The Best Gift to Give by Walter205

Chalala, Lalala

 This story is written in response to a winter holidays challenge.

 I don't own Inuyasha, nor will I profit from it.

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 The soft pitter patter of little feet running through the snow drew Kagome's attention away from the setting sun in the evening sky.

She looked down to see her four year old son, Inuyasha, running torward her with a little snowball in hand. With a little 'eep' escaping from her lips, she held her hands in front of her in a defensive gesture.

Giggling madly, the little boy released his snowball, arcing through the air to cover her boot with a little more snow.

As the boy danced around in victory, her thoughts turned to her husband, Sesshomaru.

'Oh Sesshomaru, how I long for you to return...'

She remembered that day, four long years ago, standing on the edge of the dock, waving to him as he smiled and waved back at her. All around her, other friends and loved ones waved farewell to the crew members of the JMSDF ship Kongo, being deployed along with sistership Kirishima and tender Masyu to the Gulf of Aden. The Japanese goverment, tired at the time of pirates boarding and capturing their freighters, had dispatched the small taskforce to assist the international UN team there to restore peace and security to the Red Sea shipping lanes.

What little contact they had was through the mail. She had been pregnant when he had been called into active duty, and had given birth a few short months after he had left. They had agreed before hand to name the boy as Inuyasha, and she had sent him some pictures of the child over the years.

"Momma?" the question came from the boy.

Kagome looked down into his soft yellow eyes and felt a tear come into her own. She reached down and gently scooped him up into her arms.

"Yes, sweetie?" asked Kagome softly.

"What are you thinking about?" asked the boy, knowing his momma was deep in thought about something, and having a pretty good idea of what it was.

"Oh nothing, just thinking of your father and how nice it would be for him to return home to us," replied Kagome, using her one free hand to wipe away her tears.

"Ask, and you shall recieve, my mate," came a deep gruff voice from behind her.

Kagome went absolutley shock still, not moving for long moments as her brain struggled to catch up and process the words that had been spoken.

'No, it couldn't be. He didn't write to me about coming home. Surely he couldn't be home...I haven't heard anything about the ships coming home...but it's been a month since I've checked on the deployment...but no it couldn't be....I...'

"Daddy! Daddy is home!" yelled Inuyasha excitedly, having seen pictures of his daddy scattered around the house. The toddler's excited yell broke Kagome from her trance, and slowly she turned around. When she caught sight of him, her eyes went wide, and she almost dropped Inuyasha into the snow.

There, standing before her, in his white navy uniform with it's captain rank bars, with his tattooed cheeks and the crescent moon adorning his forehead, stood her husband, Sesshomaru, his eyes narrowed in pleasure. Her vision rapidly became blurry as tears flowed unchecked from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Sesshomaru..." she whispered softly.

"Kagome..." he answered, holding his arms wide open.

"Sesshomaru!" she yelled with joy, running into his grasp. His arms enveloped both her and Inuyasha in a tight embrace, with tears falling from his own cheeks now as well.

"I'm home, I'm finally home. Merry Christmas, Kagome," he whispered into her ear.

Sniffling, and not from the cold, Kagome answered, "Merry Christmas, Sesshomaru."

The End