Author's Note: Yes, the "Nana Grater Rape" is real. I just received one. It comes with a fun French poem.

A Distant Promise - Mini-Chapter # 49

Quality not quantity.

This was the lesson that she had finally learned. And ironically, the one who finally showed this to her was the newest addition to their group, Eleni Laroque. With a smile, she settled her hands into her lap, smoothing out her skirt.

They had completed a quiet weekend at the hotel, where Inuyasha worked. Then, Kagome had continued on with her friends to Kyoto and finally Tokyo. Eleni could not spend too much time in Japan, so Satoshi had taken her to all the sites that she hoped to see, in only two weeks.

Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru had returned to work. Before he had to leave, he gruffly declared, on his son's behalf, that the girl was not all bad. Secretly, Kagome thought this meant he was reluctant to acknowledge that his son was growing up, yet he understood that nothing could stop time.

And this was true. Nothing could stop Satoshi from maturing faster than his parent expected. Thoughts about growing up, about how much time was left - these thoughts had quickly spiraled Kagome into a negative mood.

It was the only regret she had at the moment - the fact that she could not spend more time with Sesshoumaru. But short could be sweet, too. Like this summer, for example. She could only spend a few months with Shippo, Satoshi, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and all her other friends – thus, she had to make each second count!

Thus, she had started to focus on how to celebrate the passage of time, instead of mourning it. And just like that - it had occurred to her! Birthdays!

At the moment, they were huddled in Shippo's apartment, plotting what to buy as a gift for the taiyoukai. Evidently, Sesshoumaru had been alive for so long that he had forgotten when his birthday occurred. But because this was irresponsible and everyone deserved a birthday celebration, Kagome had decided to assign him one, based on his personality and horoscope. 'Cancer' seemed like a good horoscope reading, and besides, early July was a great time to party.

"Well, what does he like?" asked Kagome, doggedly pursuing the subject. So far, no one had come up with any good ideas for a birthday present. She wanted to buy something special.

"Swords," noted the youngest inu-youkai flatly, raising one brow.

"One sword in particular," Shippo chimed in. "You might remember it."

The priestess moaned. "Oh, stop! I am not asking Inuyasha to give his birthright away, for an imaginary birthday. I don't want to give swords anyway. He has lots of those, decorating the house. We need to pick out something that Sesshoumaru doesn't own. What does he not have?"

The kitsune pondered this silently for a moment, one finger tapping his chin. Finally, he declared, "Goldfish."

His tone sounded far too proud and smug for his own good. Satoshi nodded, blandly adding reinforcement. "That's true. Father never has owned any goldfish."

Glaring at her companions in dumbfounded shock, she rolled her eyes. Certainly, she was not able to take them seriously. Goldfish could not possibly be an appropriate birthday gift for a demon-lord.

As a last resort, she turned to the only female acquaintance in the group. Eleni smiled back, although she did not completely understand everything that was said. After Satoshi translated the last few lines, however, the girl seemed to agree.

"You are right," she nodded, as her boyfriend smoothly transformed the words into Japanese, "He should get a unique present. Pick something that represents you."

Then, quickly drifting off and ceasing his translation, Satoshi blinked. "Hey, that's a good idea," he said. "People tend to give what they want to receive, anyway, right?"

When the foreigner returned to the circle, compressing herself into the space on the floor between her boyfriend's feet, she held aloft a box. She had just unearthed it, from her luggage. And inside the cylindrical, clear plastic container, there was a doll about twelve inches high. Only this doll looked incredibly strange. It had a very long skirt, made from metal, that looked like...

"A cheese grater?" Kagome inquired in amazement. "It's so cute."

"C'est Nana Grater Rape," announced Eleni with a satisfied expression.

Scoffing slightly, the young dog-demon waved one hand dismissively. "She brought this from Paris," he explained, "Thinking it would be polite to present a gift to her host. But I said, sometimes 'unique' gifts are just weird. What would Father want with a female cheese grater?"

And while that was true (so true), it also allowed Kagome to see the light. She should add something to Sesshoumaru's birthday party that was uniquely her own, not simply a purchase she made. Maybe she could give him a fake Shikon no Tama keychain? Her grandfather still sold these. Or she could sow him a traditional outfit...

No, even better! She should acquire a picture for him of an inu-youkai. One of the art students in her dorm could help with this project.

So, it was settled. Even if Sesshoumaru didn't like the painting, he would most likely appreciate the gesture. It would be a birthday present like no other.

With a grin, she shifted closer to Eleni's side, lifting the fanciful tool out of the girl's hands. Hmm. Kitchen implements had never looked cooler than this.

"It's hand-painted, she says," added Satoshi, peering over his girlfriend's head.

Kagome tilted her head to one side in consideration. "I don't suppose she wants to give this to another girl like me?"