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Holiday
November 2021
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CORNUCOPIA
Kagome strolled wide-eyed past tables covered in strange fruits and vegetables. Lesser yokai roasted on spits. The center table held a massive hollowed goat horn with flowers and vines accenting the desserts and delicacies that cascaded out of its opening.
"A cornucopia," Kagome whispered.
"Hn," Sesshomaru acknowledged, claws sliding through midnight locks. She shivered. "The Greeks mimicked us."
"Really?" Dark eyebrows rose, skeptical.
"Many millennia ago, nomadic yokai who declared themselves gods appeared. My great-grandsire welcomed them with this feast. It was some time later we realized they began to use it as a symbol for celebrating a successful harvest."
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TRADITION
"Absolutely not!"
"Tradition dictates—"
"I don't care if it's the most sacred ceremony of your people, Sesshomaru. Your mother's entire council isn't going watch me give birth!"
"It is observed to prevent deceit."
Kagome's laughter was sharp and biting.
"What? Do they think I'm going to switch my own child out for an imposter?"
"Worse has happened in our clan's history. Births are notorious for triggering upheaval. The events of Inuyasha's birth is foremost on their minds."
Kagome held firm. "It's you, your mother, Sango, and the midwife. That's final. The council will just have to deal with it."
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HERBS
Mortar and pestle crashed together as Kagome desperately ground fresh herbs into a poultice. Adrenaline coursed through her, keeping one eye on her mixture and the other on her gravely injured and unconscious companion. Shaky fingers smeared the remedy over every weeping wound. She tore her damaged kosode into bandages. Each severe laceration was bound tight.
Afterward, the silence was oppressive.
With nothing left to be done, she waited. Impatiently.
Paced the cave entrance.
Wiped his moon-marked brow with cool, damp cloth.
Prayed to any god, goddess, or being that would listen to her pleas.
Golden eyes opened.
A benediction.
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CRANBERRIES
"What is this word they are screaming?" Sesshomaru demanded as he shoved an earbud in Kagome's surprised face.
"I'm sorry?"
"These electric singers. They incessantly repeat one word."
Her mini mp3 player didn't have a display, so Kagome stepped closer to Sesshomaru and took the proffered earbud.
"Zombie?"
"Hn."
"It's a… Haitian word for the undead."
"Undead exist in your time?"
"Not really, not like here. Mostly just depicted in pop culture and some religions. If you don't like The Cranberries, I can change it to something else?"
"Hn."
"How about The Beastie Boys?" She suggested brightly, already clicking ahead.
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ARCHERY
"I hate archery!" Kagome eldest child screeched. Bow and arrows clattered to the ground.
"I understand you're upset, sweetheart," she said gripping onto her last thread of patience. "It's disappointing when you don't hit the target, but you just started learning. You can't always be good at everything right away."
"Why can't I? I made Papa's whip in two days! I fly like him already! I want to do those instead."
"A strong yokai will take it upon themselves to master all types of protection, Daughter."
"I've never seen you shoot a bow!" She snapped before storming off.
"She's right..."
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BLESSING
With playful eyes that sought each other out, the unlikely couple drank the blessings of their union. Sake slid down their throats and burned pleasantly within their chests.
Kagome found it hard to hide her smile despite the seriousness of the ceremony, but it seemed her betrothed – now husband, now mate — could not hide his joy.
Eyes glowed like morning sun, a fanged smile reflected the moonlight they bathed in. Sesshomaru's visage encompassed the essence of their pairing. Day and night, light and dark, in more ways than one.
Before the sake could dry on their lips, his met hers.
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SECOND CHANCES
"There is truth in what you speak," rough baritone spoke. "I have not given you a reason to trust me in this regard. I have yet to address my… prejudices against humanity and hanyo directly. However, it is worth unlearning if it means you will give me a second chance—"
"Sesshomaru," Kagome sighed, tired and worn.
"Kagome." Desperation shook his voice. Pleading for understanding.
"Actions speak louder than words," she said as sapphire eyes met his gilded pair with more defiance than she felt. "Make those changes, work towards a more inclusive future, *then* I will consider your suit."
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LAUGHTER
There it was again.
That sound.
Like wind chimes, like bird song, like howls his clan sent skyward on nights of the crescent moon.
He found he always wanted to hear that sound.
Could not go a day without it.
Joy, mirth, and unadulterated happiness behind it.
Without a hint of derision or mockery.
Days were brighter for it.
Hope grew stronger because of it.
As the threat of Naraku loomed ever closer, he found any and every excuse to speak with her, to jest with her, so that her smile graced their maudlin group.
Her smile, and her laughter.
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FRIENDSHIP
Here laid the precipice.
Where they stood, bodies flush together. A perfect fit. Two halves of a whole.
Though Kagome's legs shook, sturdy arms held her steady. Warm breath teased her lips. Sesshomaru waited patiently – a feat fit for the gods – for her choice.
Would she keep them on the safe, secure ledge of friendship or toss them both over into an unknown abyss of lovers, of partners, of mates?
With more confidence than he expected, she closed the short distance. Soft lips slanted across his, sealing them to their fate as they tumbled head over heels into something more.
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MEMORIES/FAMILY
"…And this is when we witnessed the opening of the Panama Canal," Kagome said as she pulled out a delicate photograph and passed it to her awed mother. In grainy black and white, Kagome and Sesshomaru stood with a handful of their youngest children at the time. SS Ancon floated behind them in larger-than-life stocks.
"Don't you all look dashing!" Mama Higurashi exclaimed.
"Just wait until you see Pop in bell bottoms, Grandma," their eldest chimed in. "Ladies couldn't stop flirting with him back then."
"One day I'll burn those photos, Mate."
"Not a chance in hell, you foxy Casanova."
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AN: I completely made up the Greek gods hijacking the idea of a cornucopia. Artistic license. Please don't come at me.
The song referenced in "Cranberries" is Zombie by The Cranberries. The song can be found on YouTube, Spotify, or iTunes.
In the drabble "Memories/Family" in 70's slag, "foxy" means sexy and "Casanova" means a ladies' man. I'm sure Kagome would never let him live it down. We all know he only has eyes for her.
Reminder: All of the drabbles are ways to flesh out future WIPs, so if there is a particular one you'd like to see more of, please don't hesitate to drop it in a review.