Chance Encounter by Notes-and-Photographs

Chance Encounter

Chance Encounter

Kagome had watched him for some time now as he sat on the cleared off wooden bench, the black of his overcoat contrasting greatly against the background of pure white snow. The holidays were a little less than a week away and Kagome could not help but feel pity at his aloof loneliness in the present moment. But maybe she was overreacting; after all she knew nothing but his name, and even that she had to pull out of him months earlier.

She felt sad, looking at him now. There was no recognition in his stature at all. Her heart told her that he probably hadn't seen her, that there was still hope, but her mind's message was clear; he didn't remember her.

And why should he, she chastised herself. Just because "The Pocky Incident", as she had dubbed it, stuck out in her mind like it took place the day before didn't mean it made the slightest of impressions upon him. He was a busy man after all, she reasoned. And just because she couldn't get him out of her mind did not mean that he was in the same predicament as her.

With a sigh, she straightened up from where she was leaning against a tree. With her head held high, she clutched her box of pocky, chocolate this time, in one hand, a white Styrofoam cup of hot chocolate in her other. She took a hesitant step forward and when nothing happened, she continued as confidently as she could muster at the moment. As she got closer and closer, she studied him once more; the elegant contours of his face, his citrine eyes, his thin, pale lips and his silver, silky hair that she just wanted to reach out and touch. From far away, he really was beautiful; the epitome of perfection. Within a few steps of him now, she turned away, not wanting to be caught staring. She kept her head forward, her eyes on the gate at the end of the path. She was right in front of him now and as she placed her foot down, she lost her balance, slipping on a patch of ice. She gasped as she struggled wildly flailing her arms to keep her balance before collapsing at his feet, her cup of hot chocolate flying out of her hand and spilling across Sesshoumaru's lap. The man hissed slightly as the hot liquid came into contact with his skin. Not looking up, he flipped the page of his magazine and spoke,

"Once again, your carelessness has cost me Higurashi." Kagome blushed, her face as red as a pomegranate in embarrassment.

"I wasn't being careless!"

"On the contrary; if you weren't trying so hard to avoid me, you would have noticed the ice." Kagome's face darkened further.

I wasn't trying to avoid you" she whispered. Sesshoumaru did not respond; he merely turned the page of his magazine. Kagome sighed and hauled herself up off the ground. She stooped down to pick up her box of pocky, frowning as he noticed that most of the biscuit sticks were now broken.

"I wasn't trying to avoid you, really."

"Well one tends to ump to that conclusion when they're being stared at for twenty minutes and then said onlooker tries to walk by with forced nonchalance." Kagome snorted.

"Nonchalance? I could never walk by nonchalant! I'm lucky to be able to stay upright on my two legs!"

"Hm. My sentiments exactly." Kagome sat down on the empty seat next to Sesshoumaru.

"And I wasn't staring at you. I'll have you know that I was working up my courage. I wasn't sure if you would recognize me, if you would want to talk to me, etc. and so forth" she commented, her hands brushing off the remaining snow on her clothing before resting, folded, on her lap.

"And surprisingly none of these reservations hindered you upon our first meeting."

"Yeah well, it's not like I ever expected to see you again." Sesshoumaru smirked wryly.

"And so, when, you encountered me on the very same bench as before you could not figure out a way to run and hide, is that the case?"

"Well, something like that."

"You know what they say: carpe diem and all of that" Sesshoumaru turned the page once more. Kagome's head flipped to look him in the eye.

"Did...you...just make a joke, Mr. Snooty Pants?"

"Is that what kids are calling them today? And here I thought I was just mocking you."

"Who are you and what have you done to Sesshoumaru...er...what's your last name?"

"Both you and I know that information is not at all pertinent to this conversation."

"Since when has that stopped me from dragging the information out of you?"

"Indeed" Sesshoumaru said no more.

"So...are you going to tell me?"

"No."

"Oh," Kagome paused for a second. "How about now?

"No."

"Okay, fair enough" Kagome said before taking about bite out of her pocky. "Can I ask you a question, Sesshoumaru?"

"Nothing I can do or say will stop you so you might as well."

"Oh, well, if you really don't want me to, I won't." Kagome looked away, nervously chewing on her candy.

"Don't be bashful, Higurashi" Sesshoumaru spoke soothingly. "It is unbecoming."

"Well...I was wondering if you had any plans for the holidays."

"I will be working for most of it."

"But won't your family mind?" Kagome asked her voice concerned.

"Not everyone has the luxury of going home for the holidays."

"But...that's so sad." Sesshoumaru frowned.

"Do not worry about me, Higurashi. I'm sure at some point my brother will show up to ruin things."

"Well...I guess that's not so bad."

"You do not know Inuyasha." Kagome felt her mouth tug upwards as she stared up at Sesshoumaru's ever passive face.

"I can sympathize. I've got a younger brother. He's a pain sometimes, especially when we were growing up." Sesshoumaru was silent for a moment.

"Inuyasha has never stopped being a nuisance." Kagome giggled and Sesshoumaru felt a small smile make its way across her face. A comfortable silence overtook the pair and Kagome leaned in next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. Snow began to flurry down from the sky and Kagome smiled brightly.

"Look it's snowing" Kagome whispered. Sesshoumaru looked up from his reading, scanning the landscape in front of him.

"I suppose it is" he whispered back before closing his magazine. They watched the snow fall peacefully across the tranquil park, unwilling to disturb it. Kagome reached down and pulled out a broken piece of pocky before reaching up and handing it to Sesshoumaru.

"Here," she murmured, her cheeks flushing, "I know it's broken, but I believe I owe you a piece of pocky." Sesshoumaru grasped the biscuit with his elegant, long fingers before bringing ti to his mouth. He took a tiny bite and chewed thoughtfully.

"Thank you." She smiled her head still on his shoulder.

"You're quite welcome Sesshoumaru." She pulled her red coat closer to her towing with the idea of buttoning it up.

"It's all wet; it won't keep you warm" Sesshoumaru remarked. Kagome nodded in agreement.

"I know" She shivered. Sesshoumaru scoffed.

"Take it off or you are going to wind up ill."

"But it's snowing!" Sesshoumaru sighed and deftly removed his coat from his shoulders and placed it on Kagome's lap. Kagome looked at him in surprise. "Won't you catch cold?"

"I will be fine. You, however, will not be if you do not put on that coat." Kagome shrugged her coat off before standing up and slipping Sesshoumaru's oversized black one on. It reached down to her calves and she had to push up the sleeves to use her hands. Smiling, Kagome picked up her old coat and plopped back down on the bench, her red jacket laying across her lap.

"Looks like you care about me after all." Sesshoumaru snorted.

"Hardly. If you got sick, I knew I'd never hear the end of it." Kagome's smile never left her face.

"Coming from you, that almost the same thing." A small smile made its way onto Sesshoumaru's face.

"To some" he replied.

"So besides your brother, anyone else going to disturb you during the holidays?" Kagome asked, changing the subject.

"Hopefully not."

"What, no girlfriend?" Sesshoumaru snorted.

"I find girlfriends to be unnecessary distractions." Kagome frowned, pensive.

"I suppose, for some women, what you say is true."

"And I'm guessing for you it wouldn't apply?" Sesshoumaru said sardonically. Kagome flushed and laughed nervously.

"No, not at all. You can barely tolerate me, right?"

"The majority of the time."

"There. That's settled." Kagome sighed and looked at her watch, frowning as she did so. It was getting late. "Looks like I need to go" she muttered, slowly getting to her feet. Sesshoumaru rose as well."

"I will walk you home." Kagome shook her head.

"You don't need to do that. I can get home fine on my own."

"But you will freeze without my coat; there fore, I will walk you and at the end of the journey, have my clothing returned to me."

"Oh...yeah, I forgot about that. Okay, you can come with me." She began walking down the path towards the exit, the echoes of Sesshoumaru's steps following her were the only indication that he had fallen in line behind her. They walked in silence, Kagome too nervous and scared to say anything or do anything. She didn't live that far from the park, thankfully, she thought. The silence was unnerving her. A few steps later, she stopped and stared up at the staircase that lead up to the shrine. Sesshoumaru stopped a few inches behind her.

"You live on a shrine" he observed. Kagome nodded.

"It runs in the family. My grandfather left it to me, so when my mother retired, I just sorta moved in." Sesshoumaru nodded his understanding. Kagome stared at him a moment longer before shrugging off his coat. "Here" she said, holding the coat out at an arms length to give it back to him. Sesshoumaru took the coat from her gently, holding it in his arms instead of putting it back on.

"Thank you." Kagome smiled up at him.

"Have a merry Christ--"

"Kagome!" A voice yelled from the top of the stairs. "What are you doing down there!? You're ten minutes late!" Kagome's head looked upwards and she rolled her eyes before turning back to Sesshoumaru.

"Younger brothers." Kagome shook her head in disbelief. "I'll be up in a second!" She called out to her brother before turning back to Sesshoumaru. "As I was saying, Merry Christmas Sesshoumaru." He nodded.

"The same to you." Kagome stared at him for a second before she leaned forward impulsively and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Perhaps." Kagome nodded at him before slowly mounting the stairs and making her way up the long staircase. Sesshoumaru frowned for a moment before he called out to her.

"Yamamoto." Kagome stopped and looked over her shoulder, giving him a questioning glance. "My last name is Yamamoto." Realization made its way across her face.

"See, in the end, I knew you would tell me." Sesshoumaru rolled his eyes at her childishness.

"Goodbye Higurashi" Sesshoumaru spoke softly before turning on his heel and leaving. He didn't need to let on that she hadn't left his mind since the last time they met. Deep down, he would admit, that he wanted to see her again.

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A/N: So it's a little out of season at this point, but this is the first companion piece to Strawberry Pocky. I hope you enjoyed it. The other two will be up before the end of April, but if you are impatient, they are posted on my fanfiction.net account under the same pen name.

Reviews are appreciated but never necessary.

Emily

Notes-and-Photographs