Sun Dress

"Oh! Hello again, young man," Kunloon greeted Sesshoumaru at the front door of the shrine's private home. It seemed odd to her, despite his initially rude and curt demeanor, he didn't seem like the type to harm her daughter. Surely, he is someone special to her, neh?

"I'm sorry dear; I didn't catch your name?"

"Taishou, Sesshoumaru Taishou," he bowed his head in greeting to his elder. He wasn't the one to be disrespectful to his elders, although to others… it was an entirely different story.

"Oh yes, Sesshoumaru. Please, come in. I'll fetch Kagome!" Kunloon ushered Sesshoumaru through the doorway and led him to the small living room. "We'll be just a moment!" She chirped before disappearing up the staircase to the second floor of the house.

He inspected the family room of the shrine—with furniture worn and ragged, and sparse electronics it was safe to assume this family barely gets by on their income. Instinctively, Sesshoumaru turned his sight away from the homely surrounding and opted to stand by the base of the staircase. Strangely enough, the small home held an air of comfort and warmth within it—something he knew little about.

"Mama… it's not a date."

His ears twitched at the interesting comment coming forth from the second floor hallway. 'Of course not,' he retorted in his mind, his lips tightened into a fine thin line. His normally stoic face twisted into a scowl upon the realization that he looked forward to seeing her. Was it possible to miss someone who is almost a complete stranger?

No. Utterly impossible.

Sesshoumaru scoffed out loud, wanting to roll his eyes at the ridiculous thought. His eyes began the notation to do so, until soft footsteps lulled his eyes towards the top of the staircase. Unbeknownst to him, his sarcastic eyes softened at the sight before him.

Dressed in a simple white sundress that ended a little above her knees with a loose leather belt around her waist, and a deep navy cardigan, Kagome timidly descended down the steps under his soft gaze. "Sorry…" she mumbled under her breath. "Mama thought it would be nice for me to dress up…"

She took his silence as an answer—believing he was uncomfortable with her wearing a dress for the occasion. "… I'll go and change really fast." She didn't bother to wait for a response before turning around to dart up the stairs to her room. It wasn't until she ascending a couple of steps did he stop her.

"It doesn't matter what you wear to our outing today," his voice, cold as steel cut through the warm atmosphere surrounding them. "I will apologize nonetheless; your attire holds little value." He watched her eyes harden at his comment—he momentarily felt guilty for opening his darn mouth. Compliments meant little to him since the death of his mother; he received them yes, but he was never the one to give one to another person. But the woman in front of him deserved an apology from his previous insults, he'll be damned if he didn't try to be friendly with her.

"… You don't need to change. You look lovely," he mumbled, drawing his gaze over her small frame.

Slowly, a beaming smile sprawled across her face; emphasizing her innocent beauty. Sesshoumaru's heart quivered briefly in his chest. He never did see her smile, well except for the time she made fun of his eyebrows. A chuckle sounded from his throat, it took him a moment to realize it was his.

He extended his hand out towards her, beckoning for her to come his way. "Come, we should get going."

Certainly, it is possible to miss a stranger—only if it is a woman named Kagome.

/

JR- hello! The chapter is a tad bit longer than expected, but oh wells! I really just expected a short chapter story but now it's quite long and starting to get complicated lol.

But anyhoo, thank you for reading and supporting me!