, then why'd you eat it?"
"Like I was gonna let you eat it all!!"
"You're an idiot."
"Hey!!" Kuwabara lunges, but Hiei disappears, then reappears on the other side of the room. Kuwabara falls flat on his face.
"Hn. You can't even stay on your own feet. That, in my opinion, shows how stupid you are."
Somehow, Yuusuke manages to restrain Kuwabara from trying to go after Hiei and starting another round of squabbling. Then we drink the eggnog, which is surprisingly potent. Eventually, I bring out the Makai liquor. Hiei has a glass, as do Shizaru, Keiko, Genkai, and I. Yukina politely declines. Yuusuke and Kuwabara finish off the bottle.
Around one in the morning, we finally break up the party. Hiei takes his gifts and leaves. I stay for a little while longer and thank Genkai, then I pack up my gifts. As I'm putting my gifts in the bag that I brought, I see a small gift that Hiei forgot. It's from Yukina. I sigh and put it in my coat pocket. Then I walk home.
Hiei is in the living room, rumaging through his bag when I get home. I empty out my bag on the floor, and sit on the couch, watching my lover. "Are we going to unwrap them or not?"
"Hn." He pulls a gift out of the pile of his on the floor. "Yuusuke..." He rips it open. It's a metal katana sheath with dragons carved into it.
"Wow..." I breath as I look at it. "That had to be expensive..."
Hiei removes his katana from his belt and takes it from the old, ratty sheath that he uses. "Good. I needed a new one." Yuusuke must have seen that and decided to get him a new one. How practical.
I smile and pick through my pile of presents until I find the one from Yuusuke. I open it and find a large box. I open that and find around a hundred packages of seeds. Some of the more deadly varieties of the Ningenkai, such as the Venus Fly Trap, and (for me at least) the rose. "Well, at least now I won't have to buy more for a while...At least until after another mission..."
Hiei snorts and pulls out another present. "Kuwabara?!" He opens it and reveals...a pair of black roller skates with a fire dragon on each side. I wonder where he found those... "Hn. He would get me something like this..."
"Don't you like them?"
The Jaganshi ignores me. "I wonder if they'll fit..."
I smirk. He likes them. He's just too stubborn to admit it. I pick them up to look closer and see that the dragons were painted on by hand. Wow. This had to have taken a lot of time. Then I see the name of the artist cleverly hidden in the flames. Shizaru. "Hey, Hiei. Shizaru painted the dragons on."
He quirks an eyebrow and takes the skates back, looking at them closely. "She's a good artist..."
I pull out Kuwabara's gift to me and unwrap it. It's a ningen Western cookbook with everything from pizza to chocolate mousse. "Cool. I'll have to experiment."
"I'm assuming I've been elected your lab rat?" I grin at him to let him know that he's correct. Hiei looks the book and sniffs. "What the hell is a chocolate moose?!"
"It's 'mousse,' Hiei, and it's a kind of cross between chocolate pudding and chocolate ice cream..." By the look on the little youkai's face, he definitely wants to try it. "Come on...let's finish opening gifts so we can get to...other things."
Hiei quickly pulls another gift from his pile and looks at it. "Genkai." He rips off the paper, revealing a beautiful dagger with a dragon handle. "Hn. Nice weapon."
"Beautiful." The fire demon grunts in agreement. I smile and open my own gift from Genkai. The handle of the rapier is a silver fox, and the tail melts into the blade. "Wow. This is a nice blade!"
Hiei snorts and pulls out another gift. "Boton? I thought she was still pissed at me..." He looks at me. I shrug. "Hn." He opens the gift to reveal a large box. Inside that box is another box. And another. And another. Ten boxes later, the very impatient Jaganshi finally gets to the gift. It is a tiny wooden oar. Along with it is a note. Hiei reads it aloud. "'You'll need this when you die, 'cause I sure as hell ain't picking you up.'" He looks at me. "Yup. Still pissed."
I sigh and open my own package from Boton. And find it wrapped in the same fashion. Finally, I open the last box. Inside is a pretty pink kimono with gold hair ribbons and a note. It reads: 'You seemed to enjoy wearing that dress that you were in when I picked you up. I hope you enjoy this one just as much.' I look at Hiei. "She's pissed at me too."
"Why's she pissed at you?" the youkai sniffs.
"Before you woke up, I said that she was going to kill us with her driving. She sure holds a grudge." Hiei snickers. "I can give this to my mom. It's about her size."
Each of us get envelopes from Koenma. "If this is another mission, I'm gonna kill that pacifier-sucking freak," Hiei grumbles. We open them at the same time. They are free passes for a week off. "Hn. So much for Christmas bonuses."
Hiei opens his gift from Hinigeshi. It's a hand-knit black hat lined with some sort of warm, black fur. The outside is made to match his hair, including even the white starburst and blue tips. "I wonder where she got this..."
I shrug and open my own package. I receive a silver one with white fur inside. "Looks like she made everyone the same thing..." I smile at Hiei. "Time to exchange gifts..."
The Jaganshi disappears for a moment and returns with a large, sloppily wrapped, slightly singed gift. "Here."
I open it and gasp in amazement. It is the Airashii bush, one of the rarest and most beautiful plants in the Makai. "Oh, Hiei! It's lovely!" I look at him. "But how in the world did you find it?"
"That's for me to know."
"Don't worry, I'll convince you to tell me. I have my ways..." Grinning, I hand him the package from me. He unwraps it and opens the box. And pulls out the charm necklace that I had specially made for him. It is a rose with a dragon entwined lovingly around it. He stares at it for a while, then looks at me. "Thank you, Kurama.
I smirk at my fire demon. "That wasn't my whole present." I pull him onto the couch and prepare for a very enjoyable night.
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