Fruit Salad by Kitkags

Fruit Salad

AN: originally written for the incredible sesskag discord (if you want to know more about that check the links on my profile, as well as links to my other social media sites!

The midday sun beat down upon the land, forcing the mismatched group of travellers to rest in the shade of a clearing. Trees surrounded them, and Sesshomaru watched as the incredibly strange – in every way – miko spread out a blanket for them all to sit on. “Will you be joining us for our picnic, Sesshomaru-sama?” She asked, brightly, ignoring the glare his half brother sent her way.

Sesshomaru frowned at the foreign word. “Picnic?” There she was again with her strange words to go with everything else.

“Well, it’s just lunch, but it sounds nicer when you say picnic, doesn’t it?” She said, shrugging with a smile and completely ignoring his confusion over the word. As usual.

Not wanting to give away his confusion, especially when the woman always seemed so intent on refusing answers, he just offered a disinterested, “Hn.”

Inuyasha exploded from across the clearing. “Like hell is he eating with us, ‘Gome! It’s bad enough he’s travelling with us now!”

Sesshomaru wasn’t particularly hungry, and he would’ve usually turned down the offer, but the knowledge that it would irritate his half-brother provided him with some amusement, so instead he mentally smirked. “I accept your offer to join your….picnic, Miko.”

Kagome beamed, clapping her hands together. “Great! I’ve brought loads of really cool fruits for everyone to try!” Behind them, Inuyasha cursed and looked like he was about to argue further, but one icy look from the girl sent fluffy white ears flattening, and instead, the hanyou ambled off to a shady tree and slumped beneath it, arms crossed, and amber eyes pinned on his form with a glare. This had become commonplace, and Sesshomaru ignored it easily.

While the Miko busied himself with finding their food in the monstrous yellow bag she insisted she carry around, Sesshomaru sat on the edge of the blanket, under the outstretched branches of a tree. On the other side, the Miko’s other companions sat, eyeing him somewhat wearily before returning to their conversation.

Since joining their group, the Miko – Kagome, as she liked to remind him – had been the main one who would initiate any form of contact. The monk would sometimes try to engage him in conversation but like with most things Sesshomaru had very little interest in the human males’ idle talk. It was tedious.

Kagome, however, was somewhat interesting.

‘For a human.’ He corrected, mentally.

Several sweet and sour scents entered his nose, and he resisted the urge to twitch at the strong scents. Glancing to the miko, he watched as she sliced several fruits and placed them in different containers. Soon they were handed out to each amongst them, before she finally walked towards him with two containers, one in each hand. “Here we are!” She said, thrusting the strange container in his direction. There were many different fruits, some familiar and some unknown.

Golden eyes narrowed as Sesshomaru was once more left confused at the origin of the strange things Kagome seemed to have. “What is this?”

Unbothered by his derisive tone, Kagome rolled her eyes. Once upon a time he would’ve killed a human for less. “It’s a fruit salad!” She said, which gave him more questions than answers. Inching forwards on her knees, she continued to hold it out to him. “Here, take it.”

“Pass.” The daiyoukai was curious, but he also was unwilling to eat her strange human food that he knew nothing about.

Kagome huffed, one hand balling in her green skirt in irritation. “Mou, I’ve cut some up for you now, the least you could do is eat it!” Sesshomaru glanced away, looking off into the distance to show how little he cared for her effort. So preoccupied with his refusal to acknowledge her, he missed the slow cunning smirk. “I guess it can’t be helped. Jeez, you’re so like your brother its unreal, he hates fruit too! I had hoped you would be more cultured.”

Sesshomaru’s attention snapped back to her. “I am not so low in intelligence to fall for your bait, Miko.” Kagome deflated, a disappointed look on her face that was, for some reason, extremely irritating to him. Golden eyes travelled from her pouting face to the container she held, he eyed the various fruits. Their fragrance was sweet, and he was a tiny bit curious. From across the clearing, he could hear his wards exclamations of enjoyment, as the young child feasted upon the food the Miko had given her. Apparently it was quite delicious, so perhaps it wouldn’t be too bad. “I will eat your human food if it would stop you from bothering This Sesshomaru.”

Kagome’s pout transformed into a brilliant smile, and Sesshomaru glanced away, uncomfortable with such an outward show of emotion. She was so like Rin, in that regard. Perhaps that was why he found it difficult to refuse or ignore her?

He took the container from her. It was a strange blue see-through material. Plastic, he had remembered her saying. Placing the box on his lap, he reached in and plucked a red fruit that held several black seeds between his claws. “That’s a strawberry. They’re very sweet.” Kagome informed, helpfully, her bright blue eyes watching him eat the food eagerly.

Golden eyes widened at the explosion of sweetness on his tongue. Somehow it was even sweeter than its scent, and yet it wasn’t sickening. Kagome giggled at his expression. “Delicious right?”

“Hn.”

“Ooh, try this one next!” Kagome pointed to a fruit that was yellow and slimy. Raising an eyebrow at her, he speared it onto a claw, holding the fruit up and waiting for her explanation. “That’s a piece of mango.” The texture was unpleasant, but the taste was once again sweet. “And now this!” In her excitement, Kagome grabbed a slice of orange and held it to his mouth. Sesshomaru was going to admonish her, but one look at his brother, who fumed from behind her, had him opening his mouth and allowing her to feed him. Gold clashed with amber, and Sesshomaru smirked.

The smirk was soon wiped away, however, when the sour taste exploded on his tongue as soon his fangs pierced the soft fruit. Against his will his eyes screwed shut, his lips curling in disgust. From across the clearing, Inuyasha’s low growls turned into peels of hysterical laughter at the sound of his retching.

“Oops, I forgot dogs aren’t keen on citrus!”