A/N: This was written for DestinysTears for last year's Dokuga Exchange. I just realized I never posted it. Since it's December and the holiday season is fast approaching, I thought it the appropriate time to share ^^
Warning for sappy, sweet, and OOC Sesshoumaru. It's AU, I figure I have some leeway with his personality!
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Kagome stretched and sat up in bed. It was going to be a great day! She had papers to grade, something she found to be a treat as a kindergarten teacher, and some holiday shopping to finish with Mama. Now that she lived away from home, the holidays were even more important to her. She didn't see her family everyday anymore and loved any reason they had to get together.
As she walked to the bathroom, she heard Buyo yowling followed by what sounded like a great struggle. Kagome shook her head. Buyo really got serious when he was 'hunting' his toys! "Buyo, knock it off!" she called. The clatter continued and Kagome sighed, turning off the water. "Buyo!"
Once in the living room, she saw the source of the commotion: a fake pear tree was in the middle of her living room, leaning over out of the pot, what had been a partridge was splattered across the room, and her beloved fat cat was covered in feathers and blood. She felt a serious eye tick coming on.
She picked up the note that she assumed had been on the tree.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
A partridge in a pear tree.
She was going to kill him. In the worst way possible.
-----
As her Saturday plans had been completely ruined by Buyo's impromptu feast, Kagome decided that she would carry on like normal on Sunday. She graded the papers without incident and went shopping with Mama to finish off her holiday gift list. Shopping went even better than she thought it would, considering she was cutting it a little short by her own standards, and everyone was going to be pleased. Finding Souta's video game took the longest, only because he had to have a game that had been out of print for years.
"If he goes in the right pattern, I hope to God I don't come home and find two dead doves in my apartment."
Her mother smiled. "If you do, just send him the bill when he's finished with his song. I think it's rather sweet, you know."
"Yeah," Kagome agreed, "but if I get any more fowl I'm going to scream."
"Then I think it's time to scream."
"Oh, no."
As the two women approached the apartment, they spotted a small box with air holes next to the door.
Kagome set her bags down and picked up the box. It didn't seem to be moving, or rather the things inside didn't seem to be moving. Cautiously, she opened the lid.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Two turtle doves.
I didn't think you'd appreciate more live animals; I hope this will do.
- S
Inside the box was delicate porcelain turtle dove ornament. "But there is only one," she commented.
"Don't you know, dear?" her mother asked. "Turtle doves represent devoted love. When you buy a set, you give one to the one you love and keep the other for yourself."
All of her frustration from the day before melted away. "He needs to come home soon, Mama."
-----
After a long day at work, Kagome stumbled into her apartment. Immediately the smell of chicken wafted in from the kitchen. She dropped her bag at the door walked into the kitchen. On the table was a note and three buckets of chicken from KFC. She smiled and shook her head as she walked over to the table and grabbed the note.
His elegant script graced the plain white note card:
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Three French hens.
I doubt KFC uses French hens, but I tried. I promise you, no more live animals! Enjoy your dinner, darling. Invite your family over to share.
-S
"What is he going to come up with next?" She tucked the note in the empty box that the dove came in, along with the other two notes, before she picked up the phone and dialed.
"Mama? Got another surprise. Do you and Gramps want to come eat? No, no no, he didn't send anything bad this time. As a matter of fact, this gift comes with a side of mashed potatoes."
-----
"How do you know so much about the feudal era, Miss?"
"You tell the stories like you were there!"
"Whatever happened to Inuyasha?"
The tales of her adventures with Inuyasha were always a hit among her class during story time. The children enjoyed the story and she was able to get a little history lesson in, as well. She didn't learn as much about the feudal era in her own school days, and she planned to change that for the future generations.
"I'd love to tell more today, but it's almost time for dismissal. Get your bags ready to leave!"
She stood and watched her children gather their belongings, readying themselves to leave. Even though she hated to compare her classes, but the class she had was by far the best she had ever taught. They were well behaved and, for the most part, seemed to have a genuine desire to learn from her. The bell rang and she walked her perfectly lined class out to the courtyard and sent them on their various ways, either by bus or parent pickup.
When she arrived back in her classroom, a bouquet of Birds of Paradise and baby's breath was on her desk. She smiled and went to it, hunting for the note.
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Four calling birds.
There are too many live animals in this song!
-S
Her smile broadened as she lifted the flowers. Four of the exotic flowers were in the bouquet wrapped in purple paper. She knew the vases Grandpa had given her from the shrine would come in handy someday.
-----
The next morning was pleasant. Kagome woke up before her alarm went off, with Buyo sleeping soundly next to her. It wasn't often that the fat cat enjoyed sleeping with her; he had turned into an ornery old man as he aged. She stretched and reached over to the nigh table to turn off the alarm before it's shrill beeping filled the room. As she drew her hand back, she felt something snag her hand and drop to the floor. Slowly she sat up and reached off of the side of the bed for the object.
Sitting on the carpet next to the bed was a small box. She retrieved it and opened it. Inside was a simple golden band. Upon inspection, there was an engraving.
"One," she read aloud, wondering what that mysterious man of hers was up to for that day's portion of the song.
Climbing out of bed rather stiffly, those years in the feudal era really took their toll on her body, she padded over to the dresser and put the ring on top of her jewelry box before gathering her clothes for the day and leaving to the bathroom to shower.
A nice hot shower was something she appreciated even more now after her time spent with her friends in the past. Sure, there were hot springs that were heavenly on their own, just no modern plumbing. Toilets were another thing she'd never take for granted again. She reached over to turn the water on.
Carefully balanced on the hot water knob was another box, inside it another ring. Kagome pulled the ring from the box.
"for," she read aloud, again, smiling. The second ring joined the first on her jewelry box and she returned for her nice, hot shower.
She made quick work of showering and dressing for the day, the excitement of finding more rings hidden throughout her house coursing through her veins.
"You know, Buyo," she said to the fat cat as she put on her makeup, "I would have never thought Sesshoumaru to be so sentimental."
She found the last three rings as she prepared her breakfast, along with a note.
On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Five golden rings.
Read the engravings.
-S
Kagome left the three rings on the table and retrieved the first two from her jewelry box. All five laid out before her, she lifted them one by one and read the insides.
One for every century apart.
If she thought she loved him before, it was nothing compared to the overwhelming joy she felt at that moment.
-----
The next morning and day went without any gifts. Kagome's spirits had started to fall, wondering if he had forgotten about her. Even her students noticed a marked change in their teacher and tried to do everything that they could to make her feel better again. Kagome appreciated their efforts, but wasn't about to share with a kindergarten class what had brought on her unhappiness.
Instead of going home after classes released for the day, Kagome went to the shrine. Talking to Mama always made her feel better.
"I'm sure everything is just fine, darling. That man is nothing if he isn't prompt."
The two women sat at the kitchen table, sipping their tea.
Kagome shook her head. "I'm sure he just got tied up at work, or had something else to take care of."
Her mother reached over and patted her hand. "Have a little faith, love."
She nodded. He wouldn't forget and break the song. He didn't like to leave anything incomplete.
Both women jumped lightly when there was a knock at the door. Kagome stood and went to the door, answering it. A FedEx man stood there, rather impatiently if Kagome had any say about it, with an envelope in his hand. "You Kagome Higurashi?"
Kagome nodded and the man shoved the envelope at her before making a rather hasty retreat. "The nerve of that man!" She ripped the envelope open and pulled out the note inside.
On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Six geese laying.
On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Seven swans swimming.
I'm sorry I am late today, time got away from me. I hope you do not mind me combining two days. I'm sure you'll be pleased if you have a gander at the pond in the back of the shrine.
-S
Kagome groaned, almost as if she knew what was coming.
"Sis! You've got to see this!"
She ran out to the pond near the back of the property and stood next to Souta, who was having a merry time feeding bread to the seven swans that occupied the pond.
"Where did these things come from?" he asked in amazement.
"I think I have an idea," she said, grinning.
-----
Even though he had promised no more live animals, Kagome wouldn't have expected anything less from Sesshoumaru. He was all about style and presentation. In a way she feared what she would find now that it was the eighth day. There was no way in hell he would fill her home with eight women in milk maid costumes or, even worse, have cows imported to the shrine as a gift. Not only did they not have the space, but Kagome hated milk.
She put the thoughts out of her mind and readied herself for the day.
When she arrived in her classroom she spotted a large brown paper bag on her desk. Praying that there was no more wildlife or bottles of milk, she went to it and opened it, laughing out loud when she found eight large bags of Milk Maid caramel candies.
On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
eight maids milking.
I know you have a bit of a sweet tooth, and thought the children in your classroom might too. I brought more than enough to share with the class!
-S
There was nothing for her to do but smile, and begin divvying out bags of caramel for the children. Their parents were going to hate her when their sugar laden children arrived home that day.
-----
With the holidays approaching, the children in her class seemed to have an endless supply of energy. Christmas might not have been as widely celebrated in Japan for the same meanings it had in the West, but Tokyo suddenly became festive, there were holiday shows on television, and excitement filled the children of her classroom. Their smiling faces made the days even more precious to her, and she dreaded the day that they would move on to the next class. She was going to miss them.
The day went without incident and Kagome left for her apartment, wondering what he was going to come up with 'nine ladies dancing'. If it were Inuyasha, there would probably be nine strippers in her living room. "They like to be called exotic dancers, Kagome, not strippers," he would say, a smug grin on his face. He would then be sat, and she would have to explain to the elderly woman who lived on the floor beneath her why there was a pissed off hanyou stuck to her living room floor after he had fallen through the ceiling. Not fun.
Once in the apartment, Kagome took off her shoes and walked into her living room. The television was on and there was a note on the remote control of her DVD player.
On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Nine ladies dancing.
On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me,
Ten lords a-leaping.
Since I cannot be here to take you to the ballet, I provide you with this instead. I will make it up to you, I promise.
- S
Kagome pushed play on the remote, and a title screen popped up. "Ballet of the Greek Muses," Kagome read aloud. She pushed pause again, then went to change into some more comfortable clothing. It was going to be a long, yet enjoyed, evening.
-----
One week had passed since the gifts had begun. Two more gifts and that would be the end of his song. Kagome could only hope that him arriving home would be part of his finale. She also wondered who the heck his accomplice had been. He was in New York, on the other side of the world, so there was no way he could have been sneaking the gifts in himself. Above all, she would rather have him there over any gift. The holidays were right around the corner, she was starting to get bummed because he wasn't there, and his pillow had finally lost it's scent. As did the last thing he had put into the hamper. She wanted her husband <i>now</i>.
She was just settling down onto the sofa with Buyo to watch a movie when her phone chimed.
'A text', she thought, hoping it was from him.
She pouted when, instead of from Sesshoumaru, it was from her brother.
'Sis! Meet me at the theatre down the road in an hour. I've got a surprise for ya!'
Her eye twitched. That happened a lot within recent years when it came to Souta. She furiously sent her reply. 'Call me next time, Squirt, you know my plan is limited.'
With a snap, she shut her phone and chunked it onto the cushion next to her. If she only had an hour, that would barely give her time to shower and fish something out of the closet to wear. She hadn't done laundry in a week and was down to nothing but sweat pants and Sesshoumaru's old baggy t-shirts. She pouted. It was only her brother, he wouldn't care how she looked.
She showered and changed in record time, and dashed from her apartment with ten minutes to spare.
In front of the theatre stood her brother, looking impatient. "What did you do? Shower? I dealt with your stink for sixteen years, I think I can deal with it for three hours," he joked.
Kagome punched him in the arm, lightly. "I'm not going to share my popcorn...hey! I don't stink!"
He smiled. "I know you don't, sis. Now come on, we're going to miss the movie. I'm buying!"
Kagome had always had a fondness for the small second run theatre. They only had two screens, all showing older movies that ranged from silent films from the 20's, to things that had just come out on DVD. It was in that very theatre that she had seen Rocky Horror Picture Show for the first time, and it was almost magical seeing it on the big screen after watching it on TV all of her life.
She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Souta had already paid for their tickets and was dragging her toward Screen A. "What are we seeing?" she asked.
"Drum Line." He smirked.
"You brought me to see Drum Line?"
"Yeah, it's a great movie!" he announced, grinning. "You go in and find us decent seats, I'm going to go get us some snacks."
Grumbling, she walked into the theatre. "Looks like I'm not going to have a problem finding seats," she mumbled. There looked to be only one other person in the theatre, sitting in the center. "Of course he would sit where I prefer to..."
The other person suddenly stood. "Kagome! Over here!"
"Wha..." As soon as she recognized who the person was, she dashed to him. "Sesshoumaru! You're home!"
He met her half way up the isle and swept her into an embrace. "You didn't think I would miss spending the rest of the holiday with you, did you?"
When he released her she stood on tip toes and kissed him soundly. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
Hand in hand, they walked back over to the seats. "You didn't finish your song," she said, offhandedly.
"What do you mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You missed eleven lords a-leaping and twelve drummers drumming."
He shook his head. "You didn't see the hoops I had to jump through to get this place for the afternoon. And we're seeing Drum Line. Song finished.
Kagome laughed, heartily. "You mean we're actually watching Drum Line?"
He nodded. "That we are. Reliving our first date."
"If that's the case," she said as the lights dimmed, "we won't do much watching."
"Oh, I know." With that, he gave her only one of the many kisses they would share that night."
- End -