Tinsel: A Christmas Story
COMPLETE!
This is my submission to the challenge made by Forthrightly for a Twelve Days of Christmas Story.
[Title] Tinsel: A Christmas Story
[Characters] Rin, Sesshoumaru, Kagome
[Pairing] Sesshoumaru/Kagome
[Genre] General/Romance
[Universe] Canon - Divergence/Continuation
[Rating] PG-13
Section One - Sesshoumaru Was - Word Count: 250
On the first day, there was a rock.
However, no ordinary stone would have caught his attention. This particular piece had been painted by a careful hand. Gold and white. Holding it between his forefinger and thumb, he examined the smooth, water-worn surface and wondered at the color choices.
The demon lord’s nose twitched at the heavy scent of wax covering the object. Applied so heavily, it blocked out any other smells that might have led him to the original owner. Contemplating the subtle weight in his hand, Sesshoumaru dropped the rock into the pouch at his waist.
Something about it beckoned to be kept.
- - - - -
Rin struggled to contain a happy giggle as her lord finally took notice of the tiny gift.
A recent visit to Inuyasha’s forest gave her the wonderful idea, and she was now determined to see it through to the end. Kagome had spoken of gift-giving and Christmas, and the thought of expressing her thankfulness to Lord Sesshoumaru set her small heart ablaze.
He was always so serious and so focused. He took care of his lands and of their group without asking for anything in return. The silent demon deserved some sort of happiness in return.
The young human girl was determined in her self-proclaimed mission.
Plotting her strategy for the next day’s gift, she leapt into the river and scrubbed the wax from her body, ignoring her dirtied clothing. Such trivial matters needed to be ignored when dealing with important things.
And Sesshoumaru was.
Section Two - In Head and Hand - Word Count: 250
On the second day, there was a pressed flower.
It was carefully placed on top of Ah-Un’s saddle, waiting for a watchful eye to catch sight of it. Sesshoumaru’s claws plucked the fragile, dried object off of the cold leather and examined the soft contours of it’s exotic petals. Never before had he seen such a plant, and the beauty of it made him wonder how it had gotten on the back of the dragon.
Residual wax caressed his fingertips, and he frowned. Lowering his hand, he stowed the flower inside of the bag with the rock and continued onward, refusing to be sidetracked by a useless trinket. It was possible that the two were unrelated, or irrelevant.
Either way, it would not stop him from finishing their journey back to Inuyasha’s forest that day.
- - - - -
Rin’s eyes lit with excitement when he added the second present to the first. Examining the clearing, she wondered what she could do for the following day. The rock had been easy. She had painted it many days ago with the intent of giving it to Sesshoumaru, but the girl was glad she had not found the occasion.
The flower had been relatively easy as well. It had been the favorite in her own prized collection.
However, tomorrow would be a different story.
Thoughts tumbling, haphazardly, in her head; Rin smiled as she skipped into the water. Lord Sesshoumaru was thinking about her gifts.
He didn’t think about anything unless it was very, very important.
Section Three - The Little Dog - Word Count: 250
On the third day, there was a carving.
The miniature wooden dog held some of the most intricate details he had ever seen. Curving lines accentuated its heavy fur, and Sesshoumaru wondered at its similarity to his own form. It was almost as if someone had made a tiny representation of his youkai body. The tail was full and rounded, twisted upward in a proud stance, while the head was thrown back, mouth open and shaped to howl.
Today, the wax covering the figure helped to bring out the vibrancy of the unblemished Japanese maple. Closing his hand over the small sculpture, the demon lord raised his gaze to examine the surrounding area.
Rin rested against Ah-Un’s saddle, heavy lidded eyes giving away her drowsiness. Jaken was recklessly waving his staff and berating the girl child on the importance of sleep, and the dragon-creature was attempting to bite his retainer for disturbing the young mortal’s sleep.
All was right in the world, and, yet, Sesshoumaru was convinced that his series of discoveries where not a coincidence. Someone was leaving the items for him to find. A slight frown marred his face. There were too many things that he could not explain about the recent events.
- - - - -
Rin smiled, sleepily, from Ah-Un’s back. Her lord was surprised by his most recent finding. It seemed that the miko was right. It had taken all night, but Kagome had helped her finish the figurine just in time.
Kagome seemed to have the best ideas.
Section Four - Namesake - Word Count: 250
On the forth day, there was a small square of cloth.
The silk had been dyed a rich, deep gray, and the edges had been lovingly sewn with a dark blue thread to prevent fraying. In one corner, the kanji representing his own name were, painstakingly, stitched in the same shade of blue.
Now, the objects could no longer be passed off as a coincidence or a mistaken identity. Someone was purposely leaving behind gifts and erasing any chance he had of determining their origin. Stowing the wax covered cloth with the rest of the offerings, Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to scoff at the item. It was possible that the wax had ruined the silk.
Whoever they were, someone was going through a lot of trouble to drop useless trinkets in his lap.
- - - - -
“Are you sure it will be okay?” Rin fretted over the tiny square, hands twisting in her lap as she watched Sesshoumaru put it away. “Are you sure he can get it off?”
“Of course he can,” Kagome replied, smiling when the taiyoukai headed back toward the village. “That was a fabric wax. It will come off very easily.”
Sighing, the young girl slipped out from behind the bush and into the nearby river. “I hope so.”
“What do you want to do tomorrow?” the miko wondered, amazed with the proposals Rin had managed thus far.
Rin frowned. “Something with water.”
“Something with water?” Kagome questioned.
“Yes,” the child giggled. “It’s all a part of the plan.”
This is my submission to the challenge made by Forthrightly for a Twelve Days of Christmas Story.
[Title] Tinsel: A Christmas Story
[Characters] Rin, Sesshoumaru, Kagome
[Pairing] Sesshoumaru/Kagome
[Genre] General/Romance
[Universe] Canon - Divergence/Continuation
[Rating] PG-13
Section One - Sesshoumaru Was - Word Count: 250
On the first day, there was a rock.
However, no ordinary stone would have caught his attention. This particular piece had been painted by a careful hand. Gold and white. Holding it between his forefinger and thumb, he examined the smooth, water-worn surface and wondered at the color choices.
The demon lord’s nose twitched at the heavy scent of wax covering the object. Applied so heavily, it blocked out any other smells that might have led him to the original owner. Contemplating the subtle weight in his hand, Sesshoumaru dropped the rock into the pouch at his waist.
Something about it beckoned to be kept.
- - - - -
Rin struggled to contain a happy giggle as her lord finally took notice of the tiny gift.
A recent visit to Inuyasha’s forest gave her the wonderful idea, and she was now determined to see it through to the end. Kagome had spoken of gift-giving and Christmas, and the thought of expressing her thankfulness to Lord Sesshoumaru set her small heart ablaze.
He was always so serious and so focused. He took care of his lands and of their group without asking for anything in return. The silent demon deserved some sort of happiness in return.
The young human girl was determined in her self-proclaimed mission.
Plotting her strategy for the next day’s gift, she leapt into the river and scrubbed the wax from her body, ignoring her dirtied clothing. Such trivial matters needed to be ignored when dealing with important things.
And Sesshoumaru was.
Section Two - In Head and Hand - Word Count: 250
On the second day, there was a pressed flower.
It was carefully placed on top of Ah-Un’s saddle, waiting for a watchful eye to catch sight of it. Sesshoumaru’s claws plucked the fragile, dried object off of the cold leather and examined the soft contours of it’s exotic petals. Never before had he seen such a plant, and the beauty of it made him wonder how it had gotten on the back of the dragon.
Residual wax caressed his fingertips, and he frowned. Lowering his hand, he stowed the flower inside of the bag with the rock and continued onward, refusing to be sidetracked by a useless trinket. It was possible that the two were unrelated, or irrelevant.
Either way, it would not stop him from finishing their journey back to Inuyasha’s forest that day.
- - - - -
Rin’s eyes lit with excitement when he added the second present to the first. Examining the clearing, she wondered what she could do for the following day. The rock had been easy. She had painted it many days ago with the intent of giving it to Sesshoumaru, but the girl was glad she had not found the occasion.
The flower had been relatively easy as well. It had been the favorite in her own prized collection.
However, tomorrow would be a different story.
Thoughts tumbling, haphazardly, in her head; Rin smiled as she skipped into the water. Lord Sesshoumaru was thinking about her gifts.
He didn’t think about anything unless it was very, very important.
Section Three - The Little Dog - Word Count: 250
On the third day, there was a carving.
The miniature wooden dog held some of the most intricate details he had ever seen. Curving lines accentuated its heavy fur, and Sesshoumaru wondered at its similarity to his own form. It was almost as if someone had made a tiny representation of his youkai body. The tail was full and rounded, twisted upward in a proud stance, while the head was thrown back, mouth open and shaped to howl.
Today, the wax covering the figure helped to bring out the vibrancy of the unblemished Japanese maple. Closing his hand over the small sculpture, the demon lord raised his gaze to examine the surrounding area.
Rin rested against Ah-Un’s saddle, heavy lidded eyes giving away her drowsiness. Jaken was recklessly waving his staff and berating the girl child on the importance of sleep, and the dragon-creature was attempting to bite his retainer for disturbing the young mortal’s sleep.
All was right in the world, and, yet, Sesshoumaru was convinced that his series of discoveries where not a coincidence. Someone was leaving the items for him to find. A slight frown marred his face. There were too many things that he could not explain about the recent events.
- - - - -
Rin smiled, sleepily, from Ah-Un’s back. Her lord was surprised by his most recent finding. It seemed that the miko was right. It had taken all night, but Kagome had helped her finish the figurine just in time.
Kagome seemed to have the best ideas.
Section Four - Namesake - Word Count: 250
On the forth day, there was a small square of cloth.
The silk had been dyed a rich, deep gray, and the edges had been lovingly sewn with a dark blue thread to prevent fraying. In one corner, the kanji representing his own name were, painstakingly, stitched in the same shade of blue.
Now, the objects could no longer be passed off as a coincidence or a mistaken identity. Someone was purposely leaving behind gifts and erasing any chance he had of determining their origin. Stowing the wax covered cloth with the rest of the offerings, Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to scoff at the item. It was possible that the wax had ruined the silk.
Whoever they were, someone was going through a lot of trouble to drop useless trinkets in his lap.
- - - - -
“Are you sure it will be okay?” Rin fretted over the tiny square, hands twisting in her lap as she watched Sesshoumaru put it away. “Are you sure he can get it off?”
“Of course he can,” Kagome replied, smiling when the taiyoukai headed back toward the village. “That was a fabric wax. It will come off very easily.”
Sighing, the young girl slipped out from behind the bush and into the nearby river. “I hope so.”
“What do you want to do tomorrow?” the miko wondered, amazed with the proposals Rin had managed thus far.
Rin frowned. “Something with water.”
“Something with water?” Kagome questioned.
“Yes,” the child giggled. “It’s all a part of the plan.”