Mating Ceremony

By Angel Dust

A SesshomaruxOC, InuyashaxKagome, KougaxSango fic. You've been warned!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha or any of the other characters or the original story line. I DO own my characters, they're as obvious as the nose on your face.

The mating ceremony of the reluctant princess and the ice prince.

Chapter 1

Nikki sighed as she laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. She was supposed to sleep, get as much rest in anticipation of her mating ceremony the next day. A mission far easier said than done at this point. She was nervous, and she couldn't remember when she had been this nervous before. She sat up and sighed heavily.

"Well, this isn't working," she muttered as she got out of bed and walked to her window. She looked outside to see the moon high in the sky and full. That was a personal requirement, nothing anywhere near the new moon. She refused to be in a full castle on a night she was so vulnerable, despite having Sesshomaru literally through the wall. Courtesy of the last couple of years, Nikki was not comfortable with large groups of people and less so as a human.

She walked around her room and sighed as she sat down at her desk and pulled out some paper, a brush, and some ink. She silently started to write her thoughts and feelings, none of which could possibly be confused for regret or looking like she had changed her mind. She was quite excited to finally be mating Sesshomaru.

Over a year ago, Sesshomaru had asked her to be his mate, and she had returned to the Western Kingdom with him to sort herself out after so much trouble caused by her mother. As she wrote she thought about how her mother would be strutting around the castle if she had been sane and alive with her mating ceremony only the next day. The maids and other servants wouldn't be sleeping but making final preparations, cleaning the floors and such one last time before the last of the guests arrived. Nikki would probably be asleep, not nearly as nervous as she is now, but she didn't believe that truly. No matter what, Nikki knew one truth, she would be this nervous and excited the night before her ceremony.

She heard Sesshomaru shift again, he wasn't asleep either. Youkai don't really require sleep, neither to hanyou. They were ordered to bed just to occupy their time and distract them from the next day. Sesshomaru was already losing his mind slightly, he was harder to pull away from her and much more prone to taking risks, like kissing her softly during the day anywhere but her hand. All that was more due to the fact that it was the very beginning of spring, and most of the males were quite rowdy at this point, only the older ones seemed completely in control of themselves.

"Nikki," Sango whispered as she came into the room. Nikki chuckled and lit a candle, she figured she'd have company eventually.

"What's up Sango?" Nikki asked curiously.

"Can't sleep," Sango said as she stretched a little. "And I think Kouga is out with your brothers checking the perimeter." Nikki smirked and nodded.

"I'm sure, father seems to have this place under tight lock down," Nikki said as Sango sighed and nodded. "So, things are going well with the wolf prince?" Sango blushed a little.

"He's quite nice," Sango said as she thought about it. "He's visited a few times now, father was anxious about a youkai visiting the village at first, but it seems to help."

"Oh?" Nikki asked confused.

"We were targeted because of obvious reasons, since he would come visit most youkai seem to avoid us more." Sango said with a shrug.

"Ah the power of the powerful," Nikki chuckled. "It's the same premise that no one attacks the castles, you don't want to piss off someone with strength behind them. That youkai might not be strong in particular, but obviously he's got friends in high places. In this case, you're powerful, but more so with a prince of a youkai visiting. On top of that, Kouga's the heir, they really won't come after you then." Sango looked at her surprised.

"It really works that way, even if he's not from that land?" Sango asked her surprised.

"Oh yeah," Nikki said as she thought about it. "Hierarchy works by scent and such, Kouga is obviously a prince of some kind. If they hurt him they're risking his father coming here and my father joining." Sango nodded as she thought about it. "And yes, my father knows he's been to see you guys. Some how, he knows all, supposedly." Sango chuckled with her as they sat in the room and fell in to a comfortable silence.

"Nervous?" Sango asked her curiously. Nikki sighed as she thought.

"Yes, and no," Nikki answered as she looked in the corner to see two chests waiting for her. Sango looked curiously as well. "My wedding clothes," Nikki explained as Sango nodded. "The seamstress made them last month."

"Is your ceremony set up like Kagome's was?" Sango asked her softly. They hadn't had much time to catch up, Sango's family had only arrived later that day.

"Yes, that's a common ceremony," Nikki answered with a nod. She pointed to the wall as Sango looked at her confused. Nikki smiled and shrugged as Sango rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Even through a wall you can tell he's awake?" Sango asked curiously.

"Oh yes, and I'm sure once he gets here, Kouga will know you're awake and not in bed," Nikki said with a laugh. Sango blushed and shrugged as she sighed and thought. "But as long as he stays well behaved, he'll have no trouble."

"Oh, he's having issues with that, but for the most part he's behaving himself." Sango said with a nod.

"As long as we're within my father's castle, Sesshomaru is under orders to behaving himself," Nikki said with a chuckle. Sango laughed a little. "So I think after the final course tomorrow, we will be leaving for our own castle." Sango nodded as she thought about it, made sense. No male youkai was going to agree to not mating during mating season if he could help it. Especially since they'd be in bed together this time tomorrow.

"Have you let Sesshomaru see you on your human night?" Sango asked her curiously.

"The last few months I have," Nikki answered with a nod. She had been nervous then too, but not this nervous. "It scared the hell out of me."

"Really?" Sango asked her surprised.

"Most youkai don't mate hanyou, a lot of youkai think mating a human is disgusting and that a hanyou is just disgraceful," Nikki told her as Sango nodded. "And while, yes Sesshomaru asked me, it still scared me to no end of what he would say or do. I'm weaker in certain ways on my human night." Sango just shrugged and figured it was just nerves more than anything, because everyone knows Sesshomaru isn't leaving Nikki willingly.

"They're coming back from their rounds," Nikki said softly as Sango looked at her surprised. "You should get back to bed, or I'll get lectured about how his delicate human female was exhausted because she got no sleep from Kouga." Sango blushed wildly and shook her head.

"I'm not his," Sango said shaking her head as she blushed. Nikki just smiled. "He hasn't asked me to be his and I'm not a possession." Nikki stood up and walked her to the door.

"And I'm not a princess," Nikki said with a chuckle as Sango looked even redder, if possible. "Good night, Sango." Sango moved towards her room as Nikki laughed a little, she hadn't teased Sango about Kouga yet, though Kagome apparently had gotten a few jabs in earlier. With a sigh Nikki climbed back into bed and closed her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep so that the faster she fell asleep the faster morning would come.