*DISCLAIMER: *sigh* No legal notices in my stocking saying Kagome and Hiei are mine. Takahashi and Togoshi are still holding onto all the rights and profits to "InuYasha" and "Yu Yu Hakusho." Looks like another year of just writing about their characters to amuse myself and others.

Last time:

She opened the door and stood staring at the person in the hallway. "Hiei? What are you doing here?"

Looking her up and down slowly in a very appreciative manner which caused her cheeks to flush a becoming shade of pink, he stepped into her apartment and closed the door behind him. "I'm your date for the evening."

Unexpected Gift (Part II)

"What do you mean you're my date for the evening?"

"These are for you." Hiei handed her the roses.

Kagome blinked, then smiled. Holding them up to her face, she inhaled deeply. "They're lovely. Thank ..." her voice trailed off as she watched Hiei walk past her and head into her bedroom. "Hey!" She followed him and couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him open her closet and start going through her clothes.

"Wear this," he told her as he held out a red dress. He was sorely tempted to rifle through her drawers and pick out her undergarments, too, but he knew that would likely result in her digging in her heels and telling him to go blow himself, in her own polite way, of course. The miko was well-known for being stubborn and he didn't want to get her riled up. It might be fun to go toe-to-toe with her, but it would be counter-productive to his plans for tonight. "Our reservations are for 6:00, so you need to be quick and get ready." He handed her the dress and left the room.

For a minute, Kagome just stared at the empty doorway. Was he serious? Looking down at the roses in one of her hands and her favorite red dress in the other, she knew he was. She had never dreamed that Yusuke would ask Hiei to be her date. What the heck did he tell him to get him to do this? Should she tell him he didn't have to take her out? She looked at the flowers again. He had obviously gone to a lot of trouble already and she wasn't so sure he would take "no" for an answer. The way this "date" had been set up was sure to have him asking her some questions she didn't want to deal with.

She sighed heavily. She really didn't want to argue with Hiei and she had to admit he was looking pretty darned sexy. And it had been a long time since she had gone out for a night on the town. She wavered for just another couple of minutes before closing the door.

When she came out, Hiei smirked in satisfaction at the sight of her wearing the dress he had chosen--he wouldn't have been surprised to see her come out in something else. He was also pleased to see she had secured one of the roses in her hair over one ear. He filed away the information that Kurama was right--it was obvious she liked the flowers. It was a good thing for Yusuke that he hadn't skimped on them. She looked very appealing, but then again she had looked appealing in that yukata, too. He wasn't sure how this "date" was going to go, but he had definite plans for how it would end.

He frowned when he saw her fidgeting and glancing at him uncertainly. This was very unlike the self-confident miko and he didn't like it. They were going to go out and she was going to enjoy it, damnit. "Come." He held out his hand commandingly.

When she hesitantly reached out and placed her hand in his, he pulled her closer to him until they were standing practically nose-to-nose. Kagome searched his eyes and felt her skin start to tingle and flush at the intensity she saw in his gaze. She found herself nodding. "Okay," she whispered. "Let's go."

The smug expression on his face might have irritated her at another time, but tonight, it made her smile. No matter how this date had come about, it felt good to know he really wanted her to go.

----------

The taxi let them out at the West Entrance to the Hotel Granvia Kyoto. Though it boasted many fine restaurants, including ones that specialized in French and Italian cuisine, Kagome was delighted to discover they would be dining at Kyoto Kitcho. For Christmas Eve, Japanese cuisine couldn't be beat, and she had heard about this restaurant's excellent reputation ever since she had moved to Kyoto.

As they were shown to their table, she spotted Keiko and Yusuke. She could tell Keiko was fussing at him and she grinned at the thought that it was probably over her. Her suspicions were confirmed by the look of relief on Yusuke's face when he saw them. She nodded in their direction, but Hiei completely ignored them when Yusuke yelled, "Yo, Hiei! It's about time!"

The special entertainment the restaurant had provided for Christmas Eve consisted of two geisha and a shamisen player. Their presence added to the formal atmosphere of the occasion and the songs they performed and stories they told had a definite romantic theme. Kagome was captivated by the storytelling skill of the older geisha and Hiei was amused by how engrossed she was in the tale of "The White Butterfly."

"That was beautiful," she said with a sigh after the story ended.

"Beautiful?" Hiei snorted. "You do realize that story is about a woman who died before she could marry and the man who lived the rest of his life alone without her."

"Oh, you! That's not what it is about at all. It's about a love so strong that a man remained faithful even after his beloved's death, continually caring for her grave and showering it with flowers while always praying for her happiness, and how when he became old and ill and could no longer go to her, she came to him in the form of a white butterfly and waited with him on his pillow until she could lead his soul to join her."

"So, they couldn't be together except in death. You think that's beautiful?"

She made a face at him. "You're just being difficult."

"And you don't seem to know the difference between beautiful and pathetic."

"Hmph. You just don't think anything is beautiful."

"Just because I don't prattle on like the fox when he is trying to be charming, or drool on myself like that oaf who follows Yukina about, does not mean I do not recognize and appreciate beauty," he told her as he kept his gaze pointedly on her. The gleam in his eyes made her cheeks grow hot as she stared at him. She hadn't known what to expect from him as a "date," but this was beyond anything she could have imagined and she felt completely flustered. She could tell he was enjoying the effect he was having on her.

The restaurant served a special meal for that evening, which began with a sake cocktail and ended with macha ice, but Hiei sent the sake back and rejected the beer they brought out. Instead, he ordered plum wine for Kagome and whiskey for himself, earning a grateful smile from her and a frown from Yusuke, who saw the waiter making the switch and knew he would be picking up the extra expense. The sweet wine complimented the meal perfectly and was a particular favorite of Kagome's--one she didn't indulge in very often because she had a tendency to overdo it just a bit. She was touched by Hiei's thoughtfulness in ordering it for her and reached over and touched his arm. "This is perfect. Thank you, Hiei."

"Look, Yusuke!" Keiko kicked him under the table to get his attention. "Kagome seems to be enjoying herself. I'll confess, I didn't think Hiei would be a good date for her, but you did a good job in getting him to take her out tonight."

"Well then, I expect you're going to be extra nice to me tonight, aren't you?" he said, waggling his eyebrows as he leered outrageously at her. "Because I was thinking it's about time you let me ..." Suddenly, he smacked his hand down on the table. "Crap. I thought this was supposed to be a nice restaurant, but it looks like they'll let anybody in."

Keiko turned to see who he was talking about and was appalled to see Noriko and two of the other girls and their dates approaching Kagome's table. "Oh no! I'll bet that witch is going to try to ruin Kagome's evening."

She started to get up, but Yusuke grabbed her arm. "You don't need to get involved. I know you think Kagome needs help, but she can take care of herself. She's not some mealy-mouthed wimp."

Keiko sighed. "I know. And she says it really doesn't bother her when Noriko tries to put her down, but it bothers me, and I know that deep down it bothers her, too. It's always disturbing when someone dislikes you for no reason. Noriko is really popular and a lot of the people at the university listen to her and follow her lead. I think she sees Kagome as some kind of competition, so she's extra nasty to her and tries to get everyone else to be, too. Kagome is so nice and is always doing things for everyone and taking care of everyone else, but she doesn't go out of her way to try to be popular. I just don't like to see someone like that get hurt. She deserves better than that."

"I understand. But you have to let her handle things her way. Hell, Keiko, she fights youkai."

"The things some girls can say can hurt worse than getting pounded by youkai."

Yusuke couldn't argue with her about that. Some girls were downright vicious. "Look, she's got a date--you made sure of that--so what can Noriko say?"

"I don't know, but I just wish she'd leave Kagome alone."

----------

"Why, hello, Kagome! I'm so surprised to see you here!"

Hiei looked up at the girl who had stopped right next to Kagome's chair. She was very attractive with flawless, porcelain-like skin and shiny, dark hair which fell to her shoulders. Her well-defined cheekbones and delicate features gave her what many would call a classic kind of beauty. But her dark eyes were cold and glinting with malice. He got to his feet--not out of politeness, but because it was always unwise to sit in the presence of vipers.

"Hello, Noriko," Kagome greeted her politely. "I hope you are having a nice evening."

"Oh, I am. We all are," she said, gesturing to the others standing behind her. She turned her attention to Hiei just long enough to look him over thoroughly before turning back to Kagome. "I see you found someone to take you out tonight. This must be your brother. You should introduce us."

Kagome nearly choked at the girl's audacity to suggest she couldn't get anyone but her brother to take her out. It was an insult calculated to embarrass her in front of her date, but the thought of having Hiei for a brother made her laugh instead.

Hiei was not laughing. He moved around the table, forcing the other girl to back away as he stood next to Kagome. Reaching down to take her hand, he narrowed his eyes as he said very curtly, "You are clearly deluded. I'm not her brother, I'm her fiancé."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------to be continued ...

A/N: *sigh* So, my resolution for the New Year is to stop giving people an exact date when I think I'm going to be able to update a piece. LOL! Obviously, I did not get this second installment done in a day or two. I am always way too optimistic about getting time to myself where I can write. And I was being a bit ridiculous to think I could do it between Christmas and New Year's--besides those two special days, I also had a son's birthday to celebrate. ^_^ (And did you catch the part where I said "second installment" instead of ending? Yep. This will be a three-shot instead of a two-shot. I have 3 more pages written and will try to get it finished up ASAP. So, the last part IS coming "soon.")