This Sesshoumaru Doesn't Do Christmas by SunsetMiko

Playing Santa

This Sesshoumaru Doesn’t Do Christmas

Chapter 41 - Playing Santa

Sunday, December 21, 2008

*The Hero Without a Name* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

"You look great!" Kagome exclaimed as Sesshoumaru stepped out of the orphanage's bathroom in his full Santa getup.

"I look like a fool," he said flatly.

"No, you look like a man who is doing a great thing for some very deserving kids. They'll remember this day for the rest of their lives."

"You truly believe so?" he asked, feeling guilty for wanting to back out. The sight of himself in the mirror wearing a fat suit and a fake beard had nearly been enough for him to try to climb out the second story window to escape what was coming.

"They may never know who you really are, but they'll always remember that you took time out of your life to do something for them."

"Alright then. Let's get this over with."

Sesshoumaru followed Kagome as she led him to the demon children's wing of the orphanage. He sucked up all his personal strength and courage before nodding for her to open the door. The squeals of happy children was nearly deafening when they spotted him, and the taiyoukai winced. This was going to be a long day.

*Labyrinth of Time* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Kagome got Sesshoumaru set up in the chair in front of the background she arranged, and quickly had her camera in hand. She was determined that every child would have a picture or two of themselves with Santa so they could hold on to the good memories they would be making today. Even the best of memories could fade over time, but having a photograph would help them remember that there were good parts of their childhood, even if it was a hard one.

"Alright, guys!" Kagome yelled over the ruckus. "Who wants to be first to sit on Santa's lap? Remember what we talked about yesterday.” Kagome began to remind the children of her instructions the day before. “One at a time. You'll talk to Santa, I'll take your picture, and then you'll get your presents, okay?"

The noise only got louder, and the miko saw the pained look on Sesshoumaru's face.

"Quiet down! We're not starting until everyone is calm!"

Finally, her words seemed to reach the children, and they began to settle down. After a few minutes of wrangling, Kagome had a somewhat orderly line, and they were ready to begin

*Bitter Fruits* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Shippo nearly laughed aloud at the sight the taiyoukai made when he first entered their living space. It was obvious he was uncomfortable, and the kitsune wasn't surprised. That suit had to be heavy and hot, and he didn't doubt that the beard was scratchy and irritating, as well.

After a quick once-over to satisfy his sense of humor, however, the young boy noticed something else. As a kitsune, born to be a magic expert, he was able to see when others were using magic, and he quickly spotted the telltale signs of a concealment spell on the taiyoukai, who also happened to be the boyfriend of the woman he wished would adopt him. He immediately deduced that was what Kagome was so upset about. This inu was hiding things from her in the most basic of ways and not showing her his true self. He had to do something about this. He couldn't allow Kagome to be deceived if he could help it.

Shippo was bitter about his situation, and he blamed the boyfriend for his not having been adopted by the miko, but that wasn't why he was going to do what he was about to. No, this was more important than that. Kagome was a gift from the gods given to all the demon children in the orphanage, and he couldn't allow her to be lied to. Lies only lead to heartbreak, and if something happened to Kagome to break her happy spirit, she might not come back to visit them anymore. This plan of his was entirely humanitarian in nature. He was doing it for all of them.

*Tomboy* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Sesshoumaru had been sat on, spoken with, and handed out gifts to three young demons before it was this little child's turn. The girl couldn't have been more than seven and was dressed in baggy, threadbare boy's clothing. Still, her smile was as bright as the sun, and Sesshoumaru wondered if she wanted to dress like a tomboy or if she had no other choice. His answer came quickly when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas.

"I want dresses," Rin chimed with a light laugh. "Pretty dresses and jewelry. Kagome said I'm too little for makeup and nail polish, but I really want that too."

"Kagome is right, little girl. You are far too young for such things. What is your name?"

"Rin's name is Rin," she replied, demonstrating to the taiyoukai the lack of education these children suffered in a way he could not ignore.

"And were you a good little girl, Rin?"

The child snuggled up to Sesshoumaru as if he were the most comforting person she had ever met and nodded. "Rin was a good girl."

"Well then, let's see what we've got for you in my bag." He nodded to Kagome, who stopped taking photos momentarily to dig out Rin's gifts. Everyone sat in silence, except the children who had already received their presents, to watch the little human girl unwrap her packages. She squealed with joy at each new discovery, and soon she was twirling around in the middle of the floor with a flowing red Christmas dress held up to her body.

The girl was adorable, Sesshoumaru had to admit, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing being housed with the demon children. She showed no fear of either him or the other demons in the room, but she seemed to be the most attached to Kagome. The taiyoukai had to fight down a smile at the girl's enthusiasm as she finished unwrapping her gifts, revealing more of the clothing she had requested, along with a jewelry box full of costume jewelry. After thanking him profusely, Rin set herself up in a corner with all of her new things, studying them closely as if she didn't believe them to be real. The taiyoukai decided he needed to know this child's story.

*Convicted Flower* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

When it was his turn, Shippo hopped up onto the inu taiyoukai's lap and stared him right in the eyes, trying to determine exactly what the male was hiding with his concealment spell. Suddenly it hit him, and he smirked. "So, Santa, where's your ta..."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened, and he quickly interrupted the kit. He knew there was a young kitsune amongst the group of Kagome's orphans, and had even selected the perfect gift for the child to help him hone his natural skills. Why did he not foresee the possibility that the kit would see his spell?! If someone else told Kagome what he was hiding before he could, it might prove disastrous to his relationship with the miko.

"What's your name, child?" Sesshoumaru asked, cutting off the kitsune mid-word. The kit scowled at him but answered politely. He would never be blatantly rude in front of Kagome, especially not now when he felt he might have a better chance of her wanting to adopt one or more of them. Without her demon boyfriend, she would have nothing holding her back.

Shippo went through the whole routine with the taiyoukai Santa, and he was amazed by the gifts he received, especially the one he didn't ask for. It was a magic kit, but not a normal one that might be purchased for a human child. It was real magic, meant to help young kitsune hone their skills. Instantly, he knew that Kagome's boyfriend must have selected it, and he felt a hint of guilt at what he was going to do as soon as he got the chance. Still, though, he had to protect the miko. In his mind, the taiyoukai was guilty of a crime by hiding things from her. She deserved to know the truth.

*Sanctuary* (Stella's Soundtrack Challenge)

Finally it was over, and they were on their way home. He hadn't expected the whole thing to take so long, but his heart did feel lighter for having done such a good deed. Too bad that lightness was balanced out by the heaviness that came with fear. Sesshoumaru had watched the kitsune speaking quietly with Kagome, had witnessed her glancing up at him with wide eyes, and he knew he was in trouble. He just had no idea how much. The miko hadn't been acting any differently than she had been that morning. Perhaps she might have seemed even happier, but that could have been because of the children. Still, she hadn't said a word about what Shippo had said to her so Sesshoumaru was left wondering and hoping the kit had kept his little mouth shut about what he saw.

His curiosity over the human child was overwhelming, and as he drove, the taiyoukai inquired as to why Rin was housed with the demons.

"Oh, that's a sad story," Kagome replied. She knew he was trying to take his mind off his worries, and she didn't mind helping for a short while. Tomorrow, she and Sango would be doing a bit of research and soon after that, all the deception would end. Until then, the miko couldn't help but be in a light mood. She basically knew what Sesshoumaru was hiding from her, as well as why he was so tired that he required naps. Relief had brightened her mood so much so that nothing could bring her down, not even talking about Rin.

"It was a home invasion. Someone broke in and robbed her family. The father fought back, and they killed him right in front of his wife and Rin. The mother died later from injuries she sustained trying to protect her daughter. Rin managed to run off and hide. The police didn't find her for almost two days, and when they did, it was a detective who happened to be a demon."

"The attackers were human, then?"

"Yeah, and ever since, she's been terrified of humans. Several couples tried to adopt her in the beginning, but she wouldn't go near them. She would scream bloody murder if they tried to touch her. Finally, the staff at the orphanage stuck her with the demon children, and she's really thrived there. It's like her sanctuary from human contact. She never said a word while she was housed with the human children. She was even afraid of them."

"But she does not fear you."

"Yeah, I think maybe I look similar to her mother. She's loved me since the first moment she saw me. She's such a sweet thing. I wish there was some way to get her over her fear so she could be adopted. Being stuck in with the demon children means she gets little to no attention or care, just like the rest of them, and she still could have a chance at a normal life, if only she wasn't so scared."