All children had some area of interest they seemed fixated upon: fire trucks or dogs, princesses or dinosaurs.
For Rin, it was flowers.
Sesshoumaru didn’t have a green thumb or much knowledge about flowers – certainly not as much as little Rin, who could list different types and whatnot in droves.
But despite these failings, Sesshoumaru found ways to indulge and delight his daughter.
In spring, summer and autumn, Sesshoumaru often took Rin to parks and gardens and botanical gardens. Luckily, Tokyo boasted several of each.
They’d have picnics or long walks. He’d loan Rin his camera and let her photograph the flowers to her heart’s content.
Sometimes he brought along a book and they’d find a nice spot somewhere to sit for a while and he would read to her.
Rin loved these excursions, that much was obvious from the sparkle he could always see in her eyes.
But the winters were a special time.
The parks and gardens of course did not provide much in the way of flowers during wintertime – aside from the greenhouses of course.
So their winter routine was something a little different.
Near Rin’s school, and along the route they typically walked home, stood a flower shop.
It was named Full Bloom and run by a knowledgeable old woman, who had patience enough to answer Rin’s multitude of questions every time they came into the store.
And they stopped by the store frequently, almost every other day.
Sesshoumaru would stand to the side, letting Rin explore. The shop was a decent size and boasted a wide selection of flowers, which was why it had become a favourite for them.
Rin would flit from one display to the next, always pointing out something new, asking questions here and there, and quite obviously having the time of her life.
She wanted to have a flower shop when she grew up, Rin often told both the old lady at Full Bloom and Sesshoumaru while they were walking home.
They never left the shop empty-handed. Roses or lilies, carnations or gerberas, Sesshoumaru always ended up buying a bouquet of some kind to bring home, so Rin could continue to enjoy the flowers there.
It was a comfortable routine, one which Rin greatly enjoyed and Sesshoumaru tolerated.
Until December came.
That Friday afternoon, Sesshoumaru stepped into the shop, following his enthusiastic daughter. Right away, just standing in the doorway he knew something had changed.
Something in the shop felt different. It didn’t take long to pinpoint the cause for the change; it became evident right away as the bright greeting rang out.
“Hello!”
Sesshoumaru looked over to the counter, met the warm blue eyes, saw the welcoming smile.
Sesshoumaru blinked slowly and inclined his head.
Rin, of course, was already making friends, beaming up at the young woman behind the counter.
“Hi! I’m Rin. Are you new?”
“Hello, Rin, nice to meet you! Yes, I am, I only started last week.”
“Is it fun to work at a flower shop?”
“It’s really fun,” the woman replied with a laugh.
“What’s your favourite flower?” Rin asked.
“Well now, it’s hard to pick just one, isn’t it?”
“It is! I love all flowers,” Rin readily agreed.
Sesshoumaru stayed to the side, watching the exchange. The new shop clerk and Rin seemed to have hit it off instantly. She had come around from behind the counter and was now wandering the shop with Rin while the two chatted.
Sesshoumaru’s gaze followed them. He was not sure why, but his attention kept veering towards the new shop clerk. Something about the way she interacted with Rin warmed his heart and he found himself smiling.
Then Rin turned to him from one of the cooling cabinets they kept the cut flowers in.
“Dad, come look!”
Sesshoumaru obliged, strolling over to the pair of them.
“Look how cute those pink carnations are, can we get them?”
Sesshoumaru turned to the new shop clerk, once again meeting those mesmerising blue eyes.
“We’ll take a dozen,” he intoned.
“Wonderful,” the shop clerk replied cheerfully.
She opened the cabinet and started pulling out the flowers from the display vase, arranging them into a neat bouquet in her hand.
Sesshoumaru tried not to stare at her fingers.
Back at the counter, the clerk wrapped up the carnations with care.
Rin was bouncing in her spot until finally Sesshoumaru passed the bouquet to her.
He paid for the flowers, allowed himself one last lingering glance at the smiling new clerk and followed Rin out of the flower shop.
She chattered about flowers and the new shop clerk all the way home.
And all that evening, when Sesshoumaru caught sight of the pink carnations he and Rin had set on their kitchen table, his mind turned back to a pair of blue eyes and a bright smile.
* * * * * * * *
Ending up working at a flower shop had been a happy accident for Kagome. So far in life, she’d been doing what was expected of her. She’d gone to university though her grades had never been so great. She had found a job as an office lady, which had been fine.
But she had never really stopped to think about what she wanted to do in life.
And then she had heard that Kaede, an old family friend of the Higurashis, was looking for an apprentice.
She was getting on the years and was looking for someone who could take the flower shop in hand, share some of the responsibility so she might cut down on her work hours somewhat.
Kagome had offered to help over the weekends until Kaede could find a proper apprentice.
After a month spent helping around in the flower shop, humming to herself while she worked and feeling cheerful and energised and content in a way she realised she hadn’t been feeling in a while, Kagome had quit her job at the office.
She’d asked Kaede to take her on full-time as an apprentice, and the old woman had gratefully agreed.
Kaede was a lovely and thoughtful boss, though she could be strict and particular as well. She had so much knowledge about running the shop and Kagome came in every day, eager to learn all that she could.
Working every day surrounded by flowers was also great. The wealth of colours and scents never failed to lift her mood.
And the customers were often super nice too.
Especially Kagome’s favourite customer, the little girl who came to the shop every Monday and Friday without a fail. She was always so excited and full of questions and seemed to have such a genuine love for flowers.
She was always accompanied by her father, who seemed a bit aloof. Yet Kagome couldn’t help sneaking glances at him whenever they came to the shop.
He was a very handsome man and the way he interacted with his daughter and the obvious caring bond between the father and daughter just about melted Kagome’sheart.
She always looked forward to their visits to the shop.
Kagome even talked about these regular customers with Kaede and learned that they’d been visiting the shop regularly, especially during the winter months, for the past three years.
A few not so subtle questions also let Kagome know that though the little girl Rin mostly came in with her father and had on some occasions too been accompanied by her grandmother, her mother had never stepped a foot in the store.
Ridiculous as it was, the knowledge gave Kagome’s silly daydreams some hope.
And then one Friday, not long before Christmas, as the girl and her father were visiting the shop again, in the middle of sneaking glances at him, answering the girl’s questions and trying to surreptitiously draw the father into a conversation, Kagome got an idea.
Being Kagome, she didn’t give the idea any further thought but blurted it out loud as soon as the light bulb lit up in her head.
“Would you be interested in flower arranging?” Kagome asked the girl.
She clapped her hands together, smiled wide.
“Flower arranging sounds wonderful!”
Kagome slanted a glance at the girl’s father.
“I was thinking I might start giving classes next year,” she explained.
He nodded and for a few delicious moments their gazes locked.
“That sounds like an interesting idea,” he said, offering her a small smile that made Kagome’s stomach flutter.
“Thanks. I hope to see you there.”
Kagome didn’t realise what she’d said before the words were already out of her mouth.
Her eyes widened and she looked quickly away as her cheeks grew hot.
“I’m sure Rin will be delighted to attend,” he replied.
“I’d love to go to flower arranging classes,” the girl piped up, obviously giddy at the prospect.
“I’ll let you know the details then, when I have it all organised,” Kagome promised, thankful that her slip hadn’t upset him.
Because she was sure she was still blushing, Kagome turned her focus on Rin.
“And what kind of flowers would you like today, young miss?”
“Yellow roses!” the girl replied instantly.
“An excellent choice.” Kagome smiled. “Let’s go and have a look, shall we?”
* * * * * * * *
Sesshoumaru’s steps were lighter as they approached the familiar flower shop. His heart was picking up speed as he walked through the door after Rin.
He had started looking forward to these visits exponentially more ever since the new shop clerk had started working in Full Bloom.
His golden gaze swept the store, seeking its target.
Finding her, standing to the side arranging a flower display, his shoulders slumped with relief and the world grew brighter.
Rin had already crossed the shop to her.
“Merry Christmas, Kagome!” she greeted her, holding out the card she’d made.
“Oh, what’s this? How sweet! Thank you so much, Rin, merry Christmas to you too!”
Kagome turned the card in her hand, admiring the flowers Rin had painstakingly drawn.
“Such a pretty card! Those orchids turned out great!”
Rin beamed at her. “Thank you!”
The exchange warmed Sesshoumaru to his toes. Every visit, he was enjoying more and more the way Kagome took time to really interact with Rin.
He knew she must be busy, yet she always gave them her undivided attention.
Sesshoumaru rather liked that.
He walked over to them and cleared his throat. He tried not to preen when Kagome looked up at him.
“Here, Merry Christmas and thank you for all your assistance this year,” Sesshoumaru said, handing out a small gift bag.
“Oh, really, this is too much,” Kagome stammered, as she accepted the bag.
“It’s my favourite chocolates,” Rin piped up. “I thought you’d like them!”
“I love chocolate,” Kagome replied. “Thank you so much.”
She smiled and Sesshoumaru smiled back, unable to help himself.
His gaze dipped down to her lips, lingered there for a fleeting second.
“I, ah, actually have something for you too,” Kagome said. “Gimme a sec.”
She rushed over to the counter and returned, giving flyers to the both of them.
“For the flower arrangement classes,” she explained, a becoming flush tinting her cheeks.
“Thank you,” Sesshoumaru said.
He had little personal interest in flower arrangement, but Rin would want to go.
And he wouldn’t mind at all seeing more of Kagome.
Sesshoumaru paused at that thought.
Unease skittered across his skin, but as the saying went, fortune favoured the bold.
He really hoped there was some truth in that.
“This is probably both sudden and forward and I apologise for that, but I simply have to ask…”
“Yes?” Kagome asked, sounding a little breathless.
“If you don’t have any plans for Christmas, I’d be honoured if you’d join me – and Rin – for a Christmas dinner.”
Time seemed to slow as he waited, his heart pounding in his ears, his nerves raw. Rin had wrapped her little hand in his and seemed to be waiting with a bated breath.
Kagome’s blue eyes were wide and soft as she looked at him, her mouth open in surprise.
“I…” she swallowed and blushed. “I’d love to.”
“Great,” Sesshoumaru said, triumph roaring in his veins. “I’ll look forward to seeing you.”
“Yay,” Rin cried, rushing forward to hug Kagome’s legs.
Sesshoumaru dug his hand into his coat pocket, picking out a slim metal case from which he drew a business card.
“Here’s my number.”
Kagome took the card, pressed it to her chest.
“Thank you.”
Their eyes met and for a moment they simply stared at one another, while the air around them thickened.
Then, Rin spoke up.
“I think we’ll need Christmassy flowers today.”
Kagome laughed. With one last quick smile at Sesshoumaru, she turned her attention to Rin.
“Of course. Let’s go have a look at what we have.”
Kagome led Rin to a display, their heads bent together as they chatted animatedly together.
Sesshoumaru followed at a more leisure pace.
He looked at them, the young woman and his young daughter talking about the topic that was close to both their hearts.
The sight made his own heart swell. A strange sense of giddiness was creeping over him.
He was fairly sure he was grinning.
In that moment, Sesshoumaru was absolutely certain of one thing.
He couldn’t wait for Christmas.
He had a feeling it might yet be the best one he’d ever had.