Title: A Christmas to Remember
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha and Co.
Summary: "Tell me Higurashi, did you and the mythological Lord have tea together?" Her teacher asked sarcastically. "No professor, The Lord of the Western lands and I never had tea together, although we did spend Christmas together." was her simple reply. S/K
A/N: Remember how I said that I would try to get another update up before I left for the weekend? Well, here it is! :) Enjoy!
She could not, for the life of her comprehend what had occurred moments ago. She had all but flirted with the Lord of the Western Lands—all the while, having just destroyed his property. Kagome was quiet sure that no one would have dared to attempt such a thing—at least not in the Feudal Era.
Clearly, times had changed.
She had tried to walk calmly but quickly, into her room. There she had sat down and taken a breath. She had realized far too late that her facade had been pointless—after all, he could have easily sensed her nervousness. Did that not defeat the entire point of her attempt to act unaffected by recent events? Yet as luck would have it, she was not able to stay hidden in the room for much longer. Within seconds, she had sensed another youkai entering the home, and instantly knew that it consisted of a certain wolf coming back from possible council duties. Nervously opening her door, she attempted to use her powers to track him. Surprisingly, it did not take long.
However, something that did not surprise her was that the wolf was not alone. Apparently, the Inu had sensed the wolf much sooner than she had. She couldn't help but watch the two stare at one another without words being said. Was that another power that they had? Could they truly communicate without words? As if knowing that he was on her thoughts, the wolf turned his gaze to her. Letting out his famous wolfish grin, he embraced her in a hug.
"How's dog breath treatin' you?"
Before she could even respond to his question, he began to speak again.
"Sorry it took so long. I tried to make it fast."
Giving her an apologetic look, she wondered what it was that had taken up an entire day of his time. Perhaps it was the council. Hadn't they kept referencing such a thing? Shrugging her shoulders in a carefree manner, she rewarded his explanation with a genuine smile.
"So, the council wants to meet her. They say they have a gift for her—other than the title of course. They said something about her reward?"
A gift? A reward? It seemed that she was not the only one confused for she noticed an eyebrow raise in curiosity from none other than the Lord of the Western Lands. Even with his curiosity, he remained quiet. Suddenly, she heard a gasp of realization from the wolf. He noted the excitement in his eyes.
"Oh! Also, the pack—you, uhhhh, you need a pack." He had said it in a nervous tone while scratching the back of his head while awaiting her response. His statement had not been a question, but she understood it nonetheless. The moment he had said it, she was sure he would correct him—or inform him, but he yet again continued with his at the Inu in confusion, she wondered why he had no corrected the wolf. Wouldn't he inform him that she had accepted him as Alpha, and that she had chosen their pack?
Yet the silence continued.
Glaring at the Inu for his sudden inability to speak, she let out a huff. Turning to Koga, she smiled once again.
"Yeah, I already told Sesshoumaru that I would be honored to be part of your guys pack." Perhaps she had not said it in such words, but since the Inu refused to speak—she was sure she wouldn't be corrected. When she noticed the confusion and shock in the eyes of the wolf, she knew she had missed something. Glancing between the wolf and the Inu, she wondered why the nervousness that she felt was so familiar.
"Uhhh, Kagome—we're not..."
He didn't need to finish the sentence. She understood. She suddenly knew all too well, why there had been confusion and shock in his eyes. Kagome had naturally assumed that due to the familiarity that they held when addressing one another that they were part of the same pack—or maybe an extended pack. She quickly realized that she should have educated herself on such matters.
Fuck.
Glancing between the two, she annoyingly wondered if Sesshoumaru had been aware of her lack of knowledge on such topics. Had he addressed it for that reason alone? Suddenly, the answer presented itself to her. Letting out a smirk, she realized happily that she could fix the issue with ease.
"I'll be part of both of your packs!"
She had been so delighted at her answer to such a situation. At least, she had been when she had first thought of it. Although, now as she voiced her answer to the matter, she couldn't help but notice the annoyance flicker between the eyes of not only the Inu—but surprisingly the wolf as well. Was she not able to do such a thing? Now it was her turn to be confused.
"Can I not do that?"
And suddenly the Inu found his voice—or at least his ability to growl.
"That defeats the entire purpose of a pack."
Annoyed at Sesshoumaru for putting her in the current situation, she moved her gaze to Koga. Once more, the wolf surprised her with a nod of agreement from the previous statement given by the Inu.
So she had to choose?
Amber and sapphire eyes watched her with what seemed like little patience while she gulped nervously. Did she have to make a decision now? If their gaze was the response to such a question, then she assumed that she had mere minutes to give her answer. How was she supposed to answer such a question when she knew nothing about it? What was the point of such a thing anyway? Wanting both Youkai to see her annoyance in such a manner, she presented them both with an irritated glare.
To be fair, hadn't she already chosen a pack? Had she not told Sesshoumaru her answer? Trying to hide her sudden feeling of guilt, she assessed both of the individuals. She had thought it would take much longer to come to such a decision but within mere seconds, she knew.
She reminded herself that she was choosing a leader for herself—not a mate. If she could not be part of both packs then that more than likely meant she could only have one alpha. If she changed her mind and went with Koga, she knew his focus would be on taking care of her and convincing her of his love. He would love and protect her while ensuring that she needed nothing from the world. It sounded nice, but was it what she needed from an alpha?
Sesshoumaru on the other hand would do the opposite. Whereas Koga would be sure to pick her up from any injuries—the Inu would be there to ensure she picked herself up. He would make sure she could protect herself and that came from understanding her powers and standing up on her own two feet. He would not baby her. He would simply watch and ensure that she had all the tools to accomplish whatever it was that she needed.
A pack with Koga would be much easier—but a pack with Sesshoumaru would be much more rewarding. She knew she could heal successfully with both individuals—just in different ways. Koga would more than likely try to help her recover by providing affections. However, the Inu was a different story all together. He would ensure her recovery by providing her with an environment to heal herself. Nervously, she reminded herself that she was simply choosing a leader—nothing else.
Nervously, swaying back and forth on her feet, she nodded her head to inform them that a decision had been made. Giving Koga an apologetic look, she began to explain.
"I'd already promised—"
"Kagome, it's just a pack. Really—no big deal." She heard him without difficulty but could not help but to think that his tone seemed to contradict his words. She could have sworn that his voice held disappointment. After all, wasn't a pack one of the most important things to wolves?
"I'm sorr—"
"Hey, you were in a pack with Dog Breath 1.0 and I was still there for you. This is no different."
She could not help as guilt continued to wash over her but she nodded anyway. She hoped he wasn't taking it too personally. After all, she had made her decision based on picking a leader—nothing else. Without thinking of the consequences, she surprised the wolf with a small hug. When he returned the embrace, relief washed over her.
The Inu clearing his throat in irritation drew both of them out of their thoughts. Turning to stare at her alpha, she remembered his demands in regards to Koga. Shaking off the new feeling of guilt and frustration, she informed herself that she was behaving in a manner that consisted of friendship and not romance. Surely, Sesshoumaru would be able to realize such a thing.
As his amber eyes met hers, she could not help but notice the irritation they held. Quickly, she wondered if maybe she did not know him as well as she thought. Trying to throw out her aura in a confident manner, she failed miserably. The smirk that appeared on his face had informed her of such.
A/N: Boom! Look like Kagome is starting to take baby steps to be able to heal! Sorry if the story is super slow for anyone. I will be gone all weekend, so I apologize for lack of updates for the next three days. :(
P.S: Also, I would like to take this time to personally thank those that leave reviews! I know they're easy to overlook but they seriously make me so happy. Sometimes, I'm my worst critic, and the reviews remind me that this story isn't completely terrible, LOL. So for that, I thank you guys! :)