InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Flower Girl ❯ Affection Returned ( Chapter 42 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

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When Kagome woke up the morning after Sesshoumaru asked to court her, she couldn't help but to spend her first waking moments reliving the evening - and the several kisses he had bestowed on her.

For her, they were something to remember - those kisses from him were really her first kisses. Sure, she'd kissed Inuyasha that one time when they were fighting Kaguya, but that had been desperation induced - not passion, or affection induced.

It really made a huge difference.

Not to mention the fact that the youkai Lord was obviously accomplished in the art of kissing, which she really didn't want to think about too much.

All in all, Kagome knew that she would probably remember those kisses forever... even in another life.

And then, to top it all off, he had given her a courting gift that was absolutely beautiful. It was a necklace, silver, in a pattern of ivy - for affection - the leaves formed of diamonds and emeralds lined with more silver. Fortunately for Kagome, Sesshoumaru had excellent taste, and the necklace didn't degenerate into an overstatement of wealth by virtue of being large and gaudy, because she had a thing about overly large jewelry. She didn't like it.

Small and refined was the name of the game for her, and the piece he gifted her with was perfect.

Now, she was wanting to come up with something for him as a courting gift from her. She was aware that it was not strictly necessary for her to give him something, but she wanted to.

She knew the flower she wanted for what she wanted the gift to say, since his gift stood for 'affection', hers would stand for 'affection returned'. Jonquil. Easy enough... now she just needed to decide how to present it.

That thought kept her preoccupied all day, which was okay, since nothing of any note happened anyway, and into the evening. After dinner, she sat down on her bedding, and idly dug through her pack - and that was when she had a sudden brainstorm, and figured out just what to do.

She had, in her trusty bag, a beautiful finished wooden box - though it was plain and devoid of any decoration. She also had in her well-used bag, a rather expensive set of paints and brushes - also a gift from Sesshoumaru at one point because of her love of painting and drawing that he'd noted when she'd hand-drawn the crimson rose in memory of her father several months back.

With those two things, she had everything she needed to make him a beautiful wooden storage box... that had meaning beyond just painted glory.

It's perfect... but how do I do it without him knowing?

And then she got a truly brilliant idea. She could work on it while she was supposedly bathing in the evenings. If she hurried through her baths, she could paint while Sango was finishing, and she knew her friend would be more than willing to prolong her soak to give her more time.

It shouldn't take more than a day or two...

It ended up taking three days, but she did, in fact, manage to keep him from finding out, so on the fourth day, when it was painted, sealed, and dry, she deemed it ready, and hopeful that he would like it, she decided to give it to him that evening after dinner.

She was going to do it in front of the rest of the pack. The night he had asked to court her, she had said yes, but asked that he wait before announcing it for a few days. Although she had refused to tell him why, he had agreed. Her reason was that she had wanted to wait 'til she could return his courting gift with one of her own, but since she wanted it to be a surprise, she couldn't exactly tell him that.

She was just glad he had been amenable to waiting, and hadn't demanded an answer as to why.

So, that evening, after dinner had been eaten, and cleaned up after, she gathered her courage, and going to her bag, took out the box. Keeping it behind her back, she walked over to where the daiyoukai was sitting, back comfortably against a tree, and stood before him, quietly waiting for him to acknowledge her.

With a quizzical look, he asked, "Miko, what is it that you wish of this Sesshoumaru?"

With that, she knelt before him with a small smile, and said, "Several nights ago, you asked to court me, and I said yes." He nodded. "But I asked you not to say anything about it yet..." she trailed off as he nodded again.

A slight blush highlighting her cheekbones, she spoke again. "The reason for that was because I wanted to give you a gift in return." As his eyebrow rose, her smile widened a bit, and she pulled the box from behind her. "You gave me a courting gift on my acceptance of your suit - and this is what I have to give you in return."

Holding the box out to him, she waited for him to take it, and then sat back on her heels, hoping for a favorable reaction. She was so intent on him, that she didn't hear the sudden, shocked silence from the rest of the group.

Sesshoumaru reached out and took the box, setting it on his lap, and running his hand over it, he marveled at the silky finish - and the beautiful flower motif that was obviously her work. He lifted the lid and looked inside, pleased with the amount of storage space inside - he had several things he could use it for.

He looked up at her after examining it thoroughly. "The flowers, miko. What do they mean?" He was well aware that whatever the flower was, she'd chosen it deliberately.

Her blush deepened a little. "They are jonquil. They stand for affection returned," she said softly.

His expression did not alter, but the look in his eyes did. They went hot, molten - and that affection he'd claimed lay openly within their golden depths for her to see.

"It is a welcome gift, Kagome," he said, softly. With that, he moved his gaze towards the rest of the group, and said, "Know, then, that this Sesshoumaru has asked to court the miko Kagome, and she has agreed. She has accepted my courting gift, and has reciprocated, giving this one a gift as well."

Suddenly, the clearing was filled with the sounds of happy yells and cheers from the children, and exuberant well-wishes from the adults...

Even Inuyasha. Though he only felt pain at his brother's announcement, he refused to show it.

After all, it was his own fault that he'd lost her - and at least she was happy.

That had to count for something.

I'll smile, Kagome, until the oceans dry up... because I don't want to be the cause of your unhappiness - ever again.

No matter how much it hurts.

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A/N: We're getting there... I can't wait 'til its time to post the chapter where Sesshoumaru finally realizes that he is in love with Kagome - and tells her. It's already written - and I absolutely love it. Of course, there's still a bit of story left before we get there, so...

Amber