Shotgun Wedding: Part V
By Emania

A/N: Another short 'un…don't kill me…there's another one coming up!

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Except for Pinky, Green, the Elder (very creative names, ne?) and Hikari. I made them up. And the basic plot idea came from, as I said above, Lavern & Shirley and Happy Days creators and writers, which I don't know who they are.

Summary: How far will the girls go to get their guys out of trouble? All the way up to the altar!

Shotgun Wedding
"I'm sure sometimes on the sly you do it
Maybe even you and I might do it
Let's do it…
Let's fall in love!"
- Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love), Cole Porter

Part V

The Elder clapped his hands to get everyone's attention as the last of the dishes were cleared away. "Now, because the monk Miroku and his new bride and friends must make their way out of town tonight to go do good in another town, we shall have the presenting of the gifts now, rather than after the dancing."

"I'm so full…" Kagome groaned.

Inuyasha chuckled. "That's cause you ate like a pig."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him and prepared to respond with a swift swat to the chest when she stopped and her face took on that distinct look it got when she sensed something.

"What is it?" Inuyasha prompted.

"The shard…" Kagome whispered, clearly awed. "It's back!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "It is?"

"It's faint…like it's covered or something, I still can't tell where it's coming from, but it's around here…somewhere."

"Take your pick," Sango told them, motioning to the line of villagers that had gathered to present their gifts to the married couples.

"Oooh!" Miroku cooed. "Presents!"

"I think you're enjoying this all too much," Sango dead-panned.

"Oh," Miroku told her, getting close. "It's not how much I'm enjoying it, my dearest wife," he said smoothly. "It's how much I will enjoy it later…when we're alone together…"

"Letch," Sango said through gritted teeth, unable to hit him the way she normally would in order to keep up the façade.

"When you're married, a husband who is interested in his wife is normally termed to be romantic," Miroku pointed out.

Sango narrowed her eyes but didn't comment any further. "I'm sure you will enjoy it, my husband…" she patted his hand and let him see her sugary sweet expression. "I know I will…" she grinned and it was almost lethal. "When we're alone together…"

"Oh, look!" Miroku pointed out. "The first villager approaches!" he pointed out.

"Smooth change of topic, Miroku," Kagome mumbled under her breath. She still felt the pull of the jewel shard like a song you couldn't quite name, but she turned to the first villager, an elder man and a young girl.

"At least this way, we'll get a close up feel of each of the villagers," Inuyasha whispered to her before turning to the old man.

They smiled and nodded as person after person approached, placing small boxes or flowers or fruit or material in front of them, each one with a prayer or a word of congratulations or a wish for happiness and to each, the four friends replied the same, bowing in thanks and thanking them.

And, after half an hour, not one person triggered Kagome's sense, even though she insisted the jewel shard was still around somewhere.

"None of these?" Inuyasha insisted.

Kagome shook her head, and bowed along with her friends as another person left two small wreaths of flowers.

"Arigato gozaimasu," Kagome and Sango replied in unison to the little girl, who grinned and ran back to her mother.

"Not a one," Kagome answered Inuyasha.

"But we've seen hundreds of people!" Inuyasha insisted to which Kagome merely shrugged.

"I think we're near the end now…" Miroku pointed out when the Elder approached with his two daughters in tow.

"Thank you for being here…" they said formally as they bowed.

Kagome and the others stood up and bowed in return. "Thank you for your trouble," they replied.

The elder looked at his daughters poignantly who stepped up and presented the girls with a bundle. "It is your clothes…" Pink told them as Kagome took the neatly folded bundle of her clothes which felt light and clean.

"We washed them," Green added as she handed Sango's Yukata to her.

"Felicitations," they said in unison, bowing.

"Domo arigato gozaimashita," Kagome and Sango replied, smiling as the girls looked up at them.

Realizing they had been forgiven, the girls smiled as well.

The Monk that married them was suddenly at their side. "Well," he spoke, rubbing at his stomach a little. "Shall we begin our journey to the next town?"

"We haven't found the shard," Miroku whispered to his friends.

"Maybe its just residue I'm feeling and not really the shard," Kagome admitted. "I mean, I didn't feel it any stronger as anyone approached."

Miroku and the others nodded. Inuyasha took the bag where all the servants had placed their gifts and slung it over his shoulder.

"I'm ready," he told them.

"Wait," Hikari was suddenly at Kagome's elbow. "Do you not wish to change out of those formal clothes for your travel?"

Kagome smiled at her. "Hikari-chan!" she said. "I hadn't seen you during the feast!"

Hikari smiled secretively. "Come," she took Kagome's hand. "Come, Sango-sama…we shall go back to my hut so you can change."

Kagome allowed Hikari to lead them away.

"Already parted from our wives so soon," Miroku bemoaned next to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at Miroku out of the corner of his eye. "At least I've kissed my wife…"

Miroku visibly wilted. "You're too cruel…"

Inuyasha laughed, then, noticing the eyes of the monk on them, sobered and blushing, looked away.