Tradition by kaoruhana

Tradition

Title: Tradition

Author: Kaoruhana 

Prompt: Fourth Anniversary Challenge: Silk

Genre: Romance/ General

Rating: T

Warnings: AU

Word Count: 4,509

Summary: Kagome goes to her cousin’s wedding and meets a museum curator whom she always admired.  After that, she meets him again in Tokyo and they begin a friendship. 

             Sesshomaru heaved a sigh as he looked around the shrine where his brother’s wedding had taken place.  Honestly, he wasn’t even sure why he was here.  Inuyasha and Kikyo had both been married years ago- four if he remembered correctly- so why they were doing a traditional marriage to please their parents astounded him.  While he appreciated tradition he also understood how the younger generation had a hard time keeping up with both tradition and modernity often tossing the former aside for the latter.  Both Inuyasha and Kikyo seemed to be of that sort, though Kikyo was still slightly traditional since she’d grown up on a shrine.  Thus, he was surprised when a few months ago an invitation had been delivered to him inviting him to their wedding.  He’d gone because it was only fair that he was there- and because he knew his parents would give him hell if he hadn’t.  Trying to find something to distract him, his gaze stopped when he noticed a familiar face from the ceremony.   

                The girl was Kikyo’s cousin, he assumed since he’d seen her wearing the silk furisode while walking next to Kikyo and Inuyasha during the ceremony.  He knew that Kikyo had no siblings so some other close relative- cousins had to have been substituted.  The girl wasn’t petite, but not overtly tall either with her head coming to the top of his shoulder.  Her hair was wavy where her cousin’s was straight; her figure curvy where her cousin’s was not; her eyes a dark hazel where her cousins were a deep chocolate.  All in all, she looked like a young woman ready for marriage.  At that last train of thought he snorted into the sake bowl in front of him hoping no one had heard him.  Furisode were traditionally worn by women when they reached the age to marry.  He wondered if the young woman knew what her clothing indicated, or at least would have indicated years ago.  Tossing his sake bowl back he finished his drink and decided to stop there for the night.  While he was bored at the reception and there was nothing more tempting than to go back to alcohol he’d prefer to not be wasted on his brother’s wedding day- that was just something beyond what Sesshomaru would do even if he and Inuyasha never really saw eye to eye. 

                A while later as he was lounging about by one of the trees in the courtyard of the shrine he heard his name being called.  Turning, he met Kikyo who brought with her both Inuyasha and the young woman from earlier.  Now that he was able to actually get a closer look at her he noticed that his earlier deductions about her eyes were correct- they were just a tad lighter than Kikyo’s.  Shaking that thought out of his head he waited to see what Kikyo had to say.  As much as he and Inuyasha didn’t get along he tried to be somewhat amicable to Kikyo.  So far, she’d done nothing to make him hate her so he was sure they were fine. 

                “Sesshomaru, this is my cousin Kagome.  Kagome this is Sesshomaru- Inuyasha’s older brother.”  She paused watching as the two greeted each other softly before continuing.  “Kagome is actually from Tokyo.  She just graduated from Toudai and is thinking of getting her masters in the history of Japanese literature.” 

                Sesshomaru raised a brow.  Now that was interesting.  He personally ran an art museum that collected, restored, and displayed much ancient Japanese woodblock art so he was surprised that someone seemed to enjoy history as much as him.  He was about to say something when Inuyasha beat him to the chase. 

                “Sesshomaru here owns this art museum- Fudou in Tokyo.” 

                Sesshomaru watched as the young woman took in this information with interest.  Her eyes lit up and her face slowly etched into a smile.  It was obvious she was having a difficult time trying to smile and he wondered why.  Nonetheless, he could only nod and watch Inuyasha and Kikyo walk away to greet more guests before turning his attention to Kagome wondering about her reaction to his line of work. 

                Kagome wasn’t sure what to expect of Inuyasha’s brother.  She’d thought the man devastatingly handsome when she’d first seen him and couldn’t argue that he still was.  She’d noticed his eyes on her earlier at the reception hall and wondered what that meant.  She’d had her fair share of dates but she’d never been stared at so openly- especially by a guy like him before.  Now that Inuyasha and Kikyo had introduced the two of them she was happy to be able to converse with him.  Unfortunately her plan was thwarted when Inuyasha had introduced him as the owner of Fudou- the largest and most thriving art gallery in Tokyo.  Like he’d even think about me stupid recent college graduate that I am Kagome thought silently.  Nonetheless she decided to start some form of conversation but he beat her to the chase. 

                “Your outfit, you should not have worn it if it pains you so much to do so.”  He knew his choice of words could have been better but now that he’d realized what had caused her difficulty earlier- the pins pulling at her hair and holding it up- he wondered why she prolonged her suffering.  Kagome’s eyes widened clearly not expecting him to say that. 

                “A promise is a promise.”  She replied inwardly giggling at his concern.  It was obvious that his social behavior wasn’t his strong point but the fact that he’d attempted to converse with her made her happy.  “I promised Kikyo I’d suffer through the same things she did.” 

                “Hn.”  Surmising that maybe she could still talk to him in the limited time given to her Kagome tried to continue their conversation.  She was interrupted again however by Sesshomaru. 

                “What do you study?”  Kagome fingered the hem of her long sleeves as she thought about how to respond.  She really enjoyed listening to the poetry of Issa and admiring the way he combined small artwork with his poems.  She mainly wanted to focus on how the artwork affected the interpretation of his poetry. 

                “Issa- his artwork and poetry.”  She explained.  “I want to see how his artwork influenced the interpretation of his poetry.” 

                Sesshomaru eyed the young woman wearily.  She was easily ten or so years younger than him but she intrigued him and he wanted to get to know her better.  It was rare in this day and age to find someone who enjoyed the olden works much like he did.  He knew that he had three or four prints of Issa’s pictures and poems.  He’d recently received them and was waiting for someone to look them over so that he could accurately display them.  They’d cost a hefty sum and he was only willing to display them when he got all the information about them. 

                “I recently acquired a few of his prints.  Perhaps you would like to see them one day when you return to Tokyo?” 

                “That would be wonderful!”  Kagome enthused trying to quell her urge to squeal.  She’d never seen any real prints of Issa’s poetry so to be given the honor for her project left her in awe!  The idea that she’d even been given this opportunity made her ecstatic!  Bowing she thanked Sesshomaru and was about to ask him for some contact information when she was called. 

                “I’m sorry, I have to go.  But I’ll see you later?”  He nodded watching as she walked away. 

                An hour later as he saw the honeymoon car drive away he turned to try to find Kagome when his phone rang.  He answered the call noticing that it was his secretary calling.  Wondering what was wrong he picked up.  After all, she was taking care of his adopted daughter while he spent the weekend at the wedding.  Since Rin hadn’t been introduced to any family yet, he’d decided to wait instead of springing them on her.  Weddings weren’t really the best place to meet someone like that so suddenly. 

                “Hello?”  There was a relieved sigh on the other end and he wondered what was happening.  Did something happen to Rin? 

                “Sesshomaru!  Rin is running a fever- she caught a cold- and she just doesn’t seem to want anything but you.  I’ve gotten her to take some medicine but she just wants her father back home.” 

                “I’ll be there tonight.”  He had a feeling that Rin might get sick, and had even warned his secretary Mrs. Yamada as such.  He’d forgotten however that a sick Rin was a clingy Rin.  Quickly hanging up, he walked to his father.  Mr. Taisho turned not liking the serious expression on his elder son’s face. 

                “I have to go back to Tokyo father.  Mrs. Yamada- she is not feeling well and you know that I am all that she has.”  Toga nodded giving his son permission to leave.

Mrs. Ayumi Yamada- Sesshomaru’s secretary- had been a mothering figure in his elder son’s life for nearly as he ran the museum.    She was a widow whose only children had left her in Tokyo to move and find jobs in Europe.  Being abandoned she’d seen in Sesshomaru a son-like figure when he’d offered her the job as his secretary.  Having come from a background where he had no real mothering figure in his life Sesshomaru had naturally accepted her mothering role.  Toga knew better than to interfere in that relationship and he and Izayoi treated Ayumi as though she were a part of the family. 

Sesshomaru once getting the nod from his father looked around the shrine once again trying in vain to spot Kagome.  He didn’t want to leave her like this but Rin was more important at the moment.  Cursing when he didn’t see her he sighed and left the wedding venue.  Rin needed him right now. 

* * * * *

The next time he met her was at a coffee shop.  It had been a month since Inuyasha’s wedding and his insufferable brother refused to give him any contact information regarding Kagome saying something about Sesshomaru having no business with her.  On top of that the coffee machine at work had broken today and Mrs. Yamada was already busy enough so she hadn’t had time to fix it.  Needing to get out of an overly stressed and busy office even if just to get an espresso from the nearby coffee shop he’d found himself walking to the Starbucks around the corner.  As he approached the door he noticed a woman juggling a drink, her purse, and a book.  Opening the door for her he was startled when his eyes met dark hazel ones. 

“Sesshomaru!”  Kagome exclaimed surprised at seeing him after having no contact with him for a month. 

When he’d disappeared at the reception she had been upset.  Toga Taisho had mentioned something about an emergency but still she thought he could have scribbled her a note or passed along a message.  And Kagome refused to try to contact him. She didn’t want to face Kikyo’s endless questions about her brother-in law and appear like a stalker.  Still, she was surprised it had been a month and he hadn’t contacted her.  Surely he could have gotten her number from Inuyasha. 

“Kagome.”  Sesshomaru breathed happy to finally see her again after a month.  After he’d left he’d cursed himself for not doing anything- leaving a note or a message of some sort- for her so that she knew he wasn’t just making empty promises. 

“How are you?”  He asked ushering her inside and leading them to a table.  Kagome understanding that he wanted to talk followed him.  Her work could wait for a while. 

“Good, and you?”  She noticed that he looked tired- his pale face looked slightly gaunt and the immaculate silver hair she’d seen at the reception was now in slight disarray as though he’d run his hand through it in frustration. 

“Busy.”  He answered truthfully trying to determine if she wanted to have this conversation or not.  Sighing he started off with an apology for the abrupt departure at the reception.

“I apologize for leaving so early.  My-“  he paused and then continued deciding that if he wanted to have Kagome trust him he might as well tell her about Rin.  “My daughter was sick and I had to leave to take care of her.  Inuyasha would also not give me your contact information so I could not contact you.” 

Kagome flushed under the intense scrutiny that his golden eyes were giving her.  It was obvious that he was telling the truth- she just didn’t see him as the kind of man who would say anything but the blunt truth.  For him to apologize made her happy and she knew she should tell him it was fine.  And maybe, just maybe ask if the position he’d offered her was still open.

“It’s fine, your father mentioned that you had to leave for an emergency.  I was just wondering how are those Issa prints doing by the way?” Sesshomaru smirked not surprised that she’d mentioned that.  He was hoping to meet her again so that he’d find someone to look at the prints.  Since he’d spent so much on them he was hoping he’d find her again and have her look at the prints for free.  She’d be able to use it for her program and he’d have someone to analyze his material. 

“I was hoping to talk to you about them actually.  Can we talk now over coffee?”  Kagome nodded and watched as he walked away to get his drink before he sat down again. 

Later as he walked Kagome to her University building a block away she mused that she was kind of lucky because of the opportunity given to her.  He left her and she smiled back as she walked back into her building.  They were meeting tomorrow at the museum so she could get started on her work as soon as possible.  This time of course they had each other’s numbers. 

* * * * *

It was four months after the wedding when Kagome met Rin.  She’d heard a lot about her from both Sesshomaru and Mrs. Yamada and couldn’t help but want to meet the girl.  Her analysis of Sesshomaru’s prints- four in total had finished two months ago but she found herself visiting the museum anyway.  Somewhere during her interactions it had become a bi-weekly tradition to get lunch with Sesshomaru, one that she found neither of them had wanted to break after her time at the museum was over.  Today, Kagome looked at him mouth agape as he repeated his statement to her. 

“You are so lucky I’ve hid from Kikyo that I meet you!”  She hissed shocked that Rin had been with him for a year but that his family hadn’t met her yet! 

“They are meeting her for Christmas.” He huffed out.  He had wanted Rin to adjust to his presence before she met his family.  He hadn’t been able to see his parents since the wedding in late August but now that it was the beginning of December and he was due home for Christmas anyway he figured introducing her to the family wouldn’t be seen as odd. 

“I’m sorry.  It’s just I never thought that they didn’t know.” He nodded suddenly grateful that Kagome had thought to hide the fact she’d been meeting him from Kikyo and Inuyasha.  If she’d let slip anything about Rin he wasn’t sure he could handle it. 

“It is fine.  Would you like to meet her?”  Kagome blinked taken aback by the statement. 

If there was one thing that she noticed about Sesshomaru it was that Rin seemed to be a secret.  It wasn’t that he was ashamed of having her as a daughter.  Rather, he had wanted her to adjust to her new life with him before introducing her to others.  Nonetheless she didn’t think that family had been included in that list until today.  And why was she not on that list and being invited to meet her?  Kagome wanted to, but she didn’t want Sesshomaru to feel as though he was forced to have them meet. 

“Why me?”  She squeaked out sinking into the chair across from his desk.  He shrugged, thinking about the question and then decided to answer as truthfully as he could for now. 

“You are the only one besides Mrs. Yamada and a few close friends that know I have a daughter.” 

There was more to that answer, something about how his interest had changed over the past four months but he wasn’t sure if that was a conversation he wanted to have now.  Nonetheless, he was scared that Kagome wouldn’t want to meet Rin.  Rin had found out about Kagome when Sesshomaru had caught him telling her about the young woman.  She wanted to meet the young woman and Sesshomaru thought it was high time that they did. After all, only if Rin liked Kagome could he even think of pursuing something with her. 

“I’d love to meet her.”  Kagome squeaked out too shy to get her voice to come out as more than that.  She’d seen his expression and had to admit that she was curious about Rin.  What kind of girl was she- the kind who played with her dolls and had tea parties or the tomboy? 

“Dinner tonight at my place then?”  Kagome smiled and then nodded her head. 

A few hours later she sat in Sesshomaru’s car while he picked Rin up from the daycare.  She wasn’t sure about what to do.  How was she supposed to act around Rin?  Did the fact that she was meeting Rin mean something?  Nervously worrying her bottom lip, she gulped audibly as she saw Sesshomaru emerge from the daycare center with a four-year old clutching his arm. 

The little girl was wearing a yellow t-shirt with a Pokémon character on it and a checkered orange and green skirt with a thick brown jacket on top.  Her hair was gathered in a half ponytail that was hanging off to the side of her head making her look cute.  She was happily chatting away to Sesshomaru who nodded his head along indicating that he had heard her.  Kagome thought that the two were adorable and smiled as they walked up to the car.  When they got there, Sesshomaru opened the back seat and helped Rin buckle up in her car seat noting that the two women had noticed each other but not saying anything and seeing what would happen. 

“Are you Kagome?”  Rin asked suddenly making Sesshomaru, who’d chosen that moment to leave the backseat, hit his head against the side.  He rubbed the slightly sore spot watching Kagome to see what she would say. 

“Yes I am.  You must be Rin right?”  The little girl nodded her head, her feet swinging back and forth and Kagome smiled.  “I hope we’ll be good friends Rin.”  Rin beamed and Sesshomaru knew then that he’d made the right choice in introducing these two to each other.  Shutting the backseat door he moved to take his driver’s seat surprised at the turn in conversation. 

“What do you think Sesshomaru?”  Kagome asked after a while.  “Ponytail or braid?  I think that the ponytail looks cuter.”  She giggled at the girl in the backseat as she did so making Rin flush in embarrassment at the attention she was receiving. 

“Hmm, if the dolls have ponytails like Rin’s how am I supposed to tell them apart from her?”  He asked carefully eyeing his daughter’s indignant expression.  She knew he was jesting but just in case she made up her mind for both adults. 

“We’ll braid the dolls’ hair!”  She exclaimed pumping her fist in the air.  Giggling Kagome agreed with her and the three spent a lovely evening together. 

* * * * *

Four months later the relationship between Kagome and Sesshomaru had changed.  She noticed something was different when they met up for lunch more than twice a week.  Since it had been revealed to their families that the two had become friends in Tokyo neither had any more qualms about hiding anything.  Still, Kagome suspected that the double reveal of secrets over the winter had inspired some kind of confidence in Sesshomaru.  She was especially sure of this when she began to see him and Rin often, joining them for dinner at least twice a week.  So she was not too surprised when he asked her if she was free to go to a gallery opening on Saturday. 

“What about Rin?”  She asked fingering the fabric of the tablecloth at the café they were eating lunch in. 

“Inuyasha and Kikyo agreed to babysit her for the night.  She is excited because she gets to spend time with her uncle and aunt.”  His smoldering eyes put Kagome on edge but she couldn’t help thinking that it was also nice to have him look at her that way.  She weighed the options quickly in her head before deciding that whatever path her relationship with Sesshomaru was taking she was happy.  Especially if he was asking her out on a date like she thought he was. 

“What time are you picking me up?”  She asked meeting his eyes.  The tension left his shoulders and he gave her a small grin.  He had been a little afraid that she might reject his offer but was pleased to see that she was willing to go forth with the date. 

“Six thirty.  We’ll  have dinner first if that’s okay?  She nodded and then smiled. 

Saturday was nice and she found that Sesshomaru made a nice companion during their gallery tour.  So far they had shared their opinions about the art being shown- a series of fabric sculptures and she found his insight to be informative.  A tug on her hand forced her to turn her head from a fabric ladder to see a sculpture that Kagome could only gasp at.  It was beautiful. 

Pieces of silk were suspended from the ceiling and made intricate swings. They were draped in such a way that they resembled a rainbow with the blue cloth starting at their feet and the red cloth suspended closest to the ceiling.  The rainbow was upside down and the silk fabric fell freely with the colors mingling with each other creating an ethereal colorful effect.  Kagome almost felt as though she could climb the rainbow cloth ladder to the sky. 

“Would you like to meet the creator of this piece?”  Sesshomaru asked her watching as her eyes lit up with emotion.  He had a feeling that Kagome would like this piece and made a mental note to ask Shippo if he could commission a smaller version of this within his budget. 

“Can I?”  Kagome asked carefully.  She knew that the creator of this piece would probably be busy today and didn’t want to bother him or her.  Sesshomaru smiled leading her forward to where a small red-headed artist was talking with someone.  As the two approached the artist turned and a large smile lit up his face. 

“Sesshomaru!”  The young man enthused giving him a hug.  “I’m glad you could make it to this!” 

“Likewise.”  Sesshomaru answered turning to present Kagome.  “This is Kagome, my date for the evening.  Kagome- meet Shippo, the creator of most of the works in this gallery and my close friend.” 

Shippo eyed the lady on his friend’s arm and nodded.  He’d heard a lot about Kagome from Sesshomaru through the short phone calls they had shared.  With the gallery opening taking much of his time he hadn’t had time to meet Kagome and get to know her but was pleased to say that something about her just seemed to click with Sesshomaru.  He wanted to get to know her better and hoped that Sesshomaru would make that easier to do later. 

“I really like the rainbow piece.”  Kagome stated suddenly, shocking him.  “It made me think I could reach the sky.” Shippo grinned, his innocent childlike attitude shining through and was glad that someone had seen what he’d wanted them to see when he made the piece. 

“I’m glad you see it the same way I do.”  He wanted to say more but someone else had arrived and so uttering a quick goodbye to his friend and Kagome he turned to the other conversation. 

Later when Kagome was dropped off Sesshomaru walked her to the door.  He seemed unsure about what to say and she giggled seeing him so flustered. 

“Could we do this again?”  He asked as they stood in front of her apartment.  Kagome bit her lip and answered with a nod not trusting her voice enough to answer.  The moment seemed to stretch for a while until Sesshomaru decided he couldn’t bear the silence anymore and decided to take action.  The minute his warm lips met hers Kagome closed her eyes and melted into him.  His rich Old Spice scent was nice and she wondered why she hadn’t noticed it before. 

When they pulled apart a few minutes later Sesshomaru grinned.  Kagome giggled and buried her head in his chest.  He laughed with her for a while before pulling away.  Giving her one more chaste kiss he left with promises of more dates to come. 

* * * * *

Kagome fingered the silk scarf in the box and wondered what the gift meant.  She looked at the side of their bedroom where a tiny fabric sculpture was.  It was done by Shippo and resembled his rainbow sculpture except that this one was a lot smaller and hung from a ladder of sorts.  Fingering the scarf again she donned it noting how carefully it paired with her clothes.  Giggling, she walked out to the kitchen where she saw Sesshomaru trying to get Rin to eat.  Kagome took a seat next to her daughter and noticed how her husband’s eyes sparkled as he eyed the item around her neck. 

“It suits you.” 

“Thank you Sesshomaru.”  She stated giving him a quick kiss when he came by.  A moment later she felt a series of flutters in her stomach and paused looking at her slightly bulging stomach. 

“Sesshomaru!”  She squealed.  “Come here, come here!” Moving closer he silently asked Kagome what was wrong and was surprised when she grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach.  

“What was that?”  He asked when he felt something move across his hand.  Almost immediately after he’d said it however he realized what it was. 

“He kicked!”  Kagome exclaimed tears shining in her eyes from the happiness of it all.  Smiling Sesshomaru leaned over and kissed her. 

“Happy Anniversary Kagome.”  Kagome kissed him back.  She and Sesshomaru had been together for four years and as she eyed the silk tie adorning his neck she realized what his gift that morning meant. 

“Happy Anniversary Sesshomaru.” 

A/N: I apologize for all those following "Communication"- I have drabbles ready but not enough time to upload them.  Fall Break starts Wed. so maybe then.