March 13, 2005
The house was quiet. It always was. Sesshoumaru sighed, and his eyes once more strayed to the small calendar on his bedroom wall. "The world is cold and grey, But still we have the butterflies To chase our cares away." Biting on his tongue, he cursed haiku for always being so eerily correct.
March thirteenth. Tomorrow was White Day. Kagome would be so upset if Inuyasha brought her a return gift and Sesshoumaru didn't. His honey amber eyes narrowed as he followed the searing shots of black pepper in his eyes from staring at the light too long, and remembered the smug smirk on his little brother's face as he traipsed confidently into the house earlier today, waving around a little doll that would ensnare Kagome's adoration as simply as the sun seized the night. Tossing restlessly, Sesshoumaru struggled to clamp down onto the inevitable bullet.
If Sesshoumaru gave Kagome a gift, the school would be maliciously gleeful and-or murderously jealous, neither of which sounded particularly optimistic. On the other hand, if Sesshoumaru didn't give her a gift, and she got that look in her eye -
Cringing, he rolled out of bed decisively. That would settle it. He would drag his moronic brother with him as well, if only to work his anger off on. Throwing a last glare at his springy calendar, he flicked off the overhead light and headed towards his brother's bedroom.
"A traditional gift." Sesshoumaru argued heatedly, almost hissing through his teeth.
"Girls like original things." Inuyasha countered deftly, crossing his arms and watching his older brother carefully.
"I'm sure you would know." He spat, and then added: "Are you aware of how White Day came about, anyway?"
"The legend, you mean?" Inuyasha grinned. "A legend is an aged lie." Sesshoumaru's fingers tightened on the wheel and he glowered at his arrogant sibling.
"Marshmallows or white chocolate. That is the extent of my generosity."
"Kagome will love you." Inuyasha's voice danced with playful sarcasm, sparking like his fiery eyes, which were the color of dull metal gold.
The shop was almost empty. Of people and product.
"So much for traditional shit. All of that is gone." Inuyasha stood still for a moment, then clapped his elder brother heartily on the back. "Hell, Sesshoumaru! You're not the only alien bastard out there!"
Sesshoumaru growled, along with the woman who was behind the desk. At that, Inuyasha jumped, spinning around to face her.
"I've still got a chocolate-shaping kit, young man!" She rasped, "and you'd do best to remember that!"
Inuyasha blinked, and looked about to retort, when an older man walked into the front room.
"Almost closing time, kids, better hit the road." He eyed them warily, and moved to stand beside his wife. "You from these parts?"
"No." Inuyasha retorted, running his nails through a knot in his long hair. "We're from the wealthier side of town."
"Brother." Sesshoumaru warned, eyes narrowing.
"I would have thought!" Squawked the woman. "Rich people get old fast! Look at that - that white hair!" She glared heatedly at Inuyasha, not even sparing a glance at the slightly taken aback Sesshoumaru, whose hand moved immediately to his silver crowned head, stopping halfway to preserve his dignity.
"People aren't as polite around here." Inuyasha whispered to Sesshoumaru, also astounded by the woman's outcry.
"You said you had a... chocolate-shaping kit?" Sesshoumaru invoked weakly, despite himself.
"Yes, and you can buy it for double the yen!" The woman crowed, and the man stomped his foot.
"Anata!" The man whined, "closing time!"
"Double the yen!" The woman encouraged, and both the boys looked struck.
"Alright," Sesshoumaru finally resolved, stepping forward as he regained himself, and sent a glare at Inuyasha.
"You owe me 2000 yen, little brother." Sesshoumaru hissed as they drove back home through the bath of fluorescent orange city lights.
"You need help... Cooking?" Inuyasha sniggered, watching Sesshoumaru slink into the kitchen. The elder granted the other with a candid glare.
"My intention isn't to murder her, Inuyasha." He spoke silkily, and Inuyasha scowled as he loped for the stairwell, seething.
Leaning against the counter, Sesshoumaru flipped idly through the book, searching for something appropriate.
Finally finding a simple enough sculpture, he turned the stove on dispassionately as he strode for a cupboard, searching for white chocolate.
The sun rose up to kiss the gray-blue sky, and Sesshoumaru, unaccustomed to the place between sleep and awakening - for it had always been a bridgeless effort before - supposed he saw a silver butterfly light upon his windowsill and blink at his lethargic form.
"Time to wake up!" It giggled, batting a transparent wing, and took flight again.
Sesshoumaru gradually awoke, trying to pull himself together, for there was something important to do today...
'The chocolate!' Some internal butterfly thundered, and Sesshoumaru shot up, cursing the manufacturer of the lunacy-inducing calendar that fluttered mockingly on his wall.
Inuyasha was still laughing uncontrollably as they neared the school building.
"Butterfly-shaped chocolate!" He snorted through his tears of glee, and clutched at his stomach.
"Yes, Inuyasha. Where is your doll?" He was not in a good mood. Not that he ever got more than four hours of sleep anyway, but the work he had set out to do had been frustrating. He had never called himself clumsy in his life, until last night.
"Here." Inuyasha grinned, and retrieved it. The little thing's hair was mussed.
"I'm sure she will understand." Sesshoumaru spoke meanly, turning his eyes to the sky. Inuyasha glared.
"What the hell does that mean?" He snarled defensively. "At least it's better than dumb old chocolate! Only girls make chocolate, you know." And with that, Inuyasha went tearing off to the middle school, not waiting for Sesshoumaru's possibly violent reaction.
Sesshoumaru's eyes briefly narrowed, and then he turned to the street that would eventually touch the private school he attended himself. Where he would be hounded by expectant girls all day.
His eyes tired from glaring so much!
"Thank you, Inuyasha!" Kagome glowed, accepting the doll and grinning at him. He grunted, acknowledging her distractedly, as he dug through his book bag, searching for something.
"What are you looking for?" She asked curiously, bending at the waist to look into his bag.
"Chocolate shavings." He said, and triumphantly pulled out the plastic zip-lock bag.
"Chocolate... Shavings?" He remained unfazed as she fell over, him having just poured a mouthful of white chocolate scraps into his mouth indifferently.
"How - Where!" She demanded, righting herself again.
He chewed for a moment, contemplating whether he should give away Sesshoumaru's secret or not, and finally decided to be nonspecific, for he was still young and living under the same roof as his older brother.
"Found them in the house." He spewed through a mouthful of melting white, and Kagome stared, appalled, before marching away - unsuspecting.
Inuyasha closed his eyes, grinned maniacally, and laughed at his own cunning.
"Hey, Inuyasha!" Somebody chirped, and he cracked an eye open to regard the squeaky girl standing over him.
'Did you get me anything for White Day?' She asked silently, and he swallowed painfully - automatically falling into a fit of coughing.
The girls were doubtlessly beautiful - the elite of the high school's did age quickly, so they did not approach a male and inquire about their payback, they simply slid regally by - and one could feel the rigid expectation, the manifestation of potential hatred swimming beneath the smiling façade, if one failed to rise to meet them.
Their black hair grew longer, blacker, and they were taller, more slender, with sharper eyes. He disregarded their flashing irises and focused on the class.
The serpents would have to be fed by someone else.
He supposed he liked Kagome's company - and less wealthy girls' company - because they were more as birds (or butterflies), carefree and functioning simply on common sense - happy and worried, never knowing a future.
Wealthy girls were vicious, despite the polite girl standard embedded into the Japanese culture. It made him edgy.
Sesshoumaru guarded his book bag with a vengeance, careful that the chocolate didn't melt again before he could deliver it to the precious songbird - or butterfly, currently holding her breath before the jubilant song, celebrating his softness.
He sighed. Damned haiku. Damned softness.
She was nervous, walking towards the 'meeting place' - alone, for once, and not sure what to expect.
She wouldn't expect anything, she decided, and put on a smile as she rounded the last corner.
Sesshoumaru stood regally, casually, and she caught her breath.
His eyes flashed with abrupt confusion, and she blinked as she neared him, and stopped awkwardly.
"Oh - yeah! Inuyasha went home early today. He choked on some white chocolate and --- well, he went home early." She smiled, eyes glinting in the sunlight.
Sesshoumaru nodded, knowing he'd be getting the dirty details later from his loud, rambling, ass of a brother who always strove for attention, anyway.
"I'll walk you home," Sesshoumaru decided, having studied Kagome's cringing copper eyes and decided he wanted to put off the tale for as long as he could.
Her heart jumped, but she nodded, a smile branding her face.
She - she was beautiful. Sesshoumaru decided absently, turning to walk beside her as they trudged back in the direction of her house.
Plainer than a blackbird, but so beautiful.
"Did you give anybody chocolate today, Sesshoumaru?" She chirped suddenly, and then tripped, looking appalled at her own thoughtless mouth. He suppressed a smile, lifting a hand to touch her crown.
"Not yet." He admitted mysteriously, and sped up. She paused for a moment, and then a smile spread cautiously over her face and she skipped after him, unquestioningly.
"A lot of boys got me things for White Day, even though I didn't get them anything on Valentines! I felt really bad, but most of them were really nice about it." She twirled once in distressed emphasis, blushing as she relived the episode.
He suppressed an animalistic growl, commanded his eyes not to narrow, and stiffly nodded, all contentedness gone from his features. First - nobody had the right to give her chocolate, but him, and two - most of them were really nice about it?
She stepped up on the curb as they met the park, and he stopped. He didn't go farther than this unless she invited him, and he didn't intend on visiting her home tonight.
"Well..." She began uncertainly, and Sesshoumaru plunged in.
"I thank you again, for the gift you gave me last month." He spoke solemnly, retrieving the wrapped gift from between his books and handing it to her.
Happiness swelled over her face, and she smiled genuinely, her lips parting in an elated grin.
"Thank you, Sesshoumaru!" She cried softly, and flew up to throw her arms around his neck. She was considerably shorter than him, and he hoisted her up thoughtlessly - a look of frozen shock on his face - placing his right hand against her lower back and his left up upon her shoulder.
He started when she laid a feather kiss on his shoulder, and he felt the heat of her crimson cheek as she covered the invisible brand with it.
Pulling her closer to his body, he was immediately inclined to lay a counter-kiss on her brow, then on her blackbird scalp, and he felt the tips of her dark tresses on his scorched skin as she rose to meet his eyes with her own wide, innocent irises in response.
"Sesshoumaru?" She asked unsurely, still held securely off the ground. He didn't drop her as he gazed steadily into her eyes.
"Yes?" He asked bluntly, Hellfire eyes burning beneath the lowering sun.
"Do you like me?" She asked, looking away in shame. "At all?"
"I love you." He proclaimed, and he did.
"What about -"
"Let time run its course, Kagome." He chastised, and was about to gloomily set her on her feet again, the mood almost ruined, when she suddenly pushed her lips against his - fiercely, in a way that made him shudder, and question all that he knew of her truer nature - hasty - as if afraid she would die soon after her lips left his or that he would disappear like a ghost in the twilight.
She was inexperienced, which was to be expected, but he had never been in a particularly serious relationship himself, and he found her slight clumsiness to be endearing.
Still, he chastised himself for being appreciative of the way her slight breast touched his chin for the way she was bracing herself on his shoulders, how her knees clamped gently around his chest - somehow only stressing her trust that his slender, huge hands would not drop her to the ground.
He dared not touch her sweet lips with his tongue, though she seemed to want it.
Her hand lifted off his shoulder, almost sending them sideways, and she touched his length of snowy hair with a child's hand.
Slowly lowering her - she straightened her legs to meet the ground on tiptoe - he bent to keep the kiss deep, and her hands reached up to cradle his face, his present still clutched in the palm of her left hand.
"I hope we stay together." Kagome said breathily as they parted. "I hope... I hope you never meet somebody you like better than me."
... Because there was no chance she could ever love somebody as much as him.
"You gave it to her?" Inuyasha bellowed from the living room, where the TV sounded against the excited silence of his mind.
He did not grace his brother with an answer as he glided for the stairs - and tripped onto his knees as he missed the first one.
Inuyasha clambered to his side, laughing loudly.
"What happened?" He grinned widely, unreserved.
"Nothing," Sesshoumaru growled, righting himself and cursing his own indignity, "that should concern you."
Inuyasha laughed vigorously at that, throwing back his head.
"The first kiss I ever got didn't send me to my knees!" Inuyasha crowed happily, staring up to smirk at his brother. "Guess what happened today?" He continued on undaunted by Sesshoumaru's sharp glare.
"I was eating your leftover chocolate - you didn't clean up after yourself! And this girl walked up, and - Sesshoumaru! I threw up all over her! I don't know what the hell I ate, but it was one weird color. You know - like the color the second guest bedroom was before Dad decided to paint it. That was butt-ugly, wasn't it? Maybe a bit more orangey-brown though. It was weird, I tell you..."
Sesshoumaru scaled the steps, no longer listening to his brother's rambling. He swallowed dryly.
'Kagome.'