Santa Claws

"I hate this time of year," Inuyasha grumbled, attempting to swallow a sneeze as a whisper of dust penetrated his nostrils. "Can't we just skip it?"

"Please don't say that. You'll make me cry again like last time," Kagome teased, unveiling another large roll of glossy red satin ribbon from the closet as she spoke. Under her adept fingers, it would eventually become dozens of elegant scarlet bows, each one threaded with wire to tie onto the Christmas tree she was decorating. "Christmas is a special time of year. The kids love it and so do I! I know it's hard for you, but can't you just try to like it? I just want to get through Christmas without-"

"Don't hold your breath," he countered with an indignant huff. "It's two weeks. Two whole weeks until Christmas! It comes faster and faster every year and it sucks."

She pointed to the tear in the corner of her eye with a wobbly frown and accusing eyes. "Do you see what you did? They're starting."

"Damn crocodile tears," he mumbled under his breath, hoping that she didn't hear him as he rolled his eyes at her childish antics. "Keh! Same thing happens every year..."

"What was that, Inuyasha?"

"Uhhh, nothing. Nothing at all."

Six large boxes labeled "Christmas Ornaments" in Kagome's neat handwriting were in disarray around him. They held a momentous treasure of ornaments, a few broken (mainly because of his own carelessness in the past), but most as perfect as the day they had been carefully packed away in newspaper. There were wooden ornaments, some handmade, some bought, some peeling, and others brightly painted. An angel made out of a foam cup with golden wings and a halo made of red pipe cleaners. A nutcracker who was so heavy in his chipped wood that he had to be hung on the lower branches of the tree. A hand-made blue teddy bear with the name "Denji" sewn into its stomach. He removed them carefully from the box and handed them off to his wife, who had already finished hanging the bows and was positioning the ornaments next.

With two sets of hands, one willing and the other reluctant, the tree was decorated in under an hour with Kagome's scarlet bows filling any holes. They both sat back, hot and flushed, and admired it.

"Kohana and Denji are going to love this!" she chirped enthusiastically, clapping her hands together with wide, excited eyes. "They're going to be so surprised when they come home from school."

His eyes softened at the thought of his kids. Kohana, his oldest child and his little princess, and Denji, his tough little man, were definitely going to be pleased with the progress their parents had made in their absence. Inuyasha wasn't particularly fond of Christmas himself, but his children were, so he would put on a happy façade so they could enjoy the holiday. He always did. And even though it killed him sometimes, he always maintained it, especially since his wife enjoyed Christmas almost as much as the rest of their small family.

"We need to put garland around the fireplace," Kagome was saying, "and a wreath on the door."

"And food," he added suggestively. "We need food."

"And presents. We need to put the presents under the tree," she decided, tapping her chin in thought. "Do you think we should do the silly kind for the adults this year? It would be hilarious! Like give Souta a Barbie doll or something? He'd get a kick out of that!"

"If we do that, I'll get you a calculus book," he teased with a smirk. "It'd be worth it to see the look on your face! Wasn't that your favorite subject in high school? Or was it microbiology?"

Kagome shot him a stern look that quickly dissolved into a fit of giggles from which she couldn't revive herself. Eventually, he had to thump her on the back so she would recover.

"Cookies," she hiccupped through her laughter. "I should make sugar cookies."

"You work on that and I'll hang up the garland and wreath," he offered, kissing her on the forehead before navigating through the labyrinth of discarded boxes to reach the other decorations. "By the way, the kids get home in an hour."

"I know, I know," she said. "Maybe they can decorate them when they're finished. Is the camera charged? I see a cute photo op in the future!"

Inuyasha sighed as he reached for the hammer and nails. This was going to be a long, long Christmas.

OOO

Two weeks later, everyone was buzzing with excitement as they congregated in their small house. Kagome and Inuyasha had hung some twinkling Christmas lights to frame the front door, and from the kitchen, the heavenly smells of cookies and other dining delights were wafting. Despite the fact that the sun had just set, the Christmas tree was clearly visible through the window with its vibrant white lights and colorful array of ornaments.

They were all gathered around the fireplace now, sipping on hot chocolate and singing Christmas carols (which he, of course, didn't take part in because he did not sing). They had already eaten enough cookies to make them sick, but still continued to stuff them in their mouths as they speculated about what Christmas morning would bring. Inuyasha sat cross-legged on the carpet with his eyes trained on the plate of sugary desserts in front of him, debating on whether or not his stomach could handle one or two or a dozen more. Meanwhile, Kagome was seated next to him, mirroring his position with eight-year old Kohana in her lap. The silver haired girl was diligently braiding the older woman's long hair and singing "Jingle Bells" under her breath. Six-year old Denji, on the other hand, was buried underneath the Christmas tree, grabbing presents and shaking them vigorously to see if he could determine what was inside.

Inuyasha smirked when the pup started to examine one of Kagome's "silly" gifts for the adults. They'd finished wrapping them earlier that morning, and he snickered as he thought about all the ridiculous things they had gotten for their relatives – a Barbie doll in a bikini for Souta, a can of spray cheese for Kagome's grandfather, bacon toothpaste for Ms. Higurashi, an inflatable unicorn horn for Rin, his brother's wife, and a box of condoms for Sesshomaru (which had a very strict message on it that encouraged him to open it when he got home). They were all coming over the next morning and Inuyasha couldn't wait to see how they would react. My brother is going to shit bricks when he opens his gift, but I know Rin will be secretly pleased, he thought with a mischievous chuckle. This is probably the only Christmas I'm looking forward to.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, nudging him with her elbow to attract his attention. "It's time."

Inuyasha stiffened and swallowed a groan. Last New Year's Eve, he and Kagome had made a bet that if one of them fell asleep before they could make it to midnight, then the loser would have to dress up as Santa Claus for the kids the following year. Inuyasha, of course, had lost miserably; he'd fallen asleep shortly after they'd eaten dinner because he'd had a little bit too much champagne. So, Kagome had gone out and bought him a cheap red suit from a thrift store, a pair of black boots, a fake white beard (which matched the color of his hair, or so she had teased when she had presented it to him), and a traditional Santa hat she'd discovered at a local Christmas store. He knew the kids would enjoy it. Hell, he knew Kagome wouldn't stop talking about it for as long as they lived. But a bet was a bet, and he kept his word even if he would be potentially humiliated later on. Just wait until Valentine's Day, he thought with a heavy sigh. I'll get her back then.

So, Inuyasha begrudgingly rose to his feet and went to change into his costume.

"Where are you going, Daddy?" Kohana asked from her mother's lap, her golden eyes wide with curiosity.

"I'll be right back," he promised, surprising himself with how gentle his voice sounded. "Stay with your mother."

Inuyasha ruffled Denji's hair as he passed, but the child didn't even lift his head to investigate where his father was going. Instead, he was more focused on a particularly large present that was vibrating in his hands.

The red suit was gaudy and too big on him at first, so he had to go steal two pillows from the bed and shove them under his shirt. I need to lay off the cookies, he decided with a chuckle as he adjusted the beard on his face. Otherwise this 'Santa Claus' guy and I will be twins. The boots were too small, the hat itched his scalp, and he felt absolutely ridiculous, but he swallowed his pride and exited the bedroom with a determined glint in his eyes. Kagome wanted Santa Claus? Oh, he'd give her a damn Santa Claus. He'd even throw in a few "Ho-Ho-Ho's!" for extra measure. I'm definitely getting her back on Valentine's Day, he thought. I hope she enjoys this while it lasts!

Kohana and Denji were on their feet the moment he entered the room, their eyes as big as dinner plates. Gripping his extended pillow-belly in his hands, he chuckled deeply and exclaimed, "Ho-ho-ho! Merry Christmas, kids! Have you been good this year? Where are my cookies?"

Kagome was hiding a smile behind her hand. Her face was flushed and she looked like she was struggling to contain her laughter, the camera he had given her for her birthday poised in her hand. He cursed himself for charging it for her earlier in the day. Now she had documentation of his efforts, and he knew that his face would be all over Facebook in a matter of minutes. Gods, he hated social media. He really hoped that the device didn't have a video recorder option or he'd be doomed.

Inuyasha sat down in the closest chair and helped his kids settle in his lap. Kohana was bouncing up and down, talking a mile a minute while Denji stared up at him shyly. He gently combed his fingers through his son's dark hair and grinned. Kagome was right – his children really did love this holiday, and just watching their excitement made everything worth it.

For now.

"So, you must be Kohana," Inuyasha said, lowering the pitch of his voice and chuckling deeply at her mesmerized gaze. "Have you been a good little girl this year? What do you want for Christmas?"

The silver haired child nodded enthusiastically. "I've been extra good for Mommy and Daddy!" she promised. "I even got good grades this year in school. But for Christmas, I want a doll, a bracelet, a cell phone, a horse, a tiara, a chocolate cake, no more homework-"

She droned on and on for what felt like hours, but he let her go, rubbing soothing circles on her back as she spoke. Kohana looks just like me, he realized then, watching as her eyes sparkled under the lights from the Christmas tree. She's growing up so fast. What am I going to do when she starts dating? Keh! I'd probably decapitate the guy the moment he walked in the room. Thank the gods that's a long way off from now... The red light on Kagome's camera indicated that she was recording the whole thing, but he couldn't force himself to give a damn. When she finally settled down, he brought her close to his chest and kissed her forehead, his smile growing as she giggled under his ticklish beard.

"I'll see what I can do," Inuyasha promised in her ear.

"It's my turn now," Denji piped up timidly, tugging on Inuyasha's sleeve to summon his attention to him. "I've been good and I know what I want."

He arched a brow at that, but felt his body fill with warmth at the excitement in the little boy's expressive eyes. His son was rarely so bold and vocal, opting to stay silent most of the time and keep to himself. For someone who looks so much like Kagome, he doesn't act a thing like her, he decided then, watching as the young boy stared up at him with absolute trust and adoration in his gaze. This kid was like how I used to be when I was his age - content with being alone. He pressed Denji tightly against his side and ruffled his hair. Smiling at his son's impatience, he responded tenderly, "Oh? And what do you want for Christmas, Denji?"

The little boy struggled with himself for a moment, clearly deciding how to word his response in his head. Then, lowering his eyes to avoid Inuyasha's questioning gaze, he uttered quietly, "I want my daddy to be happy on Christmas. Can you do that, Santa? Can you bring Grandma back? I know he misses her."

The room fell deathly silent. Out of the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw Kagome blanch and lower the camera, her eyes wide and quickly filling with tears. She opened and closed her mouth, but, like him, she couldn't seem to figure out what to say in response. Inuyasha felt numb under the expectant gazes of his children. His tongue had suddenly become detached from the rest of his body, and tears of his own prickled in his eyes. He didn't know what to say. For the first time in a long time, he had actually been rendered speechless. They know what this holiday means to me, he thought. They're smarter than I gave them credit for. Oh, gods…

Unbidden, a sequence of old memories appeared before his eyes. His beautiful mother, sickly and frail, lying motionless on a hospital bed. The Christmas music playing quietly on the hospital speakers. The laughter of families reuniting in the hallway. The glow of Christmas lights brightening the windows. The sound of Kagome crying when he couldn't even produce a tear. His mother had passed away on Christmas Eve when Kohana had four years old and Denji had been two, and he had yet to recover from her death. How could the world be so happy and joyful when his mother was gone? Christmas, and all of its activities and traditions, had become a painful reminder that he had lost one of the most important people in his life.

And his kids knew it.

Damn it. His kids knew.

Inuyasha swallowed hard and forced himself to meet their eyes. "Grandma is with Grandpa," he managed to say past the lump in his throat. "She's happy now and she's spending Christmas with him. Your daddy misses her a lot and this time of year is especially hard for him, but he is happy because he has the two of you and your mother. He loves you both a lot, you know. He might not say it all the time, but he does. Do you want to know what your father really wants for Christmas?"

Denji gasped. "You talked to Daddy?"

"What did he want? What did he want?" Kohana demanded excitedly, bouncing up and down in his lap.

"Your old man wants you to have the best Christmas ever," he answered, capturing Kagome's gaze and keeping it as he spoke. Her eyes filled with tears again and she hurried to wipe them away, but she tossed him a wobbly smile to encourage him to continue. "He wants you to be happy even when he can't be. So, when you see your daddy again, can you do that? Because seeing you happy makes him feel happy, too."

"Yeah!" both kids exclaimed.

"Of course," Kagome promised quietly.

Denji leaned his face against his father's chest and shut his eyes. "Thank you, Santa," he whispered to him. "Don't worry about Daddy, okay? We'll give him the best Christmas ever. I promise."

"I know you will, pup. I know you will." The Santa façade slipped a bit as he said those soft words, but he didn't care.

Because for the first time in a long time, Inuyasha was actually getting choked up.

Like, choked up enough to actually cry.

He hugged his children close to him as the tears finally trickled down his cheeks and into his fake beard. Kagome jumped up to join them and soon she was wrapped in his arms, too, her face buried in his hair. Cuddled against his little family, Inuyasha no longer felt ridiculous in his costume. Instead, he felt like he had experienced a little Christmas miracle of his own – like the ice around his broken heart had finally begun to melt. Who knew that a fake beard, a big red coat, and a floppy hat could help turn this into not only the best Christmas EVER for his kids, but also for him, too? Maybe this holiday isn't so bad after all, he decided with a note of finality.

"Merry Christmas, kids," he whispered. "Your daddy loves you."

OOO

"That was…wow," Kagome remarked softly as she rolled up her sleeves and started to wash the dishes in the sink, her back turned to him while she worked. "I did not see that coming."

"You can say that again," Inuyasha murmured, leaning against the counter with the floppy Santa hat clenched tightly in his hand. He had changed out of his costume after helping his wife put the kids to bed, but he couldn't seem to let go of the accessory for reasons he couldn't explain; like his hands wanted to hang on to the one concrete memory he had from that night. "I didn't want them to know about that – about me feeling that way. It's like I've failed somehow as their father…"

She did turn to look at him then, her eyes sad. "Kids are very intuitive. They pick up on a lot of little things," she responded gently. "You didn't fail as their father. As a matter of fact, I think this is a blessing in disguise. The kids just want you to be happy and have a good Christmas. I know it's hard for you to celebrate it, especially since it's the anniversary of your mother's death, but maybe this year can be a turning point? Maybe this year we can all move on." She swallowed hard and faced the sink again. "It hurts me to see you hurting like this, Inuyasha. Can't we just try to be happy this year? Please?"

Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the curve of her shoulder as he whispered, "I'm sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean for things to turn out this way."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about," she countered swiftly. "Of course you miss your mom. I'd be concerned if you didn't! I just…"

"I know. You just want me to be happy."

"I do. I really do, Inuyasha."

He nodded and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. "I'll do better," he promised. "For you and for them."

Kagome flashed him that incandescent smile of hers that made him weak at the knees. "I know you will, Inuyasha. You always do. Tomorrow, we'll both work on making this the best Christmas ever for all of us." A devilish glint appeared in her eye as she added, "Are you going to dress up as 'Santa Claws' again in the morning? I'm sure our family would love to see it."

"In front of my bastard of a brother? Pass," he grumbled with a revolted scowl. "The pictures you took were embarrassing enough."

"I was thinking about having them framed. You can put one in your office and I can have one here at the house! Mama might want one, too."

"Keh! Dream on, wench. Those pictures are never going to see the light of day."

"Well, there goes next year's Christmas present for you," she sighed with feigned disappointment in her voice, turning to face him with her arms crossed over her chest. "But I do have a gift for you right now."

He blinked at that. "What are you talking about?"

"Your Christmas present," Kagome said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, still smiling even as he glanced ostentatiously from one of her empty hands to the other.

She put a hand on his arm, effectively keeping him from turning away from her, then leaned in close and kissed him warmly and sweetly. And if you traced the line above her head, it was completely clear why she'd done it – the couple was currently standing under the mistletoe Inuyasha had nailed up earlier that morning as a joke.

"Merry Christmas, Santa Claws," she whispered breathlessly, her chocolate eyes sparkling brightly under the vibrant Christmas lights around them. "I love you."

Grinning a toothy grin that revealed his fangs, Inuyasha took the Santa hat and plopped it down on his wife's head. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Claws," he teased as she dissolved into laughter in his arms. "I love you, too."

He was carefully navigating the white pompom out of her eyes when Kagome suddenly leaned forward and captured his lips with hers again. Melting against her, he smiled into the kiss and wrapped his strong arms around her to bring her closer to him.

And for the first time in many years, Inuyasha was pierced by the spirit of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

A/N: I know what you're thinking - "A Christmas fic already? Seriously?" But Christmas is one of my favorite holidays and this one-shot basically just wrote itself, so I felt obligated to post it and get ahead of the game (especially since my winter break is going to be hectic). Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did! Look out for a potential companion fic around Valentine's Day ;) Happy Holidays, y'all!

P.S. Please excuse my attempts at being humorous... I tried!