Chapter Twenty-two

Characters© Rumiko Takahashi

"Seasons of Love" © Jonathan Larson

lyrics for the chapter are from Sixpence None the Richer's "We Have Forgotten"

"I thought she was hell bent on leaving?"

Sari made a face at her boyfriend and turned her back to him, "Can you zip me up?" Sari wore a simple white, her hair was pinned up with a million pins with tiny white flowers. "You sound disappointed, you're not happy for them?"

Tyler moved in behind her, "Of course I'm happy for them," he said, zipping up her dress, Tyler was dressed in a tux his normally green spikes were free of gel and combed down neatly against his head. "It's just she said yes pretty quick," he pressed a kiss on her shoulder and turned her around, facing him. "Beautiful," He gave her a small kiss on the mouth.

She smiled, "You didn't actually think Kagome was going to leave did you?" Sari returned his kiss and giggled, "You look so different without your spiky hair."

The boy shrugged, "Don't you used to it, little girl, as soon as this wedding is over I'm getting a handful of gel and-"

"Oh darn and I was really starting to like this new look," she said pulling away.

"Now what were you saying about Kagome?" Tyler asked as Sari examined herself in the mirror one more time.

"I said you didn't honestly think she was going to leave?"

"Well I thought, with the way you were crying, you believed she was too."

Sari nodded, "Yeah but I knew she wouldn't leave. They can hate each other to the point of murder but one wouldn't go without the other. It's just the way they are."

Straightening the little bow in her daughter's hair, Kagome's hands shook. "Hold still, baby, Mommy's trying to get this bow to look right."

Kloie giggled and threw a tiny handful of flower petals from her baggie into the air. "Prettttie Mommy!"

Kagome took the flower baggie from her daughter and set it down, "No, baby, Mommy needs you to throw those during the wedding." She said brushing the petals out of her hair.

"Is everything alright in here, child?" Kaede entered the room, seeing the frustration on her soon to be granddaughter-in-law's face, took up the little girl. "Come on, Kloie, your mother needs some time alone."

" See Yaya-Daddy?"

Kaede smiled, "Yes."

Kloie clapped her hands, "yay!"

Kagome stood, watching them leave. Oh my god...I can't believe this is actually happening! So much had happened between them the last three years. .

Their first meeting.

"Excuse me, Miss," A voice says behind her.

She turns around to come face to face with most beautiful man she has ever seen. He has long black hair that hung so perfectly against his shoulders; his eyes were the deepest shade of violet she had ever seen. She gasps, realizing she has been staring. "Y-Yes?"

He smiles, "You look like you could use a cup of hot chocolate."

Dreams, inconsistent angel things
Horses bred with star-laced wings

But it's hard to make them fly, fly, fly

Seeing Kloie for the first time.

The baby looks up at her with huge eyes the deepest blue Kagome has ever seen she had three dark brown curls of hair on the top of her head. She kisses the baby's cheeks and holds her close, "You don't look anything like me…" she sniffles, "I think that's why I love you so much."

Their first real fight that led to their first kiss.

Inuyasha wraps his arm around her waist, his other hand moving to cup her neck and kisses her soundly on the mouth. Her eyes remain closed after they had parted, she felt him trace her bottom lip with his thumb, his index and middle fingers beneath her chin. The moment she opens her eyes they are met by his violet ones, this was it. This kiss is like nothing she has ever experienced the sweetness the passion of all of it made her want to cry. She wants to hold him tight and never let him go. For once things had gone right.

Her becoming a Christian and their fun in the park.

Gazing into those violet eyes she was captivated once again by their beauty those eyes held such innocence yet such wisdom and strength, those eyes that spoke of his complete adoration of her God, can't you see how much I love this man? Please guard us, Lord, let me be able to show him without destroying him! Kagome kissed him feverishly on the mouth moving to his neck, such a wonderful thing it was to pour out her love on him physically showing him her love and to feel his delicious response. His hands moved over her back pulling her against his chest as they both marveled in their irresistible longing for each other. Breathing heavily she wiped his lower lip with her thumb as he had done to her once before, "I-I don't think I want to bring Kloie here anymore," she grinned and claimed his lips again with a fierceness that made both their heads spin.

Kagome sighed, it had been a very rough past few months, but everything had turned out right. They would finally be together. Of course her friends had made a fuss about her sudden 'Yes'to his proposal, but she had known that no matter what had happened between them she would accept him in a heart beat.

I love him that's all there is to is.


These wings beat the night sky 'bove the town
One goes up and one goes down
And so the chariot hits the ground, bound, bound

Inuyasha adjusted his ponytail then his tie. Well we made it. He and Kagome had decided on a short engagement of four months.

"Do you think we'll be able to wait that long?" Kagome had asked her eyes lighting up, a grin on her sweet face, a few hours after he'd proposed.

Inuyasha had hugged her in response, "I know of some couples who couldn't handle a long engagement," he said kissing her, "which is why I was thinking about something sooner."

She nodded. Kagome had some concern because she wasn't pure. He was a virgin and her child was proof that she was more then a little experienced.

"Kagome I think we can work out any problems we'd have with that. Pastor Mike says when a virgin marries a non virgin the problems are more in the mind of the non-virgin. Like I'm here thinking, 'my god this is the greatest thing ever!' and you might be thinking about the past."

"I don't think I'll be thinking about anyone else, Inuyasha, but I will be worried about what you're thinking of me."

He kissed her deeply, "All I know is that when I'm in your arms I'll only be able to think how beautiful you are."

Now, he stared at himself in the mirror, his face was calm, collected but in reality he was nervous as hell. He worried that he wouldn't be a good enough father to Kloie, or a good enough husband to Kagome.

"Gettting cold feet, already?"

Inuyasha sighed, "Shut up, Sesshoumaru."

The older brother folded his arms, "Is that anyway to talk to the one that saved your relationship?"

"Sorry." He turned to face him, his brother's long hair was pulled into a high ponytail. "Where's Rin?"

"She and the kids went on ahead to get a good seat. By the way how did the Bride's side get so full I thought her family lived in Illinois?"

"They do, it's her friends from work and from the congregation." Inuyasha let out a slow breath he was still shaking.

Sesshoumaru touched his little brother's shoulder, "Calm down, it's going to be fine."

"Easy for you to say, you've been married for years. You weren't- "

"A virgin?"

Inuyasha's face turned blood red.

Sesshoumaru laughed whole heartedly.

His eyes widened, he'd never heard his brother laugh like that. Ever. "Okay...it's not that funny."

"It really is. You're not nervous about the service you're worried about the wedding night!"

Inuyasha shrugged, "You're horrible."

"Inuyasha!" Tyler poked his head in the door, "It's time!"

Kagome closed her eyes as Sari helped Kaede properly put the vein over her face.

Kloie was already prepared for going down the aisle, her hair was held up into two pigtails with flower pins.

"I shouldn't be wearing a white dress," Kagome muttered.

Kaede gave her a light slam on the back of her head, "Don't you dare say that, child! You have every right to wear this dress."

Sari wiped her eyes, "Oh Kagome! You look so beautiful! I hope I don't cry...I always cry at weddings."

"So doesn't that mean that you will?" Kagome said with a small smile. God, I'm really nervous about this...please let me be a good wife to Inuyasha, you've helped me so much to be a good mother already... With a hopeful breath she smiled at the two women, "I'm ready."

She watched has her baby girl pranced happily down the aisle throwing her flower petals all over, Kagome felt her eyes water. No, no crying now. She held her head up and as the traditional bride's song played she took her first few steps into the chapel. She glanced at all of her friends she'd made since moving to Vinton, all the people she'd grown to care about and love.

Several flashes of a camera came from Sesshoumaru's wife Rin, who smiled at her.

Kagome nodded, her eyes moving to the people on her side of the chapel. Her eyes widened when she spotted him.Her steps slowed almost to a stop. No. Dark brown hair, dazzling blue eyes and that devious smile. It couldn't be! But it was. Kloie's father...

we have forgotten (Don't try to make me fly)
How it used to be (I'll stay here, I'll be fine)

Inuyasha's heart sank.

Something was wrong.

Why had she stopped?

Her face was pale, he looked at the object of her discomfort. Inuyasha saw who it was without being told, he could see just who it was. The brown hair, the jaw line, he and everyone else in the chapel knew now that it was Kagome's old boyfriend and Kloie's biological father.

The music had stopped.

Why did she was still staring at him?

He swallowed hard, mentally screaming at himself to say something.

Do something!

Kagome clenched her teeth, swallowing her desire to scream at him for ruining her wedding day. Her eyes darted to Kloie who was sitting on the front row, eagerly awaiting her to finish the walk, to have Inuyasha as her father.

I can't let her see him...he'll try to take her.

Kagome nodded for the pianist to continue the music and as it started her heart was pounding with embarrassment. Once she was standing before Inuyasha she saw his eyes were glassy. 'Don't worry', she mouthed to him as Pastor Mike began the service. She could see the relief in his eyes when she took his hand and pushing all thoughts of Josh out of her mind Kagome said her vows to the man she loved more then life. "You have taught me so much since the first day we met. You are the only one I could ever want to walk with in this life. I love you with all of my heart. I take you, Inuyasha Kaimi as my husband to have and to hold as long as we both shall live," she'd started crying a little during it but it didn't seem to matter.

Inuyasha was smiling through joyful tears and squeezed her hands gently, "Kagome Higurashi, you are everything I would ever want in a woman, you have the purest heart and soul, you're kind and sweet. You've raised a beautiful child that I love more then anything. I take you as my wife to have and to hold as long as we both shall live and so much longer."

They kissed, sealing the moment forever with a thousand snapshots. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, dipping her getting a huge cheer from their friends.

The reception was paid for by Sesshoumaru and Rin in a gorgeous suite across town.

Inuyasha and Kagome danced their first dance as a married couple and then others danced with them.

"Mind if I cut in?" Sesshoumaru asked reaching for Kagome's hand, while Rin took Inuyasha's.

"I don't know how to thank you for this," she said.

"Anything for the girl that could turn my little brother's head," Sesshoumaru said.

Kagome's smile faded when she saw him at the door, "Can you excuse me for a minute, Sesshoumaru?" She walked towards him, certain that eyes were on her, but this had to be settled.

"You looked beautiful up there."

"Don't give me that, Joshua what are you doing here?" Kagome asked.

"I'm not here to see you. I want to see my daughter," he said.

"You're not taking her away from me, Joshua, you took off when I got pregnant remember? You're not fucking taking her from me!"

"You sure have a mouth for a youth pastor's wife," he joked, she didn't find it amusing. "Okay seriously, Kagome, I'm not going to take her away. I'm going to Iraq and I just wanted to see her once before I go."

"Iraq? Since when did you start caring about people?" She asked folded her arms.

Josh sighed, "After I found out about the baby I got scared okay? I was wrong I know that. But after you left I realized that I had made a horrible mistake in letting you go off with a child we made together. I cleaned up my life and decided that I wanted to be a better father then my old man, but you ran away and I went into the service." He smiled at her, "I just want to see her, she doesn't have to know who I am, Kagome. I probably won't be coming back."

When wings beat the night sky 'bove the ground
Will I unwillingly shoot them down
With all my petty fears and doubts, down, down?

Tears blurred her vision and Kagome nodded, "She's with Inuyasha's grandmother."

"Thank you."

Kagome watched as he walked over to Kloie, she smiled at him. The interaction was quick. Kloie was well behaved and smiley, Kagome flinched a little when Josh hugged the little girl so suddenly. Bur shortly after he had started talking to her, he was going for the door, tears in his eyes.

"She's an angel, Kagome," he said opening the door, in a hurry to leave.

"Josh- "

He turned to look at her.

"I'll send you pictures..."

He nodded and was gone.


We have forgotten (Am I in love with this?)
How it used to be (My constant broken ship)
How it used to be (Don't go, I'll shoot you down
How it used to be (I'm starting to like this town)

Inuyasha wrapped his arm around her waist, "Have I told you how much I adore you?" his whispered pressing his lips against her hear.

She turned to face him, planting a sweet kiss on his lips. "Mmmm you could always refresh my memory." Kagome said wrapping her arms around his neck she ran her tongue over his upper lip.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Kloie was standing on one of the tables,"Oooo Mommy and Daddy!" she made kissing noises, everyone laughed.

They kissed again.

Later Inuyasha took her in his arms and danced with her, they danced to the hit song "Seasons of Love", Sesshoumaru and Rin, Sari and Tyler next to them. Kloie danced with Sesshoumaru's kids while the other guests talked, some of them danced as well.

"So is this everything you've ever wanted?" Inuyasha whispered to her.

Kagome smiled through happy tears, being surrounded by family and friends, her baby and her new husband...this was true happiness. "Yes."

Fin.