Holiday Stress
Merry (late) Christmas, Venus! [@blueseaswitch / @missaurum (Tagging both because the first account seems inactive).] I was your @inusecretsanta! As I was writing your gift, I was in that time where my teachers decided to throw tests and assignments at me, and it gave me inspiration to write this! I hope you enjoy it!
Word count: 3343
You know that week before holiday break where teachers try to cram every test and assignment possible into such a short period of time? That was what Kagome was about to face when she left the Feudal Era within the next hour. Not just the fact that she had upcoming tests and assignments, she also had to make up numerous ones from the weeks prior when she was out due to "illness." She knew that the next few days would be, to put it blatantly, utter hell.
"Tests don't sound fun," Shippo said, watching as Kagome packed away the textbooks she had brought along.
"They aren't in the slightest," Kagome sighed, hanging her head. She wanted to get ready to leave as slowly as possible, but it was already getting late, and she needed to get a good night's sleep for school the next day.
"When will you be returning?" Sango asked.
Kagome thought for a moment. There was what she called Hell Week, but then it was Christmas. She most likely couldn't come back until after the New Year, knowing her family and their traditions, but then again, knowing Inuyasha...
"You said those tests are only for a week, didn't ya?" Inuaysha said, crouching down beside her.
She sighed heavily, closing her bag. She already explained to them that after her school was let out, it was Christmas break, but Inuyasha had obviously tuned her out.
"She's off for her holiday after that week though," Miroku chipped in, "don't you remember her telling us about her Christmas traditions?"
Thank you, Miroku!
"We need to track down Naraku!" The half-demon exclaimed.
Before he could go off about how they needed to hurry up and find the bastard, Kagome stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, "Inuyasha, I'm ready to go." She saw his jaw clench before he scoffed and crossed his arms, mumbling a "fine."
She said goodbye to the others before they left, and the two of them walked in silence to the well. Once they got there, she turned to him and spoke, "You can come in a few days and I can tell you when I'm coming back. You know how Gramps gets with family stuff..."
Inuyasha seemed to break from his grumpiness from earlier to grimace, remembering how he was forced to sit through a few of Kagome's family dinners. He honestly didn't want to know how he got around this Christmas thing.
"Let me know if something happens," she said, climbing onto the edge of the well. She waved to him before jumping down.
Coming home was always something relieving to Kagome. It was the modern times, there was a nice, warm bed and bath waiting for her, and there was no Inuyasha peering over her shoulder every second of the day. She didn't mind his curiosity, but she didn't need him snooping around her when she needed to focus on her studies this week.
She climbed up the well and left the shrine, hurrying out of the cold into her house, "I'm back!"
"Ah, Kagome!" Gramps said from the table. "You're back late."
"I wanted to be back for school tomorrow," she said, taking off her shoes.
"Just when I thought of a new illness..." Gramps muttered, making Kagome glare at him through her bangs. It was probably just a new strain of the flu that he concocted.
"Welcome home, Kagome," she looked up and smiled when her mother came in. She was drying off a dish in her hands, "Would you like me to start a bath for you? You look exhausted."
Her mother always knew she was tired after her long trips beyond the well. She gave her smile, nodding, "Thank you, Mom."
She walked through her home to put her bag in her room, making sure what little jewel shards they had were carefully stashed away. Inuyasha would have a fit if they got stolen in her time again. She then went to talk to Gramps and Sota for a little bit, talking about one of the demon fights mostly for her younger sibling's entertainment.
She then went to take her bath, taking her time to soak and relieve her stress from both the Feudal Era and the upcoming week. She slid down further into the water and thought about what came after her tests and assignments: Christmas. She'd have to make time for Christmas shopping... She would have done it much sooner, but whenever she would have free time, Inuyasha dragged her back down the well to continue their search for Naraku.
She then began to count off people on her fingers, figuring out who she needed to get a gift for. Her family never celebrated Christmas amazingly, it was always just a small family get together. A nice dinner, a movie, maybe a board game. She loved buying presents for them, though, even if they were meant to be inexpensive, but meaningful, according to Gramps. As she was thinking, she remembered the others beyond the well. Should she get something small for them as well? To her knowledge, they didn't celebrate Christmas, but they seemed interested in the holiday. Well, except for Inuyasha...
She scowled and sunk deeper into the water, submerging her nose. He didn't even listen when she was talking about it.
Kagome decided to end her bath time, draining the tub and drying off before getting dressed. When she climbed into bed, she found that she couldn't fall asleep, she just stared at the ceiling. The idea of getting a gift for Inuyasha was still on her mind, and she didn't know why. Even if she were to get him something, he probably wouldn't like it. What would she even get?
Sighing, she turned on her side, making sure her alarm was set before falling asleep.
****
Calling it Hell Week may have seemed accurate at first, but it was definitely an understatement. There were so many make-up tests, so many missed assignments, so many new tests and new assignments... Let's just say Kagome was stressed.
"Kagome, do you want some tea?" her mother said from outside her door after knocking.
Inside her room, she was sitting at her desk, surrounded by her textbooks and review papers, her head on it. She had already changed out of her school uniform, even though it was barely two hours after being let out, and was wearing comfortable pants and a t-shirt.
"... Yes, please."
When she heard her mother come in, she lifted her head up, pushing her hair away from her face. She shuffled her papers to give herself some kind of organization, glancing to the side to see her set a cup on the desk and pour some tea for her.
"Thank you..." Kagome said, taking the cup and holding it in her hands, welcoming the warmth.
It was the third day into the week of testing, and the mother could see the stress overcoming her daughter. She spent her evenings studying the material she missed, while also reviewing the newer material. She wanted to make-up as much as possible before the holiday break, so she had studied as much as she could in the other time period. It wasn't much, but it helped.
"Take a break soon, Kagome," she said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "don't overwork yourself."
Kagome gave her a smile before she left the room. She sighed before looking back to her review sheets, the numbers and letters beginning to all look the same. She sipped her tea, setting it down beside one of her textbooks. She picked up a pencil and began on a practice problem.
Just as she was getting the hang of it, and was about to solve it, she barely heard her window slide open, "Oi, Kagome, when are you--"
She pressed down her pencil harshly, the tip of it breaking, just like her focus. She slammed her hands on the desk, "Inuyasha, sit!"
All that could be heard was the crashing outside her window and the shout of Inuyasha when he hit the ground. The first person to run to her room was Sota, "What was that, Kagome?"
She pushed herself up from her desk, knocking her chair over. Sota jumped away from the door as his sister walked towards it, muttering, "Nothing."
Her mother had went outside after hearing the crash, helping Inuyasha. Kagome had actually went to grab her backpack to grab her other textbook and sit at the dining room table and begin reading over some sections. Sota left her room and peered out of the hallway, seeing her angrily flip the page.
She didn't look up when Inuyasha stormed in, his face smudged with dirt and her mother trailing behind him, "What the hell Kago--"
Sota jumped out in front of him, helping his mother to pull him out of the room. The half-demon looked extremely agitated, wiping at his face to get rid of the dirt.
"What's with her?!" He said, looking to the two.
"She's not in a good mood," Sota said. "... You probably did that, didn't you?"
"I didn't do anything!"
"She's been really stressed with school," Ms. Higurashi said, "she was studying."
"She's the one who told me to come here in a few days," he muttered, crossing his arms.
Ms. Higurashi went out into the dining room and sat down next to Kagome to talk to her, which then ended in the girl closing her textbook and leaving to take a bath. Sota then came in with Inuyasha, and the mother stood up. She smiled at him, "Would you like to stay later for dinner, Inuyasha?"
He glanced to where he heard the water running, wondering if she'd be cooled down by then. But, knowing Ms. Higurashi, she'd keep insisting, so he agreed.
In the bath, Kagome slid down into the water and thought over what her mother suggested to her.
"Take a break from studying, you need to de-stress. How about you go out and do your shopping? Bring Inuyasha with you!"
Bring Inuyasha out shopping? Not only would he turn it down, but the shopping center would be crazy. Shopping this time of year isn't exactly de-stressing.
She sighed, crossing her arms on the edge of the side of the tub and resting her head on them. If she were to go out that night, she'd need to make a quick list. And convince Inuyasha to come with her. Would he even wear his hat for that long?
Inuyasha was sitting in the dining room, playing with Buyo when Kagome came out out the bathroom. she was dressed in a warm sweater and a skirt paired with tights. When he turned and saw he walk to her room, he dropped Buyo from his grasp and got up to go after her. She was usually calmer after bathing, and she looked less angry.
When he peered into her room she was sitting at her desk, where she had pushed aside her cluttered notes to write in a separate notebook. He dared to go further into the room, but not getting too close to her, just close enough to see what she was writing. Even though he could only make out few words, he could make out an obvious name, such as Sota, and characters like Mom and Gramps, and...
Inuyasha?
He raised an eyebrow at the names of the others from the Feudal Era. What the hell was she doing?
"Reading over someone's shoulder is rude, Inuyasha," Kagome suddenly said, making him jump.
He crossed his arms, "I just wanted to know what you were doin'!"
"I'm making a shopping list."
"Shopping list?"
She set down her pencil and turned in her chair to him. He expected her to still be mad at him, but she wasn't. She looked up at him, "Come with me."
"Eh?"
"I need a break from studying, come shopping with me."
He had gone shopping with her before, but what was this for? She seemed to be shopping for other people, even the ones in the Feudal Era. Kagome must have seen his confusion, because she rolled her eyes, "You really didn't listen when I was talking about Christmas?"
No, he hadn't. They were traveling, hunting down Naraku when she was talking about it, and he was the only one with his guard up. He tuned her out.
She just shook her head, turning back to the notebook to continue writing. He then went and sat on her bed, waiting a moment before answering, "Fine, I'll go."
Although she was turned away from him and he couldn't see her, she was smiling.
It took a few minutes, but she finally closed the notebook and stood up, walking over to her bed and grabbing her purse from the edge of it. she ripped the page from the notebook, folded it, and slid it into the bag. She then grabbed the cap that Inuyasha always wore when he went out in her time period, standing in front of him and pulling it over his head. He scrunched up in nose in annoyance as she went to her window and looked outside. It had started snowing, probably just after Inuyasha got there. She made sure she had a jacket and scarf, leaving her room.
The half-demon followed her out, waiting for here to put on her shoes. Before they could leave, Ms. Higurashi came out with a scarf in hand, "It's cold outside, you need something more than that, Inuyasha," she said, wrapping the scarf neatly around his neck.
"T-thanks..." he mumbled, and the two of them left, Kagome laughing slightly at the redness on his face.
Although Inuyasha offered to carry her on his back to get to the shopping center sooner, Kagome wanted to walk. It wasn't that long of a walk, and it gave her time to explain to him what she was shopping for exactly.
When they got to the shopping center, it was crowded. More crowded that Inuyasha liked. He stuck close to Kagome, listening as she went off about the things she wanted to get. The longer they were out shopping, the better her mood seemed to get. Inuyasha even tried to help her pick out gifts for her family. When she brought up getting things for the others in the Feudal Era, that's when he blanked.
Shippo was the easiest that came to mind, she got him some little trinkets and candy. They ended up wandering around the shopping center for a while before coming up with some ideas: a simple necklace for Sango, a book that Inuyasha claimed Miroku would find interesting, and some treats for Kirara. The half-demon hadn't seemed to notice that she purposely didn't get him a gift yet.
It wasn't too late before they began heading back to the Higurashi residence, but Kagome took up his offer when he said he'd carry her that time. They made it back just in time for dinner, the two of them stashing the bags in her room before sitting down to eat. It was after they ate that Kagome went back into her room to study for a little bit more before bed, Inuyasha sitting behind her without bothering her.
She soon put down her pencil, "After my testing is over, I think I'd need another week before going back over."
She expected him to say that was too long, but he didn't, "Fine," was all he said.
He then said he'd be back then to get her before leaving. She closed her notebook, turning her head to the door. Shaking her head, she began to get ready for bed and another day of testing the next day.
****
The days up until Christmas were the same; Kagome stressed over school, secretly wrapped presents, and actually did end up figuring out what to get Inuyasha for his gift. The first day of her break, she slept in quite late, waking up refreshed. She spent the day relaxing, taking a much needed break from anything to do with school, and also finishing up the wrapping of her gifts.
She was sitting at the table, reading a magazine when she noticed Sota wasn't home. She looked over to where her mother was cooking, "Mom, where's Sota?"
"He went out with some friends to the shopping center," she said.
She didn't question it, and went back to her reading. Her brother returned a few hours later, hurrying off to his room with a small bag before coming into the dining room. Kagome rested her head on her hand, "What are you hiding?"
"Nothin'," Sota said, sitting down across from her, knowing dinner would be getting ready soon.
She assumed he went out to buy some video games he didn't want their mother to see, especially since she knew a new game had recently come out.
When Christmas came along, it was the same as previous years, it was just a small family event where they exchanged inexpensive presents. Kagome had gotten her mother a new sweater, her brother a figurine, and her grandfather some history book; Inuyasha had suggested it, since she didn't know what to get him. He seemed to enjoy it.
During their game night, Sota had left for a few minutes before coming back, claiming he needed to put away his new gift. As they were playing the board game, surprisingly, Gramps was winning.
After moving her game piece, Kagome's mother spoke, "Don't you have some gifts for your friends over the well, Kagome?"
Right, she did. Maybe she could bring them when she returned...
"You should go take them tonight," Sota said, making Kagome look at him questioningly.
"Yes, go take them over," the mother said, giving her a smile.
After Gramps had won the game, Kagome went to her room to gather the gifts and then head to the well. When she arrived to the village, they were surprised to see her, not expecting to see her for another few days. She handed out the gifts, giving Inuyasha his last.
He looked at the bag, then to her, then to the bag again before opening it. He then pulled out a long, red scarf.
"I remember that you never really wanted to take off the scarf when we went shopping," Kagome said, thinking back to when he was still wearing it when they sat down for dinner. "My mom helped me pick it out."
She took it from him and wrapped it around his neck, giving him a smile before she was pulled away from him by the others talking to her about their gifts. Inuyasha was glad she was pulled away, because, like before when her mother had done it, his face had gone red.
After about an hour, Kagome said that she had to go back, since she still had family things to do. She said goodbye to them, and Inuyasha walked with her to the well. Before she could climb up to the edge of it, he grabbed onto her arm, "Wait..."
She turned to him in confusion, watching as he pulled out a small box from his robe. She could see his slight blush in the moonlight, "Uh... Your brother helped me pick out something for you..."
He held out the neatly tied box to her, and Kagome suddenly remembered when Sota had gone out that one day. He had gone out with Inuyasha? She took the box from him, "You didn't have to--"
"I wanted to."
She bit her lip, untying the little bow and taking the lid off of the box. What was inside made her smile, and she almost wanted to laugh a little. It was a dainty necklace on a silver chain with a single charm on it: an arrow. She took it out of the box, setting the box on the edge of the well to put it on. She looked up to the half-demon with a smile before hugging him, "Thank you."
He smiled slightly, wrapping his arms around her, "... Merry Christmas, Kagome."
