Theme: Bittersweet
Genre: Humor
Rating: T
Warning: Crude language
Summary: The education given isn't always the one received.
Excited, Kagome packed the last two items on her list into the ever-expanding yellow backpack. One was a grab-bag of seashells from a variety store, the other, a field guide for identifying said shells.
She had her day with Rin all planned and hoped the little girl would be interested in the project. Of course there was always coloring and flower picking to fall back on, but Kagome hoped to expand the child's horizons a little bit, maybe sneak in some education while having fun. With their bright colors and interesting shapes, Kagome thought the seashells would capture Rin's interest.
Checking to make sure she had something for everyone, she kissed her mother goodbye and jumped down the well. The magic blue light enveloped her and in seconds transported her to the other side of the time barrier.
Sango was having her boomerang repaired while Inuyasha and Miroku were away teaching Shippo hunting skills. This meant she had to climb out of the deep hole on her own. The ponderous load on her back made it difficult, but she persevered and heaved herself over the lip of the ancient well.
Taking only a few minutes to catch her breath, she started down the dusty path to Kaede's village. Halfway along, she felt the strong aura of a powerful demon. Easily identifying it as Sesshoumaru's, she began searching the immediate area for the Daiyoukai.
Quite capable of masking his youki, he had allowed her to sense it, a warning that he was near. Very soon, he stepped unhurriedly out of the surrounding forest. Rin danced, skipped and twirled at his side.
Kagome waited patiently until he was quite near, and then bowed low to him respectfully.
"I humbly thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama, for allowing Rin to spend the day with me."
His hard amber eyes stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. She began to feel a little apprehensive and showed it as she started to fidget nervously. Finally he gave her a curt nod, turned on his heel, and began walking back the way he had come.
Over his shoulder, he addressed Rin. "I will return for you at nightfall."
Rin called back to him happily, "Yes my lord!"
Heaving a sigh of relief, Kagome took the girl's hand and they walked joyfully down the path, chatting as they went.
Having put the supplies away in Kaede's hut, the two girls currently sat outside in the warm sunshine with their seashells in a small pile on the soft grass. Rin immediately picked one out of the heap.
"Look Kagome, this one has stripes just like my lord Sesshoumaru!"
The shell she held in her outstretched hand did indeed have beautiful maroon markings running down the length of its ribbed exterior.
Happy to see Rin's enthusiasm, Kagome placed the open reference book between them to search for the identity of the mollusk. Finding the picture of it, she placed a finger under each word to encourage the young girl to read along.
"This bivalve is commonly called a dog cockle or bittersweet because the meat is tough when cooked, making it suitable food only for dogs and other animals."
The words were out of her mouth before the meaning and significance sank in.
Rin's face lit up. "Does that mean Lord Sesshoumaru would like them?" she asked, eyes shining brightly.
"He might," said Kagome hesitantly. "Let's look up another one…"
She hoped to distract the child from what she'd just learned by flooding her with facts about the other seashells. If she was lucky, Rin would forget that tidbit about being food fit only for dogs.
When they tired of looking up shells, Kagome and Rin spent the remainder of the day coloring, picking flowers and chasing butterflies.
By evening, both girls were exhausted and ready to call it a day. Walking back up the path, they giggled and laughed over the best parts of their adventures.
Once again, the miko sensed the demon before she saw him. As before, he materialized out of the forest and approached them with measured steps. Catching sight of him, Rin squealed with delight and broke into a run.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, look!" She pulled something from the sleeve of her kimono and held it in the palm of her hand.
Kagome didn't have to see what she had... to know what it was. She groaned internally, there was no way this was going to turn out well.
Eager to share her new knowledge, Rin blurted out, "It's called a dog cock, and humans don't eat them because they are too tough, but they can be given to animals!"
Sesshoumaru stopped dead, a rare look of surprise in his citrine gaze... which he now directed at the priestess. Kagome's fair skin pinked from the roots of her hair to her toes. She prayed to the Kamis for the earth to open and swallow her whole.
Raising one thin eyebrow he asked, "Where did you learn of this, Rin?"
"From a book Kagome showed me!" she answered proudly.
"Hn."
Kagome stuttered and sputtered, trying to explain. "It's called a dog COCKLE, not a dog co…" the word died on her lips.
"Indeed. This Sesshoumaru will preview any future books, miko."
"It was only a book about seashells…" she began, flustered.
He simply stared at her for a few seconds longer, and then turned away before his face betrayed his amusement at her predicament. He had enjoyed watching her embarrassment, she blushed quite prettily.
He slowly began the journey back to his pack's camp. Rin turned and waved vigorously before following along behind him. She called out, "Thank-you for the shell Kagome, I hope we can play together again soon!"
Kagome waved back at her, smiling sickly. 'If there is a next time, I'm sticking to crayons and flowers,' she thought bitterly as she turned toward the village once more.
A/N: This was posted Nov. 5, 2008. It won first place, whoo-hoo! Thanks for reading!
