Traditions by Kogasangel

Traditions

Disclaimer:  I don't own IY, his friends or family, or a pumpkin patch.

~!~

Kagome smiled as she watched the stoic youkai lord wander around the patch.  Rin was pulling him along and laughing as she tried to find the perfect pumpkin that would adorn their front steps this Halloween.  Sesshomaru, despite mellowing out quite a bit over the years they had known each other, looked highly uncomfortable and Kagome knew that if it had been anyone else besides her and Rin, he would have refused to come along.

When Rin finally found her pumpkin, she squealed with delight and pointed.  “This is the one Rin wants!”  She declared and watched with excited eyes as her guardian stooped down, cut the pumpkin off of its vine and then preceded to pick it up and carry it over to where Kagome stood.  Once he set it down, the older man who was selling the pumpkin smiled indulgently as Rin began to babble about how excited she was to take it home and carve it.  Once the pumpkin had been paid for, Kagome followed Rin to the car and turned to watch as Sesshomaru followed them, the pumpkin firmly held in his arms.

Once they returned home, Kagome quickly began working on dinner as her mate and his ward began the task of cutting and gutting the pumpkin, then smiled when Sesshomaru’s talented claws neatly carved the face that Rin had chosen for her pumpkin.  Once a candle had been placed into the center of the cut out and cleaned pumpkin, Sesshomaru quietly followed Rin and carefully set it down in the location she had chosen to showcase the pumpkin.  Finally, Rin trotted off after making him promise that they could light the candle before she went to bed so she could see how her pumpkin will look on the night of Halloween, and Kagome slid up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“You know, it was very nice of you to suggest going to the pumpkin patch and getting a pumpkin to carve.”  She said and when he turned in her arms, she look up into his bright, golden eyes as his arms wrapped around her.

“When Inu Yasha was a pup, his mother insisted on making pumpkin carving a tradition.  She said that just because we were youkai and Inu Yasha was a hanyou did not mean that we should not partake in the excitement.”  He explained and watched as his mate nodded.  “I suppose it is my way of carrying on with the tradition, even though it is just the three of us.”

“Tradition is important to you, isn’t it?”  Kagome asked and watched as he nodded. 

Sesshomaru knew that in youkai society, it was not common for a youkai to take a human mate, though many youkai dated humans; it was tradition to mate their own kind.  Therefore, he intended to provide as many traditions to his little family as he could, just because it would bring them closer as a family.  When Kagome finally bore him an heir, their pup would also follow and continue those traditions, he would make sure of it.

“Traditions are something that we can look forward to as a family.”  He said and allowed the back of his claw to softly run across her cheek in an affectionate caress.

Both were quiet for a moment, but then Rin’s voice drifted down to them and Sesshomaru sighed.  “Sesshomaru-sama, Rin’s pumpkin might get lonely and will need a friend.  Can we go and get another pumpkin?”

Kagome bit back a giggle and glanced up at her perplexed mate.  “Well, look at it this way, the tradition for Halloween should be that instead of one, we get two pumpkins so they won’t get lonely.  Your father would be so proud.”  She said and then broke out into giggles as he sighed and pulled away.  He could hear Rin’s thundering footsteps as she descended down the stairs and he pulled his car keys out of his pocket and motioned for her to go and get in the car.

Kagome watched as her mate drove away with Rin bouncing in the backseat and talking a mile a minute and then turned and walked to the telephone.  Speaking of traditions….

Kagome dialed her mother’s phone number and waited for the line to be picked up.  When it finally was, Kagome smiled and said, “Mom, we’ll be there around five o’clock for trick-or-treating and then dinner afterwards.”

When her mother asked if Sesshomaru would mind staying for dinner, Kagome smiled.  “Of course not.  After all, it’s our family's tradition.”