The Checklist by sesshomarusama33

Caring? Check.

It's a little late, but here it is!

This is for see03's "Superior Sense of Smell" Challenge!

Prompt: Caring

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“Sesshomaru-sama is awfully quiet today…” Came the voice of Sango, staring at the back of the taiyoukai as he lead the group to Kaede’s village.

“As if he’s ever talkative.” Inuyasha replied, folding his arms behind his head as he smirked, glaring to his brother. “The bastards still pissed that Kagome almost purified him. Serves him right!”

“Inuyasha, sit boy!” Kagome yelled, sending the hanyou two feet into the dirt.

“Oi! What the hell was that for?!” Inuyasha grumbled, spitting out pebbles as he tried to raise himself from the ground.

“Don’t be so rude to the poor guy! I tried apologizing,” she responded, putting her hands on her hips and staring at the youkai before her.

“Sesshomaru-sama is not mad, Kagome!” Rin giggled, pulling on the older miko’s skirt. Kagome turned her head towards the little girl, blinking curiously towards her.

“What do you mean? He hasn’t even said a word.” Kagome rambled, looking back and forth between Rin and Sesshomaru.

“If Sesshomaru-sama was mad at you, then he’d throw a rock at you!” Rin smiled, holding a hand to her lips as she whispered to the young woman, “He does it to Jaken-sama all the time.”

“Oh, I gotcha.” Kagome whispered back, glancing over to the kappa, who was obediently following his Lord.

“So, what do I do know?” Kagome asked, wondering what she might could say to him to make him forgive her for nearly purifying him.

“I always give him flowers. You could try that!” Rin smiled, pointing to a small field of flowers not too far from their location. Kagome paled, groaning softly at the little girl.

“Rin, it would mean something different if I picked Sesshomaru flowers, than if you picked them for him.” Kagome tried to explain, feeling her cheeks start to blush from the idea of bringing the taiyoukai flowers.

“I don’t understand… is it not a nice gesture to give flowers for someone you care about?” Rin asked, feeling a bit confused from Kagome’s last statement.

“Well, it is a nice gesture… but it has two different meanings.” Kagome tried, hoping that Rin might get the hint of what she was saying.

“You care about Sesshomaru-sama, so how would giving him flowers mean something different?” Rin responded, scratching the back of her head while glancing back and forth between Kagome and Sesshomaru.

“Why do you think I care about-”

“…because you’re trying to apologize to him, and you keep staring at him. You’re looking at him like my mommy did to my daddy!” Rin smiled, giggling softly at the funny expression that was passing through Kagome’s face.

“…do what now?”

Just what was this little girl saying?!

“It’s okay, I won’t tell Sesshomaru-sama that you’re in love with him… and I won’t tell him that you’re trying to pick flowers for him!” Rin winked, running towards Sesshomaru and falling in to step next to him.

Kagome felt her brow twitching at this point, as her arms shook at her sides.

‘Why, that little… she knew all along?!’

The more Kagome thought about it, though, the more she came to realize that she might actually like the guy.

Looking back to the field, she blushed deeply.

Perhaps flowers weren’t out of the question?

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The sun started to set as the group decided to stop and rest for the night, making camp a little ways from the trail they were traveling.

Sesshomaru had not said a word since he and the miko had their little quarrel, but it was for a different reason than what the group was thinking.

He was halfway through his list, and she was passing every single requirement!

Well, aside from being a human, she was passing his checklist.

Though, he found a growing attraction the human miko as each day passed…

‘That woman cannot be this one’s mate. It is unacceptable.’

He had been sitting at a tree for the past twenty or so minutes, lost deep into thought, before the woman that had been plaguing his mind approached him with a flushed face.

“Sesshomaru,” she spoke, trembling slighty as she kept her hands behind her back, “I wanted to apologize-”

“It is unnecessary.” He replied, his deep voice causing the girl to jump slightly.

“Well, I felt really bad for what happened… and I just wanted to say it again.” She glanced down to her feet as she held out a bouqet of flowers that she and Rin had picked.

Sesshomaru stared at the flowers, golden honey eyes carefully calculating what they meant.

‘She is expressing… love? She… cares for this one?’

Going over the list in his mind, he mused on the fourth requirement, cursing silently as she had, once again, met another requirement.

‘Damn.’

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