Okay, time to wind this thing down. I have a ton of work I need to do and as much as I love writing Inuyasha fictions, they don't pay the rent :-)
I'm guessing one, maybe two more chapters after this one. I'm considering adding on later with occasional one-shot vignettes on the life of married Inuyasha and Kagome. I already have a couple in mind: a Christmas story and a sweet little father-son story, both set a few years into the future. No promises, but keep an eye out in the next few weeks/months.
Lime warning -- the scene starts after Miroku's second smart-ass comment to Inyasha. For those of you avoiding it, you can safely read again after "KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!"
Chapter Fifteen
Sango was lighting torches several feet away while Miroku was occupied lifting her to reach. If they timed it just right…
"GOT IT!" Shippou darted back under the table with a facetious grin. He broke the small cake in half and handed a piece to Rin.
"Shippou-chan is fast," Rin said in awe, her mouth stuffed full of the confection.
The little kitsune lifted his nose into the air with confidence. "I'm a demon; of course I'm fast!"
She giggled at his little display. Unfortunately she giggled a little too loudly.
"You little hooligans!" They were each hoisted high into the air by a strong pair of arms. Rin squeaked in embarrassed fear at the castle chef. "Kiroki-san! Rin-chan is sorry!"
"There you are!" Sango rushed up to the trio, taking Shippou into her own hands for a stern lecturing. "What did I tell you about stealing from the dessert buffet?"
"But Sango, I'm so hungry!" Shippou gave the taijiya his biggest watery eyes and prayed she'd give in like Kagome usually did.
It didn't work.
"You're going to wait like the rest of us," she firmly reiterated for the fourth time that afternoon. "Kagome-chan and Inuyasha will be back any minute now. Don't you want your okaa-san to have a nice wedding party?"
Shippou nodded, feeling a small amount of shame welling into his stomach. Yes, he wanted to behave for Kagome. He felt himself being lowered to the ground next to Rin.
"If you are both that bored, then why not go into the garden and pick some flowers for Kagome-chan?" Sango suggested.
That idea put a smile on both their faces. They agreed in unison and ran together toward the eastern gardens. Sighing, Sango turned back to the rather tedious job of lighting the fifty-plus torches that lined the banquet hall, only to see that Miroku had finished for her.
"Arigato, houshi-sama. My arms were starting to ache."
"You're most welcome, Sango." He extinguished the lighting torch and came to stand behind Sango. The demon exterminator cringed, expecting the usual grope, but it never came. Instead, Miroku moved to take her arms in his hands and began massaging the taut muscles in a soothing motion.
Forgetting herself for the moment, Sango relaxed into his caress, a small sigh escaping her. Miroku closed his eyes and reveled in the fact that for once, she wasn't attempting to bean him with hiraikotsu. They continued in this way for several minutes before the room started filling with wedding guests. Hiding their disappointment, Miroku and Sango stepped quickly away from each other, giving the room a final once-over.
The servants were busy seating various aristocratic figureheads about the room. Sango followed Miroku to their own reserved table, mercifully close to the head table. They had no desire to mingle with the various strange and petty noblemen and women.
Large drums beating announced the arrival of the bride and groom. The hall fell silent as Sesshoumaru entered, and introduced the pair as husband and wife. All around them the guests cheered and clinked their chopsticks against each other, some shouting out wishes for good health and happiness.
Kagome was in complete rapture. Inuyasha felt ill.
"This is the part I was dreading," he grumbled in annoyance.
Squeezing his hand affectionately to give him her strength, Kagome just smiled back at the boisterous guests and followed Sesshoumaru to the head table, her hanyou mate in tow.
Once they were seated, a fleet of servants burst from the castle kitchen, each carrying various trays of regional delicacies for their dinner. There were no less than six kinds of meat, thirteen vegetable dishes, and enough rice and soup to feed an army. Sesshoumaru had again spared no expense. If his brother was going to mate a human, at least it would be a lavish and regal affair.
"Dreading this part too?" Kagome winked at Inuyasha as he eagerly dug into the rabbit stew a servant placed before him.
He shot her a teasing glare. No one came between Inuyasha and his meal. Not even Kagome.
Halfway through dinner, Sesshoumaru stood and gave his small tribute to the couple beside him, as was expected of the demon lord. His speech was followed by one from Miroku, who took the opportunity to check out the female complement among the guests. Sango gritted her teeth in annoyance.
Following dinner, Kagome was nearly bowled over by Shippou. "Okaa-san! Rin-chan and I picked flowers for you!" He shoved the small, already wilting bouquet proudly at Kagome, eliciting a warm smile from the young woman.
"Arigato, Shippo-chan. I'll have to press these into my diary later."
He didn't know what a diary was, but Kagome was happy and that's all that mattered. He was getting comfortable in his mother's arms when Inuyasha abruptly lifted him by the tail from her chest and met him face-to-face.
"You can snuggle up to Kagome later, kit. This is adult time now."
Shippou pouted, but a look from Kagome told him she wasn't going to disagree with the irate hanyou. If what Sango had told him was true, he wouldn't be sleeping beside Kagome at all anymore. Damn Inuyasha for stealing his mother away!
Inuyasha dropped him onto the ground unceremoniously, ignoring the stern frown from Kagome. He took her hand and pulled her out to the center of the banquet hall where already several couples were dancing to the merry tune played by the orchestra.
"Inuyasha?"
"You still owe me that dance, wench."
Stunned but eager, Kagome allowed the hanyou to draw her into the center of the dance floor and they began to dance. All around them couples backed away to appraise the newlyweds, some of them calling out compliments, others simply cheering them on.
"Am I still clumsy, Inuyasha?"
"You never were, koibito," he whispered into her ear, his voice husky. Only a couple more hours of schmoozing with the guests and he could whisk his mate off into the night. Inuyasha wondered if anyone would notice him sneaking her out early…
Unknown to Inuyasha, Kagome's thoughts were following a similar path. She blushed, and burrowed deeper into his kimono. Where would he take her, she wondered? Would they go off into his room, or was there a kind of honeymoon suite in the castle? In her most private fantasies Kagome had imagined this night in perfect detail, but it wasn't in a bed in a demon lord's castle.
The song ended. Inuyasha stood back and watched Kagome, his eyes filled with concern at her glazed expression. Was she ill?
"Daijouka, Kagome?"
"Mm, I'm fine koiishi. Just thinking."
The orchestra began a new song, this one playing at a much faster tempo. Wordlessly the pair decided to skip this particular dance and made their way back to the head table.
"We have the final toasts left," Inuyasha began when they were out of the crowd, "and then I think we can leave without insulting anyone."
"Not a big party fan, are we Inu-chan?"
He grunted in response, evoking an almost musical laugh from Kagome.
"Kagome-chan!" Sango emerged behind the couple, Miroku following close behind. Had they been dancing? Kagome filed that question away for later. "Do you have a minute?"
With an affirming nod from Kagome, Sango pulled the girl off toward the ladies powdering room, leaving the two men standing alone.
"Inuyasha?"
"Eh?"
"Need any tips for tonight?"
Apparently the gods saw fit to spare Miroku's life. Before Inuyasha could rip the monk a new one, he felt a light tug at the bottom of his kimono. Sesshoumaru's little human girl, Inuyasha realized upon looking down. What did she want with him?
"Inuyasha-sama, Rin can't find Sesshoumaru-sama. Where did he go?"
Indeed, the inuyoukai had disappeared. In fact, Inuyasha didn't remember seeing him at all since his speech earlier in the evening. The little girl continued to hold him in a worried gaze.
In an uncharacteristically tender moment, Inuyasha knelt down to the little girl and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. "I'm sure he's just resting," he soothed her. "Kagome is in the washroom, why don't you go find her and she'll put you to bed."
"Hai!"
Miroku watched the little girl run off happily before turning back to the hanyou beside him. "Practicing for fatherhood, are we?"
"Keh!"
* * * * *
"Oyasumi nasai, Lady and Lord Inuyasha."
The heavy wooden door closed on the pair, leaving them alone in the largest and most opulent room in the entire castle.
Kagome fought her sudden timidity by walking about the room, studying all of its intricate décor and features. There was the ceiling, which rose through two levels of the three-story castle and from which dropped a rather large, unlit chandelier. The floor was wooden here as it was everywhere else, but covered with woven mats, rugs, and animal skins over various areas.
She discovered his and hers closets, which Kagome noticed had been filled with their possessions at some point during the day. The servants had indeed been quite busy, she realized. Between the closets a dressing table like the one in her previous room had been set up with brushes, perfumes, and various hair accessories.
On the wall opposite the dressing table and closets loomed an enormous stone fireplace, over which hung a large tapestry portraying one of the great inuyoukai in battle. The demon resembled Inuyasha more than Sesshoumaru, right down to his two fuzzy dog ears. Kagome stifled a laugh at the odd juxtaposition of the youkai's puppy ears and the fierce battle he was fighting. She'd have to ask Inuyasha about that particular ancestor later.
Then there was the bed. It was raised above ground like her own in the future, but significantly larger. The bedding appeared to be several layers thick and exceedingly plush. Large velvet draperies were pulled back along the sides of the headboard, held with tasseled ties to ivory hooks on the wall.
Inuyasha brushed his hands onto his kimono and stepped back to contemplate the blazing fire he'd started in the previously cold fireplace. When they'd entered the room only a few sparse torches had been lit, giving the place a somewhat austere feeling despite the furnishings. Sensing Kagome's nervousness, he'd opted to busy himself with the fire while giving her the chance to become comfortable with her new surroundings.
Now that his task was completed, he found her staring at their bed with an unreadable expression. He didn't know how to approach her in this state, but he had to say something.
"Kagome?"
She turned to meet his eyes, comforted by the familiar sound of her name in his voice. He was walking toward her, slowly, as though she were a small animal who would scamper off into the woods if frightened.
"Inuyasha."
She held out a hand to the hanyou which he took gently into his own, coming to stand before her. "You okay? Not too cold?"
"No, I'm fine."
"This was a lot easier when we weren't trying to hold back," he grumbled affably. Inuyasha searched her eyes again, finding in them a wealth of love but a small speck of apprehension. "I don't know what exactly you're expecting, but I don't want to disappoint you, Kagome."
She shook her head, raising her free hand to glide up over the smooth skin of Inuyasha's cheek before coming to rest at his left ear. "You can't disappoint me, koiishi. I'm with you for who you are inside and nothing that happens here tonight will change that. Tonight can only make me love you more."
Kami-sama, I don't know what I did to deserve her but thank you.
With this thought, Inuyasha bent down, capturing Kagome's lips in a sweet kiss. She responded to him, dropping the hand on his ear to rest in his hair. He felt the accustomed heat fill his blood and reminded himself to proceed slowly and avoid pushing his mate further than she was ready to go.
They separated, breathless, when the need for oxygen surpassed the desire to remain linked. The ice was broken.
"Inuyasha?"
"Mm?"
"There's something I want to do before we go any further."
A quizzical look took residence in the half-demon's eyes when Kagome reached up to grab the rosary around his neck. "Kagome?"
"I can't keep you locked with this subduing spell anymore." She started to tug at it with both hands, hoping to snap it without hurting her husband.
"Stop."
Inuyasha grabbed her hands into his own and pulled them away from the charmed beads. "You haven't said the word in several weeks now," he pointed out when she mirrored his own confused countenance. "I wouldn't feel right without my rosary. It brings me closer to you when I wear it."
"Like the mark you gave me today?"
He smiled, releasing her hands to seek out the small red indentations on her neck. "Exactly."
The mark was bleeding a little, putting a frown on Inuyasha's face. "Does it hurt?"
"Iya, it just itches a little. I guess I scratched it open on accident."
"Let me take care of that for you." Before Kagome could respond, his face was next to her own and she felt the moist warmth of his tongue sweeping over the bruised flesh. She couldn't help the moan that came up from her throat at his delicate treatment.
Hearing her reaction to his stimulation, Inuyasha began moving them the few steps that remained between their position and the bed. Kagome felt her legs buckle as they made contact with the smooth wood and gasped.
She was on the bed. With Inuyasha.
"What's wrong, koibito?"
"Nothing… I just… this isn't quite how I imagined it."
Inuyasha chucked. "You've thought about this before?"
Blushing, Kagome took a playful swat at his shoulder. "Don't tell me you never thought about it."
"Never. I'm not a hentai like that monk of ours."
"Liar," she grinned.
He caught her wrist in his hand and brushed a kiss along the inner surface. "How did you picture us, Kagome?"
"Promise you won't laugh at me?"
"No."
She narrowed her eyes, but he continued to await her response. With a sigh, she surrendered and answered him. "I always thought we'd be under the Goshinboku."
That was unexpected. Inuyasha's eyebrows rose. "Really? Why there?"
"It's always been a special place for me -- and for us. It's where I first met you. Where my father proposed to my mother. Sometimes it feels like my life revolves around that tree, so I suppose it just seemed like the natural place."
"I'm sorry we're so far away."
Kagome shook her head, giving him an encouraging smile. "It's not that important, Inuyasha. I just feel a little strange being here in this huge castle, with you now a demon lord, and I'm not really sure what to make of it all. I guess I just have to get used to the change."
"You miss being in the forest? I thought you'd be happy having all of these comfortable things available."
"It just doesn't feel like US," she said. "When I picture you in my mind, I see an arrogant hanyou dashing through the forest, sleeping in trees, and gobbling down ramen."
"I miss ramen," Inuyasha realized sadly.
Kagome laughed. "I had one package left in my bag, if the servants brought it over with the rest of my things. Would you like me to make it for you?"
The half-demon laying beside her stared at her as though she'd grown a second head. "You'd rather get up and cook ramen than stay here with me?"
"If you'd like."
Kagome found herself suddenly pinned further up on the bed, Inuyasha straddling her waist and holding her arms carefully against the soft covers beneath them. "What do YOU think?"
She gulped. "I think the ramen can wait."
"Smart girl." He leaned in to kiss her again, this time with more passion than their earlier kiss. He felt her chest rising and falling, her heartbeat increasing to match the ever-racing pulse in his own body. This was like heaven on earth, he thought.
Kagome recognized the stirrings of longing in her and fought against her mate's light grip on her arms to reach for the ties of his kimono. He released her with a growl, his lips never leaving her own. She succeeded in blindly removing the outer kimono before he ended the kiss, sitting back to examine the young woman beneath him.
"Not fair, Kagome. If you get to take off my kimono, then I get to take off yours."
She giggled, blushing, and wiggled beneath him to loosen the obi at her back. "Go right ahead, big shot. See if you can get this thing off by yourself."
She was challenging him! Inuyasha growled again in delight and began busying himself with the infuriating tangle of cloth and ties. He was starting to regret that his bride was wearing his mother's kimono -- he couldn't very well rip a family heirloom to shreds.
He finally succeeded in pushing aside the fabric to reveal the upper half of Kagome's chest. Breathing out slowly in appreciation for her soft skin, he dragged claw lightly along her collarbone and down to the swell of her breasts.
"You're beautiful, koibito. Did I ever tell you that?"
"No."
"I should have."
Again he bent down, this time trailing butterfly kisses along the path his hand had taken. Pushing the kimono aside further, he prepared to lavish attention on her breasts when --
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Lord Inuyasha!"
"WHAT?"
Suddenly infuriated, Inuyasha jumped off Kagome, allowing her the chance to cover herself while he strode to the door in large angry steps. He opened it just enough to see Jaken standing timid on the other side.
"This had better be damned important, toad."
"Yes, milord -- gomen -- but Sesshoumaru…" The small demon faltered.
"What about him?" Inuyasha roared in annoyance.
"He's dying."