Chapter 5: The secret of the Higurashi family, revealed
On the other side of the well, modern day Tokyo, Inuyasha and Kagome walked out onto the Higurashi shrine.
"So is this were we are gonna go through this human wedding? How long will this take?"
"I don't know…I'm gonna keep it small…Inuyasha, when do you want to be married? Human engagements usually last months. How long do you wish to wait?"
"As soon as possible, I'm not one to wait around once I've decided to do something, so anytime you're ready."
"The wedding here won't be for a while then. The law says I have to be sixteen, and that won't be for a few more weeks. I don't know if I can invite many family members, seing as your existence in my era would be impossible to explain." Not to mention what my mom will think, she's gonna kill me. I love him, that's not going to change; I wish I could get married now…I hope she's cool about this…"
"Kagome, you look really worried, is everything alright?"
"It's just that, I hope my mom understands…"
"Of course she will, she got married at once too ya know."
"Yeah, but when my mom and dad got married they were in their early twenties, I'm still fifteen, almost sixteen, but that's still really early to get married"
"I thought human's got married at you're age? That's the age most of the villagers get married, for the women anyway. (A/N: In pre-modern societies the woman usually gets married at fourteen, the man about twenty so he could work for his parents longer, the industrial revolution rendered this system obsolete.)"
"Times have changed, Inuyasha. Now people don't get married until they are in their twenties, sometimes their thirties."
"Why? You're obviously an adult, why would you wait?" asked Inuyasha, turning Kagome towards himself and looking her down.
Kagome blushed, "we usually wait longer, but…a lot of girls my age have sex before marriage, they sometimes have several boyfriends that they sleep with before marriage"
"You're time is strange, Kagome…"
As they approached Kagome's house, the door opened and Kagome's mom walked out. "Hello Kagome, oh, I see you brought Inuyasha home with you! I'll set an extra place for him at the table." She glanced down and saw that Inuyasha and Kagome were holding hands, smiled a warm smile, and walked into the house, feeling very happy for her daughter. Inuyasha and Kagome walked into the house, Kagome had a sick look on her face, the kind of look that one has when they have a test that hasn't been studied for. She knew she would have to tell her mother of her and Inuyasha's future plans.
"Mom, Inuyasha and I…we have something to tell you…"
"What is it dear," asked Mrs. Higurashi with a concerned voice. She's not…is she pregnant?
"We have become a couple a few weeks ago…we love each other…"
"Well that's wonderful news, I always knew that you two felt that way about each other, like that time when we had the odd snow, or the times when you would come back upset. I knew you wouldn't have gotten that upset unless you really loved Inuyasha. And of course I knew Inuyasha loved you, that much was obvious," said Mrs. Higurashi, quite obviously relieved.
Inuyasha blinked dumbly. She knew? Sango and Miroku, even Shippo said he knew…grrrrr…
"Umm, the thing is mom…we are…um.."
"I'm marring Kagome and that's all there is too it!" Blurted Inuyasha, turning his face in a show of force and determination. She's probably going to tell her no, maybe even disown her for loving a half-breed like me.
Kagome looked at her mother with an awkward smile and nervous expression, preparing for the worst.
"Oh that's just wonderful, my daughter getting married; I can't wait to tell grandpa. This occasion deserves a special meal! I think I'll make stake," said Mrs. Higurashi in a gleeful voice as she went off to make a shopping list.
"Well that was painless…I was expecting her to be worried," said a relieved Kagome.
"Doesn't she care about me being a half demon? It's almost as if she thinks I'm just like a human or something, I don't understand her," mumbled Inuyasha.
"Come to think of it, she wasn't even surprised when you came out of the well…nor was Grandpa. Of course he always believed in these ancient legends, but did Mom too?"
Inuyasha's head turned as he heard a pair of feet thumping down the stairs. Sota popped out and rushed his sister with a very excited look on his face.
"Is it true, Sis, are you and Inuyasha gonna be married? Am I gonna have a brother in law?"
"Yes we are and yes you will, kid," said Inuyasha, answering for Kagome.
"That's just great! I always knew you two would get together, I never gave up hope!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes as Kagome gave Sota a hug. Just then her grandpa walked into the room.
"Kagome, come here, there is something your mother and I need to show you. Come along too, Inuyasha, this concerns you both."
………
Kagome and Inuyasha followed Grandpa out of the house and into a small storehouse next to the main shrine. Kagome's mom was inside, sitting on a bench in front of a large wooden chest. Grandpa sat down next to Kagome's mom.
"Sit down please, both of you," said Kagome's mom, as she reached into the chest to bring out an old book. Kagome and Inuyasha sat down on a bench opposite Mrs. Higurashi and Gramps.
"Kagome, about a year after you were born your father was going through this store room when he discovered this book; it is the diary of your ancestor, Higurashi Makishi. He was the son of first priest of the Higurashi shrine, Higurashi Daisuke. The Shrine was constructed around the sacred tree five hundred years ago at the order of his lord. The lord he speaks of was a fierce half man that defended a local village and slew many great monsters that threatened much of Japan. After the battle he settled there and became the lord over these lands until the reign of Tokugawa Ieyasu, when he decided to leave along with his wife, for he felt that Japan was becoming too restrictive under the new Shogunate. Your father assumed that it was written after the fact; for Makishi wrote that the Lord was a half-demon named Inuyasha, and that he possessed a sword capable of slaying one hundred demons in one strike. Since in our time there are no demons anymore your father assumed that it must have been some myth passed down during the Tokugawa period, developed to express distain at the Tokugawa system. Your father was surprised to find that the name of the Lord's wife was…was Kagome, the name of his newborn daughter."
Inuyasha and Kagome stared at Kagome's mother in surprise, both speechless at having their futures…or pasts rather, read to them.
"When you first came back from the well, we didn't know what to think," Grandpa said, "But after Inuyasha appeared to get you, we started to suspect that the account may have indeed been true."
"So that's why you never complained about me going into the past…," said Kagome, "and why you don't seem too concerned that I'm already getting married."
"Hey old man, does it say in there if we killed Naraku, or if we found the Shikon Jewel," asked Inuyasha.
"No, remember, this is the son of the first Higurashi priest, a whole generation after you became lord over these lands. If you did kill Naraku and found the jewel it was not of great importance to Makishi, this diary is an account of the construction of the shine, the defense of the land by the lord, and the lord and lady's departure."
"Your grandfather and I decided that we would keep this from you until you and Inuyasha got together, as we didn't want to drive either of you away from each other before love bloomed," Kagome's mother said calmly.
I guess that explains why you've always so understood about my travel through time…"muttered Kagome.
"Interesting story, but I don't really give a damn, I just wanna get married to Kagome," yelled Inuyasha
"Inuyasha is that all you have to say…" asked Kagome.
"Whatever, it doesn't change anything. I already know that I'm gonna kill Naraku and find all the jewel shards, and I already know we're gonna get married, so your folks didn't tell me anything that I didn't already know, so lets deal with what we came here for already," replied Inuyasha.
"What!" exclaimed Kagome's grandfather, "I'll have you know that the information in that diary is one of the most important finds in this shine's, no, in all of Japan's history, why the knowledge found here can"
"Can what, old man, I still have to do what I have to do, you're just like Miyoga."
"Miyoga? The demon flee scholar of old, why if he were here he could help me explain to you the importance of this book, if you can understand such things that is"
The two kept on like this, with Kagome and her mother looking on in mild amusement.
Later, after Inuyasha and grandpa wore each other out arguing the finer points of historical analysis and application, the five of them sat down for diner. Much to Inuyasha's delight, Kagome's mother had indeed prepared stake.
"So, tell me, when are you too going to get married? And in which era of time?" asked Kagome's mother.
"Well…I think we might have two weddings…one here and one in the past…and about when…" started Kagome.
"As soon as possible, that's when," shouted Inuyasha.
"I understand, when Kagome's father and me got married we too were in a rush, but by law you cannot be married until your sixteenth birthday, and Inuyasha would need to be eighteen, and he just doesn't appear that old…" (A/N Yes, I looked it up, those are the ages in Japan for marriage, and under twenty you need a parent's approval, props to Google.)
"Are you telling me we are gonna have to wait until I look older! That wont' happen for a long time." Inuyasha blurted.
"That's not as big a problem as Kagome's age, she needs to wait a few more months before she can legally be wed…but I don't suppose you two wish to wait that long, do you? We will have a small ceremony here on the grounds, Grandfather will perform it. When you get older we will have an official ceremony for friends and family."
"Thanks Mom, you're the best!" Kagome said.
"So whun can we do this curomony," asked Inuyasha, his face stuffed with stake and baked potato.
"In about a week, I would like to get Kagome a wedding dress and you a new Kimono for your wedding."
"Can I be your best man, Inuyasha," asked a very enthusiastic Sota.
"Best what?"
"In modern weddings each person has at least one friend of the same gender stand by them as they get married. I only wish I could bring Sango through the well, I don't think I can bring any of my friends here, they wouldn't understand," answered Kagome.
"grrr, fine. You can be my best man, runt"
"ALRIGHT!"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and continued to eat his stake.