Chapter 55

He knew Kagome had to have an early start, but he let her sleep late since she truly hadn't slept for the three days before she returned home. Midmorning, he brought her a light breakfast of miso soup and a hard boiled egg and woke her in his usual way. As she slowly came awake, she reached out for him, making a disappointed pouty noise when her questing hand found a very clothed and very upright demon. He waited for her to sit up, smiling at how she scooted so close to him, their sides were touching, before placing her breakfast tray in her lap.

"This Sesshoumaru is aware that you have much preparation to do this morning, but before we get dressed and you show me your creation, this Sesshoumaru would present his final courting gift," he announced.

She had only finished half her soup but curiosity won out and she set the tray aside to throw on a simple, white, Egyptian cotton yukata, returning to his side and bouncing in her sandals. He smiled, telling her to shut her eyes, vowing to himself that today would not end their special gifts to each other, and walked her towards the main part of the house. Her designers had taken up residence in the formal living room and it looked like they were making a dress from scratch in there with fabrics and notions thrown on every available surface. He escorted her past them, purposely ignoring their protestations that they didn't have time for this and picked her up bridal style at the door to take her down the manicured path to the driveway.

He set her down and told her she could open her eyes. She was dumbfounded. She truly had had no idea what he would want to give her that could possibly be outside but seeing it now made sense. A car. A car for the one he had sold. But not just any car, another Aston Martin. This was not a Vanquish, but the four-door sports car Rapide S. Sitting there done in Red Lion paint with 10-spoke polished wheels, it was stunning, every bit the sports car his was, but not a bachelor car. This was highlighted when she opened the door and slipped in to the winter wheat interior and saw the addition to the back seat. Now that was unexpected… She peeked out the window and raised a brow at him.

"Counting our chickens, are we, darling?" she asked regarding the child seat in the back.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Merely thinking ahead hopefully. It was important you understand why I chose the sedan for you instead of another Vanquish." Defensiveness was just barely creeping into his tone. "Initially, I wanted to get you a vintage, perhaps a DB series '48 or '53, but then I wanted us to have room to grow."

She smiled and shook her head. "You know, I don't need a Vanquish or a Rapide S. I would have been happy with a pre-owned Toyota."

He scoffed. "Not as happy as you are now, though you are playing coy. Do you approve of the colors and options? We can always have them changed."

"Sesshoumaru, come in here, please. I want to make out with you in my dreamy, red, sports car."

He was quick to comply.

…..

After much fumbling around the large center console of her car, they decided perhaps they really ought to start getting ready for their big day. Sesshoumaru was to dress first, and just as he had done with her, she asked him to close his eyes while she unveiled his surprise by dressing him. This definitely piqued his interest as helping a demon dress was the territory of a mate and something they hadn't done before. It was, by its nature, an intimate activity and he closed his eyes and enjoyed every minute of his chosen pampering him so.

Finally, she tied the long obi in the front, something that definitely caught his attention because obi were no longer tied in the front: it was an ancient custom. She led him to his mirror in his closet dressing room and let him open his eyes.

He was quiet, very quiet. He just stared at himself in the mirror, totally at a loss for words. He lifted an arm to take note of the craftsmanship. He was impressed to see that she had done all the stitching by hand. The stitches were small and well placed, though not as perfect as a demon seamstress would have done, not that that mattered to him. He was extremely honored that she had put in the extra effort and not used a machine.

He was standing in a perfect replica of the outfit he had worn for centuries before finally changing with the times. The silk was clearly of youkai origin: it would not wrinkle or soil and was capable of self-repair. She must have gone to great trouble to procure it, especially in this design of his family crest and with this level of quality, he couldn't help but wonder if she had somehow managed to find the reclusive silk caterpillar youkai who had been employed by his family for generations before she lost her mate and retired from the art of fine garment making.

She was getting nervous, he could smell it in her scent, so he addressed her. "Is it possible you found Mao?"

"Found her and fed her snickerdoodles until she agreed to take on this job for me. She is kind of a control freak and wasn't happy about letting a human sew her cloth, but when I told her who I was mating and how I needed to give him something special from my own hands, she walked me through the proper creation step by step."

He laughed. "That must be some cookie to calm a goddess and to charm a wounded youkai."

"Mmmmm! You have no idea. Though in the interest of full disclosure, she retains quite a soft spot for 'Toga and Aiko's little boy.'"

"Well the demoness is ancient, you know. No doubt this Sesshoumaru will always be a child in her eyes."

"So…," her insecurities were running rampant. When she came with the idea to Toga, he had assured her that Sesshoumaru would love it and so she hadn't arranged for another outfit to be made. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Kagome, come." He opened his arms and she walked into his hold, their arms around each other's waists. "This Sesshoumaru is astounded. Never would he have imagined you would go so far to please him. Convincing Mao could not have been easy and for you and someone unused to such work, sewing the entire outfit with your hands…I know now why you insisted on so much private time. This must have taken you forever to accomplish."

"Sometimes it felt like I'd never be done, or I became frustrated because I'm not as skilled as someone like Mao and that would be readily apparent in the finished garment. I felt like I was making a mistake sometimes, but every time I reminded myself I was doing it for you. I…I hope it's OK?"

"Kagome…my dearest miko, this is the most wonderful gift this Sesshoumaru has ever received. I am profoundly grateful." He leaned in and kissed her forehead reverently. "This hexagonal sakura is my family seal. In the concept of Goshiki, there are five primary colors: blue, red, white, black, and yellow. In our true form, we are white, known as silver, dog demons. White is the color of the West, our territory. The compound color associated with white is crimson, the color of our eyes when our beast is in control and the color of our crest. The sakura, or cherry blossom, symbolizes the end of a difficult period and the beginning of prosperity."

"Our family adopted the sakura after the last great holy war millennia ago. Because we were demons, we were hunted by the twisted priests and priestesses recklessly. As I have told you, the gods corrected their mistake and began taking holy powers away from humans for their crime of abusing them to appease their war-crazed need for power. When peace again reigned between humans and demons, we chose the sakura as a symbol of hope. They also represent the beauty of the feminine and we hoped our mates would help us regain the numbers we had lost in the great wars."

"When I was a pup, my sire sheltered a travelling oracle, the very same one whose website you found. She read my future as a way to show her gratitude. She told my father that I must search for blue. When I found the purest of blues, I would keep her by my side forever. My father, ever wise, inferred that she spoke of my future mate and commissioned a new obi for me to remind me of my destiny. It is blue, your color, and gold, mine. I wore this outfit long after fashions changed and men and demons no longer commonly wore kimono. Finally, when I joined my father's company early last century, I adopted my current manner of dress and stored my old clothing in the vault."

"By presenting this Sesshoumaru with this new clothing, you have shown that you know his true identity and that is the demon to whom you wish to join yourself. This Sesshoumaru does not have words to express what your insightful gift means to him." He kissed her cheeks, which were wet with tears over hearing how she had moved her one before kissing her lips lightly, gently, as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him and he was afraid she would break.

…..