InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Spontaneity ❯ Chapter 1
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Luna Rain Glimmer 
After all, what is life without impulse? Human/AU Sesshomaru/Kagome
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.06.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 933 | Status: Completed
After all, what is life without impulse? Human/AU Sesshomaru/Kagome
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.06.2011 | Pages: 3 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 933 | Status: Completed
I never thought that I would be making any story for this pairing, but once the plot bunny waggled its precious nose at me, I couldn‘t resist. This is a total AU/one-shot in which both Kagome and Sesshomaru are human, in a relationship, and a situation arises that I found extremely adorable.
This is dedicated towards a beloved friend of mine who earnestly enjoys this couple. Thank you, The Silent Black Violin, for your friendship, and for your own spontaneity.
I own nothing.
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“The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie" ~Agnes de Mille
In the firmest expression of the phrase, this was a golden summer. The light from the mid-morning sunlight basked the shoppers with welcome warmth, for it was matched equally with a fluid breeze that cooled the sweat from slick brows. It was early enough in the morning where the true heat of the afternoon could not soak through clothing, or disturb the thriving activity of the marketplace. All was peaceful, and even the sounds of the laughing children, the metal clinging of cash-register keys, and the strumming notes from the far-off band were flourished with serenity.
The day was also highlighted by the thrumming elation from his beloved Kagome. She had wanted an early start, but her excited talk about what the day would hold kept them up well past midnight. Despite any inkling of fatigue, she had risen refreshed with the alarm, showered, dressed, and made them omelettes all within an hour and a half. When he attempted to do the dishes, or do something for her that morning, she gently shoved him aside and said that today she would treat him, for he deserved a break. Though he hardly thought that taking her out to dinner last night counted, he did not attempt to dissuade her.
Besides, when she was cleaning, or deep in concentration on her tasks, she never looked more beautiful. Glossy ebony hair whipped around her shoulders with her movements, and every so often, a smile graced her rose-bud pink lips, framing her oval-shaped face in a lovely manner. Dark-hazel eyes narrowed when an especially stubborn piece of egg refused to come off the pan, and with the way she scrubbed, putting her entire shoulder into the gesture, it was all he could do to not laugh with mirth. She looked like some sort of avenging goddess, bent to rid the world of unyielding oil stains and egg remnants.
Afterwards, she made a cry of victory and left the pan on the drying rack, the smile that pursed her lips revealing her triumph over the dish. She grabbed her small red handbag, made sure that her wallet and sunglass case were in there, and she literally pranced over to him in her excitement.
He had no idea what was so exciting about an outdoor market, but he was more than willing to find out. With Kagome, adventures followed her like the mystified familiars of the Pied Piper, and she was never quick to shy away from them. Besides, it was as much her vacation as it was his, and he was determined to do everything he could for her, even if it was in the little gestures.
“Come on, Sesshomaru, let’s go!” He chuckled and grabbed the door-key, his own wallet, and sunglasses. He promised her at the beginning of this vacation that he would leave his cell-phone behind and untouched, and he kept his word through the two weeks that they had traveled all through the United States.
On the short walk to this event, Kagome continued to enlighten him on the events that would occur in the marketplace. It was set up only for two days, and in those two days there would be a flurry of activity. There would be fireworks on the beach that night, along with a barbecue. Live bands would sing to their hearts’content, and children would dart through the crowd, laughing and splashing each other with the shallow water of the low tide.
It was a place, that had he been on a single vacation, he would have surely shied away from. Sesshomaru did not like social gatherings, for they tended to become a spotlight for activities that he had no interest in, and further more, could not control. This was not his office, where he could scrutinize, analyze, and fix every mistake that came his way. This was a situation that was ungoverned by the rules and regulations he worshiped.
That being said, all of those self-made volitions were cast away the moment Kagome entered his life. He was never one for long, fluid metaphors that did nothing but cloy said person into a barely recognizable costume, for all it served to do was cover them with pretty words and endless arrays of description. He also did not like it when others used up cliches to come up with ways to express love, and the act of courtship.
All of that ended the moment he met her. All of that armor, all of that relentless self-veneer was stripped away by her kindliness, her endless capacity to adore him, though he had no idea why. All of those rules that he relied so heavily on were completely useless now, and he was a novice when it came to matters of the heart. She understood this, and her patience for him was also endless.
And now, after two years of official courtship, moving in, and carrying on a life with one another, he proposed. This was something that he researched with a meticulous method that would have stunned any onlooker he knew, and it bordered on true, unparalleled panic at times. He wanted for it to be in the evening, during a dinner that he made himself. He wanted for it to be at the right moment, and for everything to be, for the lack of a better word, perfect.
It had not happened in that way however. She called him from her office and told him that her car for whatever reason, stopped working. She said this with a panicked tone, for she had never been one for being all alone in the dark, especially in the parking lot. It was her one fear, she confided in him, being in total isolation in a dark setting.
Quickly, he instructed her to stay in the lobby of her building, where people were, and said he would come get her right then. He must have broke every speeding law there was, and as a result, he was pulled over by an unforgiving officer. Him, the man who owned an Advertising company and traded overseas with the best of men, a man who donated a large sum of his money to charities around the world, was now being asked if he had been drinking that evening. A light was shined into his eyes, and to his extreme horror, he was asked to act out in demeaning tests to prove his sobriety. He was asked to step from his vehicle after his license and registration were given a thorough scrutiny, and he was forced to touch his nose on the side of the road, all the while reciting the alphabet backwards. After what he deemed mentally as the “monkey-act” he asked politely if he could simply get his ticket, for the love of his life was waiting for him.
The ticket was given, and he drove off, all the while muttering that in a past life, he would have been the one giving orders, especially on lands he was deemed worthy enough to patrol.
Regardless, he reached Kagome, called a tow after half an hour of looking under the hood, and surmised that the evening had been partially ruined. Partially, for he was with Kagome, and if she was in his company, no time would be wasted.
On the ride home, he told her about his endeavors, and her laughter filled the car.
“You, drunk?” she giggled, barely suppressing tears of mirth. “Never in a thousand years.” She laughed some more, and it was infectious. He could not help the laugh that fell from his lips, and afterwards, they found themselves in hysterics.
He parked the car, and after a tender moment exchanged between them, thunder boomed overhead. He cursed the fates that evening, for nothing had truly gone as planned. Yet, it was cause for celebration, for he knew that if it had been another time and place, or a few years ago, the thought of events not going as he planned would have upset him gravely. For now though, he understood that though his pride was in tatters, it was for a good cause, for there was more to life than planning out and chiseling details.
They ran to the front entrance of their apartment building, all the while getting drenched in the sudden onslaught of rain. Kagome was laughing still, and as he held the door for her, she curtseyed, almost as if she were a princess acknowledging the footman after disembarking a carriage.
As she stood, dripping wet from her beige business suit, chuckling occasionally as she punched in the door number, impulse seized him, urging him that right then, at that moment, was the perfection he had craved for that evening.
He gripped her from behind, and she spun around to face him. Moisture drizzled minute droplets of water down her face, her bangs were in her eyes, and she smelt of rain. Her lips parted, but before they met in the inevitable kiss, he asked her the question.
“Will you marry me?” Her eyes lit up, and for the briefest of moments, he thought that she was going to deny his request. The doubt was replaced with unmatched euphoria when she nodded, almost furiously, as if the world’s very survival depended on the steady bobbing of her head.
“Of course...yes, of course!” Their lips met then, and eternal affirmation was created.
Later on as they were in their shared bed, he slipped the ring on her finger. She looked at it, and her eyes sparkled with the diamond. It was the princess cut, with the most elegant silver band. He had perused endless jewelery stores, web sites, and had even gone to such lengths to ask his brother what methods he had used to propose to his wife with. His brother laughed and said that Kagome would love whatever he gave her, and simply hung up.
The princess cut diamond held precedence over all else. He selected the ring, checked five times on her ring size, and requested that the mounting shielded the four pointed corners of the precious stone, for in his research, it said that it was very possible for the points of the gem to get scratched easily. His request was fulfilled.
Kagome smiled at him, and nuzzled into his chest. She told him how happy she was, and then she fell asleep in mid-sentence, as she spoke of how there was nothing better than this.
The moment they stepped foot outside, Kagome donned her pair of sunglasses to shield her eyes from the sun. The diamond flashed in the light, and it was a winking reminder of the spring, when she would walk down the rose-strewn aisle and bestow to him a happiness that bordered on the sublime. Gently, he gripped her hand, she smiled to him, and they made the short walk to the marketplace.
Within a few minutes, his senses were gently assaulted by the many senses that came from the food vendors. Cheerful men grilled shish kabobs, children made sudden exclamations when they tried their luck at winning prizes, and women held out jewelry, hoping that they could tempt and delight any female.
“We’re here!” Kagome said this with such enthusiasm, he could not help the smile that tugged at his lips.
“We’re here indeed. What would you like to do?” Her eyes sparkled with undeniable merriment, as well as utter gratitude. She knew how much he did not truly like places like this, the noisy, chaotic places where outside forces controlled him. He preferred sleeping in with her, making her breakfast, and talking with her through movies they placed in the DVD player. However, he was far willing to attempt to be sociable to the outside world, for she was the butterfly that urged him outside of his own cocoon.
She looked around once, and then sniffed a few times. “I kind of want to try some of the food...” she blushed, bit her lip, and never had he seen anything lovelier. She loved eating, and with the way that her figure was pronounced, in a healthy hourglass shape, her meals complimented her.
“Food it is then.” Kagome smiled and gently released his hand. She bounded through the crowd with the energy of a young child, and within moments, she returned with two long sticks that were filled with what looked like vegetables, meat of some sort, and even more vegetables.
She bit into it, and her eyes expressed her delight. “It’s sooo delicious! Try it!” He chuckled and tried it, not caring that he was still a little full from the omelette she made him. She was correct, for flavor burst into his mouth like miniature fireworks.
Kagome nibbled, all the while waiting for his reaction with that ever-present smile of hers. “Good, huh?” He nodded, and he was struck again at her innocence. Never would he tire of that spirit of hers, the soul that found joy in the ordinary tasks of life, such as eating.
“Delicious. You are right, once again.” She laughed and devoured the food as if she had not eaten in weeks. He made a comment on that, and she lightly shoved him the way that she had on their third date. They still behaved as if they were courting, which filled him with immeasurable pleasure. Theirs would never be a stagnant love.
Onwards they wandered, going from vendor to vendor with all the wonder of children, of teenagers who had never been to this part of the country before. A woman was selling hand-carved animals and she showed Kagome how she made all of them with tireless patience, a carving knife, and an imaginative eye.
While his back was turned, she bought him three figurines: a tiger, a falcon, and at the last, a wolf. She smiled when she gave him the gifts, and with the slight brush of their fingers against his, more fodder was added to the eternal flame in his heart, one that burned the name Kagome in the embers.
“It’s a bit symbolic. Also, I know how you like hand-made animals.” She went on to tell him that the tiger was how he was so willing to protect those who threatened his friends and family, as well as the tireless way he became the driving force behind his own life. The falcon was how he held himself with grace and soared skyward, but he never forgot where his home was. With the wolf, she explained his loyalty, and afterwards, she blushed a shade of red so deep, he thought that she had become the grilled tomato she had recently eaten.
“I get carried away, I’m sorry.” She laughed, but he shook his head.
“You are not fishing for compliments, beloved. You told me this in earnest.” He brushed back her bangs and gently placed a kiss on her smooth brow. She tasted of vanilla and utter warmth. “Thank you.” Kagome smiled so wide, he thought her teeth were multi-hued diamonds.
“You’re very welcome!” She then noticed the package in his hand. “Oh, you got something!” He nodded, and revealed the package. He knew that he would not be able to keep it hidden for long.
It was a cherry-wood jewelry box, one that had a glass mirror, a velvet case for her rings, and a small drawer to put any personal belongings. Also, he knew that it was a music box, for it played merry tunes.
She inhaled sharply when she saw it, and if it were possible, her eyes reflected even more happiness. “Oh Sesshomaru...it’s so beautiful, thank you so much!” She held the box to her as if it were a precious thing, a child that needed to be cared for and held to her breast, lest it begin to cry.
Children...they were everywhere here, and the thought of raising a family with her was enough to send his spirit soaring on the wings of the falcon she compared him to.
He stepped closer, and ever so lightly, kissed her lips. Sometimes, he was not very good with public displays of affection, but he would always hold her hand, kiss her brow, or lightly brush his lips across her mouth. It was his way of stepping out of the security that had been both his shelter and his prison. The walls would crash eventually, but it would not happen instantaneously. She accepted this, and he knew that she was grateful for every caress, every kiss, for it was reflected in her eyes, and in her words.
“You are very welcome.” He looked over her head, and chuckled. “Don’t look now, but I think I have spotted something that pales in comparison to your jewelry box.” Her eyes clouded with inquiry and gently, she turned around to where his line of vision was directed.
She squealed with delight, but restrained herself from running towards the vendor. A moral dilemma etched itself onto her pretty features, but he resolved it for her. Sesshomaru took the jewelery box from her, and she gave a loud, “harah!” and bolted for the booth.
He shook his head in wonder at the way she lit up around the stuffed animals. For some reason, whenever she saw them, she turned into a cheerful young girl once more, the one that once had hundreds of the critters around her room. They were all either donated, but the occasional plush wound up on their shelves, or on the couches. Once, she told him, she had a massive tea-party with them, and begged her brother to play as the male animals.
A few children were around her, and they pointed excitedly at the animals, both big and small. Parents willingly forked over some money to satisfy their little ones, and once their chubby fingers touched the soft fur, they gave little squeals of delight.
They were in their own personal compartments, ranging from big animals--the giant panda in the back of the booth--to the wise frog in the front that was no bigger than his clenched fist. She gripped each one and gave it a long look, then proceeded to cuddle the material to her face, not caring about the hands that touched it, where it might have been...she completely surrendered herself to the innocence of the plush.
She gave a little bounce once he came to her side, and she showed him her new friends.
“I named them already!” Despite the popular belief, once Kagome named a stuffed animal, she did not immediately long for it. She liked giving them names, for she enjoyed remembering them by the titles she fashioned them with, even if she did not purchase them. “The panda is Mr. Bamboo, the frog is Freckles, the two little puppies are Toby and Richie...” she named them all, and then looked up to him. He was chuckling silently to herself, for he found this to be the most adorable situation he had ever been faced with.
“You are very creative. Now, which ones shall we adopt?” Kagome looked up at him, and her eyes sparkled with options. Though it was not physically known, Kagome was mentally tabulating and crossing out the names that she had thought of, and was coming up with, all in the expanse of a few minutes.
“Hmm...those two!” She picked up an owl, and the happiest kitten he had ever seen. Quickly, she paid the amused vendor and cradled her new babies to her chest, looking for all the world like a happy mother.
“That is the grumpiest owl I have ever seen.” Kagome chuckled, and proceeded to shield her owl’s ears--if he had any that were visible, it was news to him.
“Simon is going through a rough patch right now. His forest was destroyed by horrible creatures...and then this little kitten came along and saved him! Pudgy taught him how to fly, and chase butterflies!” To any untrained ear, or rather, any ear that thought that the woman in the white sundress who was going on about imaginary animals and personas she came up with on the spot was strange, they must have thought that she was desperately trying to revert back to her childhood. That was not what she was doing at all. She worked for a children’s publishing agency, and she specialized in both the illustrations, and in filing down ideas. Many a happy hour was spent with her when she had a blank storyboard, and she gained inspiration through his mere presence. Or, so she told him.
Regardless how it sounded, he did not care, nor did he find it puerile. She was a rare soul, one that was of such a free spirit, that she could be utterly herself in a crowd of strangers. He loved that, and wished that some of her energy would rub off on himself. He told her that a few times, and afterwards, she smiled at him in that way of hers that let him know she was a blessing in human form, and she pulled him into a warm embrace.
He cleared his throat. “Well, Simon, I formerly apologize on behalf of my ignorance. If you need help in finding a good lawyer to file your lawsuit for the forestry damage, my brother specializes in just that.” She busted into laughter, and the sound was music to his ears, music the likes of which he would never bore of.
“He likes you!” Before he knew it, he was toting around the most enraged snowy-owl he had ever laid eyes on, and he knew that had Simon been alive, he would have certainly been pecked many times.
They walked everywhere, and after awhile, they acquired a new purchase. Kagome found the largest floppy beach hat he had ever seen, but with the way she placed it on her head, removing her sunglasses, spinning in her white summer dress and matching sandals, he had never seen anything more soul-stirring. The vendor seemed to appreciate her service a little too much, but he was granted with a small spiel on Kagome’s part on how, “she was promised to someone else and no one would ever change her mind.” She walked off with a small “humph!”, but she told the man to keep the change.
Afterwards, they sat on one of the park benches and sampled a lot of the other food that the vendors had to offer. There was ice cream, and Kagome gave little sighs of pleasure every now and then. She leaned against him and devoured the treat, and afterwards, she kissed his cheek, blushed, and proclaimed she had gotten his face sticky.
In a move that would have astounded any of his coworkers, or anyone that knew him back in Japan, he quickly swiped his mouth over the remains of his treat, and kissed her cheek, proclaiming that they were now “even.” She shrieked with delight, and fended him off with the stick, albeit playfully.
“Pudgy, save me!” He told her that the cat would not be able to save her, and parried her attempts at battle.
Several minutes later, both man and woman were reasonably calm and Kagome proclaimed that there was much more to see. He nodded to her, took her hand, and they were off, Simon and all.
The steady pounding of feet thundered the earth close to the beach, and melodic voices hummed with the help of stereos and equipment. There was a stage complete with five men with instruments, microphones, and enough singing fans to count.
Kagome began to hum along with the song, and then eyed him curiously. He knew that she longed to join the crowd, but that something was restraining her for some reason. Moments later, he knew what that reason was, and that no amount of reassuring her would make her coalesce with the moving fans. He did not care much for the cloistering of bodies, nor did he appreciate being close enough to strangers to count their hair follicles. He would join the crowd, if only she voiced it herself.
She spoke, but it was not what he wanted to hear. “Come on. I think I saw a caricature artist.” Amusement filled her eyes, but he knew that she yearned for nothing more than to join that crowd. He did not wish to be a hindrance to her own well-bring or happiness, for it was as much her vacation as it was his.
The moment he opened his mouth however, the music changed. Instead of it being a lyrical ballad that proclaimed devotion for the singer’s intended, there was only the melody of instruments. The crowd cheered, everyone grabbed a partner, and the area that had once been a mosh of bodies was now a dance floor.
Instead of marveling at the traditions of the beach-folk or how he had never seen such a quick synchronization of bodies, he made his decision, despite everything else restraining him.
He was never one to just blindly lose control, or completely surrender his persona on a fanciful whim. Sometimes however, it was good to let go, to let those walls tumble at his feet with a resonating crash of the future before him. This was one of those times.
The physical yearning to join the crowd heightened ten fold, and Sesshomaru knew that she would have given anything to dance with them, to share the moment with him. However, he knew that she had figured that with who he was and what he did not feel comfortable with, she did not want to forcefully change him. Sometimes, her altruism was her biggest downfall.
Quickly, he turned to a vendor and asked if they would please hold their purchases. The old woman nodded, and in the eye that was not covered in a black eye-patch, she showed him how she knew what he was about to do, and how she loved it.
“Sesshomaru?” Her eyes lit up with an inquiry, and he was quick to answer her.
“Kagome, would you care to dance?” He bowed, and then held his hand out to her. Her mouth opened in her delight, but no sound came out. She furiously nodded, and before he knew it, they were racing towards the makeshift dance floor.
The music was based on the clashing of a saxophone, a steady drum beat, as well as the hypnotic chords of a guitar. Somewhere, a violin crashed into the harmony, sparking the crowd with life. They merged with the group easily, as if they had always belonged there. He spun her around, and the folds of her dress bloomed like a white lily stretching towards the sunlight. Their footwork matched one another’s, and never had he felt more in synch with her than at that moment. They had danced before, but never in such a public eye, never on such a whim.
The other couples eyed them with approval, and then they focused on their partners. Sesshomaru knew that he was a good dancer, and when matched with Kagome, they became an entity that operated in perfect coordination.
Their eyes met, and in Kagome’s, he saw how happy she was that he had asked her to dance. For, it was not just a simple dance, but something beyond that, something deeper. By conquering his slight phobia of people, of acting out of the character his austerity carved out of him, those walls had begun to shift, if not break in their entirety.
Whoops of delight filled the air, and the instruments played on for several more dances. Kagome twirled around him, caught his eye, and busted into laughter, laughter that served as a declaration of how happy she was. She once told him that sometimes, when she felt so happy she could just burst, she began to laugh almost uncontrollably, for it was her way of showing the person that she was with that they had gaged such a reaction in her. The laughter was for him, and it was more punctuated, more lovely than any note the man-made instruments created. This was the mirth of the seraphs, bursting forth from the vocal cords of an earth-bound angel.
Gently, the music reached a final decrescendo and the crowd gave a loud round of applause towards the band. Sesshomaru had been gripping Kagome in a final dip, and afterwards, he wished he did not have to release her.
She panted against him, and without a word, their mouths met in perfect harmonization.
“Thank you! That was so fun!” They were walking back to their hotel room, for Kagome expressed that she wished to shower before they returned for the fireworks later. He planned on making her dinner, and he knew that he would cherish creating a meal for her. If this was the syndrome known as the “honeymoon phase” he wished not for there to be an anti-venom.
“You are very welcome. I enjoyed myself.” He smiled at her, and their eyes met at the same time.
“For not only that...but you danced with me. In public.” She ran her thumb over their entwined fingers, and it sent little shivers over his spine, the same way that it had when they were first dating. “That was so kind of you, really.” Her smile melted the last of the ice-carved walls, and they fell in thick sheets, crashing at his feet with the intensity of the ocean waves.
With the part of the road they were on, there was no one around. They stopped walking and he gently embraced her, gripping her lower back to where he could still see her face, but their torsos welded together, by will and longing alone.
“It was for you. There is nothing wrong with a little spontaneity.” Mischief flared to life in her amber eyes, and he knew what she was thinking. “In any form.”
Their lips met, and it sealed the end to his ceaseless desire for control in his life. The summer was golden, vibrant, and it was theirs. Nothing would be hidden from her, or denied to Kagome, any longer.
After the dinner and a very impassioned speech on why Pudgy wanted to go see the fireworks, Sesshomaru found himself watching the night turn into multi-colored fire. Smoke filled the air, children gave out little shrieks of glee, and Pudgy was on their laps, grinning like he had just eaten the infamous canary.
“Thank you,” she whispered against his chest. She was drowsing off amidst the boom of the pyrotechnics, and in the brilliant flare, her wedding wing glittered with promises of life, of light, and endless acts of spontaneity.
“No,” he told her “thank you.” She was fast asleep, but with her smile, he knew she heard him.
The End
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This is dedicated towards a beloved friend of mine who earnestly enjoys this couple. Thank you, The Silent Black Violin, for your friendship, and for your own spontaneity.
I own nothing.
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“The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie" ~Agnes de Mille
In the firmest expression of the phrase, this was a golden summer. The light from the mid-morning sunlight basked the shoppers with welcome warmth, for it was matched equally with a fluid breeze that cooled the sweat from slick brows. It was early enough in the morning where the true heat of the afternoon could not soak through clothing, or disturb the thriving activity of the marketplace. All was peaceful, and even the sounds of the laughing children, the metal clinging of cash-register keys, and the strumming notes from the far-off band were flourished with serenity.
The day was also highlighted by the thrumming elation from his beloved Kagome. She had wanted an early start, but her excited talk about what the day would hold kept them up well past midnight. Despite any inkling of fatigue, she had risen refreshed with the alarm, showered, dressed, and made them omelettes all within an hour and a half. When he attempted to do the dishes, or do something for her that morning, she gently shoved him aside and said that today she would treat him, for he deserved a break. Though he hardly thought that taking her out to dinner last night counted, he did not attempt to dissuade her.
Besides, when she was cleaning, or deep in concentration on her tasks, she never looked more beautiful. Glossy ebony hair whipped around her shoulders with her movements, and every so often, a smile graced her rose-bud pink lips, framing her oval-shaped face in a lovely manner. Dark-hazel eyes narrowed when an especially stubborn piece of egg refused to come off the pan, and with the way she scrubbed, putting her entire shoulder into the gesture, it was all he could do to not laugh with mirth. She looked like some sort of avenging goddess, bent to rid the world of unyielding oil stains and egg remnants.
Afterwards, she made a cry of victory and left the pan on the drying rack, the smile that pursed her lips revealing her triumph over the dish. She grabbed her small red handbag, made sure that her wallet and sunglass case were in there, and she literally pranced over to him in her excitement.
He had no idea what was so exciting about an outdoor market, but he was more than willing to find out. With Kagome, adventures followed her like the mystified familiars of the Pied Piper, and she was never quick to shy away from them. Besides, it was as much her vacation as it was his, and he was determined to do everything he could for her, even if it was in the little gestures.
“Come on, Sesshomaru, let’s go!” He chuckled and grabbed the door-key, his own wallet, and sunglasses. He promised her at the beginning of this vacation that he would leave his cell-phone behind and untouched, and he kept his word through the two weeks that they had traveled all through the United States.
On the short walk to this event, Kagome continued to enlighten him on the events that would occur in the marketplace. It was set up only for two days, and in those two days there would be a flurry of activity. There would be fireworks on the beach that night, along with a barbecue. Live bands would sing to their hearts’content, and children would dart through the crowd, laughing and splashing each other with the shallow water of the low tide.
It was a place, that had he been on a single vacation, he would have surely shied away from. Sesshomaru did not like social gatherings, for they tended to become a spotlight for activities that he had no interest in, and further more, could not control. This was not his office, where he could scrutinize, analyze, and fix every mistake that came his way. This was a situation that was ungoverned by the rules and regulations he worshiped.
That being said, all of those self-made volitions were cast away the moment Kagome entered his life. He was never one for long, fluid metaphors that did nothing but cloy said person into a barely recognizable costume, for all it served to do was cover them with pretty words and endless arrays of description. He also did not like it when others used up cliches to come up with ways to express love, and the act of courtship.
All of that ended the moment he met her. All of that armor, all of that relentless self-veneer was stripped away by her kindliness, her endless capacity to adore him, though he had no idea why. All of those rules that he relied so heavily on were completely useless now, and he was a novice when it came to matters of the heart. She understood this, and her patience for him was also endless.
And now, after two years of official courtship, moving in, and carrying on a life with one another, he proposed. This was something that he researched with a meticulous method that would have stunned any onlooker he knew, and it bordered on true, unparalleled panic at times. He wanted for it to be in the evening, during a dinner that he made himself. He wanted for it to be at the right moment, and for everything to be, for the lack of a better word, perfect.
It had not happened in that way however. She called him from her office and told him that her car for whatever reason, stopped working. She said this with a panicked tone, for she had never been one for being all alone in the dark, especially in the parking lot. It was her one fear, she confided in him, being in total isolation in a dark setting.
Quickly, he instructed her to stay in the lobby of her building, where people were, and said he would come get her right then. He must have broke every speeding law there was, and as a result, he was pulled over by an unforgiving officer. Him, the man who owned an Advertising company and traded overseas with the best of men, a man who donated a large sum of his money to charities around the world, was now being asked if he had been drinking that evening. A light was shined into his eyes, and to his extreme horror, he was asked to act out in demeaning tests to prove his sobriety. He was asked to step from his vehicle after his license and registration were given a thorough scrutiny, and he was forced to touch his nose on the side of the road, all the while reciting the alphabet backwards. After what he deemed mentally as the “monkey-act” he asked politely if he could simply get his ticket, for the love of his life was waiting for him.
The ticket was given, and he drove off, all the while muttering that in a past life, he would have been the one giving orders, especially on lands he was deemed worthy enough to patrol.
Regardless, he reached Kagome, called a tow after half an hour of looking under the hood, and surmised that the evening had been partially ruined. Partially, for he was with Kagome, and if she was in his company, no time would be wasted.
On the ride home, he told her about his endeavors, and her laughter filled the car.
“You, drunk?” she giggled, barely suppressing tears of mirth. “Never in a thousand years.” She laughed some more, and it was infectious. He could not help the laugh that fell from his lips, and afterwards, they found themselves in hysterics.
He parked the car, and after a tender moment exchanged between them, thunder boomed overhead. He cursed the fates that evening, for nothing had truly gone as planned. Yet, it was cause for celebration, for he knew that if it had been another time and place, or a few years ago, the thought of events not going as he planned would have upset him gravely. For now though, he understood that though his pride was in tatters, it was for a good cause, for there was more to life than planning out and chiseling details.
They ran to the front entrance of their apartment building, all the while getting drenched in the sudden onslaught of rain. Kagome was laughing still, and as he held the door for her, she curtseyed, almost as if she were a princess acknowledging the footman after disembarking a carriage.
As she stood, dripping wet from her beige business suit, chuckling occasionally as she punched in the door number, impulse seized him, urging him that right then, at that moment, was the perfection he had craved for that evening.
He gripped her from behind, and she spun around to face him. Moisture drizzled minute droplets of water down her face, her bangs were in her eyes, and she smelt of rain. Her lips parted, but before they met in the inevitable kiss, he asked her the question.
“Will you marry me?” Her eyes lit up, and for the briefest of moments, he thought that she was going to deny his request. The doubt was replaced with unmatched euphoria when she nodded, almost furiously, as if the world’s very survival depended on the steady bobbing of her head.
“Of course...yes, of course!” Their lips met then, and eternal affirmation was created.
Later on as they were in their shared bed, he slipped the ring on her finger. She looked at it, and her eyes sparkled with the diamond. It was the princess cut, with the most elegant silver band. He had perused endless jewelery stores, web sites, and had even gone to such lengths to ask his brother what methods he had used to propose to his wife with. His brother laughed and said that Kagome would love whatever he gave her, and simply hung up.
The princess cut diamond held precedence over all else. He selected the ring, checked five times on her ring size, and requested that the mounting shielded the four pointed corners of the precious stone, for in his research, it said that it was very possible for the points of the gem to get scratched easily. His request was fulfilled.
Kagome smiled at him, and nuzzled into his chest. She told him how happy she was, and then she fell asleep in mid-sentence, as she spoke of how there was nothing better than this.
The moment they stepped foot outside, Kagome donned her pair of sunglasses to shield her eyes from the sun. The diamond flashed in the light, and it was a winking reminder of the spring, when she would walk down the rose-strewn aisle and bestow to him a happiness that bordered on the sublime. Gently, he gripped her hand, she smiled to him, and they made the short walk to the marketplace.
Within a few minutes, his senses were gently assaulted by the many senses that came from the food vendors. Cheerful men grilled shish kabobs, children made sudden exclamations when they tried their luck at winning prizes, and women held out jewelry, hoping that they could tempt and delight any female.
“We’re here!” Kagome said this with such enthusiasm, he could not help the smile that tugged at his lips.
“We’re here indeed. What would you like to do?” Her eyes sparkled with undeniable merriment, as well as utter gratitude. She knew how much he did not truly like places like this, the noisy, chaotic places where outside forces controlled him. He preferred sleeping in with her, making her breakfast, and talking with her through movies they placed in the DVD player. However, he was far willing to attempt to be sociable to the outside world, for she was the butterfly that urged him outside of his own cocoon.
She looked around once, and then sniffed a few times. “I kind of want to try some of the food...” she blushed, bit her lip, and never had he seen anything lovelier. She loved eating, and with the way that her figure was pronounced, in a healthy hourglass shape, her meals complimented her.
“Food it is then.” Kagome smiled and gently released his hand. She bounded through the crowd with the energy of a young child, and within moments, she returned with two long sticks that were filled with what looked like vegetables, meat of some sort, and even more vegetables.
She bit into it, and her eyes expressed her delight. “It’s sooo delicious! Try it!” He chuckled and tried it, not caring that he was still a little full from the omelette she made him. She was correct, for flavor burst into his mouth like miniature fireworks.
Kagome nibbled, all the while waiting for his reaction with that ever-present smile of hers. “Good, huh?” He nodded, and he was struck again at her innocence. Never would he tire of that spirit of hers, the soul that found joy in the ordinary tasks of life, such as eating.
“Delicious. You are right, once again.” She laughed and devoured the food as if she had not eaten in weeks. He made a comment on that, and she lightly shoved him the way that she had on their third date. They still behaved as if they were courting, which filled him with immeasurable pleasure. Theirs would never be a stagnant love.
Onwards they wandered, going from vendor to vendor with all the wonder of children, of teenagers who had never been to this part of the country before. A woman was selling hand-carved animals and she showed Kagome how she made all of them with tireless patience, a carving knife, and an imaginative eye.
While his back was turned, she bought him three figurines: a tiger, a falcon, and at the last, a wolf. She smiled when she gave him the gifts, and with the slight brush of their fingers against his, more fodder was added to the eternal flame in his heart, one that burned the name Kagome in the embers.
“It’s a bit symbolic. Also, I know how you like hand-made animals.” She went on to tell him that the tiger was how he was so willing to protect those who threatened his friends and family, as well as the tireless way he became the driving force behind his own life. The falcon was how he held himself with grace and soared skyward, but he never forgot where his home was. With the wolf, she explained his loyalty, and afterwards, she blushed a shade of red so deep, he thought that she had become the grilled tomato she had recently eaten.
“I get carried away, I’m sorry.” She laughed, but he shook his head.
“You are not fishing for compliments, beloved. You told me this in earnest.” He brushed back her bangs and gently placed a kiss on her smooth brow. She tasted of vanilla and utter warmth. “Thank you.” Kagome smiled so wide, he thought her teeth were multi-hued diamonds.
“You’re very welcome!” She then noticed the package in his hand. “Oh, you got something!” He nodded, and revealed the package. He knew that he would not be able to keep it hidden for long.
It was a cherry-wood jewelry box, one that had a glass mirror, a velvet case for her rings, and a small drawer to put any personal belongings. Also, he knew that it was a music box, for it played merry tunes.
She inhaled sharply when she saw it, and if it were possible, her eyes reflected even more happiness. “Oh Sesshomaru...it’s so beautiful, thank you so much!” She held the box to her as if it were a precious thing, a child that needed to be cared for and held to her breast, lest it begin to cry.
Children...they were everywhere here, and the thought of raising a family with her was enough to send his spirit soaring on the wings of the falcon she compared him to.
He stepped closer, and ever so lightly, kissed her lips. Sometimes, he was not very good with public displays of affection, but he would always hold her hand, kiss her brow, or lightly brush his lips across her mouth. It was his way of stepping out of the security that had been both his shelter and his prison. The walls would crash eventually, but it would not happen instantaneously. She accepted this, and he knew that she was grateful for every caress, every kiss, for it was reflected in her eyes, and in her words.
“You are very welcome.” He looked over her head, and chuckled. “Don’t look now, but I think I have spotted something that pales in comparison to your jewelry box.” Her eyes clouded with inquiry and gently, she turned around to where his line of vision was directed.
She squealed with delight, but restrained herself from running towards the vendor. A moral dilemma etched itself onto her pretty features, but he resolved it for her. Sesshomaru took the jewelery box from her, and she gave a loud, “harah!” and bolted for the booth.
He shook his head in wonder at the way she lit up around the stuffed animals. For some reason, whenever she saw them, she turned into a cheerful young girl once more, the one that once had hundreds of the critters around her room. They were all either donated, but the occasional plush wound up on their shelves, or on the couches. Once, she told him, she had a massive tea-party with them, and begged her brother to play as the male animals.
A few children were around her, and they pointed excitedly at the animals, both big and small. Parents willingly forked over some money to satisfy their little ones, and once their chubby fingers touched the soft fur, they gave little squeals of delight.
They were in their own personal compartments, ranging from big animals--the giant panda in the back of the booth--to the wise frog in the front that was no bigger than his clenched fist. She gripped each one and gave it a long look, then proceeded to cuddle the material to her face, not caring about the hands that touched it, where it might have been...she completely surrendered herself to the innocence of the plush.
She gave a little bounce once he came to her side, and she showed him her new friends.
“I named them already!” Despite the popular belief, once Kagome named a stuffed animal, she did not immediately long for it. She liked giving them names, for she enjoyed remembering them by the titles she fashioned them with, even if she did not purchase them. “The panda is Mr. Bamboo, the frog is Freckles, the two little puppies are Toby and Richie...” she named them all, and then looked up to him. He was chuckling silently to herself, for he found this to be the most adorable situation he had ever been faced with.
“You are very creative. Now, which ones shall we adopt?” Kagome looked up at him, and her eyes sparkled with options. Though it was not physically known, Kagome was mentally tabulating and crossing out the names that she had thought of, and was coming up with, all in the expanse of a few minutes.
“Hmm...those two!” She picked up an owl, and the happiest kitten he had ever seen. Quickly, she paid the amused vendor and cradled her new babies to her chest, looking for all the world like a happy mother.
“That is the grumpiest owl I have ever seen.” Kagome chuckled, and proceeded to shield her owl’s ears--if he had any that were visible, it was news to him.
“Simon is going through a rough patch right now. His forest was destroyed by horrible creatures...and then this little kitten came along and saved him! Pudgy taught him how to fly, and chase butterflies!” To any untrained ear, or rather, any ear that thought that the woman in the white sundress who was going on about imaginary animals and personas she came up with on the spot was strange, they must have thought that she was desperately trying to revert back to her childhood. That was not what she was doing at all. She worked for a children’s publishing agency, and she specialized in both the illustrations, and in filing down ideas. Many a happy hour was spent with her when she had a blank storyboard, and she gained inspiration through his mere presence. Or, so she told him.
Regardless how it sounded, he did not care, nor did he find it puerile. She was a rare soul, one that was of such a free spirit, that she could be utterly herself in a crowd of strangers. He loved that, and wished that some of her energy would rub off on himself. He told her that a few times, and afterwards, she smiled at him in that way of hers that let him know she was a blessing in human form, and she pulled him into a warm embrace.
He cleared his throat. “Well, Simon, I formerly apologize on behalf of my ignorance. If you need help in finding a good lawyer to file your lawsuit for the forestry damage, my brother specializes in just that.” She busted into laughter, and the sound was music to his ears, music the likes of which he would never bore of.
“He likes you!” Before he knew it, he was toting around the most enraged snowy-owl he had ever laid eyes on, and he knew that had Simon been alive, he would have certainly been pecked many times.
They walked everywhere, and after awhile, they acquired a new purchase. Kagome found the largest floppy beach hat he had ever seen, but with the way she placed it on her head, removing her sunglasses, spinning in her white summer dress and matching sandals, he had never seen anything more soul-stirring. The vendor seemed to appreciate her service a little too much, but he was granted with a small spiel on Kagome’s part on how, “she was promised to someone else and no one would ever change her mind.” She walked off with a small “humph!”, but she told the man to keep the change.
Afterwards, they sat on one of the park benches and sampled a lot of the other food that the vendors had to offer. There was ice cream, and Kagome gave little sighs of pleasure every now and then. She leaned against him and devoured the treat, and afterwards, she kissed his cheek, blushed, and proclaimed she had gotten his face sticky.
In a move that would have astounded any of his coworkers, or anyone that knew him back in Japan, he quickly swiped his mouth over the remains of his treat, and kissed her cheek, proclaiming that they were now “even.” She shrieked with delight, and fended him off with the stick, albeit playfully.
“Pudgy, save me!” He told her that the cat would not be able to save her, and parried her attempts at battle.
Several minutes later, both man and woman were reasonably calm and Kagome proclaimed that there was much more to see. He nodded to her, took her hand, and they were off, Simon and all.
The steady pounding of feet thundered the earth close to the beach, and melodic voices hummed with the help of stereos and equipment. There was a stage complete with five men with instruments, microphones, and enough singing fans to count.
Kagome began to hum along with the song, and then eyed him curiously. He knew that she longed to join the crowd, but that something was restraining her for some reason. Moments later, he knew what that reason was, and that no amount of reassuring her would make her coalesce with the moving fans. He did not care much for the cloistering of bodies, nor did he appreciate being close enough to strangers to count their hair follicles. He would join the crowd, if only she voiced it herself.
She spoke, but it was not what he wanted to hear. “Come on. I think I saw a caricature artist.” Amusement filled her eyes, but he knew that she yearned for nothing more than to join that crowd. He did not wish to be a hindrance to her own well-bring or happiness, for it was as much her vacation as it was his.
The moment he opened his mouth however, the music changed. Instead of it being a lyrical ballad that proclaimed devotion for the singer’s intended, there was only the melody of instruments. The crowd cheered, everyone grabbed a partner, and the area that had once been a mosh of bodies was now a dance floor.
Instead of marveling at the traditions of the beach-folk or how he had never seen such a quick synchronization of bodies, he made his decision, despite everything else restraining him.
He was never one to just blindly lose control, or completely surrender his persona on a fanciful whim. Sometimes however, it was good to let go, to let those walls tumble at his feet with a resonating crash of the future before him. This was one of those times.
The physical yearning to join the crowd heightened ten fold, and Sesshomaru knew that she would have given anything to dance with them, to share the moment with him. However, he knew that she had figured that with who he was and what he did not feel comfortable with, she did not want to forcefully change him. Sometimes, her altruism was her biggest downfall.
Quickly, he turned to a vendor and asked if they would please hold their purchases. The old woman nodded, and in the eye that was not covered in a black eye-patch, she showed him how she knew what he was about to do, and how she loved it.
“Sesshomaru?” Her eyes lit up with an inquiry, and he was quick to answer her.
“Kagome, would you care to dance?” He bowed, and then held his hand out to her. Her mouth opened in her delight, but no sound came out. She furiously nodded, and before he knew it, they were racing towards the makeshift dance floor.
The music was based on the clashing of a saxophone, a steady drum beat, as well as the hypnotic chords of a guitar. Somewhere, a violin crashed into the harmony, sparking the crowd with life. They merged with the group easily, as if they had always belonged there. He spun her around, and the folds of her dress bloomed like a white lily stretching towards the sunlight. Their footwork matched one another’s, and never had he felt more in synch with her than at that moment. They had danced before, but never in such a public eye, never on such a whim.
The other couples eyed them with approval, and then they focused on their partners. Sesshomaru knew that he was a good dancer, and when matched with Kagome, they became an entity that operated in perfect coordination.
Their eyes met, and in Kagome’s, he saw how happy she was that he had asked her to dance. For, it was not just a simple dance, but something beyond that, something deeper. By conquering his slight phobia of people, of acting out of the character his austerity carved out of him, those walls had begun to shift, if not break in their entirety.
Whoops of delight filled the air, and the instruments played on for several more dances. Kagome twirled around him, caught his eye, and busted into laughter, laughter that served as a declaration of how happy she was. She once told him that sometimes, when she felt so happy she could just burst, she began to laugh almost uncontrollably, for it was her way of showing the person that she was with that they had gaged such a reaction in her. The laughter was for him, and it was more punctuated, more lovely than any note the man-made instruments created. This was the mirth of the seraphs, bursting forth from the vocal cords of an earth-bound angel.
Gently, the music reached a final decrescendo and the crowd gave a loud round of applause towards the band. Sesshomaru had been gripping Kagome in a final dip, and afterwards, he wished he did not have to release her.
She panted against him, and without a word, their mouths met in perfect harmonization.
“Thank you! That was so fun!” They were walking back to their hotel room, for Kagome expressed that she wished to shower before they returned for the fireworks later. He planned on making her dinner, and he knew that he would cherish creating a meal for her. If this was the syndrome known as the “honeymoon phase” he wished not for there to be an anti-venom.
“You are very welcome. I enjoyed myself.” He smiled at her, and their eyes met at the same time.
“For not only that...but you danced with me. In public.” She ran her thumb over their entwined fingers, and it sent little shivers over his spine, the same way that it had when they were first dating. “That was so kind of you, really.” Her smile melted the last of the ice-carved walls, and they fell in thick sheets, crashing at his feet with the intensity of the ocean waves.
With the part of the road they were on, there was no one around. They stopped walking and he gently embraced her, gripping her lower back to where he could still see her face, but their torsos welded together, by will and longing alone.
“It was for you. There is nothing wrong with a little spontaneity.” Mischief flared to life in her amber eyes, and he knew what she was thinking. “In any form.”
Their lips met, and it sealed the end to his ceaseless desire for control in his life. The summer was golden, vibrant, and it was theirs. Nothing would be hidden from her, or denied to Kagome, any longer.
After the dinner and a very impassioned speech on why Pudgy wanted to go see the fireworks, Sesshomaru found himself watching the night turn into multi-colored fire. Smoke filled the air, children gave out little shrieks of glee, and Pudgy was on their laps, grinning like he had just eaten the infamous canary.
“Thank you,” she whispered against his chest. She was drowsing off amidst the boom of the pyrotechnics, and in the brilliant flare, her wedding wing glittered with promises of life, of light, and endless acts of spontaneity.
“No,” he told her “thank you.” She was fast asleep, but with her smile, he knew she heard him.
The End
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