It was three days before the wedding and Kagome was having the time of her life. More often than not she was catching herself humming "Three Little Birds" whether she was tidying her house, running errands at work, or being put on hold as she proceeded to finalize the long list of changes for her wedding. And she had made one hell of a long list.

First up were the dresses. Since her mother was still out of the country and wouldn't be due to arrive until a couple days before the wedding, she'd enlisted the help of her bridesmaids and secured a day off to where they could all go out together – without Keina. Kagome returned to the shop where she had purchased her dress and told them in no uncertain terms that it was not "her dress". She wanted to purchase a dress from them, but not that one. The same was said about the bridesmaid dresses. Kagome didn't want her bridesmaids to have to be subjected to wearing that garish pea soup green taffeta. She wanted them to look nice and have the dresses flatter each woman, even if they weren't the exact same cut.

Next was the food, which proved to have some choice words from the people she talked to over the phone or in person at each place. It wasn't until she pointed out that she was giving them enough notice as per the agreement – in addition to making changes that would be simpler – that they began to relax and accommodate her requests. That she added a generous tip in return to make up for the notice instead of asking for the difference back on the bill only helped sweeten the deal. The cake….that one did take some ass kissing on her part, along with explaining her reasons for making this change now and in detail with the head of the bakery. It was the one place she was glad she visited on her own, because right then she needed as few to know the whole story as possible.

Seating arrangements was particularly fun. That vile woman had decreed that guests who weren't in her predetermined social circle were to sit as far away from the bridal party as possible without it being obvious. Naturally this meant anyone she was friends with. Hell, she was lucky her blood kin were getting as decent seating as they did with Keina at the helm. Kagome took great delight in attacking the seating chart with a red pen. Now she knew why some of her teachers got such glee out of marking bad papers and leaving comments about why the events that unfolded at the Alamo did not inspire the line of beer of the same name.

She had decided that she was going to leave the seating arrangements to be the last thing she tackled, because she had been dodging his mother's calls since the beginning of this adventure and knew that once this was done she'd have no reason to feign being busy. It was no surprise when Bankotsu appeared at her doorstep that afternoon.

What surprised her was that she hadn't seen him seconds after the seating arrangement had been fixed.

Bankotsu had showed up looking like he'd fallen asleep in his work attire – another suprise. Hair was a mess, clothes were untucked where they were normally pressed and prim. Kagome had suspected that her fiancé was a two-timer, and might have called him on it right then if his alarmed expression hadn't suggested otherwise. "What are you doing, Kagome?" he wheezed. Odd, had he run up the steps to her apartment instead of taking the elevator?

"What are you talking about?"

"My mother –" he paused to take a deep breath. "My mother just called me as I left work to say that you've undone everything we'd planned for the wedding!"

"Oh, that," she replied dismissively, examining her nails.

"Yes, that!" If she'd looked up she'd seen his exasperated glare aimed her way. "Why would you do that? We had this figured out months ago –"

"No!"

"What?"

Kagome's eyes snapped up to meet his. "I said no. We didn't do a damn thing. You weren't there for the cake tastings. You didn't help me decide the invitations. You claimed to have to work the weekend we were supposed to decide the menu. I was there. I had to be told where to go and where to sit while your mother made the decisions for our wedding for me. Because you couldn't be bothered. You made such a display the night you proposed, but you haven't been around for any of the planning. You let your mother take control. When I needed you, where were you?"

There it was.

The look of panic.

He knew she knew. She'd backed him into a corner, and he couldn't argue.

Kagome wasn't going to let him get another word in before she said her thoughts on the matter. "I did what I had to do, Bankotsu. I came to the realization that I wasn't happy with the way my wedding was being decided for me. So I took matters into my own hands and fixed what I didn't like. Simple as that."

"But the caterers! What about –"

"It's been decided. You'd be surprised by how receptive people are when you explain your reasons for wanting to make changes a fortnight before an event." The smile she gave him was devious, but she didn't give a damn. Bankotsu clearly knew that she wasn't as oblivious as he'd expected her to be, but to suggest otherwise would land him in hot water. She had him right where she wanted him. "Now, I think it's time you go on home and relax. Big day in three days, sweetheart," she said with added emphasis on the endearment.

Bankotsu's jaw clicked shut, preventing him from saying whatever he'd intended to say next. He shook his shoulders out and ran his hand through his short hair, only mussing it further instead of smoothing it. He'd mumbled that he'd talk to her later and made a quick retreat down the hallway. Kagome waited until he was gone before she shut the door.

Then she did a little dance as she laughed.

That. Felt. Wonderful!

Finally getting the gumption to stand up and take back what was supposed to be her wedding plans after months was exhilarating. She knew good and damn well that she'd hear about it from his mother until the end of time, but it was worth it just to see his expression.

Good.

Get the bastard scared. She wasn't sure if it would stop his ways – whether he really was or not – but it let him know that she wasn't going to sit back and take this any longer. He had a choice to make. She had made hers.

As her phone went off she paid no mind to the ringtone, knowing it was a text coming in from Kagura. The older woman had said that she'd be sending her a message later once she wrapped up with her work for the day. Kagome grabbed her phone and absently swiped the screen to unlock it and pulled up the message as she just received. It was about time to start fixing supper, and she wanted to pour herself a drink to celebrate her little accomplishment first. She'd just taken the ice tray out of the freezer when she looked down at the screen.

Thankfully it had been the ice that had hit the floor and not the bottle of Jack Daniels that was sitting on her bar.