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Kagome eyes the invitation she receives at her favorite coffee shop with raised brows. Sure, she can appreciate the creativity of the promotion, but 'Christmas in Summertime' as a theme in December seems more than a little ridiculous.
Still, it's hard to turn down. The cafe is run by InuYasha's eldest daughter, and it's how she has reunited with some of her friends to begin with when she'd stumbled in one day before rushing off to start her new job. She can't exactly refuse the opportunity to help, and Emi knows that, too.
So a week later, Kagome tries not to adjust her coat as she opens the door to the cafe. Everyone's been invited to wear Hawaiian outfits and swimwear to the party, and Kagome's compromised by wearing a tasteful one-piece with a sarong tied around her waist. When she steps inside, she's relieved to note that it's warm in the cafe, enough so that she's forced to shed the coat at the door or risk overheating.
The second thing she notices is the large Christmas tree in the center, decorated with seashells and sand dollars and topped with a dried starfish. It's a little gaudy, but it's not completely tasteless.
"You came, Kagome-oneechan!" Emi pulls Kagome into a fierce hug, her large breasts tucked behind two large faux coconuts. "My dads are running a bit late, but if you're looking for the others, they're by the waveboard."
The 'others' refer to Shippo and his mate, Shiori and her mate, and a few of the other hanyo and yokai Kagome had saved back in the feudal era. In this timeline, the one after the fall of Naraku, they intermingle and live amongst humans in disguise, with humans none the wiser. All of them are dressed for a beach event as though it's not lightly snowing outside, though Shippo's green and pink Hawaiian shirt is perhaps the most gaudy of the group.
It suits him, she thinks with an affectionate smile.
"InuYasha's picking up his brother from the airport," Shippo explains when Kagome joins them, handing her a cappuccino.
"I wondered," Kagome murmurs as she accepts the drink. She doesn't ask about Sesshomaru. He's the one topic she's studiously avoided since she'd reunited with her friends just under five years after the well had closed. They'd waited, they'd explained, for her to graduate college but had gotten the time off by a year, and so Kagome had stumbled onto them in the cafe earlier than they'd expected.
Sesshomaru, however, had been in America at the time, and only now is returning to Japan. Not that she'd asked, of course. She isn't even sure if he's aware of her return.
He probably isn't, to be honest. His current occupation is a renowned pediatrician, and from what she's been able to gather, he'd gone off on some contract to do something related to that, though evidently, he appears to be in his fifties with his current glamor and would likely 'retire' that persona soon and choose something else.
Shippo exchanges a look with his mate. "Did you bring a present?" he asks after a moment.
"Yeah." She holds up the small gift bag she'd brought with her. Emi had explained they're doing a secret gift exchange so she'd come prepared. All she'd known beforehand is her recipient is male and is fond of the color blue.
She hopes he likes a blue tie because she's at a loss otherwise.
"That's good." Shippo exchanges another look with his mate, and now Kagome can't help but feel like they know something she doesn't. Before she can ask, however, the door opens and Jinenji enters with two of his grown children. His mate, a human, has long since passed, but though he, like InuYasha and the other hanyo, has aged considerably since her time in the feudal era, he still tries to attend the gatherings when he can.
After some small talk, the conversation dies down again, and Kagome struggles not to fidget. She's thirty-one now, and she's well aware that while she doesn't feel old yet, her body isn't as young and thin as it once looked. She's definitely holding onto an extra ten pounds she can't quite seem to lose and has given up on trying. She likes cake too damn much to keep trying, anyway.
The door opens again, but this time, it's InuYasha and his mate, followed closely by Sesshomaru.
Her breath catches as she spies him. He looks older, too, but the years seem to be far kinder to her than to him. He looks no older than his late thirties early forties without his glamor, and there's something about his mature appearance that has her heart skipping a beat every bit as much as his youthful appearance once had.
She scarcely notices InuYasha and his mate remove their coats. Her eyes remain firmly on Sesshomaru as he strips down to reveal a short pair of swim trunks and sandals. His chest may not have been as sculpted as it once was, but the hint of a six-pack is still present, and it's clear he's worked to remain toned even if he's not as muscular now.
And he's wearing the color blue, she notices then, and he's carrying a gold bag.
The color she'd mentioned to Emi is her favorite.
But Sesshomaru doesn't approach. He turns to say something to Emi, who grins before she hugs her uncle and then her fathers in turn. It's only after that she whirls to face the gathering and announce, "Alright! It's time for the gift event. Remember to look for your partner who will be wearing their favorite color and holding a giftbag with yours. And, most importantly, have fun!"
Kagome's heart thumps. She can hardly dare to believe he might be hers, but after Emi's announcement he's coming towards her, and she feels a nudge behind her to urge her forward in turn. "Er, it's been a while, Sesshomaru," she manages when he approaches her.
He inclines his head. "So it has."
"You look good in your swimsuit." It sounds lame, and she wonders where her usual confidence has gone. No doubt, she thinks dryly, it's vanished in the face of her teenage crush. After things had fallen through with InuYasha, she'd found herself ogling his brother, and the shame of moving from one to another had her retreating back to her own time when the well had opened again.
"As do you, miko." He nodded toward her bag. "You carry the blue bag."
"And you carry the gold." Her bright yellow sarong is as blatant an advertisement as his blue trunks are, though, she swallows, her outfit is not as tight on her. She's fairly certain she can see the outline of his cock through his clothes.
It takes all her willpower not to stare at it.
He looks amused then. "Shall we?"
Nodding, she holds out her gift and swaps it with is, suddenly feeling foolish for settling on a tie. If she'd known it would be Sesshomaru, she would have put more thought into her gift—
"You did well, miko." He pulls out the tie, looking pleased.
"It's just a tie," she says lamely. She wonders if he calls her miko now because he never bothered to learn her name back then. Hardly surprising, she thinks, though perhaps it's more likely that he's simply forgotten it after five hundred years.
"Hnn." He says nothing, watching her, and after a moment she realizes she still has to open her gift.
She reaches inside before pulling out a blue velvet jewelry box. She stares at it, even more embarrassed by her gift now. If he bought her something expensive—
"The gift is not the box, miko." He chuckles as she flushes.
"Of course it isn't." Feeling foolish, she opens the box and blinks when she sees a pair of golden crescent moon drop earrings. "Oh." Her eyes flicker up to the marking on his face. If she doesn't know any better, it would seem almost like a blatant claim—
"Do you accept, Kagome?" Now he says her name, and it sends shudders through her.
She licks her lips as she notes the hint of ruby in his gaze and then she understands as she realizes everyone in the room is watching them. "Why didn't you come back before?" she whispers, one finger moving to trace the earrings.
"I am no longer the young male you knew." He shifts, but the burning passion in his eyes doesn't diminish.
And then she understands. He'd felt too old for her when she'd first reunited with everyone, and so had given her the chance to find a path for herself and mature. He'd waited, knowing all the while she might fall in love with someone else. "I'm not that young girl anymore, either," she murmurs with a small smile.
His gaze drifts down her body, but he looks pleased by what he sees and that bolsters her confidence. "We have both aged," he agrees after a moment.
"If I put these in," she holds up the box, "what would you do?"
She feels his yoki brush her then, anticipation gripping them both as he answers, "Claim you."
Kagome reaches for the earrings, pulling them out as she catches sight of Emi's grin. So, she realizes then, this has all been an elaborate ploy to provide Sesshomaru a chance to confess. She slowly slides the earrings into each lobe, ignoring the quiet cheer. "I hope," she says, stepping closer, "that you don't intend to do that publicly."
He reaches out and pulls her against his body. "Hardly," he breathes in her ear. "I have a hotel room that is far more suitable."
And then they disappear from the cafe in a golden ball of light, and it's a long time before Kagome recalls they've left their coats behind.
Not that it matters, she thinks, stretching out beside Sesshomaru's nude body on the bed. Her new mate is more than enough to keep her warm.