Dear Santa... by Luna

Stage One

Standard disclaimer applies. I do not own Inuyasha.

Because I'm in the Christmas spirit, I'm gonna write one more Christmas story. This story will be be a 3-shot story, about the different stages of Sesshoumaru's life, and the one girl who's been a part of every single moment.

I hope you enjoy!

...

Dear Santa…

Stage One

By: Luna

…

“There are three stages of man: he believes in Santa Claus; he does not believe in Santa Claus; he is Santa Claus.”

- Bob Phillips

…

Kagome was huddled at her kitchen table, frowning in concentration at the blank sheet of paper before her. The smell of cookies and the sound of her mother’s humming filled the air, but not even the familiar could soothe her. Sighing in frustration, she threw down her pencil and crossed her arms with a mulish pout.

Sesshoumaru looked up from the other side, then rolled his eyes at her and went back to his list. Sesshoumaru was her childhood playmate; he was always here with her. She didn’t remember a time when he wasn’t there with her. He moved into her neighborhood a few months ago, and she had found him outside of his grand home looking a little lost and lonely. Running up to him, she made him play with her, and ever since then they’d been at each other’s side.

His parents always seemed to be busy, and Kagome never saw Sesshoumaru with them. If she hadn’t been introduced to them one time when she had been playing at his house, she would have continued with her belief that they didn’t exist, and that Sesshoumaru lived alone with a house full of people that walked around in those weird black and white uniforms. She didn’t understand why all the men walked around in suits, or why the girls walked around in black dresses with white aprons; Sesshoumaru told her that they were uniforms, but if it had been her, she would have chosen something a little bit prettier.

When she told him that, Sesshoumaru confided, telling her that his mother made sure none of the servants were attractive; he was told by his mother about his fathers “wandering eye” but didn’t know what that meant. Kagome didn’t either, but now every time she saw Taisho-sama she kept an lookout for any weird eyes on his face.

Sesshoumaru was her best friend, and he always would be. She wouldn’t let a little thing like a parent with weird eyes stand between them.

She once heard her mother call Sesshoumaru a “Poor little boy,” but Kagome didn’t understand why. He lived in a big house, had lots of money, and was able to hang out with her every day. What more could he want? Her mother told her that she should be nice to Sesshoumaru, not to bully him, and try to cheer him up every day. At first, Kagome was insulted; she was not a bully. She just liked things to go her way, that was all. Sesshoumaru never seemed to mind…

Sighing again, she rested her chin on the table and blew her pencil towards where Sesshoumaru scribbled. Sitting up straight, she looked at his paper with a scowl. “Sesshou, it’s supposed to be a list, not a letter. What if Santa doesn’t like to read?”

Sesshoumaru hunched over his letter protectively, glaring at her with his pretty golden eyes. “He does too! You always see him reading in pictures!”

“Hmph. What are you writing?” She leaned over trying to see.

He hunched further over his letter. “It’s private.”

Kagome’s jaw dropped. “What?! Why can’t I see? I’ll show you mine!”

“You don’t even have anything yet!”

“Do too!” Because she knew Sesshoumaru hated cats, that was the first thing on the top of her list. “See? Now show me!”

“No!”

“You better, or I’m telling your mommy!” Kagome tried to snatch the paper.

“Go ahead! She won’t care anyways!” He yanked it out of her reach.

“Now, now,” Mrs. Higurashi soothed, running a hand down Sesshoumaru’s silky hair before ruffling Kagome’s. “Kagome, Sesshoumaru doesn’t have to show you if he doesn’t want to.”

Kagome’s jaw dropped. “What? That’s not fair! I showed him mine!”

Mrs. Higurashi tugged on a lock of Kagome’s hair. “You’ll each see what you’ll get at Christmas. Once you’re done making your Christmas list, give it to me and I’ll send it to Santa.” Smiling a little, she looked down at Sesshoumaru. “Sesshoumaru-chan, you’ll spend Christmas with us, won’t you?”

Sesshoumaru’s eyes went wide with hope. “Can I? Please?”

“Hmph.” Kagome sat back with a pout, doodling on her paper. “Of course you are. You’re family, stupid.”

Mrs. Higurashi had to turn away, tears pricking her eyes at the joy in Sesshoumaru’s eyes at Kagome’s words. “That’s right,” she managed. “You’re family. Why don’t you ask permission to spend the night with us on Christmas Eve?”

“Oh, I’ll be able to!” Sesshoumaru said eagerly. “They’re never home, and they don’t care what I do. So I can? Really? I can stay the night?”

“Of course, dear.” Mrs. Higurashi escaped out of the kitchen, not wanting the children to catch her as she left to cry a little.

As soon as her mother left, Kagome looked up from her paper. “You’re really not gonna let me see?”

Sesshoumaru looked down, a blush making his round cheeks go red. “It’s a secret.”

“Why?” Kagome asked. She was actually a little hurt; why wouldn’t Sesshoumaru let her see?

Sesshoumaru pushed the plate full of cookies towards her, his way of silently apologizing. “Because I want to know if he’s real.”

“Who? Santa?” Kagome snorted. “Of course he’s real.”

Looking down, Sesshoumaru’s eyes were sad, and he had that lonely expression Kagome hated. Why was he lonely when she was right here? “He’s never gotten me anything before.”

Kagome’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “No way! Really?”

Nodding, Sesshoumaru’s eyes brooded over his letter. “My presents were always from my parents. The servants also gave me gifts too.”

Contemplating that, Kagome asked, “Well, have you ever written him a list?”

Sesshoumaru blinked. “No.”

Rolling her eyes, Kagome picked up her pencil, suddenly determined. “Well, that’s it, stupid! He never knew what you wanted. C’mon, if we finish we can ask Mom if we can go the playground.”

Sesshoumaru studied the bowed head of Kagome as she wrote her list with avengence, love nearly bursting inside of him as he stared at her. He loved Kagome. He loved Mrs. Higurashi, who he secretly thought of as his real mother, because she always smiled and hugged him, let him get dirty and not scold him (most of the time) and baked cookies and made lunch and—he just loved her. He never wanted to be apart from the family that he loved so much.

Kagome’s father was an adventurer, and he was rarely around. Kagome never acted like she missed him, but he knew sometimes she did. When he came back from his travels, Sesshoumaru had stayed away thinking that he wouldn’t be welcomed during his homecoming, but Kagome had dragged her father to Sesshoumaru’s house and demanded why he hadn’t come out to play. He stayed with them all day, and it was one of his favorite memories.

Mr. Higurashi was so cool. He was tan, had all these pictures and souvenirs and stories that he would tell them about his travels. He always welcomed Sesshoumaru whenever he came home, and would pull him aside each time so that they could have their “man talk” away from the “lowly females”. Sesshoumaru cherished that time as well, and to him Mr. Higurashi was the coolest person ever; he wanted to be just like him when he grew up.

“Done!” Kagome chirped, then looked across the table at her best friend. “Sesshou? Are you done, too?”

“Yes.” He answered, nodding solemnly. His heart was in his throat, pounding madly. What if Santa didn’t read his letter? What if Kagome was wrong, and Santa never got him anything because Sesshoumaru wasn’t worth it?

While Kagome shoved her list at her mother before running outside, Sesshoumaru handed it over with a solemn expression, bowing properly before Mrs. Higurashi. “Ma’am.”

She ruffled his hair, making stick up everywhere, and then she hugged him tight, in her famous Mama Hugs that Sesshoumaru craved. “Don’t be so proper with me, silly boy. Family isn’t so proper with each other.”

Sesshoumaru gave her one of her rare, blinding smiles, before running after Kagome.

Smiling after him, Mrs. Higurashi looked down at his paper, her heart constricting a little at the formal letter, and what it was that Sesshoumaru wanted for Christmas.

Dear Santa,

I’m writing you for the first time, and I wanted to apologize for not doing it sooner. What are you doing in the North Pole? Is it cold? I’m sure you stay very warm with your red suit and everything. Santa, I only have one thing I really want, and I hope that you’ll like me enough to grant me it.

Please let me stay with this family forever. Especially Kagome, since I love her very much.

Please let Mrs. Higurashi be my real mother. She’s just like how I read in the books; she’s really warm and soft, and she gives me the best kind of hugs.

I guess that’s two things, so please forgive me for being greedy. Merry Christmas. Mama Higurashi says that we’re going to bake cookies for you on Christmas Eve, so I hope you like them. Mine might be a little burnt, because I always burn things, but Kagome’s will be worse because she’s so bad at cooking. Don’t tell her I said that please, it will be our secret. I read that you like milk too; I’ll ask Mama Higurashi if we can leave a glass out for you as well.

Thank you very much.

Love, Sesshoumaru

P.S., Please let Mr. Higurashi come home soon. Sometimes, Mrs. Higurashi looks really sad, and I don’t like it when that happens. He’s really cool, so please keep him safe, too.