Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

This was bad. This was really freaking bad. Kagome puffed as she ran down the shrine steps. Of course, Shippo-chan would sneak out. She should have made him kitsune promise that he would be on his best behavior, but nooo she just had to trust those large green eyes of his and his sugary words of wanting to experience Christmas with her and her family. She really should have known better.

He was in so much trouble when she got her hands on him. The modern world was no place for a trickster like him to be running amok.

Kagome pressed a hand to her temple, pushing into her skin as though the harder she pushed, the greater her thinking would expand. If she were a kitsune alone in a modern city, where would she go?

Think. Think. Shippo might be older than her, but his mind was still that of a child's. The park nearby? No, too basic—he could get a better view of nature in his time. Think. Think. She snapped her fingers. The amusement park. Sota was bragging about all the rides and candy earlier. Kagome stuffed her hands into dark coat pockets, the bite from the cold winter stung her cheeks red. In her hurry, she neglected to grab gloves or a scarf. Half-jogging, she made her way to the amusement park. Even with the park being closed, the attractions were big enough to still draw the eye.

"Shippo! Where are you?" She called out, her voice cracking like ice against the cold front. Creepy doesn't even being to describe how eerie it was to be at this park this late at night. Not quite the same as walking alone in the feudal era, where all sorts of nasty demons and humans just lie in the shadows, waiting to pounce.

A chill that has nothing to do with the cold has the hairs on her arms rising. That energy was like nothing she has felt before, not demonic but not good either- it was as though the power was corrupted, cursed, and it was coming from behind the Ferris wheel.

"Fox fire!" Her heartbeat stopped for a fraction of a second. No. Shit. Shippo was in danger and she left her fucking bow at home because it's modern Japan and nothing ever happens here. Ugh. She pumped her legs to go faster, skidding to a stop at the sight of a grotesque thing.

The hell was that? Now, she has seen some ugly, and she means ugly demons in her life, but this thing puts all those low-level demons to shame. Its foot was sawed off, barely hanging together by its tendons. There was a black inky substance leaking from its foot. Its other leg was smashed together as though it had tried to fuse the parts back on. Bones stuck out from its back, and the whole thing made her want to hurl.

That thing was disgusting, and the smell of rotting flesh did not help its case.

"Get away from them," she commanded, noting a younger boy with spiky hair peeking out from behind Shippo. Shippo's legs were shaking and this thing clearly outclassed him, and yet he stood firm.

Did he rush off to save this boy? She would dwell on it later. Right now, her focus was on how the heck she was to go about beating this thing with no weapons.

It turned around slowly, like a bottle cap being twisted off, a sick crack with each movement. Its face was sewed up into a smile, its eyes were red and small like beads. "B-back," it croaked out, "come back." The amusement park lit up suddenly, as though the monster's voice commanded the lights. Just as quickly as the park lit up, it died down shrouding them in darkness.

"It's a special grade!" The boy shouted as though she should know what the heck that meant.

"Hey! Ugly, leave them alone!" She pointed her finger at it. Her eyes darted to Shippo. Even if she could get him to transform, without an arrow or something makeshift, it was pointless. "Shippo, you two get out of here." She jumped, just barely out of the way of its attack, tumbling over herself. How graceful, she bemoaned.

"We can't leave!"

"It set up a domain expansion!"

A domain what? Ouch, her knees stung from the way she landed. At least her jeans helped to take the brunt of it, but dang, this was not how she planned to spend her Christmas Eve.

A game plan would be nice.

Or a bath.

Or maybe this thing could just not exist.

Suddenly it leaped on her, its hands- claws? Gripped her shoulders as its patched mouth ripped open revealing more black liquid. What was it going to do? Swallow her? Goodness, this was not the time to be making such morbid jokes.

"C-come back," it cried out, itching its face closer to hers. She huffed and groaned at the weight. It was a struggle, but she got one arm free. Her powers rose from her gut to her palm, sending a blast of pink in tune with the slap to its face. The thing screeched as it scrambled backward, clawing at its face.

Her heart was beating erratically at the near-death experience. She really should take Sango up on that offer for hand-to-hand training, because this was not it.

The boy throws his hands together in a dog gesture—no, wolf; she corrected herself as a white wolf leaped from the boy's shadow and pounced on the monster. She stumbled forward on wobbly legs. Where did Shippo run off to?

There should be a common agreement that nothing bad happens around Christmas. If InuYasha were to catch wind of this, she'd never hear the end of it. The wolf let out a yelp as the monster tossed it back towards the boy. Kagome does a mad dash towards the monster, determined to not let it put a single creepy hand on him.

"Kagome! Catch!" Shippo yelled out, throwing a cheap wooden sword at her. It's not a bow, but her aim is true no matter the weapon.

"Oi! Yeah, you," she goaded, rearing her arm back. It would be preferable if the sword was pointier, but beggars cannot be choosers, and this was her only option - saved from throwing herself on its back and trying to purify it that way.

Idiotic. Yeah, well. What else was she to do? Try to fight it like she actually knew how to wield a sword?

It turned at her, snarling as its bones expanded even further out of its body. She aimed for the mouth, anticipating that it would have something to say back to her goading. The sword struck true. The aura alone from her purification stopped the monster from getting away again. Kagome sucked in large amounts of cold air as she tried to calm her heart rate. That took so much out of her.

"How did you do that?" The boy looked at her in awe as Shippo helped him and his wolf up. He patted the white wolf before it disappeared into the boy's shadow once more.

At least, he and Shippo-chan were bundled up in appropriate winter clothing.

"Uh." Kagome stuffed her hands into her coat pockets. The adrenaline was wearing off fast, along with the feelings in her fingers. "Where are your parents…?" She prayed he didn't watch that thing kill his parents.

"Gone." He jutted his chin out.

"Kagome is cool. She won't judge," Shippo assured the boy.

"Fushiguro Megumi," he told her. "I have a guardian," he spat out, causing her brows to raise in response.

Either the kid was upset because his parents were gone or he hated his guardian. Or both.

"Let's get you home, okay. You shouldn't be out here alone." She crouched down to his level and smiled. He was so adorable with how serious he was trying to be.

"Why did you save me?"

Huh?

"Because you were in danger."

"It could have killed you."

"I would have died with no regrets if it meant that you two could have gotten away."

"Megumi," Shippo interrupted, "Kagome isn't the type to just run away. We should get out of here." Shippo waved his hands excitedly in the air. "There are cookies back at the shrine for Santa Claws."

"Santa Claus," Megumi corrected, a small smile on his face as he watched Shippo-chan jump up and down.

Kagome blinked at that. How did those two become such quick friends? And how did he summon that wolf from his shadows? And what the heck was a curse?

"Megumi, would you like to come back with us and call your guardian?" She asked, even though she already knew the answer. The boy seemed to be pretty fascinated by Shippo. Not that she could blame him since Shippo went out, bushy tail and all. She stood up, holding out her hand to him. Megumi looked at Shippo for confirmation before taking a hold of her hand and grabbing a hold of Shippo in his other hand. "Let's go home."

****

Gojo Satoru was not having a great day. First, the higher-ups lectured him about the responsibilities of taking in Megumi and how the Gojo clan taking in a Zenin was a political imbalance or some shit like that. Really, the Zenins were just pissed that he put a stop to the sale and stopped them from getting their grubby hands on Megumi. The only thing that clan cared about was Megumi's cursed technique. They did not give a damn about Megumi's or Tsumiki's well-being.

He spiked a hand through his hair, mildly irritated at the vibrations from his phone. What was it now? "Yo!" he answered with false joy.

"H-Hi, Gojo-san," the babysitter stammered out.

His body festered with annoyance. He gripped the phone tighter, knowing that the next words out of her mouth would surely ruin his night even more. Why else would the babysitter call him if not to deliver bad news?

"Megumi is uh missing–"

"What?" Did he get kidnapped? "Is Tsumiki okay?"

"Y-yes, for the most part. She's upset, but unharmed. We went to the amusement park and I don't know –"

"You went to the amusement park hours ago," he said lowly, "and you are just now calling me?" What was he paying her for if she couldn't handle watching two kids? He pulled the phone back to glance at the unknown number calling. "Do not let Tsumiki out of your sight." He ended the phone call.

She was so fired.

"Gojo," he answered, his mind going down the list of his many enemies. They were as good as dead once he found them. Coming after him was one thing—going after children was unforgivable.

"Hi Gojo-san," a melodic voice rang in his ears, "I have Megumi-chan with me. He's fine, busy eating cookies right now. Do you know where the Higurashi shrine is? If not, I can give you directions," she said.

Higurashi shrine? Could be a trap, he mused, but his gut was telling him that Megumi was fine if he was staying out at a shrine.

"I know of the shrine," he responded, "and who am I speaking with?"

"Oh, sorry!" She laughed, "Higurashi Kagome. Just knock when you get here and sorry for feeding Megumi-chan sweets so late, he and Shippo-chan insisted on them." The sound of Megumi laughing in the background was foreign to him. The kid was always so serious that he didn't think the boy knew what fun was. "See you soon, Gojo-san," Kagome said before hanging up on him.

He yawned as he stuffed his phone into his pocket. So much for relaxing when he got home. Not wanting to waste any more time, though his body was tired from working mission after mission, he teleported to the bottom of the shrine steps. He paused at the front door; his shades slid down the ridge of his nose. Megumi's cursed energy burned like a light, but it was the presence of something darker - more visceral in the home that had him pushing down his own energy.

It was nothing he had ever felt before and he has fought a number of special grade curses.

He knocked and listened to the scrambling of footsteps. His shoulders tensed, not sure what to expect to be hiding from behind the door. The door swung open.

"Hi! You must be Gojo-san. Kagome," she greeted, her words breathless. Her beauty sent him spiraling. He was not a drinker, but he wouldn't mind getting drunk off on the taste of her. He wondered if her lips would taste as sweet as they looked. Long, dark lashes framed her doe eyes. On anyone else, he'd think the color plain - normal, but on her, he saw warmth and an innocence he wanted to protect with every fiber of his being.

Well… fuck, he thought, love was the most twisted curse of all and if this was the face of such a curse, then maybe falling in love was not so bad.

Megumi glared at him from behind Kagome's legs, his hands gripping onto her pants tightly as though Gojo were the stranger and not the other way around.

"Where'd you find the runt?" he asked, his smile dropping at her frown.

"I found Megumi," she stressed, "at the amusement park." She placed a hand on Megumi's head. "Why don't you come in Gojo-san? Surely you must be cold standing out there. We were just getting ready to make some more hot chocolate." She turned her back to him. Megumi trailed behind her.

"Don't do anything," Megumi mouthed, glaring back at him like the brat that he was.

"Thank you for calling me right away, Kagome," Gojo said, trying a different angle. "I just got the call from Megumi's babysitter right before you called." She led them to the kitchen where the darker energy was emitting from. His fingers twitched at his side as he came face to face with a… boy with a tail?

He supposed that even curses could be cute sometimes, but why the heck was it happily eating actual food?

"Shippo is a fox demon, leave him alone," Megumi announced, joining Shippo at the table. Kagome jerked back and then looked at him sheepishly.

"Are you like Megumi?" Shippo asked, stuffing marshmallows into his mouth. "Can you summon a fox?"

"What's wrong with my wolves?" Megumi argued.

"They're wolves! And I'm a fox."

"So."

"So, wolves eat foxes."

"Okay boys," Kagome interrupted, "that's enough or you won't get any hot chocolate." They groaned and pretended to zip their mouths shut. "Gojo-san-"

"Satoru."

"Satoru," she said, "there was a…"

"Special grade," Megumi offered up. "We couldn't leave the park, so I think it had a domain expansion."

So, the runt did listen during his training sessions.

He flicked his gaze to Shippo, his eyes roving over the childlike features. Was he responsible for saving them? He didn't look like much. Smaller than Megumi, but the power coming from him was more than what Megumi had at the moment. Stronger. Darker. He could be trouble.

But was it enough to get rid of a special grade, he wondered, though looks could be deceiving.

"Kagome-san exorcised it."

Surprised coated his face. He was not expecting that at all.

Kagome handed him a cup of hot chocolate. Her fingers brushed against his - which should be impossible. Wait a minute. He was too distracted earlier to notice, but there was no cursed energy within Kagome at all.

"I purified whatever that thing was." She shrugged, without a hint of arrogance, as though the task was truly no biggie.

"You took down a special grade?" He discreetly sniffed the hot chocolate, raising the cup up to his mouth. If Megumi claimed that it had a domain, then it had to be a special grade, and somehow Kagome took it down, no problem. He roved over her figure behind his dark shades, committing to memory how petite she was. The longer he stared, the more the primal part of him wanted to make her his.

What was wrong with him? He had no time for relationships and lusting over Megumi's savior was awful, even for his standards.

"I still don't know what that means." She turned away, fixing two mugs of hot chocolate. He wasn't sure if he should be annoyed, skeptical, or flattered that she felt so comfortable around him. "It didn't feel like a demon. I'm just lucky that purification worked on it."

"It was a curse, borne from the negative human emotions."

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she placed the mugs in front of the boys. "Gramps is always going on about curses. I thought he was just talking as he always does." She pressed a finger to her chin before looking at him with an excited expression. "Does that mean you are a sorcerer?"

"The strongest," he replied, resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at Megumi's obvious eye roll.

"Demon begone!" A man shouted behind him. His cursed energy was so low that it barely registered on Satoru's radar. The sutras hit his infinity. He raised a brow at the older man. He made Gakuganji look young.

"Grandpa! What are you doing?" Kagome brushed past him, startling him once again at the contact. She smelled like honey and lavender. The sutras were still floating in the air, so his infinity was still up, and yet Kagome could bypass it?

Looks could be deceiving, he thought, and powerhouses seemed to come in the shape of curvy shrine maidens. He could feel a pair of eyes glaring holes in his back. Satoru turned his head to see both Megumi and Shippo glaring daggers at him.

Was he that obvious?

"Well, Megumi and I should be going now," he said. His heart clenched at leaving so soon, which was all the more reason why he needed to get out of there. His mind was a muddled mess of thoughts of how to make Kagome smile, laugh, and other thoughts that were not at all appropriate with the given audience.

"What! You can't leave," Shippo said. "I thought Clawsmas was about celebrating with family and friends."

"Christmas," Megumi corrected, "and yeah, I want to stay. Why can't you go get Tsumiki?"

"We can't just impose." Seriously, what has gotten into Megumi? The boy hated people.

"Oh, we don't mind. Right grandpa?" Kagome flashed him a smile as she plucked the sutra out of the air.

"Hmph. I have my eye on you, boy," the older man pointed and then swiped a cookie from the table.

The old man had his eye on him, but not the fox demon? This family was strange and entirely too trusting, in his opinion.

"Ignore gramps," Kagome said. "You wouldn't have made it up the steps if you were a bad person. And gramps, Satoru is a sorcerer like those stories you always tell."

The hell did she mean by the steps comment?

"What's your surname, boy?"

"Gojo." He eyed the cookies that were disappearing fast. The sharp gasp drew his attention. So, the old man knew of him then, but Kagome did not, and yet she could take out a special grade. He should start taking the time around Christmas off.

"Oh boy, I don't think gramps is going to let you go now," she joked, shaking her head as the older man rushed out of the room. "But really, we do not mind. Shippo-chan has taken a liking to Megumi-chan and I have some questions if you don't mind."

"What do I get for answering your questions?" He smiled back, ignoring the sharp rise of cursed and demonic energy. His fingers curled around the mug handle tighter as he took a sip. Man, that was some good shit. Kagome must have won Megumi over with the hot chocolate alone.

"Um, well, what do you want?" She crossed her arms, pushing her breasts together. He took another long draw from his drink.

"Well-"

"Oi! Kagome!"

The color drained from Kagome's face as a man in a red haori came skidding into the kitchen. His hair was as white as the snow out, and he had two dog-shaped ears on top of his head. Another demon? Satoru sat his mug on the table.

"Who the fuck are you?" The man demanded, one claw-tipped hand on the hilt of his sword.

Satoru bit back a snarl. Shippo might not mean any harm, but this dog-eared one did.

Chapter Text

"InuYasha! Sit, boy!" Kagome yelled. A groan that sounded like, fucking bitch, followed after the command, which must have pissed the beauty off even more because she shouted "sit boy!" two more times.

Satoru rubbed his cloth-covered eyes, not believing the scene in front of him. Was this dog-eared demon like her shikigami or was this a technique that could work on anyone? He rubbed at his eyes again, but the sight of this InuYasha face planted onto the ground was still there. Admittedly, it was a funny sight. InuYasha rubbed him the wrong way, but… he should get Megumi out of there.

"How did you do that?" Megumi asked. His voice was full of amazement. A twinge of annoyance hit Satoru. Kagome yelled out one command and the boy was impressed? He showed Megumi what a domain expansion was and all he got was a grunt. Unbelievable.

This was not good. He needed to remove Megumi from this situation. They could try to brainwash him or worse, try to fatten poor Megumi up to feed him to the demons. He was not fooled by the cute routine that Shippo was putting on, nor was he the type to fall to the whims of a beautiful woman.

He'd just use the excuse of leaving to pick up Tsumiki to get Megumi far, far away from them, and then he'd return and deal with this strange family. He shuddered. How many children and men had they lured back to this shrine under the guise of being helpful only to sacrifice them to the demons they were housing?

"The rosemary around his neck. Only Kagome can use the command. Miroku says it's how they show their love," Shippo said, startling Satoru from his thoughts.

Kagome was in a relationship with that? His muscles tightened as he flexed his hands, relieving some of the stress that built up over the span of a minute. Why did the thought of her being in a relationship make him feel as though his throat were closing up? He pulled at his jacket, allowing some air to flow through. He was hot. Far too hot for winter. Maybe she put something in the hot chocolate? He was also being stupid for allowing an insignificant emotion such as jealousy to attach itself to him over a woman he just met.

It wasn't as though he could get rid of the demons and somehow convince her to join team good guys. Satoru watched the way Kagome lit up when she addressed Shippo. No, she was too intertwined with them to see reason, and it wasn't good for him to dwell on any negative emotion too much.

Megumi raised his hand and asked with that damn monotone voice, "Kagome-san, could you make one for Gojo?"

"Gumi! You traitor!" Satoru spit out, his face was aghast at the utter audacity of Megumi. And here he was, the good sorcerer that he was, took the poor boy and his sister in. He should just leave Megumi to become demon food with that attitude.

"I don't know if they actually work on humans," Kagome said, winking at Megumi. "But I'm sure we could find something to keep Satoru in line."

What was that supposed to mean?

"Oh, and how would you keep me in line, Ka-go-me?" He stepped closer to her. She was so small compared to him. Her face turned bright red, the blush went down her neck and disappeared underneath her shirt. He was utterly shameless to be ruminating on how far down he could get the blush to go.

InuYasha snarled as he leaped to his feet. "How dare you," InuYasha sputtered, "think that you can just come up in here and talk to Kagome like that? Kagome out of the way, I'm gonna take care of this guy right now." InuYasha rolled up one red sleeve, winding up his arm like he wanted to take Satoru in a windmill fight. "Let's go outside ugly."

What? Who the hell was he calling ugly? Satoru scoffed. He could see the spittle from where he was standing. As far as he was concerned, no one as uncouth as this InuYasha had any room to be calling someone out.

Kagome placed one hand on Satoru's chest and then addressed InuYasha. "Stop it! seriously how old are you? I can't believe you think that I'm just gonna let you fight on Christmas. Absolutely not. Satoru is a guest. OK! He's a guest and you do not get to come up in here and try to wave the tessaiga around and think that I'm just gonna stand for it. You have lost your mind."

InuYasha's ears drooped with every word out of Kagome's mouth. Shippo snickered from behind Satoru.

The hell was going on? Satoru blinked, slightly wondering if the number of times he's blinked from the craziness unfolding before him was cause for concern. He looked back at Megumi and then back at Kagame. He just did not- could not- understand what exactly was going on. She was stopping her demon from fighting him?

But why?

Why would she stop him from attacking? Was that not her plan to fatten him and Megumi up, and sacrifice them to these demons? He just did not understand what her game was.

No, he needed to be more alert. He could not afford for his emotions to get the better of him. He knew better than that. For goodness's sake, he's the strongest. The world was counting on him to keep it together. He couldn't allow jealousy or lust to rule him.

Stick with the original plan and claim that he was leaving to go pick up Tsumiki. He'd insist that Megumi have to go with him. Megumi would put up a fight, but that was okay. It would be more believable if he did. He had to get them out of there before anything else happened and before Kagome used her sweet words on him, and he lost all of his reasoning… again.

"Inu-baka is just being stupid as usual. He's just jealous because Kagame likes Satoru and Satoru likes Kagome," Shippo whispered, though Satoru could hear him loud and clear. Clearly, InuYasha could hear him just as clear.

His stomach fluttered. Either Shippo was a master actor or Kagome was sparing them because she realized what a catch he was. He liked to think it was the latter.

"Oi! What the fuck you say? You little runt. Bet you won't say that to my face Shippo," InuYasha growled out, stomping his feet and shaking his fist towards Shippo. Kagome sighed, removing her palm from him.

Shit. How did she get past his infinity again?

"Owww! What was that for?" InuYasha rubbed his ear, glaring at Kagome.

"You know," Satoru spoke up, "I think Megumi and I should be on our way to pick up Tsumiki. Is there anything you want us to bring back? You know for dinner, since we are imposing, of course?" He flashed a wide smile, hoping that Megumi would just go with it and that Kagome wouldn't pick up on his desire to tactfully retreat.

"I'm not leaving," Megumi said. "Go by yourself. Shippo and I are gonna write a letter to Santa."

On second thought, perhaps he should just teleport them away from the situation.

"Yeah! I'm gonna ask Santa for a dad," Shippo exclaimed.

"Just a dad? Shouldn't you want a mom too?"

"I got Kagome, silly."

A hush fell over the kitchen. Satoru sat his mug down on the table, noting how Megumi's eyes would dart at him and then away. A foreign feeling overcame him. Did… did Megumi see him as a father figure?

"InuYasha, when did you get here?" Kagome's grandpa asked. "Move out of the way, boy. I need to give this to Gojo-san." The old man walked towards him with a small wooden box in his hands.

It couldn't be. Satoru froze at the distinct cursed energy coming from the box.

"I want this cursed object gone from here. Take it. I know you sorcerers are always looking for these things."

"How did you?" Satoru took the box and opened it up to reveal ten neatly wrapped fingers. They had this many in their possession? He stared at the wrappings on the fingers. It seemed fresh like someone was able to bind the powers… Satoru snapped the box close and looked up at Kagome. "Did you fix the seals on these?"

"Mhm, the evilness from it was giving me a headache. I have to go through some of Gramps' possessions every now and then. There's always some ancient artifact that he shouldn't have, but does."

"You have more possessions like this?"

"Yeah, did you want to see?"

It could be a trap.

They could just be a really, really weird family.

"Show me the way." He glowered at the death look InuYasha sent him while Kagome wasn't looking. They wouldn't try anything until he came back with Tsumiki, he reasoned, so Megumi should be okay hanging out with the fox demon for a little while longer.

Satoru followed Kagome outside of the house, still clutching the wooden box. He hoped his suspicions were wrong and maybe he could convince Kagome to become his personal assistant. For the greater good of humanity… of course.

Chapter Text

"Sorry, it is a bit of a mess in here," Kagome said, flipping the light switch on. The shed was cramped and filled to the brim with trinkets and cursed objects like severed eyeballs and dragon claws. And yet, despite the monstrosities, the shed smelled like vanilla waffles. "There is this fetus-like thing that feels the same as those fingers. For the life of me, I have no idea where Gramps found it." Kagome shook her head and tried to ignore the tightening of her stomach. Gojo Satoru was really tall and the hint of blue that peeked out every now and then from the dark shades was enough to have her contemplating writing a letter to Santa, too.

"Is your grandfather a serial killer?" Satoru joked, pressing his body against hers as he reached around her to grab the jar in question. Kagome blushed, her cheeks tingled, and were probably bright pink like the suckers Shippo always requested. "This is a womb painting," he said, pulling away.

Kagome sucked in a breath and wiped her hands on the front of her shirt. She needed to pull it together. "That doesn't look like a painting." Someone must have mercy on her because her voice did not shake, though her legs felt like a puddle of goo. "But it's a curse?"

Satoru held the jar up closer to the light and hummed. "It's half curse, half human." The jar glowed green for a moment, or it could have been the way the light reflected on the liquids.

"Oh! InuYasha is half demon. But why would someone keep the remains of a child?" To be fair, Kagome was not sure why her grandfather had picked up this particular item, but perhaps he felt it was cursed as well.

Satoru froze and tilted his head to the side, causing his shades to slide down. "Demons are compatible with humans?" Something in his voice gave her pause, but she was not certain if it was genuine curiosity or something more that led him to ask such a question.

Kagome nodded. "Depends on the size, of course. A dragon that doesn't have a more human-like form wouldn't be able to mate with a human." Kagome motioned with her hands. "The logistics of it wouldn't work out." She grimaced. The image alone gave her a shudder of fright.

Satoru clucked his tongue and leaned in closer to Kagome. She took a step back until her back hit the shelf behind her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Did you put a spell on me?" His voice lowered and did something to Kagome's psyche.

This would not do. Satoru was a stranger. A hot, powerful stranger if the energy swelling around him was anything to go off on, but still a stranger.

Kagome huffed. "I'm a priestess, not a witch. The only sorcerer in here is you." Her tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips. She should have put some chapstick on before venturing out into the cold. Satoru placed the jar on the shelf behind her. He was so close, his body heat threatened to become her own. Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it in her throat. "Gojo-san—"

"Satoru."

"Satoru," she corrected herself, pushing against his chest. "Was there something else you needed?" Kagome averted her eyes. His chest was as hard as granite. "There are more items like those fingers if you want to take them."

"Can I take anything in this shed?"

Kagome wrinkled her nose and mulled over his words. There were a lot of items that Gramps did not need to hold on to and with her spending the bulk of her time in the past, she did not have time to seal every item her grandfather brought back. "If that is what you wish."

Her stomach churned with need. She wanted to fan herself, but she resisted and instead gripped his jacket to push him away or to pull him away. She was not sure.

"What if I want you?"

Kagome squeaked like a mouse caught in a mousetrap. She should have seen that coming. How many times had she seen Miroku manipulate someone? "Me? I'm not a cursed object," she said with a nervous laugh. Her hands tightened before she was cognizant of what she was doing. Kagome blinked as her body warmed over. Oh. She should let him go. Her hands dropped to her side, though her palms burned and itched with need.

Satoru took a step back and tugged at his hair. "Sorry, I was..." he trailed off and blew out a breath. "Are you sure about us joining you for dinner?"

The change in subject gave her whiplash, but she was grateful for it all the same. Distance was what they both needed. Or maybe just her. Kagome inhaled, trying to get her heart to beat normally, but the thing kept ticking faster as though every moment away from Satoru was strenuous, which was weird. She had never felt this way about any man, human or demon. Why does it feel as though breathing is suddenly so much harder without his body pressed against hers?

Perhaps he had placed a spell on her then.

Kagome crossed her arms. She did not miss how Satoru's shades slid down once more, nor how his eyes glittered like diamonds. "Are you actually human?"

Satoru frowned. "What makes you think I'm not?"

Kagome shrugged. "You're too attractive." There she said it. He was beautiful, like Sesshomaru. No human was that attractive. Surely there was demon somewhere in his bloodline for him to be so god-like in his appearance. An incubus perhaps? Those eyes of his were bewitching.

Satoru laughed. "I'm definitely human." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. "Does the dinner invite extend to the rest of the week?"

Kagome chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about his question. Shippo and Megumi were hitting it off. "Yes." She looked at him then. "Could you tell me what Megumi and Tsumiki like? I would like to get them presents as well." She would like to get him a gift as it was only fair, but her tongue refused to cooperate any further. Christmas Eve was tomorrow and while the stores would be packed, she had hoped she could find something for Megumi and Tsumiki.

Satoru stopped rocking on his heels and turned his head towards the door. He scowled when the door flung open and InuYasha poked his head in. "Perhaps we could look at their letters to Santa," he said, though his attention was on InuYasha. His jaw ticked. And maybe she was imagining it, but she liked to think Satoru was upset that they were interrupted.

But what exactly did InuYasha interrupt? She did not have the answer, nor the emotional capacity to give that question the appropriate resources it required. It would have to wait until later when she was tucked in her bed with Shippo cuddled next to her, and the lingering aroma of hot chocolate and cookies in the air.

"The hell is taking you so long?" InuYasha grumbled, pointing a finger at Satoru, who seemed less than amused by InuYasha.

"We were talking," Kagome sighed, turning her back to them so she could grab the jar, but Satoru's words stopped her.

"Leave it. No reason to haul all that right before the holidays."

"Are you sure?"

Satoru nodded. "The seals here are impressive. I'm not concerned." He held a hand for her to take. "I'll go get Tsumiki. Was there anything we should bring for dinner?"

"Oh hell no!" InuYasha griped. "You can't invite strange men to eat with you."

Kagome rolled her eyes and turned her nose up. "So says the man that tried to kill me the first time we met. Satoru has been a gentleman."

"You what?"

"Oh whatever," InuYasha said, ears twitching. "Wasn't tryin' to kill ya. Just scare ya back then." His gold eyes darkened, and he flashed a fang at Satoru. "I'm staying then. Don't get any wise ideas, buddy."

Satoru scoffed, and then his mood sobered. "Are you with him?"

Kagome shook her head. "InuYasha and I are just friends." She wrung her hands. Why did he ask her that? Was it possible that he was serious about wanting her? Kagome lost herself in her thoughts as they made their way back to the house. When Satoru waved goodbye so he could go pick up Tsumiki, Kagome's heart left with him. She sat down at the kitchen table, across from Megumi and Shippo, while she pondered on this.

Something occurred in the shed, but what? She tapped her nails on the table and sighed. She was working herself up for no reason. It was surely plain old attraction. She'd spent too much time in the past running around solving everyone else's problems that she'd neglected her own needs.

And that was to get laid.

Kagome sighed and rested her head on the table. It was not like she could write that in her Christmas letter.

"Mama? Are you okay?" Shippo asked, pausing long enough from writing to asked her.

"Did he do something to you?" Megumi asked. "I can beat him up."

Kagome raised her head and smiled. "I'm fine, you two. Promise. Satoru has been nothing but nice," she added. Kagome pushed back against the table and walked over to the fridge. She should get something started, so Satoru and his crew are not out super late.

"Kagome," InuYasha called. "Need to talk to ya."

Kagome rolled her eyes skyward and scuffed her feet across the kitchen floor, drawing laughter from the children. She smiled and followed InuYasha out of the kitchen and to the living room, where he paced for several seconds and then finally rounded on her once he gathered his thoughts. Or so she assumed. There was no telling when it came to InuYasha, and she long gave up on trying to decipher his mind.

"Him?"

Kagome pressed her lips together in slight agitation. She had an inkling of who he spoke of, but why did he think he had the right to question her? InuYasha was her best friend, but he was also very hypocritical. "Her?" She shot back.

InuYasha scrunched his nose and hmphed as though that would be enough to have her act. Kagome rolled her eyes, making a big show of doing so, because InuYasha needed to know how done she was.

"Are you staying for dinner or going back to her?"

"There is no her, stupid."

Kagome flexed her fingers and puffed her cheeks. She was missing a stress ball. "You don't have to tell me the truth, but at least be honest with yourself."

InuYasha opened his mouth and after a moment, he closed it. His ears dropped and his shoulders sagged as though he had been carrying yet another boulder on his back. "I don't trust the guy."

"You don't trust any guy," Kagome pointed out. "But that's no longer your priority."

She was no longer his priority hung suspended in the air between them. They had tried to make it work to see if, perhaps, without the threat of Naraku looming over them and Kikyo at peace, that they could be more than friends.

Turned out, they couldn't even be fuck buddies. And thus, awkwardness wrapped itself around them and squeezed and squeezed until there was nothing left. Which left Kagome with a void. No matter how much she tried to fill it with doing errands for the villagers, traveling to other towns, or helping out at home on the shrine, nothing worked.

She was, without a sliver of doubt, frustrated. Surely sex was more than what she and InuYasha had attempted. Sango was pregnant again and too often; Kagome had caught Sango and Miroku fucking by the river for the scenery, as Sango once put it. It appeared that everyone other than her was having an amazing sex life.

Perhaps she should have called Hojo back? Kagome sighed and shook her head, ignoring the looks InuYasha shot her way.

"Kagome."

"Just go, InuYasha. I'm fine. Satoru does not mean me any harm."

"You just met the guy?" The suspicion was thick, and Kagome was at the last end of her patience.

"What's her name?"

InuYasha flushed red. He tucked his hands into the sleeves of his haori and wiggled his nose as though he would somehow scent a way out of the situation. "Hana," he relinquished after two minutes. "Are you sure you'll be safe with him?"

While Kagome did not have the answers, InuYasha sought, she pretended she did, if only to get him out of the house. "Yes, he's only showing up for dinner... for the kids." Kagome gnawed on the inside of her cheek, mindful to keep her tongue from running away and sprouting things she would not be able to take back. "Satoru does not want me. He's here for the kids."

InuYasha nodded and looked behind her. Kagome turned and wished that the floor would open up and take her hostage. For once, a kidnapping would have been appreciated. Satoru stood there with a small girl behind his legs, peering at Kagome in wonder. He had changed his outfit into something far more casual and tucked his shades into the pocket of his black shirt.

His eyes sparked with something Kagome dared not to put a name to. Her knees were as weak as Jaken. It was not until after InuYasha had bounded away, back down the well, and into the arms of the woman he had yet to bring around everyone, that Satoru turned his attention to Kagome fully. She tipped her head back and straightened her shoulders. Tsumiki disappeared down the hall and into the kitchen to join Shippo and Megumi with writing a letter to Santa.

"You think I don't want you?"

Kagome's face warmed, but she prided herself on keeping a steady voice. "I think that you are caught up in the moment and are simply grateful for Megumi's safe return." Too many demons and humans have declared their undying love to her over the years because of a simple, nice deed. Satoru proved to be no different.

Or so she thought.

Chapter Text

"We want to go to the shrine," Megumi said, no, demanded, with his bag packed with what Satoru assumed to be toys, snacks, and maybe an extra pair of clothes. Who knew what ran through the mind of Megumi?

Satoru scoffed. He'd opted to sleep over at Megumi and Tsumiki's apartment last night because it was late by the time they left the Higurashi residence and because he was certain that Megumi would sneak back over to the shrine. Though truthfully, Satoru slept over at the apartment more often than not because the children needed someone watching them. He kept his apartment for obvious reasons.

"We're going regardless," Megumi announced, bending down to slide on his shoes. Tsumiki frowned, but slid on her coat and a pair of mittens.

Wonderful.

Even Tsumiki was following in Megumi's defiant behavior

"You can't just invite yourselves over," Satoru argued. "You sure you don't want to stay home, and I can call the babysitter?" Satoru was in too good of a mood last night to fire the woman and people make mistakes, so he figured he could give her another chance to prove herself.

"Kagome-san can be our new babysitter..." Megumi trailed off, scrunching his nose. "Nanny."

Nanny?

Satoru's eyebrows shot up behind his bandages. "You want her to be around full-time?"

"Shippo said he wants a dad, and we want a mom."

Satoru crossed his arms. That was the second time Megumi inferred Satoru was a father figure. When did that happen? What happened to the boy that demanded Satoru to keep his distance? "You said you wanted her as a nanny and now you want her as a mom? Which is it?" Not that Satoru did not have the money to afford a nanny, because he did, but there was also the matter if Kagome wanted to be a nanny.

"The nanny part is just a trick," Tsumiki answered, lowering her voice to a whisper. "We'll be on our best behavior and then she'll never want to leave."

"So don't get our way," Megumi commanded, puffing his chest out.

Unbelievable. The brats were trying to convince Kagome to be their mother by asking her to be their nanny first.

"What if I don't want Kagome?"

Megumi's lips twisted back in disgust. "No one asked what you wanted."

"Megumi," Tsumiki admonished. "Gojo-san is lying."

Satoru palmed his face and exhaled. What was going on? He was certain there was something in the hot chocolate last night. Some kind of concoction to turn sweet, always agreeable, never talked back, Tsumiki against him. "You, two, listen—"

"We need to get gifts!" Tsumiki exclaimed, bouncing up and down. "We can't spend Christmas together and not have gifts." They turned to Satoru with expectancy.

"I have work," he reminded them, but the two shrugged him off.

"You always have work. Take us to get gifts and then take us to the shrine."

"Did you even ask Kagome if she wants to be bothered with you?" Satoru was at his wit's end. Megumi was always a sassy child, but for Tsumiki to join in, left Satoru dumbfounded. Where had he gone wrong? Too many sweets? Too much screen time? Damn, it was probably the screen time. Shoko was always going on about the effects of it, though he had blown her off because who listens to someone that cheated their way through medical school?

Strangely, though, to Satoru's confusion, he felt a pang of regret fill his body and nestle deep in his heart at Megumi's words. Who else would do missions if not him? Of course, he could slack off like Tsukumo, but then what? Spend his day knowing that he could have taken a mission or two and hope no sorcerers died because he could not be bothered.

Megumi stared at him for a beat and then pointed at Satoru's pocket. "Call her." When Satoru took too long for Megumi's liking, he tried to breach infinity to retrieve the phone himself.

Satoru planted a hand on Megumi's head and kept him back. "Alright. Damn, I'll call her. Freaking gremlin." Satoru pulled out his phone and called Kagome. It was simply a coincidence that he had her number in his phone. It's not as though he was hoping to have another reason to call her. And it was not because of Megumi's words. And he only insisted on getting her number last night because he would need to retrieve those items from the shed eventually.

On the third ring, Kagome answered.

Satoru turned to the side. She sounded breathless, and his mind went to the gutter.

Damn it.

"Good morning, Satoru. Is everything okay?"

"Uh... everything is fine." He cleared his throat. "The brats... uh, Megumi and Tsumiki wanted to see you and Shippo today."

"Tell her we want to spend the night!"

"I'm sorry. What was that?" Kagome asked. "Thought Megumi said something."

"Oh, he's just talking to himself." Satoru shook his head. Megumi needed to cut it out. They were not spending the night.

"WE WANT TO SPEND THE NIGHT!"

"Oh, that's fine if it's fine with you," Kagome said. "Though I'm not at home yet. I'm out getting gifts for everyone."

"Even me?" Satoru joked as his fingers tightened around the phone.

"Sure, we could build a fort in the living room and camp out."

His throat went dry. Oh, he was just saying shit, but she answered sincerely.

"See, I told you Gojo-san likes her," Tsumiki half whispered behind him. "We should move with Plan B."

Satoru looked over his shoulder at that. Plan B? He turned his attention back to the conversation. "We need to get gifts as well... just let me know when you're home and I'll drop them off. I gotta work, but I'll be done tonight."

"HE WON'T GET DONE IN TIME!" Megumi shouted. Satoru turned and held a finger to his lips, but Megumi stared back defiantly.

"Oh? Is it something I can help with? It's with the curses, right?" Her voice was husky and far too sensual this early in the morning. "I don't mind, so you can enjoy the holiday. Unless you prefer to work alone?"

He wanted to work her. She teased him all night. Every time they touched one another, accidentally on her part, her energy flared, and he swore it was like getting a hit. He left the Higurashi residence frustrated and annoyed that he had to share her with everyone else.

Satoru coughed. "But what about the kids?"

"WE'LL STAY WITH GRANDMA!" Tsumiki shouted this time.

Satoru sucked in a breath. Perhaps he should have put Kagome on speaker. His eardrums were shot from all this yelling.

"I guess that's settled," Satoru said. "Sure, you can come along. I'm curious how you took out that special grade, anyway."

"Mmm okay," Kagome said. "I'll call you when I get back home." She ended the call, leaving Satoru with a strange churning in his gut.

He wanted to talk to her longer.

He wanted to end the call as quickly as it had started.

"Alright, you two," he said, sliding his phone back into his pocket. "We'll pick up some gifts and if Kagome isn't back by then, then you two can hang out in the car while I do some missions."

"That's fine. We need to wrap the gifts." Megumi reached for the doorknob. "Let's go before everything good is gone." Megumi paused. "Pick out a ring."

"Now hold on," Satoru huffed. "A ring? I am not—"

"Then I'll propose to Kagome-san, myself."

"Oi! Watch it."

"Megumi, that's Plan S," Tsumiki said, waving a finger at him. "We got to stick to the schedule like Shippo said."

"... What schedule?" Satoru asked, but the two ignored him and continued to converse with one another about how plans needed to be modified depending on the circumstances. "Oi! Don't ignore me." Satoru squished Megumi's spiked hair. "What schedule?"

"Don't worry about it. You don't know what a schedule is."

As much crap as Satoru received from his fellow sorcerers, no one ever took the time to compliment him on his patience. Truly, his ability to keep his control was something that should be studied. A master class. No one had more patience than him.

"Keep it up and I'll make you do your missions today," Satoru threatened, but they both knew it was an empty one. Part of Satoru's workload was taking on Megumi's missions. He'd complete the missions and pass the money to Megumi's account to sit there. The kid had several commas in his account, but Satoru never asked him or Tsumiki to pay for anything.

"I won't share the list of things Kagome-san likes then."

Satoru frowned. They had a list? Why didn't he get a list? "Let's go before I change my mind." Another lie, but the brats never called him out on it, instead they happily ran up a bill and left him to foot it. He instructed Ijichi to drive them to the closest shopping center and though Ijichi cried about freaking schedules, he did as he was told. Honestly, why was everyone so concerned about schedules today?

Ijichi's eyes grew two sizes when he saw the sheer number of boxes and bags they came out with. Satoru closed the trunk and blew out a breath. While he did not purchase a ring, much to Megumi's annoyance, he picked out a bracelet that was still thoughtful and far less romantic than what Megumi urged him to buy.

"You just met her yesterday," Satoru sighed. "Not every woman you meet is going to be your new mother."

"Uhhh..." Ijichi tried to get a word in, but the trio talked over him.

"Kagome-san isn't every woman." Megumi crossed his arms, looking more like a pouty hedgehog. Satoru shook his head and pulled his phone out, pretending to be busy. "You said you liked her."

"Those words did not come out of my mouth."

"Then why did you keep touching her last night?" Tsumiki asked. "And she touched you too! You don't like it when people touch you."

"Guys..."

"And you laughed at her corny jokes."

"They were pretty bad," Tsumiki agreed.

"Her jokes weren't bad."

"He also helped clean the dishes," Megumi pointed out. "Before he left to get you, he and Kagome-san went somewhere alone for a long time. InuYasha grumbled that Gojo-san was trying to—"

"ENOUGH!" Satoru pinched the bridge of his nose. Kami, that was the first time he had to yell at those two, but for fuck's sake. "Do not repeat what InuYasha said. I can only imagine what he had to say."

"... He just said you were trying to rut her or something."

Satoru choked. "I just said not to..." He sucked in a breath. Being a single parent was not easy. Which was bullshit, because Satoru was a genius, and everything came easy to him. Ijichi shot him a look from the driver's seat. "I wasn't trying to..." Satoru huffed. Okay, he was tempted. Sue him. Kagome was hot, witty, powerful, and somehow the nicest person he has met. Yeah, he would have loved to sleep with her, but that's not why he went to the shed with her.

"Gojo-san, were you trying to... ummm... were you trying to?"

"Spit it out, Ijichi, you're a grown man." Satoru scoffed. "No, I wasn't trying to do that." Now had he and Kagome been alone, like at his apartment, then hell yeah, he would have felt the waters and made a move. But last night was not the right time or place for him to hit on her... should he have hit on her?

"Is Kagome-san home yet? We're tired of being with you."

"Oi!" Satoru turned around in the seat and pulled the white bandages down. "Keep it up and I will return all these gifts."

"Even the 10-million-yen bracelet?"

"... Megumi shut up before I ground you." Satoru turned around and dragged his hand down his face. Was there a manual or a guidebook to this parenting thing? Because why was Megumi so damn sassy? There was no way Satoru was like that as a child. He was a saint. Everyone loved him and his big personality. But Megumi? That brat was rubbing off on Tsumiki, too. She used to be sweet. "Just take us to the closest mission. Kagome hasn't called yet, so that means she's still out shopping and you two will have to wait until she calls. Until then, you are stuck with me. And I outta make you do some missions because of your sass, Megumi."

"If I get hurt, then Kagome-san won't talk to you."

"Why would I let you get hurt?"

"Because you're mean."

"This is slander," Satoru groaned. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Well..."

"No one asked you," he snapped at Ijichi, who let out a whimper. Satoru blew out a breath and crossed his arms. He kept silent for the rest of the ride and ignored Megumi when they got to the mission site. It wasn't Megumi calling him mean that set Satoru off, but Megumi's claims that he would allow him to get hurt on his watch. One day he won't be able to go on missions with Megumi because the brat would need to know how to defend himself, but that day was not today. Not when Megumi had a whole childhood ahead of him. It was not until the third mission that Satoru felt himself calm down, just in time for Kagome's phone call.

Perhaps it was stupid of him to leave Megumi and Tsumiki with a family he did not know and one that also housed a demon fox, but the older Higurashi female, Himari, was kind and had the look of a woman desperate for grandchildren. So, when she shooed him and Kagome out of the house and into the car where Ijichi waited, a part of Satoru felt as though he had done a good deed for the day.

"Do you normally fight in a skirt?" he asked, throwing an arm back against the seats. Satoru opted to sit in the backseat with Kagome so she would not feel alienated, and he did not want to look at Ijichi's ugly mug any longer than he had to.

"It's a Christmas dress," she quipped, unbuttoning her coat to reveal the red dress with the faux white fur. Satoru was not ashamed to admit that he barely paid the dress a second thought, not when her cleavage practically winked at him. "And yes, I normally fight in a skirt, but all my clothes are dirty." She huffed as she re-buttoned her coat. "Shippo got too excited about Christmas and somehow got all my clothes dirty or shredded except for this one." Her brows furrowed together.

Satoru coughed. His fingers brushed against her arm. "That's uh... some morning you had."

"Tell me about it," she groaned. "It's fine. I got some clothes in the washer, and I can always buy more later. Shippo was just... I don't know what he was doing or thinking, but it's fine."

It occurred to Satoru that he could bring up the trio's plans, but he did not want to share such news with Ijichi around. Perhaps if he had shared a bit of his troubles with Ijichi, then Ijichi would have felt compelled to share Plan M with him and Kagome, but Satoru was a proud sorcerer and an even prouder man, so he kept his concerns over what Megumi and company were planning to himself, and Ijichi did not share that he was instructed to leave Satoru and Kagome behind at the next mission site.

"So, what made you pick out a Santa's helper outfit?" Satoru asked once they arrived at the site. He frowned when Ijichi sped off after putting up the veil, which took longer than usual. He wondered at the time what that was about, but later discovered it was a part of Plan M.

Kagome shifted her bow from her shoulders to her hand. "Well, Shippo saw a movie and thought it would be more festive if we all had Christmas outfits. Maybe that's why this one didn't get ruined?" Kagome sighed. "Or maybe he was acting out? I don't know."

Satoru nodded and pretended as though he was not checking out Kagome's legs. This was a mission, not a date, and he needed to think with the head attached to his shoulders. "They may be planning something. The kids," he added as he opened the door to the abandoned school. He held up a finger for her to wait for him to go in first. He paused and then hummed to himself. "Any chance you could mask your energy somehow? Not that the curse can get away because of the veil Ijichi put up, but..."

"Oh, is my energy scaring them away? That explains a lot." She smiled, and the loss of her energy was devastating. Satoru clenched his fists. Sure, he asked her to do that, but he was not prepared for how empty he would feel at not having her energy simmering so close to him.

This was a problem.

Chapter Text

Kagome crossed her arms as she watched Satoru curse Ijichi-san's name. Something about how the veil should have dispersed because they took care of the curse and how he cannot teleport out of the veil because of reasons. She did not understand what the problem was exactly. If the veil was not gone, then did that not mean that they were not finished with the mission? She turned and regarded the building with a frown.

On one hand, she did not sense any cursed energy coming from the building. The only cursed energy around was Satoru's. Perhaps he was mistaken? Kagome walked over to Satoru and placed her hand on the veil.

"What?" Her hand pushed through the veil. Satoru stopped complaining and gaped at her. He stared at her arm, halfway through the veil, and then at his hand. He must have come to some sort of decision because he placed his hand on the veil once more and then cursed Ijichi's name again when the veil shocked him.

For some reason, the veil allowed Kagome to pass through as she pleased, but Satoru was stuck inside. Because Kagome was a kind, thoughtful woman, she opted to stay inside the veil with Satoru. If left to his own devices, surely the young sorcerer would destroy the building and the property in anger. She knew not why Ijichi-san set up the veil in such a way, but perhaps, she thought, it was to get back at Satoru for some slight.

"Unbelievable," Satoru grumbled. "He set me up. Fucker."

"Why would Ijichi-san set you up?" Kagome motioned to the area. She blinked up at him. Satoru was tall. "There is nothing here. Not anymore." A flash of unease gripped her throat. "To hurt the children? Would he do something like that?"

Satoru frowned. "Ijichi ain't the type to that, but he also ain't the type to pull tricks like this either. He set it up so you can leave and I can't." He cracked his knuckles and then placed his hands on her shoulders. "I will get us out of here. Ijichi ain't that strong. That's why he isn't a sorcerer. So, he must know that I can break this stupid veil of his."

His words brought her little comfort.

"Satoru, if anything happens to the kids—"

Satoru pulled her into his embrace and wrapped his arms around her. "I don't think he's doing this to be malicious." He pulled away and looked at her with some sort of half smile. "In fact, it may be the kids that put him up to this. They... uh... were talking about some plans and other things."

"Plans?" Kagome wrinkled her nose. Why would the kids plan this? "I don't understand."

Satoru turned his head. There was a redness to his cheeks. "Well, Megumi and Tsumiki like you. A lot. And they want us to be together."

Together?

Kagome tilted her head and studied Satoru's form. He was hot. She'd give him that. But it would be wrong to get caught up in someone like him.

"Don't do that."

"Look at you?"

"Yeah," Satoru huffed. "Making me think you want to..." he trailed off, leaving Kagome to fill in the blanks. She considered his words. Considered the notion that the children put Ijichi-san up to this and then considered the implications of what that meant.

"That would complicate things," she said after a moment of allowing the silence to speak for them. "But."

"But?" Satoru took a step toward her. His hands hovered just over her hips. His nostrils flared.

Kagome bit her lip and crossed her arms. No one had to know. This was either the best idea or the worst idea. Kagome considered herself to be someone who did not shy away from risks and, even though Satoru screamed trouble, Kagome entertained what it would be like to be his, but for just a night. The last thing she wanted from him was a relationship.

That would be presumptuous. They were probably better as friends, and yet she could not bring herself to speak those words.

"I don't want a relationship," she said. "But I am curious. Tempted."

Satoru mirrored her and bit his lip. His hand lowered and reached for her. "Tempted? I could break us out of this veil and then we could break a bed." He smiled, a lopsided one. It made him look more boyish.

"How long will it take for you to break the veil?" While Satoru let her take out the curse, it was best to let him lead. It was his mission, after all, and there was so much Kagome did not know.

"Uh.. well, not sure. I know I can do it," Satoru said with an air or arrogance or perhaps he was simply confident in his abilities. Kagome nodded and waited for him to do so. She clasped her hands together to ignore the loss of his hands on her and tried to calm her heart down. She propositioned him and he accepted.

She had never propositioned a man before until Satoru.

Satoru grumbled and pushed more of his energy into the veil. It seemed to take him some time to break the veil, so Kagome offered to try in his place. Satoru raised a brow but shrugged when he saw how serious Kagome was. She smiled, grateful that Satoru had moved out of the way with little fuss. It was difficult to know if a man's ego was fragile or big enough to handle the power Kagome wielded.

Surprisingly, this was not why she and InuYasha did not work out. In fact, InuYasha liked her strength. Enjoyed that she could fend for herself, but their relationship was never meant to last, at least not romantically. They butted heads often and could never quite make it work.

And yet, things were easier with Satoru. Weird because she only knew the sorcerer for about a day.

"If I asked you to be my assistant—"

"I wouldn't sleep with you," Kagome replied before Satoru could finish his sentence. "Not a fan of power imbalances." The veil flickered and then dispersed. At the sight of Ijichi-san, Kagome was mildly surprised to see him waiting for them. She had thought he would have left. Surely Ijichi-san had seen them struggle with the veil and yet he did not drop it?

"You!" Satoru yelled.

Ijichi-san fiddled with something in his hand and then threw it at her. Satoru stood slightly in front of her and scoffed. No matter how many times she has seen this infinity in action, it continued to boggle her mind. Kagome took a step around Satoru to assess the object Ijichi-san threw at them.

"Ijichi, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"... I wanted you to see the mistletoe?"

Kagome blinked. Oh. She tugged at the top of her dress. It was winter and yet her body was burning up as though someone had transported her to Egypt in the middle of summer. The mistletoe was not above them but between them, suspended in the air. Her mind raced with the implications of what the mistletoe meant.

"Satoru."

"In front of Ijichi?" He sounded embarrassed, but Kagome wasn't sure Satoru knew what it meant to be embarrassed. There was a grin on his face that didn't fit the words that came out of his mouth, and when he placed a hand on her back, the mistletoe floated up above them.

It was a little unnerving to have an audience, but all thoughts of Ijichi-san and what the kids were planning flew out of her mind when Satoru pulled her in closer. He was so tall, Kagome wondered if it would be easier on his back to simply lift her in his arms instead.

She half expected him to give her a peck on the lips and be done with it, but something primitive clawed at her, so when Satoru brushed his lips against hers, she couldn't be blamed for her actions.

Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her leg, brushing it against him. His touch was fever inducing. He lifted her and turned his back to Ijichi-san. Kagome surrendered to the onslaught of the emotions he stirred within her. To the desire.

"Fuck," he whispered. "How do you..." the wonder in his voice sent a jolt of electricity down her spine. Was this the thrill Sango always went on about?

She wanted to kiss him again. To see the colors blossom behind her eyes once more. To feel the denseness of his cursed energy, so dark and heavy, she could hardly form a coherent thought.

Gojo Satoru was a dangerous man. It would have been wise for her to put a stop to whatever was brewing between them, like some sort of concoction. Though if it were Satoru, perhaps she would have drunk anything he offered to her. For there was something she was curious about, and she longed to know how heavy he would feel on her tongue.

Kagome blinked away the thoughts and remembered herself. There was an audience in front of them, but Satoru's hands were large, and she was all too aware of them on her body.

"Gojo-san!" Ijichi-san shouted, breaking through the fabric of their reality. "The children... they... uh... they need your assistance."

Satoru frowned and turned his head to look back at Ijichi-san. His hands did not leave their place on her thighs. She should have felt shame. Should have been mortified by her behavior because she was not the type to make out with men she hardly knew, nor was she the type to proposition them, but something about Satoru made her want to be just as reckless as him.

"We should check on them."

"It's probably another scheme of theirs," Satoru responded. He held onto her.

"I would rather it be a trick and we check on them than for us to ignore them and they actually need our help." Kagome reached for Satoru and cupped the side of his face. "Christmas is meant to be spent with family and friends."

"Is that so?" He lowered her to her feet, though his hands lingered for a moment too long to be considered polite. "I've got a lot of missions today, so I won't be able to spend as much time as they would like."

"I could ask my shikigami to help if you want a break. They know how to remain unseen."

"Your shikigami?" He gripped his chin and pushed his thumb into his cheek. "It's a lot of missions. That might be too much for them."

"They can handle it," Kagome said flippantly. "Ijichi-san, can I see the agenda?"

"Umm..." Ijichi-san looked behind Kagome and then nodded his head. He pushed his glasses up. "Here is the agenda today. No meetings, only missions because it is a holiday. No meetings tomorrow either, but there are fifteen missions."

Fifteen? Kagome raised her brows. The mission they had completed together did not take that long, but a lot of these missions are spread out with some more complex than others. No wonder Megumi and Tsumiki were desperate to hook her and Satoru up. It wasn't about Kagome, but more about their desire to have a family.

She decided then that she would do what she could to ensure the children got to spend more time with Satoru.

"If you are okay with delegating, my shikigami can handle these." Before Satoru could reply, Kagome summoned a decent group of shikigami to handle the tasks. She opted to keep them more human-like on the off-chance someone saw them. "Ijichi-san will share the details with you," she said, addressing the small crowd. "As always, you are welcome to hang out when you are done or you can come back to me."

Kagome smiled as she watched the shikigami take off to their respective missions. She tilted her head to the side at the feel of Satoru's gaze on her.

"Something wrong?"

"Just wondering where you've been all my life."

Kagome blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear. This was crazy. Being attracted to Satoru was one thing, but receiving his praise was another matter. She tried her best to ignore him on the way back to the shrine. Tried to forget how right it felt to have her legs wrapped around him. She wanted him and she didn't want him. Her emotions were out of sorts and the longer she stayed seated in the car next to him, breathing in his cologne, the more she wanted things she shouldn't.

Satoru got out of the car first and opened the door for her. In his pocket, the mistletoe hung out, reminding Kagome of the kiss they shared. He shooed Ijichi-san away and placed his hand on her lower back as they made their way to the front door. She was sure the children did not need their help, but it put her mind at ease to check on them, anyway. Before they could open the door, it swung open. Megumi held out a package and poked out his bottom lip. Behind him, Tsumiki and Shippo poked their heads around the corner. They wore matching pajamas with reindeer on them.

"What's this?" Satoru took the gift from Megumi. "And what's with your face? Constipated?"

Megumi's eyes twitched, but instead of getting upset, he widened his eyes and wobbled his bottom lip. "Please put that on. We didn't get to meet with Santa and make our wishes."

"... You want me to put on a costume? That was the emergency?"

"And then we can all take turns sitting on Santa's lap!" Tsumiki exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "It's very important that Santa hears what we have to say. And Kagome-san too! She has to make her wish."

Kagome scratched her cheek. "I don't need to—"

"Mama, you said we have to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what we want," Shippo said, with disapproval coating his words. "You have to sit on Santa Gojo's lap too."

Kagome sighed. She told Shippo lots of things about Christmas since he was so interested in a holiday where he could receive lots of gifts.

"And you're already dressed as his helper!"

"Yeah!" Megumi and Tsumiki agreed.

"I think we're outnumbered here," Satoru remarked. "I'll get changed. You don't have to keep making that face, Megumi."

"Thank Santa," Megumi remarked as he turned on his heel and left Kagome and Satoru in the entryway.

"Is that offer still available?" Satoru asked once the children were gone. The air between them was electrified with all the things she wanted to say. She kept her hands to herself because she knew that if she touched him, she wouldn't be of the mind to stop.

"To ride your sleigh?" Kagome asked. "I guess we'll just have to see how good you are." She walked away first, so he wouldn't see how flustered she was. In her mind, her words were confident and seductive. There was no need for Satoru to know just how affected by him she was.

She got only a few steps away before she was caught in his embrace. His body was hard, so hard, she forgot how to breathe.

"I'll show you just how good I've been this year," Satoru whispered. His touch was warm. When he pulled away, she had to stop herself from reaching for him. She stood there, frozen in place, while Satoru walked by. He glanced over his shoulder and smirked. "Going down your chimney tonight."

Chapter Text

Satoru Gojo was in trouble. The kind of trouble that made him wish Suguru had never deflected, and he could go to Suguru and ask him for advice like back in the day. He could have reached out to Shoko, but the doctor of Jujutsu High spent what free time she had drunk and slouched over the table in some odd semblance of sleep.

Maybe if Satoru had a better relationship with his father, he would have gone to him. Kagome said Christmas was meant to be spent with family and friends, so if he had reached out to his father for advice, would the old man had answered his questions with sincerity?

Doubtful.

Satoru sighed and plopped himself down on the couch. He felt silly in the Santa get-up, but the double take from Kagome changed his mind. Was it the uniform or was it just him that did it for her? He hoped it to be the latter. The living room comprised one couch and a recliner. The TV wasn't on, but the house was filled with sound all the same.

"Stop daydreaming," Megumi said dryly. "We have wishes to make to Santa and you're the best stand-in we could get."

"You're a real charmer, Megumi-chan." Satoru rolled his eyes and leaned forward. "Well, come on then, let's hear all about what my dear, precious Megumi-chan wants."

Megumi hesitated and then made a big show of climbing on the couch. "I'm only doing this because these are the steps necessary for Santa to hear me."

"Sure, sure." Satoru turned his head. What was all that commotion? Shippo ran into the room with a book in his hand and a mischievous smirk on his face. He jumped onto the couch next to Megumi and hid the book behind him. "What are you.."

"Shippo!" Kagome walked into the room and the temperature dropped. Satoru fought the urge to shrink into the couch under the weight of Kagome's glare. Oh, she was mad. "Hand it over." Kagome held a hand out.

Was it wrong to be attracted to the way the anger was flowing off her and electrifying the room with her energy? Amazing that he went through life all this time without knowing how her energy felt brushed against his.

"You have to catch me first." Shippo goaded. He crackled and ran around the room with Kagome chasing after him. Megumi slunk off somewhere, leaving Satoru alone on the couch once more. "Almost got me. Too slow!" Shippo laughed as he jumped over Satoru.

He had seconds to process the scene before Kagome was crashing into him. Satoru's hands darted out, planting themselves on her hips as though it was the most natural thing in the world. His eyes widened as it dawned on him the position they were in. Kagome's chest heaved. He tried to look anywhere but at her breasts, but they were right there in his face and he was just a man.

Kagome narrowed her eyes in the direction Shippo bounded off to and then blew out a breath. She glanced down and blushed. "S-sorry, I was trying to—"

His hand cupped the back of her neck as he coaxed her into a kiss. She tasted sweet. She tasted right. And that terrified him. He wanted to ask if she had bewitched him, to ask if it was something a priestess could do, but when she swiped her tongue along his and threaded her fingers through his hair, he forgot how to breathe.

"What was that?" Kagome asked, coming to her senses first.

"I was making my wish come true." He winked. A giggle from the hall dragged his attention away from Kagome. He was slightly startled at the sight of the children watching them because he did not sense them. "What are you three doing?" Satoru coughed and lowered his hands, though he wished to keep holding on to Kagome.

"You weren't supposed to ask for a wish," Megumi lectured. "You're Santa. You don't ask your helper for a wish."

"Ah, you're right," Satoru acquiesced. "My helper is to help me with what I need."

"You smell funny," Shippo said.

"Are you saying I stink?"

"Gojo-san always smells nice," Tsumiki cut in. She narrowed her eyes at Shippo and crossed her arms. Her hair was in two pigtails and she had two ribbons in the shape of a bow.

"Not stink. He just smells funny, like how Miroku does whenever Sango bends over in front of him."

"OKAY, WHO WANTS TO HELP ME MAKE COOKIES?" Kagome placed her hands on Satoru's shoulders to steady herself as she climbed out of his lap.

For his part, Satoru wondered how the sleeping arrangement was going to work and if they could sneak away to his apartment instead.

"We already made cookies," Shippo responded. "We made them with Grandma. We want to tell Santa our wish."

Either Shippo ditched the book somewhere in the hall or Kagome forgot how she ended up in Satoru's lap amongst the chaos. Satoru wisely chose to keep his mouth shut about it. He knew he should put a stop to the children's scheming, but he was curious how a relationship with Kagome would work. She did not want to be his assistant and if she were his coworker, then there was always the chance she would put things to a halt because of the so-called power imbalance she thought would occur.

If anything, the one with the power was Kagome, for Satoru feared it was too late for him. He was falling faster than a stone sinking in a lake. Her energy was addicting and the way she tended to Megumi and Tsumiki gave him visions he had no business conjuring. Satoru was not a family man, but here in the Higurashi residence with the Christmas music playing from his phone and the tree off to the side of the room with the presents he and the children picked out underneath, Satoru wanted to become that man for her.

"Megumi is first," Satoru said, clearing his throat. His skin felt feverish. "And then Tsumiki. Shippo, you are going last because you need to make it up to Kagome for not listening to her earlier when she told you to give her the book back."

Shippo opened his mouth to argue but paused as though something was keeping the words from spewing from his mouth. He nodded and smiled. "Yes, sir."

Those words sounded ominous, but Shippo's expression was earnest, so maybe Satoru was reading too much into the fox's words and not enough into the action behind the words.

"Come on, Megumi." Satoru patted his lap. "Just curious. Where did your family run off to?"

"They just said they were going out." Kagome smoothed her hands down the sides of her dress. "Not sure when they will be back. They didn't say."

"Grandma went to get more groceries," Megumi answered. "For dinner tonight."

"Oh? But I thought we were having KFC? She always gets the Christmas meal."

Satoru tensed. The bile rose up in his throat so suddenly that he lurched. "Sorry, Megumi. I was—"

"D-dad does not handle KFC well, so Grandma said we could have a different meal for dinner, and it would be more fun that way if we all help make the food." Megumi's ears were bright red, and he refused to look at Satoru.

Megumi noticed that? Satoru stared at the side of Megumi's face. His chest constricted as a warmth blossomed from his heart and heated the rest of his body. Megumi and Tsumiki paid that much attention to him? He thought he had hidden it better. The trauma. The pain. He needed to do a better job of keeping the ugly away from them.

"She didn't have to do that. I hate to interrupt family tradition."

"We are family now," Tsumiki said. She walked in front of Satoru and balled her fists in front of her. "And family looks out for one another."

"... Right, but we just met Kagome and—"

Tsumiki huffed loudly and threw her hands up. She turned her back to Satoru and addressed Kagome. "Grandma said we can call her Grandma and Uncle said we could him Uncle, so can we please call you Mom too?"

Kagome blinked. She looked at Satoru for help, but Satoru had no words to offer. He struggled to process the information. Struggled to understand how in less than a day, Megumi and Tsumiki were so besotted by the Higurashis. Granted, he too was taken by Kagome, but that was different. He felt a deep, soul-quivering lust for her.

That was all. Or at least that is what he told himself, and maybe if he said it enough, the words would ring true.

Something in Tsumiki's expression must have moved Kagome because she bent down to Tsumiki's level and wrapped her arms around her.

"My mom left," Tsumiki cried. "And Megumi's mom is dead."

"My parents are dead too," Shippo chimed in. "Does this mean I can call you Dad, then?"

Satoru made a sound like a toad croaking. He was getting whiplash from the children. One minute they were fine and the next, they were comparing parent loss stories. He wondered if it was another ploy on their part, but quickly dismissed that thought because Megumi and Tsumiki weren't lying about their parents, and he was inclined to believe Shippo was telling the truth as well.

"Okay, tell you what. How about everyone gets on my lap and tells Santa what their wish is?" He leaned back against the couch while balancing three children on his lap. Kagome sat on the armrest and leaned closer to him, but not close enough.

"We want a mom."

"I want a dad."

He should have known. They told him as such back at the apartment. And yet he was not prepared for how hard his heart would beat at hearing those words from the three of them. Nor how having Kagome near when the children made their wishes known would cause his brain to malfunction and create a new reality.

Satoru blinked away the images. Blinked away the visions of him and Kagome with a son of their own. Blinked away the image of an older Megumi and Shippo. It felt real. Felt too vivid.

"Satoru?"

"I'm fine." He closed his mouth and cleared his throat. "I will take your wishes to Santa, and he will see what he can do."

The kids looked at one another and came to some sort of agreement. They hopped off his lap and stood there for a moment as though they were waiting for a trick to happen, or perhaps for the magic of Christmas to take root and bring forth their sincerest wish. Shippo was the first to break.

"Mama, can I use your phone to call Grandma? It's very important."

"Sure, it should be on the kitchen table."

Megumi went to follow Shippo and Tsumiki, but stopped. He turned and stuck his nose in the air. Satoru prepared himself for another round of sass because if there was one thing Megumi was good at, it was getting on his case about everything.

"Yes, Megumi?"

"I don't think it's fair that you are taking the wish up to Santa in the hopes he will grant the wish when you just granted your own wish. Why can't you just do that now?"

Satoru spluttered. "Megumi, that was different!"

"If you want to call me Mom, then you can Megumi." Kagome smiled and ran her hand over Megumi's hair. "I don't mind."

Megumi ducked his head. His cheeks were tinged pink, and Satoru wasn't sure what to make of it. Megumi was acting like... well... a kid for once.

"Thank you, Mama!" Megumi wrapped his arms around Kagome in a quick embrace and then ran off to the kitchen, most likely to tell the others that the wishes had been granted.

"You sure you want to get their hopes up like that?" Satoru asked when he was sure it was just them again. Kagome shrugged her shoulders, not looking at him, but in the direction of the kitchen.

"I'm sure when you find the woman you want to settle down with, those two will be thrilled." When she finally turned to look at him, Satoru was unable to hide the utter despair on his face. "Satoru? What's wrong?"

He swallowed. His mouth was dry. The thought of there being someone else never crossed his mind. The thought of her choosing someone other than him never crossed his mind until then. Satoru stood so fast he was barely cognizant of his own limbs. Just as well, the feeling in his body spoke of a desire to be so close to Kagome that there would be no telling where they began and where the other ended.

"No others," was all he said before sealing their fate with a brush of his lips against hers.

Chapter Text

Kagome found herself in a predicament. Gojo Satoru was quickly getting under her skin and infecting her with this deep need to be under him, over him, sideways, upside down, standing. It did not matter the position. The issue was the incessant need to have him. A scratch that she could not itch.

Kagome snuck a peek at Satoru from the corner of her eye. He had flour on his face and up his arms. Despite making cookies earlier that day, the children insisted on making more because they read, allegedly, that making cookies with Santa would yield better results. And while Santa himself was not at the shrine, Satoru, dressed in a Santa outfit, was close enough for their needs.

Was it normal to be this attracted to someone? She thought no and then thought again. Perhaps this was the same attraction that caused cities to fall. And while she was not at the point of going to war for Satoru, she was teetering on the edge. The trust she had in him might be misplaced. Kagome could not boast that she had known Satoru for years.

No, they had only known each other for a day, which was insane. Koga declared he was in love with her after only knowing her for but a few hours if that, but Koga's love and obsession was based on his desire to use her to find the jewel shards. This situation was different.

Or was it?

Satoru, like Koga, was interested in her powers, but the same could be said for Kagome. She found herself wanting to know more about his work. To know more about how his technique worked and more about the man behind the dark shades.

Perhaps it was the blue of his eyes. The way they glowed with the promise of what was to come, or maybe it was the way he oh so effortlessly stepped into the father figure role for Shippo, as though he had known Shippo all his life. Or perhaps it was the way Megumi and Tsumiki shyly called her mom and Satoru dad. She was becoming too close to them too fast and yet despite seeing the speed bumps, Kagome sped over them without a care to her name.

Yes, she was speeding to a destination unknown, but so was Satoru.

"Aren't you supposed to make several smaller cookies?" Kagome asked, leaning against the wall as she watched Satoru and the children making one gigantic ball of cookie dough on the table. Christmas music continued to play from Satoru's phone. The children, more so Megumi, were more inclined to listen to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as opposed to anything else. Every now and then, the playlist played an instrumental piece, which Shippo declared boring, so when that happened, the children created their own Christmas song.

Naturally, their version of Christmas had a red fox as the star of the show and an antagonist who was awfully similar to InuYasha being beaten by Santa's most trustworthy helper, who was obviously not Satoru. Kagome pretended she did not see the message in the song, nor did she pay any special attention to the illusion Shippo cast overhead like a projected screen to go along with the song.

It was at that point, Satoru declared he would take over making the cookies, and Kagome was to oversee the special mission. A mission so important that only Satoru and the children could make it come to pass.

Operation: Make Cookies for Santa.

"I'm pretty sure you're supposed to make it into much smaller bites," Kagome said.

"Boring," Satoru replied, sticking his tongue out while he concentrated on the task at hand. The children each took turns patting and trying to roll the dough, but ultimately it was Satoru's hands that kept the dough formed in a tight ball. "Santa called and said he wanted one big cookie to celebrate tonight, and Mrs. Claus—excuse me—Mrs. Claws, prefers her cookies to be a mouthful."

"Oh, did he?" She ignored the bit about Mrs. Claus, afraid that she was reading into it too much. Sure, they had shared a kiss... well, she and Satoru had shared a couple of kisses, but that did not mean he was insinuating what she thought he was. No, Satoru was not referring to himself as Mr. and her as Mrs. Claus.

"Mhmm, and he told me to tell you that if you are on your best behavior, he'll leave you a big surprise." Satoru looked up from the dough on the table and winked. "But he left the gift at my place, so you have to be extra nice to me if you want to receive it."

Kagome's cheeks warmed, though she tried to blame it on the heat. The house was warm to offset the cold winter air outside. And in her defense, the kitchen was especially warm because the oven was on. Her face did not warm because Satoru's words affected her. No, Kagome prided herself on being a reasonable woman. Someone who was not swayed by pretty words and lust-driven promises.

Oh, she was only kidding herself. In fact, Kagome counted down the seconds until her mother would be back home so she could sneak off with Satoru to get the gift Santa left for her, of course.

Kagome's heart thumped in her chest like a drummer trying out for a band. Her heart thumped and thumped, so much so that Shippo stopped what he was doing and floated over to her. He pressed his hand to her forehead, his tail swished and swished like a helicopter. Despite her embarrassment at being caught, Kagome smiled at the absurdity of it all.

"Have you been watching Sonic again?"

"Megumi said it was a classic."

"IT IS!" Megumi turned his head in Satoru's direction, tipped his chin up, and with a haughty look, a look that reminded Kagome of the proudest demon lords, spoke words that could not be taken back. "And it's better than Digimon."

Satoru gasped. He pressed a hand to his mouth. "You take that back, Megumi. This is a Digimon household, and I will not tolerate such slander."

Tsumiki wrinkled her nose and sniffed. "But I like Sailor Moon more."

"That's fine. You can like whatever you want," Satoru said, consoled her. "But you!" He poked a finger in the air, punctuating each word. "You know the consequences for slandering the greatest show of all time."

With a deadpan expression, Megumi proved he was not afraid of Satoru and who ran the household. "There are no consequences, which is why Kagome has to be our mom, so we don't turn out as spoiled as you."

Satoru's mouth dropped. He almost dropped the giant cookie that he refused to turn into smaller, easier to eat bites. It was not lost on Kagome, how nimble Satoru's fingers were and how quick his reflexes were as well.

Kagome covered her mouth, not sure if she should be offended on Satoru's behalf or laugh at the different tactics the children were using to convince them to be one big, happy family. It wasn't a bad idea.

But.

It was probably foolish to consider such a thing with a man she had only known for a day. Though perhaps it was best that they quench their thirst of one another before this thing between them ballooned into something too big for either of them to stop it. Kagome dropped her hand and flashed Satoru a small smile.

He sighed, shook his head, and turned back to the task at hand: making the biggest cookie he could without damaging the small oven. A task that Satoru boldly proclaimed as he put it into the oven and then set a timer. Kagome mirrored Satoru's early movement, shaking her head, and walked out of the kitchen.

She needed space lest she jump him and make a mess of the kitchen.

The scene was too domestic. Too right. Too wrong. Too... she wasn't sure, but what she knew was that she was losing her mind.

And just as she thought she was about to take a leap into the unknown, her mother returned with her brother and grandfather in tow. They carried several bags of groceries in their hand. At the sight of the flour on the kitchen table and on Satoru's face, her mother, Himari, laughed.

"I see you all have been very busy since we've been gone," Himari said, placing the bags on the part of the table that did not have flour on it. "But before we can get started on dinner, who wants to help Grandma clean up this mess?"

Tsumiki, the sweetest of the three, raised her hand as fast as she could, so fast that the poor girl nearly toppled over in her chair, if not for Satoru.

"Mama, I can help—"

"OH NO!" Megumi shouted, startling the adults. He smacked his head with his palm and then turned teary eyes toward Satoru. "I left my...uh...my sleeping teddy bear! Can you please go back and get it? I can't sleep without it."

"Your what?" Satoru planted his hands on his hips and leaned forward as though he could not hear what Megumi asked of him.

"My sleeping teddy bear," Megumi repeated. "And since you suck at finding things..." Megumi hopped off the chair and ran over to Kagome. He wrapped his arms around her leg and blinked up at her. It was clear that the action was quite foreign to Megumi because while his eyes widened and his lip was poked out, it almost appeared as if he were sneering at her.

A normal person would have walked away, but Kagome was far from normal, and Megumi's struggle to make a puppy dog face broke her heart.

"Please, Mom?" Megumi glanced at Satoru and then back at Kagome. "Dad's eyes aren't as good as he says they are, and he overlooks soooo much. He would miss a missile in a haystack."

"That's not how that saying goes," Satoru protested before deflating. He turned away from them and cleaned his hands. "But I will go find this teddy bear." He dried his hands and pocketed his phone after turning the music off. "I can help clean up before I—"

"Oh, it's fine," Himari said, waving Satoru off. "As long as you and Kagome are back in time for dinner. The children can help clean up." She shooed them out of the house.

As soon as the front door closed behind them, Satoru pulled Kagome into his arms and whisked them away. The feeling was not unpleasant, though Kagome was biased. She spent more time dwelling on how one man could smell so good than on how quickly they were transported away from the shrine. Kagome finally pulled herself together and looked around the alley. Surely, Satoru had a home.

"I figured we should buy this teddy bear first before the stores close," Satoru said. His hand lingered on her as if he was reluctant to let her out of his arms.

"Buy one?" Kagome wrinkled her nose. "Surely Megumi will notice that his teddy bear looks different." She stepped back and put her hands in her coat pocket. Her mother rushed them out of the house and did not give Kagome a chance to look for her gloves. Satoru seemed not to notice the bitter bite of the winter wind.

"Megumi hates stuffed animals." Satoru chuckled. "He lied, but it's fine, since I get to spend more time with you."

Megumi lied?

Kagome dipped her head. Her face was red from the cold. She dared not admit that she was affected by Satoru's words.

"Come on." Satoru reached for her hand, pulling it from the warmth of her coat pocket. Strangely, his hand was just as warm. They shopped for a short while, about ten minutes, really. Most of which was Kagome shaking her head at Satoru's suggestions. The sorcerer was on a mission to find the strangest, or rather silliest looking, stuffed animal he could. It seemed to be their dynamic. Between the two of them, they found something that was silly but not overtly embarrassing for Megumi.

Believing the mission was completed, Kagome was shocked when instead of warping back to the shrine, they instead stood outside an apartment door.

"Your present is inside... if you still want it."

Oh.

Kagome considered him for a moment. Was everything about him impressive?

"What if I've been a bad girl this year?"

"Ah, then it'll be up to me to set you on the right path." He unlocked the door, not bothering with turning the lights on, though Kagome could make out how sparse the apartment was from the sunlight coming through the windows. She remembered how many missions he had today and, for a moment, felt something akin to pity for him.

It was clear that Satoru spent no time apart from sleeping and bathing at his home. She gathered through various streams of conversations that Megumi and Tsumiki had their own apartment. Perhaps Satoru spent more time there instead of here? Kagome slipped her shoes off and was about to slide her coat off when Satoru reached for her once more. He did that a lot. Reaching for her.

"Can I kiss you?" The question brought forth a chuckle from Kagome's lips. Satoru's lips were so close to hers and yet he still felt the need to ask. Kagome looped her arms around his neck and closed the distance. He was a tall man, and so big that Kagome's heart rate quickened. She was not a tall woman, but something about being in Satoru's arms made her feel so small and tiny.

So, this was why Eri always raved about having a size kink.

Kissing Satoru was an experience. An experience she wanted to have over and over until her body was so deeply sated, she could do nothing more but rest. They pulled apart long enough to paw at each other's coats, leaving them still in their Santa-like was something about them both being dressed in red that gave her pause, but Kagome pushed the feeling away. She was reading too into it.

"We don't have a lot of time," Kagome reminded him. She squealed when suddenly her feet were no longer on the floor. Satoru pulled her into another kiss. He walked them to the bedroom, never breaking the kiss. Kagome swore to herself. Stars burst behind her eyelids. His touch was so warm. It was a shame that they required oxygen to breathe. If she could, she would survive on nothing but his kisses.

He lay her on the bed, hovering over her. Kagome's hair fanned out behind her. She brushed her thumb over his cheek and wondered when he had time to toss his shades. Satoru kissed the corner of her lips and then peppered more down the column of her neck. He placed another kiss on her cleavage before making his way further down. There was something more sensual about them still wearing clothes. As if he was as eager to have her as she him.

"Satoru," Kagome murmured. Her legs opened, making more room for him. His sharp intake of breath fanned the flame inside her. Her body was hot all over. She wanted him so badly that not having him hurt.

"I know, baby," he whispered, as if speaking too loudly would break this moment. The room was quiet except for the sound of their breathing. The lack of light enhanced Kagome's other senses. It was as if she were wearing a blindfold. She wondered just how thick his curtains were for the room to be so dark in the daylight. "I've always had a sweet tooth, you know," Satoru said conversationally while his hand cupped her. Kagome bit her bottom lip as she arched her back.

"Is that right?" she asked once it was clear Satoru would not progress unless she answered him.

"Mhmm." He moved his hand away and slid her underwear off. Satoru grunted, but the sound was muffled. "Nothing wrong with dessert before dinner."

Her moan was so sharp, her eardrums vibrated. His tongue was long. She knew this from kissing him, but feeling him tongue-kiss her there was... Kagome lost herself in the pleasure.

This was a problem.

Satoru curled his tongue upward. He alternated between giving her a small reprieve and using his fingers in tandem with his tongue. It was a battle Kagome was happy to lose. Her orgasm left her feeling wrecked.

Ruined.

How could she have another after having a taste of him?

"Well, shit," Satoru breathed. "Not good enough?"

Kagome blinked in confusion. Not good enough? Was he insane?

"Tell me you are joking." She pressed a hand to her forehead, pushing her bangs back. "I couldn't tell you my name if you asked."

Satoru chuckled. "Just checking, baby. Your brows were all furrowed. Thought I did something wrong."

They were?

Kagome turned her head. "I made myself upset, thinking about you doing this with someone else." She waited for him to get up and put a stop to this. After all, she must have sounded like a crazy woman, but Satoru surprised her.

"Could have sworn I made myself clear earlier. There will be no others." She felt the heaviness of him against her and squirmed with need.

No others.

She liked the sound of that.

Kagome shifted, determined to feel him inside her, when the phone rang. The noise cut through the room, dispelling the illusion that they had all the time in the world to explore one another.

Satoru grumbled right before answering the phone. He slid two fingers inside of her. Kagome covered her mouth with her hands.

It was official. Satoru was insane.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there in a sec. Stop complain'." Somehow, Satoru's tone gave nothing away. Kagome struggled to keep her moans to herself. She knew not who Satoru was talking to on the other line, only that the other person could not know what they were up to. "I said I'd be there in a sec. Just hold on." Satoru tossed the phone on the floor. Kagome opened her mouth to ask if everything was alright, but Satoru added a third finger, and her train of thought vanished.

"Guess we've been away too long," Satoru said, pulling his fingers out. He slurped and hummed.

He left her wanting more.

"We should get going," Kagome said, though her body protested. "Was it..."

"No. It was my old man." Satoru slid her underwear up her legs and then helped her up. "Guess the kids roped him into their plans, too." He kissed her again. "Sneak out after everyone goes to bed?"

Kagome pressed her palm over his groin. Her fingers twitched. Oh, he was big. She snuffed out the ire slithering up her throat, upset that they were interrupted. She wanted him more than she had wanted anything.

It was a miracle she kept it together.

"Only if I get to ride."

Chapter Text

It was difficult sitting at a family dinner, eating strawberry cake, when all Satoru wanted was to have Kagome on his tongue once more. The taste of her lingered, and the need to have another taste was nearly his undoing. Seriously, were family dinners supposed to last this long? And why was the old man sitting so close to Kagome's mom?

His mind was murky, still drunk on the taste of Kagome, so he found it a bit difficult to sort through the reasons why his father would sit so close to someone who was not a sorcerer. It was as though Satoru skipped a chapter. Shippo did nothing to hide his bushy auburn tail or his pointed ears, and yet Satoru's father didn't even blink at the small demon eating dinner with them.

Surely a sane person would have had questions.

Surely a responsible sorcerer would have questioned the existence of one such as Shippo.

Apparently, his father was neither sane nor responsible, or perhaps the older Gojo simply did not care enough to ask.

Satoru's first clue should have been the casual clothing Syouma wore. He had on jeans for one, and a baby blue button down top with the two top buttons undone. Syouma's hair was down, and he was wearing the cologne he typically only wore for major clan gatherings.

Did the old man think this was a major event? Or was Satoru reading into it?

Himari leaned closer to Syouma. She tried to be discreet, but Satoru caught her sniffing the old man.

He turned his attention back to his food before he got sick. Clearly, the mood was just weird.

"Can we watch a movie after dinner?" Tsumiki asked, stealing the vegetables off Shippo's plate, who, in turn, stole the chicken off her plate. "Leave a bit for Megumi," Tsumiki chastised. "He doesn't eat enough. That's why he's so small."

Megumi grunted and then stuffed his mouth with vegetables.

"I'm sure the old man needs to get back to the estate," Satoru said. He clenched one fist on his leg and then decided, fuck it, and placed his hand on Kagome's thigh. What was the point of pretending? They had come to an agreement that there would be no others, so it did not matter if anyone saw them.

He nearly lost it when Kagome took his hand and moved it further up. Kagome took a sip of water. How was she being so nonchalant about this? It took everything in him to remain seated at the table and not whisk her away again.

"Oh? You're leaving already?" Himari placed her hand on her cheek as she turned to look at Syouma. "That is too bad. I have been enjoying your company." She placed her other hand on Syouma's arm and gave it a squeeze.

Satoru raised his brows. His father hated it when people touched him without permission.

Syouma turned to the side, blocking Satoru from seeing his face. "If you would have me, I would love to stay longer." He sighed as he turned to address the others. "Unfortunately, this is not a tradition in our clan, and I find myself wishing to make up for lost time."

Satoru rolled his eyes. Lost time, his ass. The old man was talking bullshit. Though he was not wrong about the clan not participating in family dinners like the Higurashis. Were there dinners growing up? Yes, but they were cold and always missing something.

He stiffened. Being with Kagome meant showing her that side of him. He didn't want her to see that. Didn't want her to be subjected to any of it. His tongue was heavy in his mouth. He should say something. Was it possible to keep her away from that part of him? Satoru frowned. The thought of hiding any piece of himself left him feeling sick. He wanted Kagome to know everything about him, and in turn, he needed to know everything about her.

Yes, he wanted to hear her moaning his name again, but he also wanted to get drunk on her laughter. He wanted to fight off anything and anyone that made her sad. He wanted to hold her until his arms went numb.

Satoru gave himself a mental shake. He needed to focus on the present and do his best to not scare her away.

"And then could we play a game?" Shippo asked. He looked at Sota, who was in his own world happily eating his food, and then coughed loudly. "Ahem! Could we play a game after the movie?"

Sota dropped his chopsticks and patted his chest with his fist. "Oh yeah! Sorry guys, my console isn't working right." He shook his head and then slapped his face. The sound seemed to echo while everyone stared at Sota in confusion.

Correction: the children did not appear to be confused.

Satoru wondered if this was yet another one of their schemes. When he and Kagome arrived back at the shrine with the new stuffed animal in tow, Megumi appeared put out and demanded to know why they were back so quickly.

"It worked this morning?" Kagome said slowly, as though she did not understand what Sota said.

"Uh…no?" Sota blinked. "No. It did not work this morning. I am so sorry that I'm ruining Christmas for the children."

"Why are you talking like that? And I saw you playing it this morning." Kagome pointed a finger at Sota. "I saw you," she repeated. "Playing the game this morning."

"The poor children won't be able to enjoy Christmas because my console isn't working. If only we could get another one." Sota ignored Kagome and continued with his spiel. "Will someone please think about the children? Does no one have a console we can use? Or could we go back out to get a new one? What's Christmas without a game to play with family?"

Satoru inhaled and fought the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all. "Megumi has one. I can go pick it up." He stood and made a show of pushing his chair in. Satoru made no move to pull Kagome's chair out or give any indication that he planned to ask her to accompany him. Not because he did not want her to, but more so, he wanted to see how far the children would go.

He stretched his arms over his head.

"I!" Tsumiki yelled as she slammed her hands on the table. Her face turned red. "Uh…I…uh…" She squeezed her hands as if she were trying to grasp something from the air. "We should all go see the lights and then pick up the console!"

Shippo slapped his face and mumbled something into his palm.

Megumi threw his head back and groaned.

"…Do we not want to see the lights?" Kagome asked.

"My knees ain't what they used to be," Gramps said. He wore traditional priest clothing. "I'll leave you youngins to it. Someone has to stay behind and keep the shrine safe." Gramps stood and took his dirty dishes over to the sink. He left the kitchen and headed somewhere. Perhaps to that creepy shed of his.

The children looked at one another and then hurried out of their seats. They huddled together off to the side with their arms over each other's shoulders and their heads pressed together.

Satoru placed his hands on the top of Kagome's chair while he waited for the children to come to a consensus.

Megumi stepped forward, breaking out of the huddle. "We want to see the lights with…" He looked at Shippo, who gave him two thumbs up. Megumi smiled. "We want to see the lights with Mama and Papa. Grandma and Grandpa can stay here."

Satoru pulled Kagome's chair out and held out a hand to help her up.

"Oh my," Himari commented. "Well, I'll clean up here and get the living room set up for a movie night when you all return."

"Oh, let me," Syouma said, holding a hand up. "I am a guest. Let me clean up the mess."

Satoru squinted his eyes behind his shades. Since when does his father clean anything up? They had people at the estate who handled that. Not once in his life had he ever seen that man wash one dish. Put them in a sink? Yeah, sure. Throw his trash away? Of course. But washing the dishes and clearing the table?

Who was this man?

"Okay, we can go see the lights," Kagome said. "Let's get our coats on and then hurry. We don't want your grandparents falling asleep because we took too long."

"Yes!" Shippo fist pumped the air and then ran off. Megumi and Tsumiki followed.

"Mom and Dad, huh?" Syouma said, with his back to them while he washed dishes. Himari stood off to the side. Every time she tried to help, Syouma pretended to bite at her fingers. Satoru's upper lip curled back ever so slightly. "How long has this been going on?"

"We just met yesterday," Satoru answered. "How long has this been going on?"

"We just met today."

"How did you even know to come here?"

"The children called me." Syouma relented and handed a plate to Himari to dry. Satoru opened his mouth to grill his father further, but the children ran back into the kitchen and yelled that it was time to go.

Kagome grabbed his hand and led them out of the kitchen. They grabbed their coats and then left the house.

"Shippo, your tail," Kagome said when they reached the start of the steps.

"Oh, right." Shippo snapped his fingers, and while his tail was gone, so was his red hair. Instead of red, was hair as white as Satoru's. His features also resembled Satoru…and Kagome.

"Uh? What?"

Shippo looked up at him. "I wanted to look more like you two." He blinked up at Satoru. His coat was black like Megumi and Tsumiki's, though not as nice.

"We can stop and get you a new coat too," Satoru said, motioning for the children to walk in front.

"What's wrong with my current coat?"

"It's cheap. No offense."

Kagome huffed. "I think it's a decent coat."

Satoru wisely kept his mouth shut. He changed the subject to talking about how this was the first Christmas in a long time that he got to spend with others and how he was grateful for Kagome's help. Ijichi texted him periodically to let him know that the missions were being completed at an alarming rate by Kagome's shikigami and how he was going to hit up a bar later with Shoko.

The children awed at the lit-up trees and pointed out decorations they thought were neat. Tsumiki turned and ran over to them. She grabbed Satoru and Kagome's hands and pulled them along. They made a quick stop at a store to purchase new Moncler coats for Shippo and Kagome, though Kagome protested initially. Shippo went for the most expensive coat he could find.

"Can you summon something cool like a fox?" Shippo asked, clutching a cup of hot chocolate in his hand as they all made their way to the apartment to pick up the console that Satoru knew none of the kids actually wanted.

Megumi glared at Shippo. "Everything I summon is cool."

"Okay, but like something cooler…like a fox?"

"I don't have any fox ones," Megumi said, throwing one hand up. He was careful to not spill his drink. "If I could, I would."

"Did you want one?" Kagome asked, while Satoru fished the keys out of his pocket. He let her comment slide off him because offering someone a shikigami was impossible, so surely what Kagome was getting at was offering Megumi a fox plushie.

"You can give me a shikigami?"

"Of course!" Kagome agreed. "Actually, it would make me feel a lot better if you had some more protection. And especially you, Tsumiki."

"I'm not a sorcerer," Tsumiki pointed out. "I can only see the curses because I've been around so much cursed energy."

Satoru opened the door and then flashed Tsumiki a smile. "At least someone listens to me when I teach." He flipped on the light and closed the door once everyone was settled inside.

"Shikigami?" Megumi asked, holding a hand out.

"Megumi, Kagome can't actually…." he trailed off, watching as Kagome held her hands out in front of Megumi. An egg, about the size of a chicken egg, but golden, formed in Megumi's palm. Kagome waited for Tsumiki to hold her hand out as well. Unlike Megumi's egg, Tsumiki's was a mix of pink and white.

Kagome stood back and brushed her shoulder against him, while he watched the eggs begin to hatch. Satoru took his shades off, letting them dangle from his fingertips.

A fox and a bird.

Kagome gently elbowed him in the side. "Where's the console?"

Console?

He glanced back at the newly created shikigami and then at Kagome.

Oh, he was never letting her go.

Chapter Text

Kagome sat on the couch with her legs tucked under her and a warm blanket across her lap. She wanted to get up and make a cup of hot chocolate, but thought better of it. She had been drinking hot chocolate nearly all day in between running errands and fooling around with Satoru, so it was for the best that she showed some restraint. 

“Is that where that piece goes?” Mom’s voice floated from the kitchen into the living room. The woman was besotted with Syouma. Not that Kagome could blame her mother for being so taken with the older Gojo, as Kagome was equally besotted with Syouma’s son. Satoru was not the Christmas gift she wished for, but he was the gift she never knew she needed. 

On the floor, Satoru sat with the children. The boys, including Sota, all huddled together and played on the console. Kagome knew little about games, but it appeared to her that the boys had some kind of tournament set up between the four of them. Tsumiki sat next to Kagome on the couch and played with her bird shikigami. The shikigami did not yet have a name because Tsumiki wanted to see more of its personality first before coming up with something as significant as a name.

“Names give meaning and should not be taken lightly,” is what Tsumiki told Kagome when they got back to the shrine after grabbing the console from her and Megumi’s apartment. 

Kagome sighed and got more comfortable on the couch. The only sounds were those of the bird shikigami chirping, the music from the game, the boy’s groans and smack talk, and the chatter from the kitchen where Mom, Syouma, and Gramps were busy working on a puzzle. 

It was a cozy Christmas Eve. 

“Mama,” Tsumiki called, her bird shikigami perched on her shoulder. The bird was quite a sight to see with its blue and green feathers, gold eyes, and a red jewel-shaped mark on its forehead. “Could you braid my hair? I want it in two big braids.”

“Sure!” Kagome agreed, moving the blanket to the side. She got up and retrieved a comb and some hairpins to keep everything organized. Not once did the boys stop their game. Kagome shook her head. It was nice to see Sota having fun and watching Shippo and Megumi gang up on Satoru to take down his character. She sat back on the couch and motioned for Tsumiki to sit by her feet. 

“Thanks,” Tsumiki said, her voice so low that Kagome had to strain her ears to hear. “This feels like a real Christmas as a family. Thank you for being such a great mom.”

Kagome paused mid-comb and frowned. She was unsure of the details as far as how long Satoru had been Tsumiki’s and Megumi’s guardian, but surely at some point, the children had parents in their lives since Tsumiki and Megumi were not blood related. “You’re an easy daughter to mother,” Kagome replied as she finished combing Tsumiki’s hair before parting it into two parts. The whole time Kagome sat there on the couch braiding Tsumiki’s hair, her mind continued to drift to thoughts of Tsumiki’s parents. 

How terrible of a parent were they that this was the best Christmas so far? 

How terrible were they that Tsumiki believed Kagome to be a great mom after only knowing each other for such a short time? 

Kagome’s heart cracked a little. The pang. The grief. The guilt. It all hit her in the gut like a punch from Sango. Not that Kagome had ever experienced such a thing, but she had seen some of the training Sango had put Kohaku through, and yeah, a punch from Sango can leave a person out of commission for half a day. 

“Do you have any bows?” Tsumiki asked, leaning her head back. Her bird shikigami flew in front of them, chirping. 

“No, I’m sorry. Since Sota and I are all grown up, Mom doesn’t keep any bows in the house.” 

Sota turned and scowled. “Hey? I don’t like the implication that Mom used to put bows in my hair.”

“I bet you looked adorable,” Satoru teased, poking Sota’s cheek. “You strike me as a yellow kind of guy.” 

Sota snorted. “I didn’t wear any bows, but if I had, then yes, I would have looked adorable. I am my mother’s son after all.” 

“You guys are so weird,” Megumi said, motioning to his fox shikigami and his two divine dogs. Megumi patted them each equally and then picked up his controller again. “Winner of this round gets to open one present early.” 

Kagome shook her head and sighed. “No one is opening presents until tomorrow. You can wait.”

“But!” Shippo turned around and widened his eyes so large they nearly took up half his face. It was a bit creepy. “Mama! Please! A new tradition for new beginnings.”

Kagome looked at Satoru for backup, but it was pointless because Satoru nodded along with every word Shippo spoke. 

Unbelievable. 

Kagome turned away and leaned over the back of the couch to address her mother. “Mom, back me up here.”

“Hm?” Himari set her puzzle piece down and smiled. “What was the question, dear?”

“The kids want to open one present today and the rest tomorrow to celebrate new beginnings. I think they should wait, but everyone else seems to think otherwise.”

Syouma grabbed a cookie from the plate and took a bite. He tilted his head as he chewed. “I see no harm in allowing them to open one gift. They have more gifts on the way.” 

“Oh, did you order more gifts?” Himari placed her hand on Syouma’s arm. He smiled at her. It was as if no one else existed whenever those two looked at one another. Kagome felt as if she were intruding on their moment. Perhaps she should take the children back out somewhere and look at the lights again, because Syouma and Himari were making her nervous. 

Gramps laughed softly to himself and picked up his mug of tea. He stroked his beard and then moved another puzzle piece on the table. 

“They would not get here in time, so I sent an assistant to pick up a few more gifts.” Syouma holds out the rest of his cookie and feeds it to Himari. The grin on his face caused Kagome to turn away from the scene. 

Was that how she and Satoru looked to others?

“Oh? Are they picking out the gifts then?”

“I looked online,” Syouma corrected. “And sent them a list of what I thought the children would enjoy. I ordered some items for you, but those will not arrive by tomorrow, unfortunately.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Himari gushed. “I did not have enough time to get you a gift either. We could always exchange gifts at another time. As long as the children have a wonderful Christmas, then that is a gift in itself.”

Kagome made a face and tried to tune the two lovebirds out. Who knew they would hit it off? Satoru looked back at her and pretended to gag. She giggled. 

Stupid.

“Papa, stop cheating!” Shippo said. 

“I’m not cheating; you guys just don’t have the skills to beat me,” Satoru shot back.

“We should all gang up on him,” Sota proposed. 

“Sota! How could you?” 

“Easily,” Sota quipped. “Get him, guys!” Sota and the boys leaped to their feet and celebrated their win over Satoru. “Tsumiki, did you want to try?” 

Tsumiki took Satoru’s place and sat cross-legged on the floor. Satoru shrugged and then stretched his arms. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of cookies. Syouma scolded him while Gramps told Syouma to let the boy be. 

Satoru was a lot of things, but boy wasn’t one of them. Kagome looked Satoru over. No, Satoru was all man. She bit her finger and then remembered where she was. Her cheeks were warm. Kagome excused herself, not that anyone noticed or gave her any indication of hearing her. She went upstairs and to her room. 

Not even a minute later, Satoru walked into her room and locked the door behind him. 

“Yo.”

Kagome gave him a bashful stare. “And what did you come up here for?” Satoru’s glasses rested on top of his head. He leaned against the door and bit his bottom lip. Heat pooled in Kagome’s stomach. 

“Satoru,” she whispered.

“I wanted to get my gift,” he said, moving from the door and backing her up against the window. His hand cupped the side of her face. “New traditions, right?”

“Depends on what the gift is,” Kagome breathed. 

“A kiss.”

“That’s all?”

The grin snaked its way across Satoru’s handsome face. “That’s not all I want, but it is a start.” He moved his hand and brushed his thumb over her lips. “When this is all over, I want to take you out on a proper date. I don’t think we’ll get any pushback from the grandparents.”

Kagome blushed. Right. They haven’t been on a single date, and yet she wanted nothing more than to be with him. This had to be some kind of madness. Was there a secret Christmas demon out there that worked like Cupid because Kagome could not figure out how Satoru’s mere presence caused her to act in ways she would never act. 

“You can have one of your presents now as long as I can have mine.” 

Satoru chuckled. His lips were so soft. His touch sent her head into the clouds. It was as if her body was floating from the sheer emotions swelling within her. Kagome never knew kissing could feel so magical. Feel so good. Satoru cupped the back of Kagome’s head, keeping her protected from the hard glass. He groaned. She moaned. They panted. 

It was hard to keep their hands off one another. She couldn’t help herself. Satoru’s body was all hard planes. Satoru kissed the corners of her mouth, the column of her neck, and the swell of her breasts. His breathing was heavy. His hands trembled with restraint. 

Kagome closed her eyes and then pushed him away so she could have room to move. 

“Do I get my present now?” she asked. 

Satoru nodded. His mouth appeared not to be working properly. His lips were slightly swollen from the kiss. There was a delicious flush to his skin. Kagome wanted to see him squirm. She was aware it was only a matter of time before someone wandered upstairs to see where they disappeared to, and so she forwent trying to be sexy and went for direct. 

Kagome dropped to her knees and unbuckled Satoru’s belt and pushed his pants down. 

“Oh shit,” Satoru breathed. 

Kagome gasped. Oh, she knew he was big the moment she palmed him in his apartment, but the difference between feeling him and seeing was massive. Kagome’s tongue darted out. Her eyes followed the path of precum, and she could not help herself. She wanted him so badly it hurt.

Did he want her as badly as she wanted him?

His hands threaded in her hair told her yes. The way his eyes never left hers told her he would give her anything she asked. Satoru was heavy on her tongue. He was more than a mouthful. She couldn’t fit all of him, but she aimed to do her best. 

“Fuck, Kagome,” Satoru said, his head lolling back. “Driving me crazy.”

Kagome hummed. She would give him an answer, but that would require her to take his dick out of her mouth, and that was incomprehensible. What she could not fit in her mouth, she fisted with one hand, while her other rolled his balls in her palm. His scent was intoxicating. Kagome wanted to bathe in his scent. She couldn’t wait until they could be one. To join together. 

“Kagome,” Satoru said, voice strained. His legs shook. Satoru was being so good for her. “I’m going to—oh, fuck!” 

Kagome sucked harder. She wanted her present, and she would not stop until she received it. Satoru’s hold on her hair tightened. Kagome stuck her tongue out, flattening it against the underside of Satoru’s dick as his thrust increased, and then he was holding her head in place while he came down her throat. 

She stood there for a moment, savoring the taste. The feel of him. Satoru pulled away and bent ever so slightly. His thumb pressed into her cheek. Kagome opened her mouth.

“Good fucking girl,” he praised before kissing her. “You’ll get your other gift later tonight,” he promised.

Kagome smiled. Before tucking him back into his pants, she nuzzled her cheek against the length of him. 

She couldn’t wait until later. 

Chapter Text

They could not keep their hands off one another. Even seated on the couch with a blanket over them, Satoru's hand gripped Kagome's thigh. There was nothing outwardly sexual in his touch, but it burned all the same. She wished they were alone so his hands could move further up. Kagome counted down the seconds until the last child closed their eyes and their breathing evened out. She met Satoru's gaze, ducked her head so her hair covered her face, and blushed. The heat of his stare warmed her all over. She shifted on the couch and tried not to be so obvious, but it was clear to anyone who was paying attention. 

She was hopeless. 

Satoru was just as hopeless, so they balanced one another out. 

Sota and Gramps retired to their room hours ago. Gramps because he could not stay up late and Sota because he said being around the lovebirds was a bit much for him. 

Whatever that meant. 

Maybe next year, the children could wish for their uncle Sota to find someone.

Himari grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. She palmed the side of her face and fluttered her lashes at Syouma. "Syouma and I are retiring for the night. We will see you two in the morning." Himari stood and set the remote back on the table. She looped her arm with Syouma's before disappearing up the stairs. The pair never looked back to see if their announcement was acknowledged. 
 Kagome nodded, though it did not hit her until later that Syouma and her mother 'retired' together. The only thing on her mind was finally having Satoru to herself. Kagome peeked at Satoru once more and bit her lower lip in anticipation. She felt the heaviness of him on her tongue. Still felt the way he stretched her mouth so sweetly. Her eyes drifted down, lingering on his groin. There was nothing sweet about the things she wanted to do to him. The way she wanted him to take her. 

How had she gone so long without him in her life? He was so entrenched in her life now; she dared not think of a chance of him not being a part of her. There had to be something in the hot chocolate or in the air because Kagome had never felt this way about anyone. Not even InuYasha. This desire drove her to madness. 

Could she be in love with him? 

She thought so. There was no other feeling to describe how much he meant to her. How much she wanted him. Needed him. 

His hand, so warm, squeezed her thigh. 

"Satoru."

"You ready?" He stood and looked at the children lying on a makeshift bed. Shippo slept in the middle, with Megumi on the right and Tsumiki on the left. On the pillow, right above Tsumiki's head, her bird shikigami rested. Megumi's divine dogs slept at the end of the bed. It was cozy. Kagome snapped some pictures earlier that would go into the family photo album. Satoru stood near the sleeping children for a moment longer before lowering the makeshift tent so the 'door' was closed. 

The tent in question was two sheets over some chairs. Nothing fancy. The sheets were white so that the children could pretend that the tent was covered in snow. 

"Are we coming back tonight?" she asked.

Satoru shook his head no. "Nah, but you'll need to take a nap tomorrow because I'm keeping you up tonight." He held out his hand, helping her up from the couch, though she did not need help, and then wrapped his arm around her, pulling her flush against his body. Kagome's eyes threatened to roll back. Satoru was hard. So hard. And she wasn't talking about his dick for once. Her nipples hardened until they hurt. 

She was wearing too many clothes. 

He was wearing too many clothes.

"Let me put up a barrier first. I don't want anyone getting in or going somewhere they shouldn't while we are... occupied." Occupied is one way to put it. She runs a hand over his chest and forces herself to pull away. Barrier first, and then they could go back to Satoru's apartment. Her bed was too small. Too cramped. And frankly, the walls in her bedroom were far too thin. Sure, she could put up a barrier, but.... Satoru's apartment was so much larger than her room.

Kagome had been waiting all day to get her hands on him; she did not want to be limited to just a bed. No, she wanted to fuck him on every single piece of furniture he owned. The possessiveness startled her. Kagome was down bad. 

So, so bad. 

Barrier first, she reminded herself. Kagome closed her eyes, not because she needed to do so in order to put up a barrier, but because it was easier to focus if her eyes were not filled with visions of Satoru. The drawback of closing her eyes was that she was more aware of the heavy masculine scent of Satoru. Was everything heavy with him? Every time she inhaled, his scent filled her lungs and somehow found its way out of her lungs and infected her bloodstream. He was everywhere. 

"Okay, I'm ready," she said, opening her eyes and getting drunk on him. Kagome swallowed. She was salivating in anticipation of having him in her mouth again. At the thought of kissing down his body. And those fingers. They were so long. She breathed, and the next second her vision blurred. Gone was the house she grew up in, and in its place was Satoru's apartment. 

Satoru let her go, shrugged out of his jacket, and tossed it on the couch. Kagome's stomach clenched. She pressed her fingers to her lips. They had on no shoes and didn't stop to grab their coats in their rush to get here. 

"You're too far away, baby," Satoru said, reaching for her. They were like magnets. Neither could stay away for too long, not when they were orbiting one another. Perhaps magnet was not the right word to describe them because there was no push or pull where they were concerned. Kagome wanted Satoru as much as he wanted her. 

"Kiss me," she begged, brushing against him. A strangled groan slipped past Satoru's lips before he claimed hers. She submitted to the onslaught because there was nothing gentle about the way he kissed her. This was a claiming. His thumb brushed her cheek while his other hand snaked around her neck. He didn't squeeze, but the hold was enough to heat her blood to dangerous levels. "Please, Satoru. I need you." 

Kagome was not above begging. She tugged his bottom lip with her teeth, enjoying the hiss that followed. 

"Couch," he groaned, backing them up and then turning her around so her stomach hit the end of the couch and her ass was high in the air. Satoru's hands were warm. He pushed her dress up and slid her panties down. Kagome held her breath. Her body was tense. Her ears strained to hear the sound of Satoru unbuckling his pants. 

She had never heard such a beautiful sound.

Satoru dragged his dick along her slit, not quite giving Kagome what she needed. He was teasing her, and she was going half out of her mind. 

"Gome-chan, you're so damn wet. All I did was kiss ya." 

"Liar," Kagome breathed, wiggling her ass and pushing back against him. Her fingers dug into the couch cushion. "You've been teasing me all day." Her eyes rolled back when the head of his dick pushed into her. 

Oh fuck. 

Kagome liked to think of herself as someone who had a large vocabulary, but words failed her when she finally felt Satoru for the first time. She knew in that moment that he would always take her breath away. He was so much that it was impossible to think of anything other than the way he filled her completely. 

"Shit, I forgot the condom," Satoru muttered. He tried to pull away, but Kagome squeezed and worked her muscles over his length. He was out of his damn mind if he thought he could just leave now. Satoru's fingers threaded through her hair and pulled hard enough, her body had no choice but to arch. "Baby, you aren't playing fair." 

Kagome pushed back against him in response. 

Satoru chuckled, but the sound was menacing. His grip on her tightened as he pulled out and snapped his hips. The couch moved from the force. 

"OHH KAMI, SATORU!" 

Skin slapping filled the room. With each thrust, the couch moved, scraping against the floor. Satoru did not care, and Kagome did not care either. He felt too good. Tears pricked at her eyes. She knew it. Fucking knew it. Knew that being with Satoru would bring tears to her eyes because he was all-consuming. 

She must have been a good girl this year because this Christmas topped every Christmas in her past. 

"That's my girl," Satoru growled out. "Couldn't wait to have this dick, huh?" His tone was mocking. It made her wetter. She was slightly ashamed of how drenched she was for him. How everything he did and said turned her on. "You like when I pull your hair, huh? Love the way I fuck you." 

"YES!" she sobbed. "I love it. Love it so much." 

Satoru's thrusts were erratic. The couch scraped against the floor until it hit the end of the wall. Kagome moaned, trembled, and tried to meet him thrust for thrust, but the position made it difficult. 

Patience. 

They had all night, she reminded herself. 

"Shit, baby," Satoru breathed. "I'm going to—"

"Come in me," she pleaded, no demanded, and Satoru obliged with a strangled groan. His hold on her hair loosened in favor of gripping her hips. Kagome closed her eyes and focused on getting a hold of her breathing. They stayed like that for a moment, simply enjoying one another, before Satoru eased out of her. 

"C'mere," he murmured, easing her onto her back. He placed her legs on his shoulders. His shades were off, probably thrown somewhere. His eyes glowed. Heat speared Kagome's gut. 

She wanted to go again. 

Satoru inhaled and brushed his nose against her pussy. 

He wanted to go again.

It was a wonderful problem to have. 

Satoru inhaled once more and then pressed his tongue against her, licking up their combined come. He hummed and slurped. There was no fineness to it. No, he ate her out like he was some kind of glutton. 

"Satoru," Kagome cried. 

"Love when you call my name like that," he said, kissing the insides of her thighs, before going back for seconds or maybe it was thirds now. Satoru was a greedy man. 

Kagome did not complain. The greedier Satoru became, the more pleasure Kagome received. Her second orgasm left her feeling boneless, and yet Kagome could not - did not - want the night to end so soon, so she opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out, begging Satoru to share. 

He slumped and pushed her legs to her chest, so he could share with her how their cum tasted mingled together. The kiss was sloppy. Desperate. She swore she was dick drunk because Satoru could have asked for anything in that moment and she would have agreed. 

"That's my girl," he praised. 

Kagome's heart fluttered. She loved it when he said that. 

When they were satisfied, or rather when sleep threatened to claim them, Kagome's body was deliriously sore, and Satoru's movements were sluggish. Satoru took her on the bed and the shower. At some point, Satoru and Kagome worked up an appetite, so they took a break only to forgo the food and fuck in the kitchen with Kagome's back against the fridge and Satoru holding her up. 

"Best Christmas ever," he said, his lips curved into a smile. One arm was thrown across Kagome's body as she snuggled closer to him on the bed. After fucking against the fridge, they went back to the bed. "Did you get everything you wanted?" Satoru's eyes were closed. Kagome traced his face with her eyes, taking in the sharp turns and how perfectly carved his bone structure was. 

Kami, he was handsome. 

"Gome-chan?"

"Hm?" Kagome closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. Satoru was warm. Much warmer than any cover. 

"Merry Christmas." 

Chapter Text

“Keep your voices down,” Tsumiki hissed, pressing one finger to her lips as she looked at the boys. She wore a red pajama set with some reindeer and candy canes printed on it. Her hair was messy, but not as messy as Megumi’s hair. Or perhaps Megumi’s hair was destined to be messy forever because his hair stood up no matter what. “We can’t wake everyone up yet.” Her brown hair, which was in braids when she went to sleep, was sticking up every which way, a clear indicator of how wildly she slept. Shippo knew this personally as he awoke briefly due to Tsumiki punching him in the face. 

Did it hurt? 

No. 

But... he could not think of anyone who enjoyed getting punched in the face. Well, there was Miroku, who blushed every time Sango slapped him, but Miroku was a strange, strange human, so Shippo dismissed Miroku as an anomaly.  

Shippo yawned as he wiped away the remnants of sleep from his mossy green eyes. He let out a little growl as his lips closed. The loud one was Tsumiki. Neither he nor Megumi had uttered a single word. Even when Tsumiki had punched him, Shippo hadn’t let out a single yelp or complaint. Instead, he opened one eye and then turned on his side to sleep some more, pulling more of the cover with him. At some point, Megumi moved from his spot on Shippo’s right to sleeping beside Tsumiki. Perhaps the young sorcerer sleep-crawled or something. 

“Did Santa come?” Megumi asked. He patted the heads of his divine dog shikigami that lay on the bed, with their heads resting on Megumi’s lap. The bird shikigami flapped its wings and then flew so it could rest on Tsumiki’s shoulder. Unlike Tsumiki’s pajamas, Megumi’s had dogs on them and were not themed after Christmas. Shippo knew this because he spent a considerable amount of time familiarizing himself with the tradition of Christmas. 

He was a genius. This was an indisputable fact. Sure, InuYasha would argue, but who cared what InuYasha thought? Not Shippo, that was for certain. And while Shippo was a genius, there were some things he could not figure out, like where his Mama and Papa ran off to. 

Shippo sniffed and then sniffed again. “Mama and Papa aren’t here.” He sniffed again and then got on all fours as he crawled out of the makeshift tent. His nose was firmly pressed to the ground. His tail swished back and forth as he followed the scent to the couch. “They were here and they... disappeared?” Shippo sat back and crossed his legs. Well, this was peculiar. 

Had the wish taken away the parents they wished for?

No, that was not it. Santa Claws worked in mysterious ways, according to Sota, but this was a prank too far. Shippo crossed his arms and sighed twice. Something was wrong, but he did not want to alarm the others, so Shippo rubbed his chin and thought.... and then thought some more until finally he gave up and threw his hands up in frustration.

“Ah!!!! Where could they have gone?” he cried, fussing with his hair. Surely if he rubbed his hair fast enough, the force would have generated a hint, or maybe it would have dropped his parents into the living room. There had to be a way to the North Pole. Shippo was determined to find the exact route so that he could personally deliver his grievances to Santa Claws.   

“Dad can teleport,” Megumi said after a moment, his voice quiet. Calm. Too calm.

Shippo whipped his head around and wobbled his bottom lip. Fat tears welled in his eyes before plopping to the ground. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?” His eyes darted from Megumi, Tsumiki, and to the fox shikigami that Shippo was admittedly partial to simply because it was another fox. The shikigami was nowhere near as cute as Shippo, but it was much better looking than Megumi’s divine dogs.

Not that Shippo would ever mutter such words within Megumi’s hearing distance. The younger boy would surely throw a fit and complain if he did. 

“You didn’t ask.” Megumi shrugged and then yawned. Sleep clung to his eyelids, though that did not absolve Megumi for being so rude. How was he supposed to know Papa could teleport? He had just adopted Papa as his new father the day prior. 

Shippo sniffed back the remaining tears and tried to be strong. He was the oldest and should remain calm. 

“Megumi,” Tsumiki admonished. “It’s Christmas! You can’t be a brat on Christmas, or Santa will keep Mom and Dad away forever, just like our first set.”

Shippo blinked. “Santa Claws wouldn’t take them away. Megumi said Papa can teleport. They must have gone directly to Santa Claws to make sure the wish comes true. Besides, Mama would never, never,” Shippo stressed, “leave me willingly.” It was on the tip of his tongue to include them, but Megumi was rude first, so Shippo offered no more words of comfort. 

“But Papa is the strongest, so no one can hurt him, which means Mama willingly left you behind because she isn’t here,” Megumi pointed out. 

Shippo stared at Megumi, aghast. “What is wrong with you?” He stood and knocked on Megumi’s forehead. “Too much time in the shadows? That is completely different. I meant, like, leave, leave. Not Mama and Papa go off somewhere—probably to talk with Santa—and then they come back to us with news to share.” 

“Megumi’s dad and my mom ran off together,” Tsumiki said, petting the bird shikigami. “Be gentle with Megumi. It’s.... hard to....” she paused, swallowed, and then blinked back tears. 

Shippo’s stomach dropped. He felt awful. Like, really, really awful. He was majorly screwing up this older brother gig. As the oldest, he had to do his best to ensure Megumi grew to be a competent man... and nicer. 

“Okay, let’s not cry,” he said, holding up his hands. “Let’s just go back into the tent and wait. They will come back. Papa is the strongest, and Mama is stronger than him.”

“How do you know that?” Megumi questioned. 

“Miroku says that women are always stronger, even when they aren’t; they have their ways to come out on top.” 

“Who is Miroku?”

“A perverted monk.”

“Should we be taking advice from a pervert?” Megumi sighed. “Even I know that, and I’m not even ten.”

Shippo shrugged. “Probably not, but if Mama and Papa come back and they see us not in the tent, then what?”

“.... They see that we are awake?” Tsumiki said, trying her best to help. Her brows furrowed together in concentration while her tongue poked out of her mouth. 

Honestly, Shippo’s siblings did not and could not comprehend the message he attempted to bestow upon them. It was likely because they were younger and did not understand as much as he did. He bit back a sigh. This older brother gig was a lot to take on. Luckily for Tsumiki and Megumi, Shippo had lots of experience with exercising patience. He practically taught InuYasha how to be a better demon, after all. 

If anyone were to ask InuYasha, Shippo would deny such claims because InuYasha was prone to knocking heads first and asking questions after. Shippo liked his head bump free. 

“Yes, but... what if they bring Santa with them and then Santa takes our gifts away because he didn’t want us to see him!?”

Megumi blinked slowly and then crawled back into the makeshift tent. “Well, get in. We can leave the tent open just a little so we can see if they bring Santa with them.” 

“Good idea,” Tsumiki praised, going back into the tent. The bird shikigami chirped and flapped its wings, but it was chirping far too fast for Shippo to understand. The fox shikigami was of no help. It curled around Megumi and closed its eyes. 

Useless. 

Shippo shook his head as he climbed into the tent. He hunkered down and pulled the sheets closed enough that he could peek out, but not so obvious that someone would notice they were awake. The trio stayed inside of the tent for a minute before someone broke the silence. 

“I’m sorry,” Shippo said. “I’ll do a better job of being a big brother to you both.” 

Megumi awkwardly patted Shippo’s back and cleared his throat. “Sorry for not telling you about Dad. I wasn’t thinking. Everyone knows Dad and what he can do, so... sorry.” 

“AWWWW!” Tsumiki gushed. “You two are so cute.”

“Are not!” 

“Of course I am.” 

Megumi and Shippo looked at one another and laughed until their bellies hurt. They were so caught up in their laughter they did not notice when Kagome and Satoru came back until the sheets were pulled back and the makeshift tent was no more. 

“YOU CAME BACK!” the children cried, all tackling Kagome at once. If not for Satoru’s hold on her, she would have fallen over from the impact. 

“Of course, we came back,” Kagome said. “Is anyone else up?”

“They probably are now,” Satoru quipped. “Okay, okay, give Kagome some space.” 

Shippo took a few steps back and then tilted his head. “You aren’t giving Mama any space, though,” he pointed out. Shippo’s nose twitched. He locked eyes with the fox shikigami and then nodded his head. “You guys went to see Santa Claws?” Mama and Papa smelled fresh, but there were still traces of their scents mingling together that still lingered. 

Kagome’s outfit was also far too big for her. The pants were large, and the shirt was even larger. Papa must have loaned his clothes to her. 

“Santa Claus,” Megumi corrected. “What did Santa say? Is he going to grant our wish?” 

“What wish?” Himari asked. Her steps were heavy as she came downstairs, followed by Syouma. Shippo’s brows raised at that. How could he have forgotten that Grandpaw stayed the night? He must have eaten too many cookies and had too much hot chocolate last night because his senses were duller than mud. 

“A mama and papa,” Tsumiki announced, taking up the mantle of being the spokesperson for the trio. “And!” She slapped a hand on her chest. “We want another sibling to spoil.” 

Satoru made a noise that bordered on choking, while Kagome pressed a hand to her mouth. 

“Oh!?” Himari’s eyes widen. “Well, a wish like that requires more time.” She walked over to them and got down to their level. Her robe was long and looked like something a lord would wear around his estate. Her skin had a glow to it that was not present last night. Syouma stood behind Himari with his arms crossed. His robe matched Himari’s. “Maybe later, after we open gifts, you can write Santa a thank-you letter and then put in your request for a sibling for next Christmas? Does that sound good?”

Shippo thought no, because Tsumiki was clear that they should get a new sibling that day and Mama said that Santa could grant any wish, but he did not want to ruin the mood, so he nodded his head in agreement. 

“Grandpaw,” Shippo said, looking at Syouma. 

“Yes?” Syouma uncrossed his arms. 

“I just wanted to say Grandpaw.” He shrugged.

Himari and Kagome laughed, while Syouma stared at Shippo with a dumbfounded expression on his face. 

“Alright, you three,” Kagome said, ushering them to the couch. “Let’s start sorting the gifts. Mama is Sota up yet?”

“No, but I’ll wake him and Gramps after I get the coffee brewing.” 

Shippo was not shocked to see Syouma follow Himari into the kitchen, nor was he surprised when Satoru insisted on keeping one hand on Kagome at all times. Shippo sniffed discreetly, and then his eyes widened. “Guys,” he whispered, while Kagome and Satoru’s backs were turned to them. 

“Yeah?” Tsumiki pressed her cheek against his. Megumi did the same. “What is it?”

“I think Santa granted our wish.”

Tsumiki pulled away long enough to look at their parents and then she squished her face against his with so much aggression that Shippo and Megumi nearly toppled over. 

“What are you guys whisperin’ about?” Satoru asked, cocking his head to the side. In his arms were three gifts for each of them. 

“Just thanking Santa,” Shippo answered. 

“Oh?” Kagome motioned to Satoru where to set each gift on the table. “You haven’t even opened all your gifts yet.”

“That’s okay,” Megumi replied. 

“Yeah, Santa already gave us the best gift of all.” 

Kagome and Satoru looked at one another and then back at the trio. “Do we get to know what that gift is?” Kagome asked. 

Shippo shook his head and smiled. “You’ll have to ask Santa next Christmas.”