Chapter 21 - Too Much Food

Barathrum - pit, abyss, the underworld (Stella's Latin Challenge)

Kagome had prepared a nice boxed lunch for their date, unsure as to whether Sesshoumaru would think to prepare one as well. She couldn't help but grin at the thought. She was going on a lunch date with a Feudal Lord. It felt so strange, sounded even stranger, and she imagined that it would end up being strange as well. If the taiyoukai did come prepared to feed them, the miko would simply leave hers behind. Her friends were already eying the packages of goodies jealously.

She glanced at her watch and then the sky, wondering when he would arrive. It wasn't as if Lord Sesshoumaru wore a watch like she did. No, he would tell time based on the position of the sun in the sky. Would he be the type to show up early, thinking to impress her? Would he be so completely anal that he showed up on the dot? She couldn't very well blame him if he was a few minutes late. Telling time via the sun wasn't an exact science, unless he had a sundial lying around.

As the minutes ticked by, Kagome grew more and more nervous. What was she thinking, going off alone with Sesshoumaru? True love or not, it was kind of scary, the kind of worry you felt down in the pit of your stomach. No, she wasn't frightened of the big, bad taiyoukai but what if she said the wrong thing and upset him? Would he up and leave her alone in the middle of the forest? No, she assured herself. He believed himself to be in love with her. He would never risk her safety.

This whole dating thing was going to be interesting. She had no idea how one would realistically date in the Feudal Era. There were very few restaurants, more like roadside food stands and inns. There certainly weren't any movie theaters. There was no mall to hang out at together and window shop. What in the world would they do besides picnic? This had the possibility of getting very boring very quickly if Sesshoumaru didn't have some kind of ideas.

Kagome looked up the second she felt a powerful aura approaching. She couldn't help but smile at the taiyoukai. He looked much as he always did, but there was this air about him, as if he'd put in extra effort to be attractive that morning. His armor sparkled in the sunlight, his boots were highly shined, and his sash was tied just so. Only then did Kagome realize that she must have spent a lot of time looking at Sesshoumaru in the past, to notice such minute differences. A blush stained her cheeks. Sure, she'd admired him before. He was an attractive male! But to see the little tidbits that proved he'd preened himself a little extra that morning told her she'd done more than just a little admiring.

Blanditia - flattery, allurement, attraction, charm (Stella's Latin Challenge)

Sesshoumaru waited until he was in speaking range before smirking at the stunned looking, blushing miko. She looked beautiful with that flush of pink in her cheeks and the sight of it had his mind going naughty places. Just what was she blushing about anyway?

"Greetings, Kagome," he said, carefully enunciating every syllable of her name in a way that made the miko shiver.

"Hi, Sesshoumaru," the miko replied, suddenly a whole lot more nervous. This was really happening, right now. She was going on a date with Sesshoumaru, the Lord of the Western Lands, the Aristocratic Assassin, the Killing Perfection, the hottest guy she'd ever laid eyes on. That last one brought her mind to a screeching halt and Kagome forced herself to breathe slowly until she was calm once more. "I made us lunch, just in case you didn't."

The taiyoukai's lips quirked down in a tiny, almost imperceptible frown, but Kagome saw it.

"If you already have something planned, the others will eat this. It's fine. I just wanted to make sure we had food."

"I have, in fact, arranged something," he said, trying not to let his irritation show. He was not so foolish as to have a date for a meal and not provide something to eat and he didn't appreciate that she thought he was.

"Okay. I know I wasn't really clear when I set up the date, that's all. So, where are we going?" Kagome felt like she needed to know ahead of time, so that Inuyasha knew where she was, just like her mother would want to know their plans before allowing her out of the house on a date in her time.

"To the palace," he informed her.

"Showing off already," Inuyasha chimed in, unable to stay silent any longer. He didn't like the way Kagome had dolled herself up for this 'date'. She was wearing a blue sundress that matched her eyes and she looked absolutely stunning. The fact that the taiyoukai hadn't yet complimented her appearance, however, had him grinning. Sesshoumaru had no idea what he was doing, trying to court a human woman. That much was obvious.

"Inuyasha," Kagome scolded. "Hush." Turning her attention back to the taiyoukai, she smiled brightly. "Sounds like fun. Shall we?"

Sesshoumaru smirked and held out his arm for the miko to take. She accepted it and walked away from her companions without another word.

"You look absolutely stunning," the taiyoukai murmured at the miko, who blushed once again.

"Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself."

"Damn it," Inuyasha muttered to himself. He could only hope the date went poorly so they could put an end to this charade. There was no way Sesshoumaru and Kagome were meant to be a couple. It just didn't make sense.