This is a collection of the seven one shots I wrote in July 2015 for the SessKag week hosted in Tumblr by the sesskag blog. The genres and universes may vary.

Day One

Prompt: Appetence. Noun. A longing or desire.

Universe: (Post) Canon

Genre: Humour, Fluff, Romance

884 Words

Her bare feet padded on the wooden floors as she walked down the long corridor. She crept in the hushed, light-footed manner of someone who did not wish to wake up anyone else as she sneaked about. Even in the darkness of the night there was certainty in her steps as she purposefully headed towards her decided destination.

She slid the fusuma door open silently and closed it just as quietly after she had tiptoed into the room. She smoothed her loose kosode and then started flitting about the room with determination. She went through the shelves and cupboards, easily locating everything she needed. She stacked wood into the stove and kindled the fire, before picking up a bucket and stepping outside to the cool night.

The air was moist and alive with the low chirping of crickets. She glanced at the starry sky and noticed the clouds. Another shower of rain would be falling soon enough. She took in a deep breath and then crossed through the yard to the well where she drew water until her bucket was full to the brim.

She puffed lightly by the time she stepped back into the house. The fire was crackling merrily in the stove and she poked it a little before putting the rice to cook.

The small ceramic serving bowls clattered as she laid them out on the tray, and she hummed to herself idly as she opened the various jars filled with pickled vegetables. There was daikon, cabbage, cucumber, turnip, umeboshi, and she carefully portioned some of each into their respective bowls.

The task finished, she rushed over to the stove and stirred the rice that was cooking merrily in its pot.

She closed the pickle jars and stowed them back into the pantry.

Picking up her chopsticks, she stole some umeboshi she had just laid out to a serving bowl, and revelled in the sour taste as it hit her tongue.

"Kagome? What are you doing?"

She inhaled the pickled plum in her surprise and fell into a violent coughing fit as she tried her hardest not to choke.

He was hovering by her side in an instant, his large hand splaying over her upper back, rubbing soothing circles as the coughs gradually subsided.

"How many times," she wheezed, glaring at her husband out of the corner of her eye, "have I told you not to sneak up on me?"

"I am sorry," he said in a sheepish voice.

Kagome shook her head.

"Though I am still curious as to why you are up in the kitchen in the middle of the night," he added.

"I woke up and was hungry," she shrugged, walking over to the stove to stir the rice with her chopsticks again. "I have this terrible craving for pickles."

"You should have woken me," he chastised her. "I could have fetched you what you needed. You should get all the rest you can."

"We've talked about this, Sesshoumaru," she told him bluntly. "I want to be on my feet while I still can."

His lips formed a thin line. He knew that his wife was frustrated and deemed him overprotective, but it was hard to ignore the demand of his instincts.

It was very early still, she was only just starting to show; the slightest bump of a stomach.

His instincts would only grow stronger as the weeks would pass and her pregnancy would progress. He fervently hoped she wouldn't pull out all his hair before their child was born.

Kagome sent her husband a side-long glance. The hormones had made her a bit more peevish than usual, and his insistent bubble wrapping did not exactly help her temperament.

"Just tell me if I can help," he spoke at last.

"You, cooking? I'd like to see that," she teased him as she bent to pick up a few grains of rice to see if they were done yet. "Stay," she said then, in a softer tone. "I'd like the company."

"I was not about to leave you to your own devices," he replied firmly, earning a smile from his wife.

She loved him and he made her happy, and she was fully content with the life they were making for themselves. But some days, the sacrifices she had made to be with him stung her and left her breathless. Tonight was one of those times when she was suddenly filled with an aching longing. In the past few weeks, the pangs of homesickness had struck her more often than usual. She missed her mother terribly and would love nothing better than to see her, to be able to talk with her. Now that she was going to be a mother herself there were so many things she wanted to ask, so many things she wondered about.

She was jerked out of her thoughts when long fingers ran through her hair in a gentle caress. She looked up at her husband and gave him a grateful smile. This was why it was good to have him for company. He could bring her out of the gloomy melancholy that, if left alone, could swallow her whole.

She leaned in to him and they stood there, side by side in a content silence, basking in the warmth of the stove.