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Kagome could barely keep quiet as she readied her big surprise for their first anniversary.
The fact that it was their first already had her toes tingling, and she was unable to hide her smile.
She wanted everything to be perfect.
She'd even spoken to Jaken, relieved he'd been forthcoming with Sesshoumaru's food preferences.
He'd be so surprised.
If he'd only return home so she could tell him about it.
What was taking him so long?
She'd told him how important this day was, and even with how long his lifespan was, his memory was as sharp as his claws—he couldn't have forgotten, so where was he?
Time passed, the setting sun casting the sky into an orange glow as she waited. But no sight of Sesshoumaru as her eyes roamed over the clouds above.
It was almost the end of their anniversary, and she was ready to throttle something when she finally saw a familiar golden light appear in the distance.
Her aura automatically reached out, trying to determine if he was injured, assuming it with how late he'd been, but finding him in perfect condition only deepened her frown—and her mood.
"Should you not be sitting down for your evening meal?" he asked as she glanced him over.
"No?" she said, confusion heightening her tone. "I was waiting for you."
"Why would you wait?" He gave her a blank look. "I do not require regular meals as you do, mate."
She blinked owlishly. "But today is special." She flexed her fingers. It was a mistake. He'd just lost track of time.
"A meal does not have to be special for you to eat regularly." He heaved a sigh. "Must you always neglect yourself in favour of others?"
"Sesshoumaru," she cut in, voice hard. "Don't you know what today is?"
"It is the day we were wed," he replied, giving her an odd look. "Did you forget? You took great pains to remind me of the occasion."
"Exactly! So why weren't you home on time? We were supposed to eat dinner together!"
He blinked at her, bemused. "Why would we do such a thing?"
Kagome's mouth dropped, and she stared at him in shock. "What do you mean, 'why'? It's our anniversary!" Reiki sparked as her frustration grew. What more reason did she need than that?
"What has that to do with having dinner?" He looked puzzled, head cocked to the side, not understanding her ire.
Hands clenching into fists, she turned away from him. "Fine. I'll just eat by myself. And sleep by myself too."
"Why?" The genuine bemusement in his voice gave her pause.
"It's our anniversary," she emphasized. "We're supposed to be celebrating together."
"A human meal is not required for this custom." He gave her an odd look but froze at the scent of her tears.
"Yes, it is. You're supposed to eat and celebrate together. Give each other gifts," she sniffled. "Some people even revisit the place they got married—mated." She didn't understand how he didn't understand.
He continued to stare at her. "That is not how youkai celebrate."
"Of course not," she bit out. "You just disappear all day and arrive late even when your mate has requested otherwise."
He froze. "You do not even know what I have been doing."
"What could be more important than spending an anniversary with your mate?" She grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.
"The youkai way of celebrating." He lifted his chin,
"And what's so different between the two?" she snapped, whirling around. If this was some flimsy excuse as to why he'd missed their dinner, she'd fry him on principle.
"It is not about a meal. Such a thing could never hope to show one's mate what they mean." His jaw tightened.
Her hands went to her waist, her stance defensive. "And what would you have done instead?" she demanded.
"I had intended to take you home," he returned, his anger increasing, "to the one I had built for you in the sky, woman!"
She stared at him for a moment, blinking owlishly. "What?"
"A home!" He lifted his chin as he growled. "Have you not spoken incessantly for your desire to have one entirely of your own?"
"But that's something we'd talked about doing together!" she argued, irritation and confusion growing.
"Then it would not be a gift, would it?" His eyes flickered red.
She raised her chin; he hadn't intimidated her before and certainly wasn't going to start now.
But he would not back down, either.
Her shoulders eventually sagged, though her hands remained on her hips. "Why didn't you at least tell me you had something planned?" she asked. "I wanted to spend the day with you."
"You did not inform me either," he reminded her pointedly.
She huffed, annoyance bubbling up again at his remark. But as she glanced at the darkening sky, she realized their anniversary was almost over.
Did she really want to waste what little there was left arguing?
She looked between him and the shiro. "If I pack up the food, can we still go see it?"
He slowly relaxed as he glanced up at the sky. "The moon will be full tonight."
She nodded, then darted back inside, doing her best to preserve as much of the food as possible, especially considering most of Sesshoumaru's was raw.
They'd have to have a picnic tonight instead.
She was still put out that things hadn't gone as planned, but she took a deep breath before she returned—they were supposed to be celebrating.
Could they even truly salvage tonight?
She hesitated as she stepped back into the garden. Maybe she should just call it and try again next—
"Are you ready to leave, mate?"
Her resolve nearly crumpled at his outstretched hand and expectant expression.
"Kagome?" he prompted when she didn't answer him.
Straightening her shoulders, she stepped forward, letting the scent that was uniquely him wash over her, his arm automatically going around her waist.
He launched them into the air without another word, careful to keep her and the basket of food secure.
Wind whipped her hair around, her hand tightening around the basket of food, not looking at him. "How long have you been working on this?"
"Does it matter?" he asked, his tone stiff and displeased.
She stopped herself from snapping at him, nerves still frayed. "It's important to you, so clearly it does."
"I only wished to please you." His quiet confession shook her.
All anger left her, and she couldn't help herself, pressing a small kiss to the underside of his jaw.
His expression softened. "You do not have to accept the gift, Kagome."
"Have I ever refused one before?"
He did not immediately answer, but there was quiet uncertainty in his gaze.
"Sesshoumaru," she bit her lip, not knowing what to say. How could they mend this?
"Yes, mate?" His voice was soft as he glanced ahead of them.
She sighed, looking anywhere but at him. "I am sorry for losing my temper."
His eyes widened as he met her gaze once more. "Perhaps I should have taken greater care to learn your customs as well," he allowed after a moment, "instead of making an assumption about mine."
"We've been mated for a year and still have so much to learn." Sadness filled her tone; their miscommunication had ruined so much.
"I never expected the path of our mating to be a smooth one," he murmured.
He gently ran his claws through her hair. "I would not have chosen another path," he added then.
"I just—" she sighed, enjoying his touch for a moment, "I don't want either of us to get hurt. "
He softened. "Some hurt is unavoidable," he reminded her, though not unkindly.
"How much longer until we arrive at our new home? "
"It is late," he began, but the look she gave him offered no leeway. "If you insist, Kagome."
"I do," she said. And she did, especially considering how put out he was about it. For all the time they'd spent courting, he'd been very laid back with his gifts, offering to switch it out when she'd shown the slightest sign of reproach.
She wanted to see the home he'd made for them. She had a feeling it would be his best present yet—enough to soften the blow of the miscommunication between them.
She just wished the sting of their argument wasn't so fresh—she didn't want it to be tainted.
Her eyes widened as they finally landed, her fingers tightening around the basket. He'd said 'home', but it was more of a cottage, seated between the cliff side and a vast forest, one side surrounded by a simple garden.
Tears pricked her eyes, emotion welling up inside as she took in each detail—how had she ever thought he didn't know her well enough to do something like this?
He grabbed her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "Let me show you the inside."
"It's beautiful, Sesshoumaru," she whispered as she allowed him to lead her inside.
She was silent as he showed off each room, theirs having a view of not only the garden but the valley below, and her hand tightened around his.
Every room showed his care for her: an elaborate and luxurious bathing room, a plush bedroom with a pile of fur similar to mokomoko for them to snuggle in by the fire on cold nights, an outdoor onsen facing the garden, a kitchen complete with an herb and food drying area, several additional bedrooms for her friends to visit, a nursery filled with softness even though his own hadn't been so—she was everywhere in the design.
And all she'd planned for him was a simple dinner.
Now she felt small and unworthy. This had clearly taken far more planning than her own gift.
"How about," he looked at the basket she held with one arm, "we eat the delicious food you prepared and then rest in our bed?"
Relief suffused her. "It sounds like a good way to spend our anniversary," she said, relieved he wasn't pressing the issue.
"Kagome, "he rumbled, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "I apologize for disregarding your tradition earlier. "
She quickly shook her head. "No, I'm at fault, too," she said quietly. "I should have stopped to talk to you about it first so that we could have planned everything together."
He gave her a calculating look. "Perhaps neither of us is one for surprises."
She chuckled wryly. "That's probably a fair assessment," she allowed. "We do better as a team, anyway."
"Indeed." He relieved her of the bag of food, both working together to set the meal up.
And to her relief, conversation began to flow freely between them as they settled down to eat. He praised the food she'd chosen, and she lavished compliments on the house in turn.
Even with how long she'd spent working on their meal, Kagome found no need for sleep, snuggling close as the sun rose over the roof of their new home, light filtering in through open doors and windows.
It was a new day. The day of their anniversary was behind them, but that one day no longer seemed so important.
Not when they had so many more to look forward to.
Artwork by Julytheartist