" I do." Kikyo said softly, gazing lovingly into Inuyasha's beautiful, golden eyes.
Inuyasha smiled, relieved that they had finally made it this far. He looked out at the seated crowd, watching the scene with happy eyes. The paparazzi stood in the back, their cameras clicking rapidly. It had been Kikyo's wish that paparazzi be allowed in the church, which Inuyasha allowed without a second thought.
Inuyasha turned back to his bride as the priest came to the climax of the evening.
" You may now kiss the bride." The old man said, smiling down at the happy couple.
Inuyasha smiled again and cupped Kikyo's cheek with his hand. He leaned down and pressed a chaste, yet loving kiss against her lips. Inuyasha pulled back and looked into his wife's brown eyes, then frowned. Those dark, exotic brown eyes were changing, becoming lighter. Kikyo's long, straight brown hair seemed to shrink until it came just below her shoulders in layered waves.. Next, she shrank about two inches. Inuyasha's mouth dropped as he stared into the new person in front of him.
" What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked in a soft voice, giggling slightly, " You look like you've seen a ghost."
Suddenly, Inuyasha felt something hard ram into his knee. He looked down to see Ami giving him a toothy grin, wearing a beautiful, white flower's girl dress. Keitaro ran up next and latched into Kagome's open hand, smiling brightly.
" Congratulations, son." Taisho clapped Inuyasha on the shoulder, smiling happily, " I'm proud of you."
Inuyasha glanced down at a brightly smiling Kagome and felt a small smile spread across his face as well. He wrapped his arm around Kagome's waist and drew her to his side. He leaned in for another kidd when a high pitched squeal interrupted the moment.
The entire group in the church looked towards the aisle where a beaming Kikyo was hurrying towards him, dressed in an elaborately designed wedding dress. Kikyo finally made it to his side and grabbed his free hand.
" Oh, my gosh! I'm so excited." Kikyo leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, " Sorry I'm late."
"K-K-Kikyo?" Inuyasha stuttered as Kikyo began to pull him away from Kagome and the kids.
To his surprise, Kagome simply smiled while another man who seemed to have no face stepped up to Kagome. He wrapped an arm around her waist as Ami clung to the new man's leg, taking Inuyasha's exact stance that he had been in before Kikyo had began to drag him away.
" Kagome?" Inuyasha frowned as he was still being pulled backwards by Kikyo.
Kagome looked up at him and then pointed to him, whispering something to Keitaro and Ami. The two looked up and smiled, waving.
" Bye! Daddy!" The two chorused before looking back at Kagome and the mysterious stranger.
Ami grabbed the mans free hand while Keitaro again grabbed Kagome's hand. The four turned around and began to disapear, fading into the background.
" No, Kagome. Wait!" Inuyasha called desperately, " Please. NO!"
Inuyasha shot up in his bed, gasping for breath while a cold sweat glistened along his hairline. He took in a shuddering breath, calming himself as he looked to the clock. He groaned, seeing that it was only 2:07, only 37 hours until the wedding. Inuyasha lay back down, feeling Kikyo's arm instinctively drape across his waist. Inuyasha sighed, blowing his bangs from his eyes as he stared at the ceiling, trying to get his previous dream out of his head.
After about fifteen minutes of staring at the ceiling, Inuyasha sighed in annoyance. No matter what he thought about, it always led straight back to his dream. Inuyasha lifted Kikyo's arm off of him and slid out from under the covers. He rubbed his eyes and walked out of the room towards the kitchen, the ends of his sweatpants dragging against the hardwood floor.
Inuyasha went to the refrigerator and looked around, pulling out the milk. He grabbed a bowl, a spoon, and a box of Cocoa Puffs before jumping onto the counter and landing so that he sat on top, his feet swinging off the ledge.
Inuyasha prepared his cereal and raised the spoon to his lips. A small yawn made him stop what he was doing and look over to the kitchen entrance. Ami stood there rubbing the sleep out of her eyes,w earing a pink princess nightgown that reached the middle of her calves,
" Daddy?" Ami called sleepily.
" What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked uncertainly, setting his cereal next to him.
" I couldn't sleep." Ami said, smiling sheepishly.
Inuyasha just smirked and hopped off the counter, beckoning her over with a jerk of his head. Ami smiled and hurried to him. Inuyasha slid the bowl to Ami, then hopped back onto the counter eating.
Ami smiled up at him, chewing her cereal thoughtfully. Inuyasha smiled back at her, wondering what he would have done if he had never returned to Kagome's and met his daughter, Sure, he had lived without her before he knew of her existence, but could he survive without being able to see her, or Keitaro.
Inuyasha's dream came flooding back to him. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked straight forward again.
" What's wrong, Daddy?" Ami asked, standing on the counter to press her palm to his forehead, " Are you sick?"
Inuyasha smirked and shook his head, " No, I just remembered a bad dream I had."
" Oh." Ami looked thoughtful for a second, then smiled, " Come with me!"
Inuyasha felt his heart stop as Ami leaped from the counter. Moving faster than he ever did before, he caught her and set her on the floor, " Don't do that, Ami. You scared me."
" Come on." Ami insisted, grabbing his hand and dragging him into the living room towards the couch, " Lay down."
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told. Ami hopped onto the couch too, sitting on her knees and putting Inuyasha's head in her lap.
" Mommy does this for me when I have a bad dream." Ami responded as she traced circles all over his forehead and rubbed his temples, " I learned it so I could help her too."
"Really?" Inuyasha muttered, feeling better already. (A/N: That really does work. Like if u have a headache or something. My mom taught it to me! lol)
" Yep. Mommy has lots of bad dreams. And she cries before she goes to bed sometimes." Ami replied nonchalantly.
Inuyasha frowned, " Why?"
" I dunno." Ami chirped, " But Keitaro says sh';s been doing it ever since he could remember."
Inuyasha's frown deepened, "Ami? Does Mommy talk about me? Ever?"
" Uh, huh! Lots of times." Ami said happily, " She always tells Auntie Sango that your our Daddy and that you should get a chance to know us."
Inuyasha smirked, imagining Sango's reaction, " And how does Auntie Sango feel about that?"
" She calls you names that Mommy says I can never, ever, ever say...'specially around Grandma and Nana. Then Mommy tells Auntie Sango to buzz off and that you get a second chance to meet us."
Inuyasha chuckled briefly, before frowning sadly. How could it be that even after all he's done to her, Kagome still trusted him to be a father to his kids? That she would still defend him against her best friend? Only one conclusion came to mine. Kagome deserved better, far better, than him.
Inuyasha's frown deepened unconciously as his dream again came flooding back to him. He mentally saw a picture of Kagome in the arms of another man, smiling...laughing...happy.
Inuyasha shook his head. He didn't want to imagine his Kagome with anyone else. 'Wait, my Kagome? She hasn't been my Kagome for about four years. So why am I thinking of her as mine?'
Inuyasha knew that answer immediately. He still loved her, probably always would. Inuyasha looked up into the eyes of his daughter, who was concentrating on Inuyasha's forehead.
Ami was almost the spitting image of Kagome, with dark hair and beautiful eyes. Although Ami's eyes had more of a gold tint to them, like Inuyasha's, the reminded him of Kagome. They were filled with warmth, love and kindness. These eyes were how he liked to remember Kagome's, before he left her, before he broke her heart into thousands of little pieces, before her eyes had dimmed ever so slightly, like a candle slowly dying out. And he was the cause of it.
Inuyasha sighed and looked at the clock. It was already 3:05. Inuyasha looked up at Ami and quirked and eyebrow, smiling ever so slightly. She had fallen asleep who knows how long ago. He head resting against the back of the couch with Inuyasha's head still in her lap.
Inuyasha got up and gathered her into his arms. He walked back down the hallway until he reached the guest bedroom. On one side of the room was a twin bed with red, suede comforters. Keitaro had obviously claimed that bed.
The other twin bed was on the opposite side of the room with a beige suede comforter. Inuyasha pulled back the covers, set Ami down, then covered her with the comforter. He placed a feather-light kiss on her forehead.
Inuyasha walked over to Keitaro and chuckled. Keitaro lay on his stomach, his left arm and leg hanging off the side of the bed while his head rested against his left shoulder, hanging off the bed as well. Inuyasha lifted him gently, placing his head on the pillow and putting his arm and leg back under the covers.
Inuyasha kissed Keitaro's forehead as well before heading for the doorway, but a small voice stopped him.
" Daddy?" Ami called sleepily from her bed.
" Shhh, it's time to go to sleep, okay?" Inuyasha called back.
" Okay." Ami snuggled into the covers, " But Mommy misses you too."
Inuyasha froze, staring at his now sleeping daughter. Kagome missed him? Inuyasha felt a familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. The feeling that you get after a long drop on a roller coaster, a nervous yet excited feeling. The same feeling he had when he found out Kagome was pregnant with Keitaro. The same feeling he had when he married Kagome. The same feeling he had yet to feel with Kikyo.
Inuyasha frowned and mentally scolded himself as he walked back to his own bedroom, 'Don't even go there. You made your decision and she made hers. You chose Kikyo."
Inuyasha entered his bedroom and stared at Kikyo, his bride-to-be. Inuyasha slowly walked to his side of the bed, gazing down at Kikyo. She was undeniably beautiful, even without makeup. Although she was two years older than him, four older than Kagome, her face was wrinkle free. Not one laugh line of blemish marred her perfect face. Her face, and body, were flawless, perfect.
'A little too perfect.' Inuyasha subconciously added as he remembered the laugh lines that accentuated Kagome's eyes.
Inuyasha groaned and rubbed his eyes, flopping gracefully onto his bed. He pulled his sheets over his waist and turned on his side, staring blankly at his wall. Drifting off to sleep, one thought ran through his head, 'Did I make the right choice?'
" Uncle Sesshy!' Ami cired happily the next day as Sesshomaru, Kagura and Rin stepped into the apartment.
Sesshomaru smirked as Ami dragged Rin off to go find Keitaro. Sesshomaru looked up at Inuyasha and frowned, " What's wrong with you?"
" Nothing." Inuyasha replied wuickly, shutting the door behind his brother before hurrying towards the kitchen, past the living room where Kikyo sat with her family and a few close friends.
Sesshomaru smirked and followed Inuyasha to the kitchen, "You're not getting cold feet are you, dear brother?"
" No!" Inuyasha said quickly, too quickly. Inuyasha's eyes darted around the room, making sure they were alone, " Ami just told me some things yesterday."
" What kind of things?" Sesshomaru pressed, wondering if his hunch was correct.
" A bunch of things about...about Kagome." Inuyasha blushed, looking at his feet.
Bingo! " Ah, I see." Sesshomary smirked, deciding not to push the matter further, " And how has it been, having those two rugrats living with you for the past few days?"
Inuyasha visibly relaxed, smiling, " It's been great. They're amazing kids. I'm...I'm glad Kagome let me get to know them better..."
" And?" Sesshomaru pressed yet again.
" I--" The doorbell rang so Inuyasha started to leave, " I don't think I can leave them again."
" Kagome won't let you have them, Inuyasha." Sesshomaru warned yet again.
Inuyasha paused before leaving the room, " I know that. Besides, there are other ways to get your kids back, some that don't involve a court."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened, " Are you--do you...are you saying you'll go back to Kagome?"
Inuyasha's eyebrows furrowed together as he looked back to his brother, " I don't know."
Sesshomaru watched in shock as Inuyasha went to answer the door, " This should be interesting."