A Mere Token by dreamcatcher

A Mere Token

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and my new created figures.

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A/N: This is based on the wonderful YoukaiYume´s picture strip „A Mere Token“ ( http://youkaiyume.deviantart.com/gallery/187071#/d2veaqz ) Thank you so much for allowing me to use it. I am honored. - If you don´t know her art have a look!

A/N: This is written for Smortz as a „Get-Well-Soon“. She also corrected it for me. Thank you, love, I hope you still enjoy it.

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It was such a wonderful, early summer day. It had been raining nearly constantly for the last two weeks and so the young miko was grateful that the sun had finally returned. It´s soft rays warmth fell through the thick branches of the surrounding forest trees and warmed her back. She was happy to be out here alone, to be able to get some fresh air and think.

Kagome had wandered a good way into the forest surrounding the village and sat her little basket down. Humming silently, she began to gather different herbs. Lifting one particular plant, she looked at it fondly while she listed in her head its name and uses. Handling it with much-needed care, she put it in her basket and continued to grab the next.

Falling in a steady, well-known routine, she gathered the herbs while she let her thoughts wander. Lately, life had been good, and even if it had been a rocky start, she was now happy with her place in the world. It has been nearly two years since her final return to the feudal era and things had come out differently from what everyone had expected.

After her return, she had spent more quality time with her hanyō, both wanting to continue their relationship at the point where they had been forced to end it. They often crept away from the village and tried to spend as much time alone as possible. The two of them had talked a lot, but soon the young woman noticed that she could no longer see her friend as a possible lover.

While she had matured a lot in the three years that had been spent apart, he had seemed to have only come to be a little wiser and less rash, but he had not matured much. It had been one of hardest things in her life to sit him down and talk to him. Finally, both of them had decided that they wanted to be siblings of the heart but no longer try to force love to come.

So now, while she missed her parents and her brother, she was glad to have a newfound brother in him and to be a faithful, spoiling aunt for Sango´s and Miroku´s children. Also, she had found herself in a slightly unexpected role as a mother, not only for Shippo, but also for Rin. It had all begun so harmless.

At first, Kagome had moved in with Kaede so she had a place to live. Sesshōmaru had left Rin there after the final battle so the little girl could learn the ways and behaviors of her own kind. Shippo, not wanting to live with Sango and Miroku, also lived in the hut if he was not at the kitsune school and only Inuyasha had a small hut all to himself.

After some fortnights, Kagome began to school the children of the village. Sitting under a tree, in the middle of the village, she taught them to read, write and to do simple mathematics. It had taken only short time to make her the educator of the whole village. Next to this, she had begun to learn the traditional ways of a miko from Kaede.

Unfortunately, Kaede had become quite fragile over the time of her absence. Kagome  took over more and more of her duties and began to look after the young kit and the little girl. Nearly a year had gone by, when one day, the Western Lord had asked her to accompany him for a walk.

He had told her rather bluntly that he had decided to take her in as pack and that from now on she had the position as Rin´s guardian within the village. When she had asked him, while slightly amused over his rash ways, if she had a say in this, Sesshōmaru had informed her that he had been asking not ordering.

Remembering this particular point brought a small smile on the young woman´s face and she could not help but wonder what he would have done, had she not given in almost instantly. Afterwards, they had talked from time to time and she had found herself enjoying the company of the intelligent, silent male more and more.

A large shadow fell over the young woman and startled her from her thoughts. Turning her head fast, herbs still in her hands, she looked at the stoic face of the inu she had just been thinking about. Her startling blue eyes widened slightly in recognition as she took in his well-known appearance. Towering, he looked down at her, an unreadable expression in those golden eyes.

In his clawed hand, he held a small wrapped package of silk, and for a moment, she could have sworn that his face had softened while he looked at her. Shaking her head to shoo the ridiculous thought away, she looked up to him.

"Good afternoon, Sesshōmaru-sama." Rising to her feet, the miko smiled and bowed slightly in greeting to him. "I assume you bring something for Rin?" She pointed at the package in his hand. At his nod, she turned away and pointed in direction of the village. "She is with Kaede-baa-san. You will not miss her. She will be delighted to see you."

Another slight nod and the Western Lord passed her, leaving as silently as he had come. Kagome could not help herself as she stood there in her befitting traditional miko robe and waved him a silent goodbye as he made his way down to the village. A soft breeze lifted his trailing tail and lifted it together with some dry leaves a bit off the ground.

With a soft smile, Kagome turned her head to follow them with her gaze as they floated lazily away in the warm wind. A soft sigh escaped her as she turned once more to take up her task to gather more herbs. Her gaze fell in her little basket and a soft gasp of surprise escaped her. There, on top of her herbs, lay a small, delicate flower which she had definitely not put in there.

The pink center faded to white over the five little pedals. The miko was a bit unsure, but if she was right, this was a very rare lily. One she had mentioned in her last talk with the lord. She had seen them only once in modern times and had never been able to forget them ever since. Bending down, she carefully picked the little token up.

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"Kagome-okaa-san!" Came Rin´s cheery call, as the little girl lifted her hand and waved enthusiastically to greet the elder woman. The sun was already deep behind her as she ran to her under the watchful gaze of Kaede. The young girl wore a new kimono with a tasteful pattern of huge flowers and a matching obi.

Laughing, Kagome waved back while she slowly made her way over to them; the basket with her herbs securely under her arm. As the young woman reached Rin, she knelt down, put her basket aside and clapped her hands. Rin twirled in excited circles to showoff of her wonderful present from her yōkai guardian.

None of them noticed the large figure standing on a thick branch, hidden in the leaves of a gigantic tree at the border of the village. He watched the little girl twirl and the young woman laugh with her. He watched how she lifted a hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide her beautiful smile and a soft gasp escaped him as he took in how she seemed to glow in happiness.

With satisfaction, he noticed how the wonderful flower was now in her hair, complimenting her exotic looks. A rare smile flickered over his handsome features while he could hardly take his eyes away from the picture in front of him. The bothersome things he had gone through to gain this mere little token had been more than worth it, to see the young woman that hunted his thoughts lately.

After he had learned of her decisions regarding his half-brother, he had found him more and more often seeking her company. He took in her radiant smile and how she discreetly touched the flower in her hair. At that moment, he knew he would return for more, and with one, last look, he turned swiftly and vanished as silently as he came.

Already, his head was working on ways to make this smile more permanent. A woman who could be happy over such a mere token was more than worthy of his attentions.

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A/N: I saw the picture strip and knew I had to write this. I really hope you enjoyed it and be so kind and give me a review. Thank you!