Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or any other characters. If I did, I'd be filthy rich. $_$
A/N: Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry that this is so late. I know I told one of my reviewers that I had wanted this to be up last Friday. SORRY! I made it extra long and fluffy to make up for my tardiness!
Coming up:
The induction ceremony. This is setting up for all the action. Everything you have read has been leading up to the action. Here is what kicks off the action. There are a few flashbacks in here.
~o0o~
Everyone started heading home around one. Kagome was in and out of sleep, since she was clearly unable to walk on her own I scooped her up and carried her to my car. She was going to need that sleep for the ceremony. Typically only members of the clan were allowed to attend the ceremony, but seeing as she's my intended mate (I haven't really told Kagome that part) Sesshomaru allowed her to attend the ceremony. The conversation between Sesshomaru and myself concerning her attendance was not one I'd like to remember. Damn bastard.
FLASHBACK!
"She may not attend. That is final." Sesshomaru was sitting at his desk checking the status of a few packages he had mailed to the neighboring Wind Demon Clan leader.
"Why the hell not? Don't I get to have a damn say in who comes to my induction ceremony?" I can't believe this! What the hell does it matter if Kagome is there or not? I want her there, and that's that.
"She is not a member of the clan. You know the clan laws hanyō." He continued typing on his computer. Then, he stopped. "There is one way that she may attend." He suddenly had my undivided attention.
"Seriously? Name it." There wasn't anything that I could think of that I wouldn't do to have Kagome there.
"Announce to the clan that she is your intended and begin courting her." Leave it to Sesshomaru to find the one thing I don't want to do. "Make the announcement tomorrow. That will give you three days before the ceremony." Bastard. "Otherwise, she may not attend."
"Fine." How hard can it be? I mean, I've known for years that I she's the only one for me. Hell, I'd be a moron not to know.
End Flashback.
Since Kagome was asleep, there was nothing holding me back from ignoring those suggestions on how fast I should drive. It was a short drive back to Kagome's house. The ceremony won't be for a few hours, so I figured I'd let her sleep for awhile. The lights were off (go figure), but years of experience led me right to Kagome's window. I hopped in and set her on the bed with a quick kiss to the forehead. Sue me for being opportunistic. Then I was off. The ride home was my thinking time. That bastard better not refer to Kagome as my intended. I haven't told her yet, and I have no idea how she'll take the news. An Inu-yōkai knows their mate just by their scent. Before you ask 'But InuYasha, you've known Kagome almost all your life. What took ya so long to figure it out?' Well dumbass I'll tell ya. Inu-yōkai can't tell the scent of a mate 'til they hit puberty. Then, the moment they smell 'em, they'll just know. I remember the day I realized Kagome was my mate, down to the last detail.
FLASHBACK! (Again) InuYasha- 13 ½ Kagome- 13
It was just a typical Saturday. I was on my way to the shrine to see Kagome, as per usual. I bounded up the stairs ten at a time. Then, the moment I set foot on the ground, I practically fainted. Something smelled amazing, like, sniff-all-over-the-grounds-to-find-what-it-is amazing. It smelt like cherry blossoms and fresh rain. Guess where it led me? You guessed it. That heavenly aroma led me straight to Kagome. She was wearing her priestess robes while she was sweeping by the well house. I just stood there like the moron I am with my mouth open catching flies. When the hell did she get gorgeous? No really. Have I been hiding under a fucking rock or something? Holy shit. No. Fucking. Way. Of course right about then was when my brain put two and two together to make twenty two. Then she just happened to notice my presence.
"InuYasha! Hey, I thought you'd be at least another hour. Let me go change out of these robes, I probably smell." 'Like heaven' my love struck brain tacked on to the end of her sentence. Then a thought crossed my mind. Kagome is going to change… in her room… and be naked… I could hide in the tree and she'd never know. It was a very appealing idea to say the least. Then my fucking conscience piped up. I'm being a goddamned pervert! . BAD ME BAD! By the time I had finished my inner turmoil, Kagome had reappeared in a pair of jeans and a red tank top. Why now! She wears my fucking favorite color that shows of her fucking sexy cleavage. YOU STUPID FUCKING KAMI STOP FUCKING WITH ME! Apparently my facial expressions had been broadcasting my ongoing inner turmoil.
"Hey Yasha, you okay?" NO I AM NOT FUCKING OKAY! YOU'RE MAKING ME ACT LIKE A FUCKING HORN DOG! Of course, this would not have been the appropriate thing to say to my newly discovered intended. If I had anything to say about it, she was going to wear those goddamned miko robes all the fucking time. No way was I going to have other guys see her like this. She's FUCKING mine!
"Yea. I just have a headache." And a fucking hard-on.
"We don't have to go to the movie if you don't want to." Shit, forgot about the movie.
"Uh… well… I" Think fast damn it! "Why don't we just watch a movie here?" That was a safe choice. No perverts, and alone time. Win.
"Sounds like a plan." She flashed me that dazzling smile and I suddenly had no thought process.
End flashback.
I smiled in remembrance. From that day on, Kagome was all I ever thought about. She unknowingly made me shape up. I wanted to be the perfect guy for her. I wanted to make sure that I could give her everything she'd ever need or want. I pulled my D's and F's up to straight A's in one semester. She told me how proud she was of me. Then of course she asked me what happened. I coughed and said Sesshomaru threatened to kick me out. It was a safe lie; he threatens to kick me out every other day anyway. I stopped the unnecessary fights. Kagome frowns on violence. I worked extra hard to prove myself to the clan. Believe it or not, there's good money doing what the clan does. A lot of clan members own major organizations. Then they run clan work behind the scenes. Sesshomaru owns Tetsusaiga Industries; the others own everything from banks to weapon development companies. Granted, all that is nothing but support and cover for the clan. Sesshomaru is alpha so that makes me beta (like I said). I'll also be just under Sesshomaru in Tetsusaiga Industries. (I have no fucking idea what's under CEO. Honestly, all I care about is that I do my job and get the goddamned pay check so I can spoil Kagome. [and maybe a buncha kids.]) So, if I prove myself to the clan, I'll have their approval, which means I'll have more support in the clan. Everything I do anymore is with Kagome in mind.
I pulled up in front of the family mansion. It seemed so lonely after Mom and Dad passed, but I hope that one day Kagome can liven up the place. Forgoing the front door, I leapt up onto the third floor balcony to my room. Everything was red and white. Since I was in a reminiscent mood I walked over to my closet and pulled out my box labeled 'things I need to not lose' I pulled open the box and moved a few pictures out of the way. In the bottom carefully hidden from view was a small velvet box. I opened the box and smiled. I can't wait 'til I get my money's worth outta' this.
~o0o~
Three a.m. rolled around and I went to pick Kagome up. I called her cell to announce my impending arrival. As I sped through the deserted streets I let my mind wonder about tonight. Sure I knew the procedure for the ceremony, but I'd never been through the ceremony myself. (obviously) I was a little nervous about it to be honest, but I know that it'll be worth it in the end. I illegally parked in front of the shrine steps and jumped all the way to Kagome's window. She left it open for me as usual. I perched on the ledge and waited for her to finish brushing her hair. Of course she always looked gorgeous, I still don't know why she worries about it. She was wearing the red kimono I'd bought her just for the occasion. It was pretty simple. It was floor length, with the moon and stars embroidered on the back, (in white of course) with a simple white obi. She pulled half her hair up and tied it with a red ribbon. She turned around and took in my somewhat matching appearance. I was wearing all red with a white kosode* underneath. My hakama** was red as was my suikan***. No shoes. I hate shoes. I turned around and motioned for her to get on my back. She rolled her eyes and hiked up her kimono. Don't look, don't look, don't look.
"Your Mom knows you're coming tonight?" I did not want my hopefully-future-mother-in-law mad at me for taking her daughter to the current most important moment of my life without telling her.
"Of course dummy. Getting grounded for sneaking out is not on my list of things to do." She rolled her eyes and tightened her grip as I jumped off the window sill and sailed over the shrine. I heard Kagome sigh behind me. I knew she loved this. She once told me the she loved seeing the shrine so peaceful under the light of the moon. Her poetic words not mine. I don't have a poetic bone in my body. I landed next to my car and she climbed in the passenger seat (I was a gentleman and held the door open for her). I climbed in and we sped off. I drove to the woods on the outer limits of Tokyo and parked the car once my car couldn't go any further. Again Kagome got onto my back and we were off. No, this is not some sketchy cult-like ceremony in the deep dark woods, there's an old feudal era castle in the middle of the woods. Centuries ago when humans started killing us off, we had a priest who was NOT a demon hater put a barrier around it so that no one would be able to see it but demons (those with spiritual powers can see it 'cuz I mean come on. It's a spiritual barrier). Once it came into view Kagome gasped. I'd never taken her here before because only clan members are allowed here. Most members of the clan live here, although they usually have a house in Tokyo just for show. I live in the mansion mostly because it's closer to Kagome. Since I announced to my clan that Kagome is my intended she's now allowed in. Although I did have to stress that I haven't told Kagome yet and that I was going about it as a human would. That way no one would say something to screw everything up. I landed outside the gates and the gatekeepers took one look at me and let us in. The castle has been unchanged (except for room decorations [everything is feudal era only though]) for the past 400 years. Everyone wore their kimonos and walked around without a care in the world. Just 'cuz humans know we still exist, doesn't mean that they like us. The guys who are big shots in the human world typically wear concealment charms. It just makes business easier. Here, no one wears concealment charms, demon kids aren't teased, and we can keep our ways of life. I set Kagome down and she straightened out her kimono. Everyone smiled knowingly and I glared at them to look the other way and shut the fuck up.
I led her inside to the main room. It was a huge room with sliding doors on all sides. Every hallway connected to this room. It was symbolic. Sesshomaru explained it to me a while back. Something like all important crap goes on there so it's like the heart of the castle or whatever. There were lamps lit everywhere. It wasn't like having light bulbs and electricity, but it most definitely was not dark. All the head honchos were already waiting for me. There was a seat not far from Sesshomaru saved for Kagome. Everyone was sitting in a semi-circle. Sesshomaru was in the middle with Kagome's place next to him. Such a high place was only reserved for mates (I hadn't told Kagome that either). I took my place kneeling in the middle this way all the elders and high and mighty could see me. Sesshomaru stood up and walked in front of me. This is where I got nervous. Since I'm hanyō, I don't have the clan symbol on my forehead, so I have to have the clan mark somewhere else. They'd put it on the forehead, but apparently it's too hard to make it look right there. He motioned for me to take my suikan and kosode off. I did so. One of the elders brought out a ceremonial blade and placed it in front of Sesshomaru. He made a slice on his palm and motioned for me to do the same. He held his palm out, almost as if he was going to shake my hand, and I placed my slightly bloody palm flush against his. Once his hand was coated in my blood he pulled his hand back and placed it on my left pec right above my heart. It stung, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. He pulled his hand back, and the clan mark was there. It matched everyone else's. Fuck yes! Then Sesshomaru sat back down at the head and looked at me. After a few minutes he looked at the others around him and nodded. This is the easy part. (That whole part was only 'cuz I'm hanyō. If I was a full demon, that whole part coulda' been skipped) Now is just the whole 'swearing in' part. It's relatively quick.
"InuYasha, do you swear you undying loyalty and allegiance to our clan until the day you die?" Damn bastard sounded like an icicle was shoved up his ass.
"Yes." I want to say 'duh' but my instincts are telling me to shut the fuck up.
"Do you swear to protect those within it with your life?"
"Yes."
"Do you swear to hold only the interests of the clan in your mind and heart as you lead?" That's a question he has to ask since I'm going to be his second, just f.y.i.
"Yes." He nodded and so did the rest of the elders. This ceremony was not nearly as nerve wracking as I thought it'd be. They all stood up and headed over to the sliding doors on the far side of the room. They pulled them back and walked out onto the low lying balcony. I once told Sesshomaru to cut the fancy crap and call it a porch, but he sent me flying across the room and muttered some shit about respecting tradition or whatever. Kagome walked over to my side and smile. She intertwined our hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. Needless to say I was fucking ecstatic. The fun shit's coming up and Kagome's holding my hand. Fuck yes! I followed the elders out to the balcony (porch) and Sesshomaru started his annoyingly loquacious speech.
"Tonight, we celebrate InuYasha's coming of age and final acceptance into the clan. He has shown all the necessary skills and temperament to assume his role as my second in command and beta of the clan. May our ancestors and those that came before us guide him with their wisdom and knowledge so that he may lead with courage, bravery, and wisdom. May he live long and make wise decisions." Bastard. He threw that in as his way of saying 'so that he may not fuck up when I'm not here'. Asshole. Although I am surprised the bastard kept it that short. Probably 'cuz he really doesn't care that much. He probably just wants to get this over with so he can eat. Bastard.
"Long live InuYasha!" Someone in the crowd yelled and everyone followed suit chanting it over and over. Kagome held my hand tighter and looked up at me with all the pride in the world. My whole fucking life was finally worth something. I smiled right back and walked up to the front with Kagome right by my side. The only damper was that she was probably holding my hand as a sign of friendship. That simple act meant the world to me. I waved and everyone started applauding. I noticed a few of the guys I grew up with. They yelled louder, winked at me in silent knowing, and burst out laughing. I made a mental note to kick their asses later. Although I couldn't be too mad, the clan has basically just said that they accepted me as their beta. A clan can't change things like who their alpha and beta are, but that doesn't mean that they have to respect them. It's a great honor when the clan accepts you. I hadn't told Kagome that, but it seemed like she knew that anyway. I looked down at her and leaned down by her ear.
"I'm going to get food, you hungry?" She smiled and nodded her head. I bowed to the elders and they bowed in return. I lead Kagome off the balcony (porch) and to the food. The guys clapped me on the back, and the women that knew me as I grew up gave me hugs. The women fussed over Kagome and told her how beautiful she looked. I couldn't help the pride that swept over me. They loved Kagome. Granted, I knew they would. I pulled Kagome along and piled up my plate despite eating a truck's worth of food earlier. This was the fun part. You see, the actual ceremony is the main event, but dog demons aren't ones for dramatic ceremonies. We're more of an in-and-out-then-let's-party kind of people. We sat down at a nearby table and ate everything on our plates. Once everyone had finished their food, the kids started a ball game, the adults mingled and did whatever, and a few people danced to the music that a few of our musicians were playing. I happened to notice that Kagome was eyeing the musicians wistfully and remembered that Kagome loved to dance. What kind of mate would I be if I didn't give her what she wanted, within reason, of course. I stood and offered her my hand. She looked confused for a second before I jerked my head in the direction of the 'dance floor'. I swear her eyes lit up like a fucking Christmas tree and she all but dragged me over there. Of course all the guys were fucking laughing their asses off. I glared at them to shut the hell up. They stopped being obnoxious about their laughter, but continued to laugh while they thought I wasn't looking. With slight experience with what to do I put my hands on her waist and she put her hands on my shoulders. Memories of earlier at the club flashed to my brain, and then I found myself sporting a red blush to match my robe of the fire rat. It was a slow song, naturally, so I kept it at a slow pace. I decided to attempt the whole romantic thing by spinning her around. She giggled in delight and I made a note to do that again later. Somehow in the course of about ten minutes Kagome had wriggled her way to the point where there wasn't any space between us. It wasn't sexual or anything like that, but it was sweet and innocent, like she just wanted to be close to me. I can do this romantic stuff. I was very proud of myself right about now. I decided to go another tiny step forward, and lay my head on top of hers. I took a deep breath and her natural scent was there clear as day. One of the many things that I love about Kagome is that she doesn't use scented shampoos. It makes it just that much easier to smell her natural scent. After awhile the sun was beginning to rise, but the party wasn't over yet. Everyone was setting up for a massive game of demon ball. Now let me tell you about the rules of this game.
Demon ball rules:
No killing
No lethal attacks period (it does not matter if your opponent can dodge your attacks)
No weapons
Traditionally we only had the one rule, but two and three came along when we were having trouble with the one rule. Here's how the game works. It's kind of like the human game capture the flag, but we made it a spinoff of some feudal era history. Each team has a marble and they hide it somewhere in their territory. The marble is the 'shikon no tama'. It was an ancient jewel that could grant the owner any wish. Many demons fought for it, which is why we thought it was perfect for the game. Dog demons created this game centuries ago to help teach the younger ones how to use their senses to hunt and the like. However, it's just too damn fun to leave to just the kids. The kids play a game and the adults play a game. The kids were getting ready to go.
"Hey Kagome, you are about to see the coolest game on the face of the earth." After a quick rundown she seemed eager to see what it was all about. Now that I think about it, she seemed pretty eager to learn about anything that had the word tradition in the sentence. Perhaps Kagome is planning on being a part of this for a long time? The mere thought sent my spirits soaring. One of the adults gave each team a marble, one blue and one red. At the shout of 'go' each team ran off to each side of the castle to hide their marble. By now everyone had gathered at on the front balcony (porch) to watch the game. Kagome and I were sitting on the steps when I had a bright idea, although for the life of me I couldn't scrape up the courage to do so. I suddenly felt a quick sharp pain in the back of my head. I turned around to fund a rock behind me. Some asshole threw a rock at me. Two of my pals Daichi and Daiki quickly pointed to Sesshomaru who was hidden behind some people. He gave me a look that clearly said 'Make a move you moron'. If the ice king said I should make a move, then it was definitely an opportune moment. I decided to be a little bold and pulled Kagome onto my lap. Please don't hit me, please don't hit me! She snuggled into me as if she'd been doing it her whole life. Fuck yes! Daichi and Daiki gave me thumbs up. Dorks. We watched the game with rapt attention. When the red team made it back to the middle with the blue marble, everyone applauded the winning team. After the two teams shook hands, the adults lined up to play. I told Kagome to sit and watch. She seemed to have no qualms about listening to me. Good mate. I lined up with the red team. I had Daiki and Daichi with me. They are big guys, they both have silver hair, pointy ears, and blue eyes (and they're freaking twins so they're practically telepathic with each other). I noticed a few females and a couple other guys I knew back before I started staying at the mansion more regularly. I'm terrible about visiting. Sesshomaru tossed us each a marble and went back to his respective spot among the elders and head guys.
"Go." Sesshomaru sounded bored as hell, but I knew better. Sesshomaru loved this game too, but he'll never fess up to it. We sprang off into different directions. My team had the advantage. There was a large pond in the northeast corner of the castle grounds. Daiki had the marble and followed me to the pond. We made sure the marble changed hands and each time it did the carrier went off in a crazy direction. We never handed the marble off. We always threw it. That way the other team would have trouble catching our scent trail. We found a nice large rock in the pond and carefully placed the marble under it. We had to be careful that the rock was exactly as we had left it. Some of the demons on the other team have a crazy good eye for detail. I designated that Daichi and another female named Kasumi should stay behind on defense. Daichi is crazy fast, and Kasumi can hide so fucking well you wouldn't know she was there unless you put a fucking neon sign over her head. The rest of us dashed off in different directions so we wouldn't be caught as easily and cover more ground at the same time. I scented out the female whom I knew had the marble, but they could have done exactly what we did. I motioned for everyone to take a scent trail and follow it. I followed the trail of a male that was extremely quick and sneaky. My instincts told me that he was probably the last one to have his hands on it. I followed his scent to an old rotting tree. This was too easy. These guys would not leave it unguarded. I heard a battle going on. Daiki was distracting three guys at once. Cocky idiot. I quickly searched the tree for any signs of blue. Yup right there. I caught a scent on the wind. Shit. It was Midori (not midoriko. Midori is actually a Japanese name as well) She was another demon crazy good at camouflage.
"Iron reaver soul stealer!" I sliced a tree down in front of me and used those precious seconds to escape. I'm gonna need 'em. The fucking marble was in the southwest corner of the grounds. I have to make it back to no man's land in front of the balcony to win. Considering that everyone pretty much knows that I've got the fucking marble; I'm screwed. As long as Daichi and Kasumi keep the blue team from finding our marble, I should be fine. I threw it to Daiki who threw it to one of the females. Midori was hot on my tail. I used a tree branch to catapult into the air and as far away from her as I possibly could. She's quick, but I can jump higher. I fully intend to use that to my advantage. I kept bouncing like a rubber ball until I was almost to the front of the castle.
"Yash!" Daiki had regained possession of the marble and hurled it to me mid jump. I caught it with ease and landed right in the safe zone. A relatively quick game if I do say so myself. My team came up and clapped me on the back. We shook hands with the blue team and sat down to catch our breath. Kagome returned to her previous spot on my lap.
"You did great. I thought she was gonna get you there for a minute."
"Keh! As if. I was just too fast for her." I smirked and she laughed. I noted the ever rising sun and sighed. "I guess I better be taking you home now huh?" I was sad to be honest. It had been a perfect birthday.
"Yeah, mama will probably be wondering where I am." I said my goodbyes with promises to bring Kagome and myself back soon for another visit. I scooped her up in my arms and bounded off towards my car.
~o0o~
Whew. Done. Hope you like it.
*Kosode- undershirt worn under suikan
**Hakama- pants
***Suikan- Jacket
+Daiki- large radiance
+Daichi- earth, vast land
+Midori- green
+Kasumi- mist/fog
A/n: definitely my favorite chapter so far! Please review. Reviews=love=faster updates