Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or any companies etc. named in this story, so don't sue!!

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"Merry Christmas!" Akiya chirped, entering her mother's home with her hands full of gift bags. The home was full of family and friends, Leiko was there also. A giant Christmas tree stood in the livingroom surrounded by gifts.

"Merry Christmas!" her sister said back, setting her three and a half year old son off her lap to play with his toy truck. After giving out her gifts to everyone– even the snake, the family sat in the dining room, eating the holiday dinner.

"Ki, why isn't your fiancee here?" Ivonne asked.

"He's spending the holiday with his family. He's in LA 'till the twenty-eighth."

"What does he do for a living?" Kayla asked.

"He's the heir to the Supa Hold hair mousse fortune." Anyone who knew an inkling about hair knew about this miracle product.

"Wow!" Maybe he could give them free samples. Deciding against it, she turned her attention back to the food.

The evening was going well, until Leiko decided to tease Ivonne with her engagement ring. Every once and a while she would wave her left hand, making the ring visible to her future mate's ex-wife.

"So Ivonne, do you have anyone special in your life?" the snake asked.

"I don't need anyone in my life as long as I have my family." the human answered, taking another bite of her food. Feeling something burning to her right, she turned to see her ex-husband staring at her. Glaring back at him, he put his head down. Why was that cheating bastard staring at her?

'She still looks the same.' Hideki thought to himself, picking at his food.

'No shit, baka, you marked her! I cant believe you would say something so stupid.' his inner youkai pointed out.

'Whatever. She looks good with her hair short. When I first met her, she had an afro.'

How did he ever snag a woman like Ivonne? She was loving caring, funny, beautiful... perfect. She gave him five wonderful children who he couldn't be more proud of. He remembered when he first met his mate, the mating mark kept her youthful. If she rejected him, the mark would have no meaning, just a scar like Akiya's. Wether or not she kept it for him or the children, he did not know.

----------------------------------------------------------------------Flashback----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aw, shit! I'm late for class!" Ivonne yelled to herself, speeding to New York University. It was the first time in her life that she was on her own, a poor farm girl from Maryland living in the Big Apple. Her farther Earl disagreed with the drastic change, but her mother Gloria said her oldest child needed to spread her wings. With her blessing, nineteen year old Ivonne hopped on a train to New York.

"Ok, professor, there was an accident at the train station... No he would never fall for that! Ummm, twelve car pileup?" she asked herself, praying to God her instructor will fall for her excuse. She could never wake up early.

"No... Ouff!" She crashed into something hard, falling on the ground. Looking up, she bumped into someone, not something. Standing in front of her was the most beautiful man she ever saw. He looked down at her with curious eyes. They were the most unique she'd ever seen, purple fading into blue. His shaggy beige hair had a brown streak going down the middle, stopping past his broad shoulders. A white t-shirt hugged his chest and worn out jeans fit perfectly on his long legs. Looking at him again, she wanted to drool.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She could tell he was from another country, hearing his accent. Something about her intrigued him. It could've been her smooth brown legs under that purple mini skirt or her full lips, but it was something more. He effortlessly picked her off the concrete. After picking a few stray leaves from the woman's afro, his clawed hand ran across her cheek.

"Yes, I-I'm fine... thank you..." she mumbled, her blush showing brightly on her brown skin.

"Where are you headed to in such a rush, miss?" he asked.

"School. I really have to go, I'm already late for class."

"How about I give you a ride?" Staring at her worried face, he added, "Promise I wont bite, unless you want me too." he smirked, showing off his fangs. It was the first time in her life she had ever met a youkai. She always thought they looked like monsters, but this one was gorgeous. Walking to his Harley, he tossed her a helmet.

"Wait, I don't even know your name." she said, holding the large helmet in her hands.

"Hideki, yours?" Slinging his long legs over the motorcycle, he sat quietly waiting for her to hop on. As soon as she sat behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist and it felt perfect.

"Ivonne. Well, Hideki, you know how to get to NYU?"

"Wow, what a coincidence, I'm heading there too. So, what's your major?" he asked, speeding through traffic with ease on the bike. Oddly enough, he had a mission to assassinate a terrorist who studied advanced chemistry at the university. Before he could return to his home country and teach what he learned to others. After that, he was to return to Japan, but maybe he could stay a little longer, for a little southern girl.

"Child care, I want to open a daycare."

"What are you doing after school?"

"Work until nine. Why?"

"If you're not too tired, how about I take you out to eat?" luckily, Ivonne was unable to see his face or she would've noticed the soft blush on his pale face.

"I'd love to!" tightening the hold she had around his waist. Two years later, they were married in a small church a few miles away from the farm Ivonne grew up on.

----------------------------------------------------------------------End Flashback-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look at where he is now, engaged to a woman he's forcing to love, but that was his punishment for cheating on his wife and mate with a young viper demoness, now his fiancee. He would spend eternity longing for a woman who gave up the settled life she always wanted just to be with him, whom he wronged.

The whole family continued eating, making short talk every once in a while about how much they liked their gifts and the wedding.

"Merry Christmas, Rin." Sesshomaru said to his daughter over his cell phone. When he left to America, he left her with his parents.

"Merry Christmas, dad. Is Akiya coming back to Japan?"

"No, she's getting married in a few days."

"Oh..." She knew that her father was hurt, knowing the woman he loved was with someone else. He flew halfway across the world, hoping to get the hanyou back, only to hear that she will belong to someone else. Then having a affair in some pathetic attempt of closer, only having it make things more painful.

"So Rin, how are you enjoying Christmas with your grandparents?" Sesshomaru asked, changing the subject.

"Fine. Grandma Gin came by and gave me a professional camera with lots of film! It's kind of weird that were Shinto and celebrating Christmas, but I like the gifts! Oh, I got a gift from Chi-Chi in the mail, it's a bunch of CD's from American artists."

"Really? Rin, I'll talk to you later, I have some business to attend to. Be a good girl for me."

"I will! Bye!" hanging up the phone in her hands. On the other side of the earth, the Taishou family was enjoying the Christian holiday exchanging gifts and stuffing their faces. (Like I do!)

"It's crazy. Right after the ball, Akiya packed up and left for America." Inuyasha said to his mate sitting across from him in front of the fireplace, watching their children playing with their new toys. Ronin was playing his first wooden sword, while Kiyoshi played with his train set. Shippo and Rin played a game of soccer around the house while being chased by Jaken, telling them to stop.

"I know, we haven't heard from her in over a year, then she sends us a wedding invitation." the miko said.

"My brother may be a bastard, but this is just sad."

"Let's talk about something else. When are you going to start training the boys?"

"Soon. So how do you like your gift?" putting a stray strand of hair to see the diamond earrings he bought.

"I love it! And I have a special gift for you later on." she said, sliding her arms around his neck.

"But you already got me the boxing set, hell even a ring to fight in."

"But you're going to really like this one." she purred, waving a red, satin thong in his face. "This is all I'll be wearing." giving her mate a chaste kiss.

"Mom, can you watch the kids?" Inuyasha yelled, pulling his wife's body closer to his.

"Sure, honey!" she yelled back. She walked into the kitchen, only to see her son and his wife in a passionate lip lock. "Ahem." giggling at the two's embarrassed expressions when they pulled apart.

"Oh, gomen. Well, bye!" tossing his wife over his shoulder and running upstairs.

"Just like his father." Izoyai mumbled to herself.

"Ivonne, can I talk to you?" Hideki asked his ex. Both were watching their grandchildren and niece run around the house. Everyone else was asleep, and Leiko took a cab back to the hotel.

"About what?" her brown eyes jumping around from one child to the next.

"Umm, you look really good. The short hair's different, but I still like it."

"Thank you, I needed a change." she answered flatly.

"Vonnie, there was something I should've told you a long time ago."

"What?" He hasn't called her that name in over twelve years. Pointing to Hassan, the three year old threw a Christmas ornament across the house. The toddler sheepishly apologized and started to play with a ball.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have did what I did to you... but when you lost the baby, I felt like I wasn't man enough to give you another child after we tried for so long."

"You felt like less of a man. I felt like less of a woman. I wasn't strong enough to carry another child... I felt worthless..." she growled through clenched teeth, a habit she picked up from Hideki.

"You're not worthless. You're the only human alive known to give birth to four full demon children and our special little hanyou." he chuckled at the nickname they gave to Akiya when she was born. All the doctors expected another full youkai, but they were shocked to find out she was only a half demon.

"You didn't have to go to her." she whispered, shedding tears. "We could've worked it out."

"Vonnie, I'm so sorry." pulling his woman into a embrace. She still smelled the same, just like banana pudding. When he first met her, he couldn't describe her scent until she made the desert for him. "You still smell like banana pudding." he whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her mark.

"How do I smell like that?" she asked, chuckling against the crook of his neck.

"You just do." Kissing the mark, electricity shot through her body like when they were married. Kissing his way down to her collar bone, he ordered the kids to bed and carried his mate to her bedroom.

"What about Leiko?" Ivonne asked, as she was tossed on her full sized bed.

"What about her?" pushing the human down with a fierce kiss.

"She's your fiancee." breaking the kiss. He may be her mate, but he was going to marry another.

"And you're my mate, you have my mark." pulling her into another kiss. Tossing his shirt across the room, he reached to grab hers.

"Just one night, Hideki. You're about to get married."

"Just one night." ripping her shirt. That was it, just one last night as mates, then they would pretend nothing happened. Only they would know what happened this night.

It was the first time in years either of them woke up with someone's arms wrapped around them. Resting her head on his shoulder, Ivonne sighed. In a few months, he could never be hers again. Hearing his apology lifted a weight off her shoulders. If he would've said them years ago, would things have been different? She guessed everything happened for a reason and decided not to dwell on it.

Breathing in his scent, she smiled. Still the same sweet yet masculine scent that was only his, like a natural cologne. His body was still cut like the first time she met him, the same markings: three smooth purple stripes on each side of his abdomen. His hair grew, it went down his back. She noticed the change before but laying with him close up, she could look at it better, she could touch it. Letting her shaky fingers run through the smooth strands, a clawed hand grabbed hers.

"Remember when we were dating and you used to play in my hair?" Hideki said, his beautiful eyes closed. Nudging his head closer to her hand, she continued.

"Yep, it was so soft. Still is."

"You had an afro back them, you had one for a while." bringing his hand to touch her short, soft strands.

"It was the seventies, I liked it."

"I liked it too, on you." softly kissing her lips. Rolling her over, they made love again.

"So Akiya, are you having fun?" Yura asked her friend. Except Ivonne, Gloria, and Leiko, all the women were not in the hotel for the small bachelorette party. Akiya didn't want strippers, so they all decided to just get drunk before the wedding.

"Yes... my face is soo numb!" the hanyou whined, taking another swig of her Bacardi Bahama Mama. Every woman there was drunk.

"Really?"

"Yep. You wanna know something?"

"Sure."

"I fu-." only to be cut off by her older sister, the least intoxicated of the group. Covering the hanyou's mouth, she growled a warning.

"Lets make a toast to the bride to be!" Akira shouted, raising her shot glass in the air. "Akiya... wow, that almost sounds like my name. Anyway, you're the best cousin a girl could ever have... you too, Ari. But I love you like a sister especially since I'm a only child. Good luck on your marriage and I hope it will be as happy as mine!" the nekoyoukai fell back on the couch as her knees gave in.

"Thank you, Akira, but I doubt we'll be as happy as you and Manten. Manten is soo fuckin cool!" she shouted falling on her sister's lap.

"I know, and I get to screw him every night!"

"So Yura, you never told us how you and Hiten hooked up." Inari said. Akiya nodded her head on her sister's lap, waiting for a story.

"We went out to eat, then I invited him over to my place."

"You bad girl!" Akiya yelled pointing at Iva, when she meant to point at Yura.

"You had a one night stand while at work!" the hair demoness shot back.

"Oh, right but it was Spain. Was Hiten good?"

"Grrreat!" the whole group burst into laughs. Donna stumbled onto Akiya's bed and passed out. Aunt Chloe was knocked out, drooling on the couch.

"Girls, before I forget, I love you all soo much! You're all really good women. Ya'll my bitches, man!" almost breaking into tears before falling asleep in her sisters lap.

"Love you too!" they all said back in unison before falling asleep or passing out.

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Someone's getting married!!! Yay! Remember, the next chap is Akiya's wedding!

Read and review!!!