Title: Of Paper Bags and Potatoes
Author: Demitria Miriam
Pairing: Inu x Kag
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and make no money off this piece of fan made fiction.
Note: It was suppose to be a drabble (400-600 words). Psh. I swear drabbles are almost impossible for me to write.
Word Count: 1374
Summary: She'd received countless Valentine's gifts this year... but she cherished the ugliest one the most for what it represented. Inu x Kag. Fluff. One-Shot. Complete.
Of Paper Bags and Potatoes
She sighed tiredly, smiling as one of her classmates handed her yet another box of chocolates. Bowing, she thanked the blushing boy as he walked off awkwardly.
"Wow, I think you've gotten a gift from every boy in our class this year, Kagome-chan," Yuka giggled next to her as they walked down the hall to meet up with Eri and Ayumi at their lockers.
"Yeah..." Kagome trailed off, knowing there was one person she'd really wanted one from but never received anything (and probably wouldn't considering he didn't even know about the holiday). Actually now that she thought about it, he'd probably think it was a stupid holiday, she grumbled to herself.
"So I was thinking," Eri said suddenly, shutting her locker. "How about we go out tonight instead of stay in like usual?"
"Oh, that sounds like fun!" Ayumi cheered as Yuka nodded in agreement. "What about you, Kagome? What do you think."
"Um..." Kagome trailed off, staring at the oddly wrapped parcel lying there in her locker. How did that get in there, she wondered. "I'll... get back to you about that later. You guys go on ahead, okay?"
The three girls exchanged confused glances before nodding slowly and heading home.
"What in the world..." Kagome said to herself as she put her bag down and carefully picked up the stained paper bag. "Gross," she mumbled opening it and taking out the... "A potato?"
She blinked at the brown vegetable before reading the note attached curiously.
Kagome,
I don't understand this holiday of yours, but it seems to mean a lot to you, so
I had your mother explain what it meant. She told me that since we're "close"
that I'm supposed to get you something to show you how I feel. So I dug around
in Kaede-baba's gardens and got you this.
Inuyasha
Kagome's brow twitched.
While the scrawl of writing across the paper belonged to her mother, it was still painfully obvious the original source of the words belonged to that baka.
A potato? Really? she grumbled gathering her things before slamming her locker shut and heading home.
Once there she trudged up to her room, set aside the bag she'd put all of her received gifts in and smiled fondly at the red roses Hojo-kun had given her, vase and all... That is, before her attention turned to the potato still partially wrapped in an old brown paper bag. She picked it up with a sniff in her expression and scrutinized it.
"Do you like it?"
Kagome yelped, dropping the potato as she whirled around and came face to face with Inuyasha.
"Baka!" she yelled out, taking a breath as she pressed a hand to her chest, hoping to calm her frantic heart. "Where did you come from? And where's mama and everyone else?"
Inuyasha shrugged as he plopped down on her bed and crossed his arms behind his neck, reclining backwards against the wall. "Dunno. They were gone when I got back after dropping off your present-"
"You went to my school?" she gasped. "No one saw you did they?"
"Well, yeah, I mean no! I- Keh, how else would I've given you your present?" the hanyou fussed back. "Besides, your little brother walked me to the thing you keep all your stuff in even though I told him I could just follow your scent."
"Did he now," Kagome sweat dropped, thanking Souta silently. Had Inuyasha been left to his own devices he'd have more than likely had his nose pressed to the ground the whole time following her scent.
"Mhm," the half-demon hummed. "So? Did you like it?"
Kagome grimaced. How to say this... "It was... a surprise..." she said slowly.
"It's probably the best gift you've gotten on this Valumtyme's day, huh?" Inuyasha bragged, nearly preening as he flipped some stray hair behind his shoulder grinning.
"Well, it was... unique, that's for sure. I mean, Hojo-kun got me flowers, look!" she said, her mood brightening as she got the vase and showed Inuyasha. "He even had the florist put pink ribbon around the- Hey!" she almost shrieked as Inuyasha made a face at them before pulling the roses out of the vase and throwing them out the window before dusting his hands of his deed. "Inuyasha!"
"What, that? That's a stupid gift to get someone for a holiday meant to show someone what you think of them and your bonds," he said gruffly, sitting down again and shoving his hands into his sleeves. "Potatoes on the other hand-"
Kagome's brow twitched again as her lips pulled into a thin line. Taking a calming breath she slowly said, "How's that exactly? "
"Keh, flowers wither and die when they've been picked in a matter of days. And even if you enjoy them while they still got their roots in the ground they only last a few weeks. Besides, people only like 'em cause they're pretty, so when someone gives them as a gift it's like they wanna say 'I like you cause you're pretty'."
Kagome blushed. "And what's so wrong with someone thinking I'm pretty!"
Inuyasha sniffed his nose at her. "Nothin', just that they're basing their feelings on appearance is all. Definitely not a gift that tells you how they feel other than they're shallow bastards."
Okay, that... kind of makes sense, Kagome admitted. But even so, that didn't mean she didn't appreciate the thought of someone- Hojo-kun in this case- thinking she was pretty... What was so wrong with that?
"But a potato!" Inuyasha said, his entire expression changing from one of perturbed agitation to that of enthusiastically animated, as he sat up straighter. "Those things last forever! Not only do they not rot, but they actually grow shit if you just let them age! And your mom told me that they can also be used to make something you call a... a bat...ry?"
Kagome closed her eyes, sighing. Thanks, mama, for helping him out in whatever it is his reasons are for getting me a potato; apparently you agreed with them. But, really... a battery?
"Which I guess is something really useful to people in your time," he said, shrugging. "And most people might think they're plain, ugly things but they're totally awesome! They do all these things; they don't rot, they grow shit like they're their own little habitat and-"
"And you got me a potato for Valentine's, Inuyasha! A PO-TA-TO!" Kagome finally snapped. "Yes, they're useful but what exactly makes you think I'd want that over... over flowers! Or candy! I mean, I get what you're saying, about what they express, but what's so wrong with being told I'm pretty? Or if I'm given chocolates, that I'm sweet?"
Inuyasha turned to her standing up, his expression serious as he grabbed her hands and pulled her flush against him. He tilted her chin up and stroked her reddening cheek. "There's nothing wrong with those gifts, they express what the giver wants to tell you."
Kagome's breath caught at the close proximity of their bodies to one another. "And a... a potato from you means..." she said slowly, lost in his molten eyes.
"I was getting to that," Inuyasha grouched, a blush blooming across his face, shaking his head and pulling her into a hug instead. Pressing his cheek against the top of her head he started again. "They may be plain, but potatoes are useful."
Kagome sighed as Inuyasha stroked her hair.
"How I feel about you... it might sound stupid to you- hell, it sounds ridiculous to me, but it's the best thing I could think of... But just like stuff grows on potatoes, just like they last forever... that's how I feel about you."
Kagome's eyes widened as she pulled back and looked at the half-demon with stunned eyes. "Inu-"
But her surprise was cut short as he pressed his mouth to hers, expressing everything else he felt without words through their kiss.
He pulled back then, eyes unusually soft as he asked, "Do you get it now?"
Kagome looked down smiling, "Yeah... I think it's definitely the best gift I got."
Inuyasha snorted pulling her back into a hug. "Yeah, I know. Potatoes are awesome."
THE END.
Author's Note: InuKag is my favorite canon/het pairing so woot! Hope I did... an ok job. I've written them maybe... twice. Anyway. This was inspired by a potato pic found on tinypic (will try to find link again). Happy Valentine's Day!
