Happy Holidays Aura!
Title: “Comfort and Joy”
Rating: K- K+
Author: Ai Roku
Genre: Drama, comfort, friendship, hints of possible romance, and slight angst
Summary: Kagome now living permanently in the feudal era misses the trappings of a modern Christmas, but spending time with an icy demon Lord might just remind her of the true warmth of the holiday season.
Word count: 2966
Style: Oneshot
Written for the Dokuga Holiday Exchange
Giftee: Aura
Prompt; "To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year." -E.B. White
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Inuyasha, the quote used for the prompt, or the song mentioned in this story.
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Kaede stared worriedly at the young woman seated across from her. For the past hour or so she had been staring dully into the flames of the small cooking fire, without so much as acknowledging the elder miko’s presence.
“Kagome, ye have not been yourself lately, what ails thee, child?”
Jumping at the sudden noise, Kagome’s head jerks up, her eyes at last coming to rest on the time worn face of the woman in front of her, faint surprise evident in her cerulean orbs as if only now remembering her companion’s existence,
“I’m sorry Kaede, what did you say?”
With a weary sigh and a disapproving shake of her head, Kaede resumes stirring the simmering stew hanging above the pit. The girl’s behavior was becoming more and more troubling. Ever since the air had taken on winter’s icy chill, so too it seemed had she.
The once sweet, vibrant girl had become withdrawn and melancholy seemingly overnight. Her bubbly chatter had been replaced with distracted silence and monosyllabic replies, and the sparkle had completely vanished from her eyes.
Such a drastic and disturbing change had not gone unnoticed by those around her and there were numerous attempts made to find the source of her unhappiness, but so far all had been to no avail.
The newly married Sango and Miroku had even temporarily abandoned their quest to restore the village of the demon slayer’s to its former glory, and returned to Kaede’s village in hopes of bringing their friend back to her old self, only to be disappointed when their gesture had yielded no results.
Even young Shippo returned often from his training in order to show off his new tricks for her. And while it was apparent that she made an effort for her beloved kit’s sake, Kagome could never quite manage to fool anyone.
The villagers had various speculations as to the cause of this unsettling personality shift, ranging from demon possession, to the chance it was an impostor, even the possibilities of a secret lover, or a delayed bout of homesickness had been suggested.
Those closest to Kagome were inclined to believe this last reason as the cause of her current state, but with no way to be completely certain, and no ready solution to be had even if they were, all they could do was wait and hope her condition was only a temporary aberration.
Just as Kaede had decided to make another attempt at learning what was plaguing her beloved charge, a gust of freezing wind cut through the cozy warmth of the small hut, bearing with it an ebullient whirlwind in a burnt orange winter kimono, whose white fur lined edges were reminiscent of her guardian’s own fluffy accoutrement.
“Lady Kagome, Lady Kaede it’s snowing, it’s snowing, hurry come and see!”
With an indulgent chuckle the old miko smiles at the most recent addition to the village,
“I am an old woman child; I have seen plenty of snow in my time. Methinks these aching old bones would be better served remaining inside where it is warm.”
Lips pursing in a disappointed pout, Rin turns her hopeful gaze to the blue eyed woman in the corner of the small hut, and noticing that she had not yet gained her attention, the little girl begins tugging on the voluminous sleeve of her haori with impatience.
“Don’t you want to see the snow with rin, Kagome?”
Much as was the case with Shippo, Kagome always made more of an effort to appear normal in front of Rin. And it seemed that no matter her current emotional state she could deny neither child anything, so the young miko smiles at the girl in a valiant attempt at her former cheerful countenance. However, the somewhat pained looking result not only never reaches her eyes, but was only a pale shadow of her usual grin’s warmth.
Even Rin’s usually irrepressible cheer was shaken in the face of Kagome’s obviously forced enthusiasm; the child wincing in reaction to so false a look upon the typically sincere girl’s face.
“Sure Rin-chan, let’s go!”
Kagome rose gracefully from her place near the fire and moved toward a luxurious looking black bear pelt that lay neatly folded upon her already laid out futon; completely missing the troubled glances that elder miko and child exchanged behind her back, while she deftly swung the fur around her shoulders, tying it securely at her neck.
After exiting the dwelling with Rin close at her heels Kagome stops, scanning the whitened landscape around her with a small but genuine smile quirking her lips.
This was a sight that the watchful little girl at her side would have surely appreciated if not for the fact that it was full of such a wistful sadness.
Unable to stand looking at such an expression any longer, the child begins to search her surroundings, desperately hoping to find something that would serve as a distraction to draw Kagome from her thoughts.
She had almost given up hope, when her eyes caught an odd movement. It looked like one particular patch of the falling snow was moving in counterpoint to all the other flurries around it.
Her eyes narrow into a squint, trying to zero in upon the unusual phenomena, and when she finally gets a clear view they widen all at once, lit with childish glee.
“Lord Sesshomaru!”
Rin’s joyous shout took Kagome’s concentration away from her observation of the cold, white fluff coating the world around her, and she turned her head to watch the demon Lord’s approach, acknowledging his arrival with an inclination of her head before returning to her contemplation.
However, the Lord of the West was distinctly perturbed. Because for that brief moment when she had turned toward him he had gotten a look at her eyes and had been eerily and unpleasantly reminded of Inuyasha’s reanimated lover, so empty had they seemed.
There had also been no greeting smile or polite inquires made after his welfare…. Indeed the miko was behaving in an uncharacteristic fashion, and he could not prevent the tingle of curiosity that overwhelmed him.
“Hello, my Lord. Rin is so happy that you've come to visit.”
Taking note that his ward looked healthy and well cared for, Sesshomaru simply nods.
Accustomed to her Lord’s lack of communication the girl beams up him with a still gap- toothed grin waiting to see if he would speak; and she was not disappointed,
“Rin, where is Inuyasha? There are only faint traces of his scent lingering in the area.”
Her smile dims and with a sigh the child replies,
“Sir Inuyasha left two months ago; no one is sure when he’ll return. Lady Kagome says not to worry, but I think she misses him; she’s become so sad and she hasn't been herself at all lately. Rin is scared that she’ll never be her happy self again!
We've all tried cheering her up, but nothing seems to work.”
Sesshomaru’s first reaction to this news was righteous anger; could he not even trust the half-breed with so simple a matter as this? He had left Rin in the care of this village because he had believed Inuyasha would ensure her safety in his absence, and now he returns to find the whelp gone.
He should have known better than to entrust his worthless brother with so important a task, when it was obvious by the blue eyed miko’s condition that he was not even tending to his own responsibilities properly.
The woman in question had not so much as twitched since greeting him and he was beginning to think that Rin’s fears were not merely childish exaggeration. Still it was not his duty to see to her well being.
Yet despite the validity of this thought he found himself telling his charge to return to the old woman’s hut and moving toward the miko’s solitary figure.
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Meanwhile, Kagome for her part had remained largely oblivious to all the disquiet her recent emotional state was causing those around her, as her focus had been turned inward recently.
After Naraku’s final defeat the well that had been serving as her portal between times had sealed itself, trapping her within the sengoku jidai permanently.
At first everything had been fine, she had anticipated the loss of one of the two places that she had been calling home for the past couple of years, and had therefore made peace with this eventuality and taken the precaution of warning all the people she loved at both sides of the well that she may be unable to return to them.
Granted, at the time she had believed that she would most likely be sent back to the modern era, but she had been genuinely happy to be staying with the friends that had become so dear to her over the course her adventures, and the boy to whom she had made a promise.
It had been difficult at first adjusting to a life without any of the modern conveniences that she was so accustomed to, but with the help and support of her friends and the villagers she had been adapting well.
Kaede had even been kind enough to make Kagome her apprentice and the villagers had seemed overjoyed to accept her as one of their own.
In the past eight months since she had become a full time resident of the feudal era, she’d watched two of her best friends get married and begin to build a life together, her kit was steadily growing stronger, and she had successfully made a place where she belonged in this time period.
And a few months ago when Inuyasha had gone off to be on his own for a while she wasn't even particularly surprised or upset. He hadn't said as much but Kagome knew that with the threat of Naraku no longer looming, he had wanted to finally take the time to properly grieve for Kikyo.
This didn't trouble her nearly as much as it once would have for the simple fact that she had come to the conclusion that a romantic relationship between them would be a disaster. Somehow she knew that if such a development should occur that she’d always feel insecure, like she had been the consolation prize or something.
All in all though everything had been going perfectly well for her, and then came that day about a month ago when the first frost had settled on the now barren branches of the trees.
It had suddenly occurred to her that it must be somewhere near the end of November… almost time for Christmas.
At first it had seemed like nothing more than a stray thought, but that initial thought had been followed by more and more until Christmas had consumed her thoughts almost entirely.
Christmas was her favorite holiday and she kept on thinking of all the things she was missing out on.
The Christmas cake, the fried chicken, the kaleidoscope of twinkling lights lighting the streets at night, the Christmas tree, the presents, all things that she would never get to experience again.
It fact it seemed that the only thing that both times had in common was snow, but the crisp white flakes that she was currently watching were blanketing an unfamiliar landscape now.
Of all the things that she had lost when the well closed, somehow this was the most devastating to her, and she felt thoroughly petty for feeling that way.
There was this persistently nagging thought that she was overlooking something obvious, some hidden meaning behind her new found obsession, but no matter how hard she thought about it she just couldn't figure out what it was.
“Miko, your behavior is upsetting Rin. I demand you cease your tiresome pining for the half- breed at once.”
Drawn by the authoritative baritone, Kagome turns to see Sesshomaru looming over her, and her mind blanks in confusion, unable to make sense of his command.
“Um, pining? I’m not pining for Inuyasha.”
Then what is the cause of your recent maudlin conduct?”
The impatience creeping into his voice was a sure indicator that trying to duck his questions would likely be met with violence; so reluctantly Kagome began her explanation, embarrassed by how thoroughly whiny and ungrateful she was going to sound.
“Well, you see there’s this celebration from my time…..”
Reluctantly Kagome explained the customs of a modern Christmas to the inu Lord, thoroughly embarrassed by how spoiled and ungrateful she seemed, acting this way only because of a silly holiday.
“… I've always loved it, but I just can’t figure out why I feel this way. It seems so incredibly childish to feel this kind of emptiness because I’m unable to have these things here.”
“Perhaps it is not the superficial trappings of this celebration that you miss but the people whom you shared them with, miko.”
And just like that the missing piece of the puzzle that had been tormenting her finally snapped into place.
She’d been so blinded by the traditional sparkle and flash of the holiday, so distracted by the shiny insubstantial wrappings that enfolded it, that she had failed to see it’s true gifts .
It wasn't just the sweet spongy Christmas cake with its juicy red berries that she craved, but the inevitable battle of rock, paper, scissors between she and Souta to see who got to eat the chocolate plaque on top.
More than the savory, crisp, slight greasiness of fried chicken, Kagome wanted the feel of the warm kiss her mother always placed on the top of her head as she placed her plate down in front of her.
She didn't want just any tree with pretty lights and colorful ornaments; she wanted the one that her Gramps never failed to plaster with protection sutras, just in case there was an evil spirit hiding within it.
She didn't just long for the sparkling fairyland of lights that decorated the streets, the cute little Santas everywhere, or the strains of Christmas music floating in the air around her.
She wanted to walk down those streets with her mom, and grandpa, and Souta; oohing and ahhing while her little brother pretended to be too cool and grown up to care.
She wanted to sing along to Saeko Suzuki’s I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday with Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi at a Karaoke bar after an exhausting day of shopping.
But most of all she wanted to see that look of happiness on the faces of her family and friends as they opened the gifts she had scrimped and saved to get them, relishing the pride and joy that she felt at being the one to put it there.
It wasn't just Christmas she missed, it was Christmas with them. They were what had always made this time of year special, the rest had simply been window dressing.
This revelation was far from comforting however, and her eyes stung with tears as she practically sobbed,
“You’re right Sesshomaru, but in the end that’s every bit as hopeless because my family is just as much out of my reach, I’ll never see them again!”
Just as the first tear slipped down her cheek, the inu at her side made a noise of derision.
You may not have access to your blood relations miko, but if you were to simply open up your eyes and pay attention you would see that you are still surrounded by family. The members of which you have made worry for you.”
Kagome’s eyes widen as the simple truth of Sesshomaru’s words resonate within her mind, and she is forcefully reminded of Sango and Miroku’s unexpected decision to stay in Kaede’s village for a while, of Shippo’s constant trips to and from training just to show her the new things he had learned.
Kaede and the other villagers always asking how she was and if she needed anything, and little Rin’s continual attempts to keep her entertained with guessing games and cute made up songs.
“I’m so stupid, they've been trying to help me this whole time and I never even noticed.”
Despite her own exasperation with herself she couldn't help but feel a bit chagrined when the inu Lord answered her statement with a, “Hn,” of agreement.
Still yet she couldn't prevent the grin that stretched her lips,
“Thank you for your help Sesshomaru. I feel so much better now.”
It was true the absence of her family and friends from the modern era was still an ache within her chest, but no matter how physically far away they were, they remained close to her heart, so she knew that she would never be completely without them.
For now she had some apologizing to do, and maybe then she could bring a little bit of her beloved Christmas to her feudal family.
She could cook a big meal for everyone, and she’d kiss the top of Shippo’s head as she served his food. She’d show Miroku and Sango how to make a decoration out of a pine tree, and she would sing songs to Rin for a change.
And as she watched the demon Lord turn and begin to walk away from her, Kagome wondered if Sesshomaru would join them if she were to invite him.
Seeing the hesitant but genuine smile on the miko’s face and the light returned to her eyes, Sesshomaru concluded that his mission was accomplished and decided to depart before he was drawn into any more of the strange woman’s problems.
But with the image of her smile still lingering in his mind, he began to think that in Inuyasha’s absence maybe he should stay closer to the village… for Rin’s sake, of course.
Rating: K- K+
Author: Ai Roku
Genre: Drama, comfort, friendship, hints of possible romance, and slight angst
Summary: Kagome now living permanently in the feudal era misses the trappings of a modern Christmas, but spending time with an icy demon Lord might just remind her of the true warmth of the holiday season.
Word count: 2966
Style: Oneshot
Written for the Dokuga Holiday Exchange
Giftee: Aura
Prompt; "To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year." -E.B. White
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Inuyasha, the quote used for the prompt, or the song mentioned in this story.
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Kaede stared worriedly at the young woman seated across from her. For the past hour or so she had been staring dully into the flames of the small cooking fire, without so much as acknowledging the elder miko’s presence.
“Kagome, ye have not been yourself lately, what ails thee, child?”
Jumping at the sudden noise, Kagome’s head jerks up, her eyes at last coming to rest on the time worn face of the woman in front of her, faint surprise evident in her cerulean orbs as if only now remembering her companion’s existence,
“I’m sorry Kaede, what did you say?”
With a weary sigh and a disapproving shake of her head, Kaede resumes stirring the simmering stew hanging above the pit. The girl’s behavior was becoming more and more troubling. Ever since the air had taken on winter’s icy chill, so too it seemed had she.
The once sweet, vibrant girl had become withdrawn and melancholy seemingly overnight. Her bubbly chatter had been replaced with distracted silence and monosyllabic replies, and the sparkle had completely vanished from her eyes.
Such a drastic and disturbing change had not gone unnoticed by those around her and there were numerous attempts made to find the source of her unhappiness, but so far all had been to no avail.
The newly married Sango and Miroku had even temporarily abandoned their quest to restore the village of the demon slayer’s to its former glory, and returned to Kaede’s village in hopes of bringing their friend back to her old self, only to be disappointed when their gesture had yielded no results.
Even young Shippo returned often from his training in order to show off his new tricks for her. And while it was apparent that she made an effort for her beloved kit’s sake, Kagome could never quite manage to fool anyone.
The villagers had various speculations as to the cause of this unsettling personality shift, ranging from demon possession, to the chance it was an impostor, even the possibilities of a secret lover, or a delayed bout of homesickness had been suggested.
Those closest to Kagome were inclined to believe this last reason as the cause of her current state, but with no way to be completely certain, and no ready solution to be had even if they were, all they could do was wait and hope her condition was only a temporary aberration.
Just as Kaede had decided to make another attempt at learning what was plaguing her beloved charge, a gust of freezing wind cut through the cozy warmth of the small hut, bearing with it an ebullient whirlwind in a burnt orange winter kimono, whose white fur lined edges were reminiscent of her guardian’s own fluffy accoutrement.
“Lady Kagome, Lady Kaede it’s snowing, it’s snowing, hurry come and see!”
With an indulgent chuckle the old miko smiles at the most recent addition to the village,
“I am an old woman child; I have seen plenty of snow in my time. Methinks these aching old bones would be better served remaining inside where it is warm.”
Lips pursing in a disappointed pout, Rin turns her hopeful gaze to the blue eyed woman in the corner of the small hut, and noticing that she had not yet gained her attention, the little girl begins tugging on the voluminous sleeve of her haori with impatience.
“Don’t you want to see the snow with rin, Kagome?”
Much as was the case with Shippo, Kagome always made more of an effort to appear normal in front of Rin. And it seemed that no matter her current emotional state she could deny neither child anything, so the young miko smiles at the girl in a valiant attempt at her former cheerful countenance. However, the somewhat pained looking result not only never reaches her eyes, but was only a pale shadow of her usual grin’s warmth.
Even Rin’s usually irrepressible cheer was shaken in the face of Kagome’s obviously forced enthusiasm; the child wincing in reaction to so false a look upon the typically sincere girl’s face.
“Sure Rin-chan, let’s go!”
Kagome rose gracefully from her place near the fire and moved toward a luxurious looking black bear pelt that lay neatly folded upon her already laid out futon; completely missing the troubled glances that elder miko and child exchanged behind her back, while she deftly swung the fur around her shoulders, tying it securely at her neck.
After exiting the dwelling with Rin close at her heels Kagome stops, scanning the whitened landscape around her with a small but genuine smile quirking her lips.
This was a sight that the watchful little girl at her side would have surely appreciated if not for the fact that it was full of such a wistful sadness.
Unable to stand looking at such an expression any longer, the child begins to search her surroundings, desperately hoping to find something that would serve as a distraction to draw Kagome from her thoughts.
She had almost given up hope, when her eyes caught an odd movement. It looked like one particular patch of the falling snow was moving in counterpoint to all the other flurries around it.
Her eyes narrow into a squint, trying to zero in upon the unusual phenomena, and when she finally gets a clear view they widen all at once, lit with childish glee.
“Lord Sesshomaru!”
Rin’s joyous shout took Kagome’s concentration away from her observation of the cold, white fluff coating the world around her, and she turned her head to watch the demon Lord’s approach, acknowledging his arrival with an inclination of her head before returning to her contemplation.
However, the Lord of the West was distinctly perturbed. Because for that brief moment when she had turned toward him he had gotten a look at her eyes and had been eerily and unpleasantly reminded of Inuyasha’s reanimated lover, so empty had they seemed.
There had also been no greeting smile or polite inquires made after his welfare…. Indeed the miko was behaving in an uncharacteristic fashion, and he could not prevent the tingle of curiosity that overwhelmed him.
“Hello, my Lord. Rin is so happy that you've come to visit.”
Taking note that his ward looked healthy and well cared for, Sesshomaru simply nods.
Accustomed to her Lord’s lack of communication the girl beams up him with a still gap- toothed grin waiting to see if he would speak; and she was not disappointed,
“Rin, where is Inuyasha? There are only faint traces of his scent lingering in the area.”
Her smile dims and with a sigh the child replies,
“Sir Inuyasha left two months ago; no one is sure when he’ll return. Lady Kagome says not to worry, but I think she misses him; she’s become so sad and she hasn't been herself at all lately. Rin is scared that she’ll never be her happy self again!
We've all tried cheering her up, but nothing seems to work.”
Sesshomaru’s first reaction to this news was righteous anger; could he not even trust the half-breed with so simple a matter as this? He had left Rin in the care of this village because he had believed Inuyasha would ensure her safety in his absence, and now he returns to find the whelp gone.
He should have known better than to entrust his worthless brother with so important a task, when it was obvious by the blue eyed miko’s condition that he was not even tending to his own responsibilities properly.
The woman in question had not so much as twitched since greeting him and he was beginning to think that Rin’s fears were not merely childish exaggeration. Still it was not his duty to see to her well being.
Yet despite the validity of this thought he found himself telling his charge to return to the old woman’s hut and moving toward the miko’s solitary figure.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Kagome for her part had remained largely oblivious to all the disquiet her recent emotional state was causing those around her, as her focus had been turned inward recently.
After Naraku’s final defeat the well that had been serving as her portal between times had sealed itself, trapping her within the sengoku jidai permanently.
At first everything had been fine, she had anticipated the loss of one of the two places that she had been calling home for the past couple of years, and had therefore made peace with this eventuality and taken the precaution of warning all the people she loved at both sides of the well that she may be unable to return to them.
Granted, at the time she had believed that she would most likely be sent back to the modern era, but she had been genuinely happy to be staying with the friends that had become so dear to her over the course her adventures, and the boy to whom she had made a promise.
It had been difficult at first adjusting to a life without any of the modern conveniences that she was so accustomed to, but with the help and support of her friends and the villagers she had been adapting well.
Kaede had even been kind enough to make Kagome her apprentice and the villagers had seemed overjoyed to accept her as one of their own.
In the past eight months since she had become a full time resident of the feudal era, she’d watched two of her best friends get married and begin to build a life together, her kit was steadily growing stronger, and she had successfully made a place where she belonged in this time period.
And a few months ago when Inuyasha had gone off to be on his own for a while she wasn't even particularly surprised or upset. He hadn't said as much but Kagome knew that with the threat of Naraku no longer looming, he had wanted to finally take the time to properly grieve for Kikyo.
This didn't trouble her nearly as much as it once would have for the simple fact that she had come to the conclusion that a romantic relationship between them would be a disaster. Somehow she knew that if such a development should occur that she’d always feel insecure, like she had been the consolation prize or something.
All in all though everything had been going perfectly well for her, and then came that day about a month ago when the first frost had settled on the now barren branches of the trees.
It had suddenly occurred to her that it must be somewhere near the end of November… almost time for Christmas.
At first it had seemed like nothing more than a stray thought, but that initial thought had been followed by more and more until Christmas had consumed her thoughts almost entirely.
Christmas was her favorite holiday and she kept on thinking of all the things she was missing out on.
The Christmas cake, the fried chicken, the kaleidoscope of twinkling lights lighting the streets at night, the Christmas tree, the presents, all things that she would never get to experience again.
It fact it seemed that the only thing that both times had in common was snow, but the crisp white flakes that she was currently watching were blanketing an unfamiliar landscape now.
Of all the things that she had lost when the well closed, somehow this was the most devastating to her, and she felt thoroughly petty for feeling that way.
There was this persistently nagging thought that she was overlooking something obvious, some hidden meaning behind her new found obsession, but no matter how hard she thought about it she just couldn't figure out what it was.
“Miko, your behavior is upsetting Rin. I demand you cease your tiresome pining for the half- breed at once.”
Drawn by the authoritative baritone, Kagome turns to see Sesshomaru looming over her, and her mind blanks in confusion, unable to make sense of his command.
“Um, pining? I’m not pining for Inuyasha.”
Then what is the cause of your recent maudlin conduct?”
The impatience creeping into his voice was a sure indicator that trying to duck his questions would likely be met with violence; so reluctantly Kagome began her explanation, embarrassed by how thoroughly whiny and ungrateful she was going to sound.
“Well, you see there’s this celebration from my time…..”
Reluctantly Kagome explained the customs of a modern Christmas to the inu Lord, thoroughly embarrassed by how spoiled and ungrateful she seemed, acting this way only because of a silly holiday.
“… I've always loved it, but I just can’t figure out why I feel this way. It seems so incredibly childish to feel this kind of emptiness because I’m unable to have these things here.”
“Perhaps it is not the superficial trappings of this celebration that you miss but the people whom you shared them with, miko.”
And just like that the missing piece of the puzzle that had been tormenting her finally snapped into place.
She’d been so blinded by the traditional sparkle and flash of the holiday, so distracted by the shiny insubstantial wrappings that enfolded it, that she had failed to see it’s true gifts .
It wasn't just the sweet spongy Christmas cake with its juicy red berries that she craved, but the inevitable battle of rock, paper, scissors between she and Souta to see who got to eat the chocolate plaque on top.
More than the savory, crisp, slight greasiness of fried chicken, Kagome wanted the feel of the warm kiss her mother always placed on the top of her head as she placed her plate down in front of her.
She didn't want just any tree with pretty lights and colorful ornaments; she wanted the one that her Gramps never failed to plaster with protection sutras, just in case there was an evil spirit hiding within it.
She didn't just long for the sparkling fairyland of lights that decorated the streets, the cute little Santas everywhere, or the strains of Christmas music floating in the air around her.
She wanted to walk down those streets with her mom, and grandpa, and Souta; oohing and ahhing while her little brother pretended to be too cool and grown up to care.
She wanted to sing along to Saeko Suzuki’s I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday with Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi at a Karaoke bar after an exhausting day of shopping.
But most of all she wanted to see that look of happiness on the faces of her family and friends as they opened the gifts she had scrimped and saved to get them, relishing the pride and joy that she felt at being the one to put it there.
It wasn't just Christmas she missed, it was Christmas with them. They were what had always made this time of year special, the rest had simply been window dressing.
This revelation was far from comforting however, and her eyes stung with tears as she practically sobbed,
“You’re right Sesshomaru, but in the end that’s every bit as hopeless because my family is just as much out of my reach, I’ll never see them again!”
Just as the first tear slipped down her cheek, the inu at her side made a noise of derision.
You may not have access to your blood relations miko, but if you were to simply open up your eyes and pay attention you would see that you are still surrounded by family. The members of which you have made worry for you.”
Kagome’s eyes widen as the simple truth of Sesshomaru’s words resonate within her mind, and she is forcefully reminded of Sango and Miroku’s unexpected decision to stay in Kaede’s village for a while, of Shippo’s constant trips to and from training just to show her the new things he had learned.
Kaede and the other villagers always asking how she was and if she needed anything, and little Rin’s continual attempts to keep her entertained with guessing games and cute made up songs.
“I’m so stupid, they've been trying to help me this whole time and I never even noticed.”
Despite her own exasperation with herself she couldn't help but feel a bit chagrined when the inu Lord answered her statement with a, “Hn,” of agreement.
Still yet she couldn't prevent the grin that stretched her lips,
“Thank you for your help Sesshomaru. I feel so much better now.”
It was true the absence of her family and friends from the modern era was still an ache within her chest, but no matter how physically far away they were, they remained close to her heart, so she knew that she would never be completely without them.
For now she had some apologizing to do, and maybe then she could bring a little bit of her beloved Christmas to her feudal family.
She could cook a big meal for everyone, and she’d kiss the top of Shippo’s head as she served his food. She’d show Miroku and Sango how to make a decoration out of a pine tree, and she would sing songs to Rin for a change.
And as she watched the demon Lord turn and begin to walk away from her, Kagome wondered if Sesshomaru would join them if she were to invite him.
Seeing the hesitant but genuine smile on the miko’s face and the light returned to her eyes, Sesshomaru concluded that his mission was accomplished and decided to depart before he was drawn into any more of the strange woman’s problems.
But with the image of her smile still lingering in his mind, he began to think that in Inuyasha’s absence maybe he should stay closer to the village… for Rin’s sake, of course.