Eri: Here is it! The long awaited Wedding chapter! Also, good news, I've actually written two chapters instead of just one. Here's the first, the next will be posted either tomorrow or sometime in the next few days (when I get the chance to type it out).

Enjoy!

Chapter 28: The Big Day

The week had passed more quickly than Kagome could have imagined. She watched as their little shrine was transformed from a humble little temple to a place fit for the wedding of nobility. At Sesshoumaru's request, the decorations had been kept as natural as possible, and the scent of flowers was nearly overwhelming as Kagome awake alone in her bed. She was only slightly surprised by this. Her mother had given Sesshoumaru a stern speech about how the wedding day should go, right down to the small details like this. He'd agreed, disinterestedly, but had apparently actually been listening.

Kagome stretched and sat up, looking at her alarm clock. It read 5:17 AM, way too early to be awake, and yet there was no way she was going to be able to go back to sleep again. Dressed in her most comfortable pyjamas, she made her way to the washroom and flicked on the light. She gasped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was a rat's nest, and there were deep purple bags beneath her eyes.

'Oh, that's no good… I hope it fades before the wedding…' She thought to herself in a sleep addled way.

She rubbed her hands over her face to clean away any sleep dust that had collected and hopped into the shower. After cleaning and detangling, she spent several long minutes allowing the hot water to relax and rejuvenate her. When she finally towelled off and got dressed into jeans and a loose t-shirt, the clock read 6:30 AM.

She signed. The actual wedding was planned for 5:00 PM and she was sure everyone in the house would still be asleep for at least another hour or so. Quietly, she snuck out of the house and wandered the property. The trees were in full bloom; cherry blossoms everywhere. It was the perfect time of the year for a wedding. As she wandered aimlessly, she found herself at the foot of the Goshin Boku, the God Tree, that she'd found Inuyasha pinned to 504 years ago. She clasped her hands together behind her back and stared up at it.

'So much has happened since that day. I can't believe Naraku is dead.' She thought, then realized she'd passed out before collecting the shards he'd had. She hoped either Inuyasha or Sesshoumaru had scooped them up, or else she'd have to chase them down. She reached out and laid a hand on the ancient tree and smiled.

'Who would have thought it would turn out this way? Sesshoumaru and I…'

Sesshoumaru watched from high atop the temple roof as Kagome wandered, his eyes trained on her. Her face changed as he watched, and he wondered what she was thinking about. Did she know the mating would occur when they consummated their marriage? Was she aware how much it was going to hurt? Did she realize he'd have to rush her back to the castle after the wedding to do it? All these questions played on his mind as he scanned her face in hopes of an answer, but he found no real answers there. When she settled in front of a large tree and placed a hand on it, he leapt down from the roof and went to her.

She didn't notice him approach behind her. She stood, lost in thought, with a hand pressed to the tree. The wind blew through her hair and Sesshoumaru found himself unable to resist her.

"Kagome." He said softly, his deep rich voice startling her out of her thoughts.

She spun to face him, eyes wide with surprise.

"Sess! You scared…"

She didn't get to finish the thought before his lips were on hers, cutting her off. She tensed in shock then threw herself into the kiss (and his arms) whole-heartedly. Her lips were warm against his, and he raised a clawed hand to gently press it to her cheek. When they broke the kiss, both were panting for breath.

"We're getting married today." Kagome whispered it like a revelation.

"And mated." Sesshoumaru added, only marginally louder, but more sure of himself.

Kagome looked surprised by this, and Sesshoumaru knew she'd been unaware.

"Tonight?" She asked.

He smirked.

"The actual mating is very… primal." He said, leaving it at that. He could tell from the pink flush rising in her cheeks that she got the message.

Kagome wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"I'm nervous." She admitted.

He didn't respond, only clutched her closer and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he suspected the unease in the pit of his gut was a similar nervousness. He also, however, was feeling extremely possessive. Today, he'd make her his for all eternity.

A bright blue light shone through the doors of the old well house. Moments later, Inuyasha pushed the door open and stepped out onto the shrine property. He knew he was early for the wedding, but he couldn't stay in the Sengoku Jidai any longer, just waiting around. While he'd put up a fight with Kagome about coming, she was his closest friend, and soon to be his sister. No matter what happened between them, he would always be there for her when she needed him, and he knew she would do the same in return.

He made his way towards the house and spotted the happy couple, hugging beneath the tree Kikyo had pinned him to for so many years; The one Kagome had freed him from. He felt a little pang of regret seeing his brother with her, but more than that, he was happy for her. He may be brash, but he knew that someone as pure as her deserved happiness. Instead of interrupting them, he headed into the house.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru spent most of the morning wandering around the property, hand in hand. Kagome's hand was dwarfed by his massive one. She was still amazed by how gentle such an intimidating man could be. It was only when Oyume came bustling out of the house, arms full of flowers, that they encountered anyone. Upon spotting them, Oyume seemed put out.

"Kagome, you should be inside eating brunch and getting ready. Inuyasha's here, by the way." She scolded, stumbling forward.

Sesshoumaru shot forward to catch her when she tripped over the isle runner, however she caught herself before he could. Instead, he took her burden of flowers from her, stoic as ever.

"Oh! Thank you." Oyume beamed up at him.

He gave her a half smirk.

"Where do you want them?" He asked, ignoring her thanks.

"Up at the front, if you don't mind. That would be great."

He spun away from her, hair flicking out behind him, and walked away without a word.

Kagome, despite her scolding, beamed up at him as he passed her again. He saw her smile and offered her a private, tiny smile of his own. She headed into the house, knowing she could no longer get away with procrastinating; It was time to get ready.

The time passed too quickly for Kagome. She could hardly eat anything for excitement, and had trouble sitting still while her mother pinned up her hair and applied her traditional Japanese make-up. When she finally slipped into her stunning black and red kimono, the butterflies in her stomach turned to full grown bats.

"Oh, sweetie, you look gorgeous!" Oyume hugged her, tears in her eyes.

"Mom, you're going to make me cry! I can't ruin the make-up!" She complained, hugging her back and staring up at the lights to avoid tearing up.

"Sorry, sorry." Oyume said, letting her go and smiling as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Listen, there's something you need to know before you mate tonight…"

Kagome flushed a bright red, but didn't interrupt her.

"When the spell wears off, it's going to hurt. A lot. Your inner demon may even take control from time to time. You'll need to be locked in the dungeon, and don't let the children anywhere near you until it's over." She insisted. "You're going to hate me and wish I never put the spell on you, but I promise that will pass."

Kagome gulped nervously.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I may not get the chance to tell you later, and you should know. Be absolutely certain that this is what you want. Once you've changed, there's no going back again."

Kagome stared at the floor, terrified and excited all at once. If she was spending the night in lock up, this wasn't going to be her dream honeymoon night. When the time came for the ceremony to begin, Kagome felt weak and shakey, and needed to sit down.

'It's really happening… I'm about to marry Sesshoumaru… Am I ready for this?…" She thought, internally panicking.

"Sis?" A voice distracted her and she looked up to see Souta's worried face. "You okay?"

Buyo, their overly fat cat, meowed at her feet.

"I don't know." She whispered honestly. "Can I go through with this?"

Souta seemed to think on her words for a minute before answering her.

"Do you love him?" He asked.

"Yes." He answer was immediate.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?"

"Yes." She said again.

"Then you can do this. Just remember you love him and you want this, and you'll be fine. Now come on, sis. Sesshoumaru is out there waiting for you." Souta said with finality.

Kagome hugged him to her, careful not to mess up her hair and face.

"Thank you, Souta."

She smiled as Souta hugged her back and Buyo sauntered away.

Together, they walked out of the house, bats still flapping away in Kagome's stomach despite her pep talk, and made their way to the ceremony. The first thing Kagome noticed was Inuyasha grinning at her. From there, her eyes took in the small crowd of family and friends watching her. Finally, her eyes landed on Sesshoumaru and Jii-chan, and stuck there.

The second she saw her beautiful demon, all her nerves ceased and her worries disappeared. Everything else fell away, until the pleasantly surprised look on his face became her entire world.

Sesshoumaru paced impatiently, waiting for the human farce of a mating to begin. Never in his life had he imaged he'd ever have to go through this, and waiting to get it over with was making him irritable. From the moment Kagome had left him, to the moment Oyume called him over to begin, he questioned why he was even going through with the wedding to begin with.

'Mate.' His inner demon reminded him possessively.

As he stood before Kagome's old grand-father in the traditional human wedding garb Oyume'd had made for him, Inuyasha approached him.

"What?" He said, cold and emotionless.

Inuyasha sniggered.

"Just thought I'd congratulate ya… and warn you that I'll kill you if you ever hurt her." He said, a little too loud for comfort.

Despite his dislike for his half-breed brother, Sesshoumaru nodded.

"She will be my mate, and no one will harm her ever again." He responded and paused before adding, "even I."

"Feh." Inuyasha hugged and turned away. He was satisfied with the response he'd been given, though he refused to admit it.

Just when Sesshoumaru was beginning to think Kagome wasn't going to come out, she appeared with Souta at her side. She was more beautiful than she'd ever been, and he couldn't keep the stunned expression from crossing his face. Her eyes met his, and her entire face lit up in an enormous smile. He forgot then all his skepticism and knew exactly why he was doing this. He would do anything for her.

The ceremony was brisk, lasting no more than 10 minutes, and Kagome and Sesshoumaru found themselves doing their best to watch the old man instead of one another as they went through the motions. When the old man announced them a married couple, and they were finally permitted to face one another and kiss, Kagome felt a huge weight lift off of her shoulders that she hadn't even realized she'd been carrying, and her friends and family clapped and cheered for the new married couple.

Eri: You know the drill, review if you liked it! :)