"You can stay here if you like, you were so kind as to get rid of that demon, the least we can do is put you up for the night, but we're having a party tonight. We're celebrating my daughter's wedding tonight and the party will last late and there will probably be a lot of noise. You're welcome to join the party if you like, but I don't think it will be very good sleeping conditions." The short bald man wore an apologetic expression. They wouldn't be able to sleep there tonight, but as Inuyasha was thinking over other sleeping arrangements, even considering sleeping in the woods, Kagome had no intention of leaving. As Inuyasha stood up and stretched, getting ready to leave, Kagome asked, "Will there be music?" The bald man looked at her strangely before finally nodding. "Of course," he replied.
A wide grin passed the young girls lips. Inuyasha cocked his head, wondering what she was up to. The bald man mirrored Kagome's expression, but for a different reason. "If you're going to stay for the party, you can't wear that, do you have anything else to wear?" Of course he already knew the answer to his question. They were traveling demon vanquishers, it was obvious they didn't have anything else. The boys were dressed appropriately enough. Miroku's garb would fit the occasion and the old man doubted he could get the young half demon into anything except what he was wearing, but the girls, they were a different story. He would enjoy handing them over to his maids and watching what they came up with.
The old man ordered his maids into the room upon hearing their answers. He told them to take the two ladies and dress them for the party. The maids carried the stunned Sango and Kagome to a different room to dress them. The old man left the gaping Miroku and the seemingly uncaring Inuyasha to wonder what was going on.
The girl's were carried to a room quite a ways from the room the boys were in. They were bathed and their hair was combed. Then they were dressed in different kimonos. Sango's was pink with red spider lilies covering it and the obi was a vibrant gold with a red ribbon wrapped around it, the maids then stuck a red spider lily hair ornament into Sango's hair after they pulled it up. Kagome had to admit, she looked stunning. Kagome was put in a black kimono. The maids had argued over whether to put her in white or black, but after seeing that black gave her that dark and dangerous look and not the little girl look, they decided on black, though she would look good in either. The kimono had large, blue mokuren blossoms around the hem and shoulders, the sleeves were wide and hung low, the obi was a dark twilight purple with a deep blue ribbon accentuating her small waist. They left her hair down, but since it had grown quite a bit since she entered the feudal era, it drifted down to her waist in raven waves. They made her hair look wild and then wove blue mokuren blossoms all through her hair. Sango was speechless. She looked like a wild and dark goddess and her makeup suggested it too. They lined Kagome's eyes with coal, and painted her lips red, while Sango's own eyes were smudged with pink and her lips were also painted red.
The maids brought them to the party where the boys were waiting, it had taken them so long to get the girls ready that the party had already started. When the boys had finally spotted Sango and Kagome their jaws dropped. Sango blushed while Kagome crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks. Sango was smart enough to see the surprise and complete adoration in Miroku's eyes, but Kagome thought that Inuyasha could never like her, so she had no idea why he was staring at her with his intoxicating gold eyes.
Miroku had already crossed the small distance to get to Sango and asked her to dance. They were clumsily making their way on the dance floor, laughing and having fun. Inuyasha had just taken a step towards Kagome, after getting over how amazing she looked, when a guy with short, black hair and grey eyes walked up to her. He held out his hand and Inuyasha guessed he was asking her to dance. She blushed and took the hand that was offered, but before they even started to dance, Inuyasha had crossed the distance and placed a possessive hand on Kagome's shoulder. The man's eyes narrowed, but he had enough sense to back off. Kagome turned on Inuyasha and glared at him, but fell short when she saw the serious "I want to kill something" look in his eyes. He was still staring after the guy with grey eyes that was glaring at him from a distance.
Since Inuyasha's hand was still on her shoulder, Kagome lifted her hand to rest on top of his and stared up at him with concerned eyes. When the fiery golden orbs had finally met her concerned blue ones, the anger melted. His eyes softened and crinkled a little in the crease. He turned the hand on her shoulder up and grabbed her hand. "Dance with me?" Kagome's blue eyes turned skeptical. "Can you dance?" Inuyasha snorted. "Keh, you seem to think that I'm a complete barbarian." Kagome giggled. "Aren't you?" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes in a playful manor and grabbed her waist with the hand that wasn't holding hers. She followed his sudden lead and placed her free hand on his shoulder. She had made sure that the kimono was tied loosely so that she could move her legs enough to dance, which at the same time let the collar of her kimono droop down her shoulders slightly and exposed a little cleavage. She had blushed when she looked down at herself. She looked like a yakuza wife!
She moved her feet in time with Inuyasha's, letting him lead, for once. She spun when he lifted their hands and twirled her in little circles. He could actually dance and he was good at it too! After the song was over they parted, neither of them wanting to, but knowing that that was what was expected of them.
Inuyasha grabbed the hand that he had just freed and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Come with me." Kagome shivered at the feel of his breath on her neck and bare shoulder. He led her away from all the people and to the little coy pond on the edge of the property. The moon was full and the pond reflected it beautifully. After Inuyasha had released her hand, Kagome bent down and stared into the dark waters, occasionally spotting a bit of white or gold, or orange. She lifted her hand to her hair to pull a few wild strands from her face, but another, clawed hand beat her to it.
She hadn't heard his approach, but as she turned her head in his direction, she saw that he was sitting right beside her. His fingers brushed the strands behind her ear, but lingered on her cheek instead of pulling away immediately, like she expected him to. She couldn't read his eyes. The eyes that always spoke volumes to her, were now a mystery. No, that wasn't completely true, somewhere deep down, she knew exactly what those golden eyes were saying, but she just didn't want to give herself hope.
Then the hand resting on her cheek slowly, like he was testing his boundaries, slid its way across her cheek, down to her neck and then circled around to the back of her neck. He leaned closer to her, inch by agonizing inch, he got closer. When he felt no resistance, just saw her wide, surprised, ocean-colored orbs, he closed the distance in one swift movement, bringing their lips together.
This was his answer to all her doubts. He knew she had them, he wasn't that stupid. He knew she didn't think he cared, and refused to let herself hope, because when she did, he would always do something stupid and screw it up and then be too stupid to figure out that he had been caught. He did care, though, more than he had ever really let himself care. He still had feelings for Kikyo, he wouldn't lie, I mean, he did love her, but he felt his feelings for her slowly fade. Kikyo was a gradual romance, built more out of lots of time spent together and lack of experience with other members of the opposite sex, whereas with Kagome he fell fast and hard.
Okay, the only reason he even bothered getting to know her was because she resembled Kikyo, but the more time he spent with her the more he realized just how different they really were. Kagome was wild and bold and a little spitfire with a temper that could rival even his, but Kikyo was tame and calm, never really angry and never displaying much passion. Kagome was fire and Kikyo was ice, they couldn't be more different and he wouldn't have it any other way. Kagome's fiery presence was slowly melting Kikyo's icy grip on his heart.
He needed to let Kagome know that she should hope, that he cared for her and that, though it may take a little time and some difficult conversations, they could be together. He knew he had hurt her time and time again and that he should stop his selfish wanting of her, but he just couldn't. No, that's no right, he WOULDN'T, not in a million years would he let her go to be with someone else. She was HIS and that's all there was to it.
Well at least in that amazing moment, where they poured their feelings out with actions, not words, because let's face it, they both suck with words…and they weren't very good with feelings either.