Disclaimer: InuYasha and all other related characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi-san. Standard disclaimer applies.
Special thank you(s) to:
Cookiedog91: Yeah well, He still can't believe Kagome chose a ::cough:: "worthless half-breed like himself."
Animefanatic16::pouts:: At least YOU said please… But ok!
BlackRose101: I've read a couple of your fics, they're pretty good! And now to answer your review: Ok, um, please stop saying 'like' so much. And thank you for the ego boost.
Akida411searcher: Thanks. I'm glad you think it's cool!
Nekoinuhanyou: ::muttering to herself:: Stupid computer… ::gets poked:: Hm-? OH! Hi! Yeah, thanks, you can have cookie!
Tari: Thank you SO much! Hey, for all you other reviewers out there, here's what she wrote to make me swell with pride of my writing abilities! She wrote:
"That was one off the best stories I've ever read. I think it was better than the actual thing.
I hope you post chapter 5 soon. I'll be looking forwards to it."
Kei-Ookami.kara.mori: Wow, that is such a pretty name, I like it! Thanks for the review!
Cricket-kid: If I told you, there wouldn't be any suspense waiting for the next chapter, now would there?
Mad-4-Manga: Hey! Long time no, err, chase! So, three things:
1) No he isn't yours, he's Kagome's.
2) Were you on a caffeine high or something?!
3) Thanks for the review!
Ok people, on with the story!!
Translations:
Ai – Love
Taiyoukai – Demon Lord
Sika – Japanese deer
Sakura – cherry
Obi – A sash used to hold a kimono together
Goshinboku – God Tree
Chapter 5: Surprise!
It had taken Kagome a while to find the light switch. But when she moved to turn it on, InuYasha's hand appeared over top of hers, gently guiding it away from the wall. Puzzled, she allowed him to steer her down the hallway and into the living room.
"InuYasha, what's going-?" She started to ask, but he trailed a crooked finger down her arm, his breath dancing on her ear, raising gooseflesh.
"Hush, ai, you'll find out soon enough." He purred. Then, he seemed to disappear, pulling away from her after telling her to stay put. Kagome squinted into the darkness, trying to make out anything unfamiliar.
She yelped softly when the lights suddenly turned on, momentarily blinding her while a chorus of "Happy 18th Kagome!" rang in her ears. Chestnut orbs stared about at the now full living room. Then, as understanding clicked in, tears pooled, and she let out a choked laugh.
"You threw birthday party?" She whispered, her voice cracking from the emotion. "Oh my God…" Smiling, she looked around at everyone, swiping at her tears with the heel of her palm. "Thank you all so much! This is wonderful, thank you!" Her friends and family smiled back at her, and lively music began to play from a stereo system she recognized as Souta's.
The room was decorated with black, red, pink and white streamers and balloons, with a large, colourful banner, which screamed "Happy Birthday" in a bubbly, multicoloured font.
A square table was set against one wall, draped in a red table cloth. A mountain of colourfully wrapped presents was carefully piled on it, though Kagome, was sure that they would all come crashing down if someone bumped it. A larger, more rectangular table, this time draped in a white table cloth, held refreshments and snacks. The furniture had been either removed from the room or pushed off to the side in order to create a good-sized dance floor, which was currently being occupied by a large group of bopping teens.
Strong, red-clad enfolded her, a familiar scent and aura soothing her. Turning around, she smiled up at her hanyou and placed her hands on his chest, leaning up to give him a soft kiss.
"Thank you," She murmured, nestling against him comfortably. He murred a response, nuzzling her neck gently, allowing her scent to wash over him. Smiling, she pulled away and took his hand, leading him around to welcome people and thank them for coming. Eventually, after a gap was made, a small, russet bullet went careening into her chest, momentarily winding her and elicting a growl from InuYasha.
"Damn it Shippou, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that? You could seriously hurt her!" He reprimanded.
"I'm fine, InuYasha, really." Kagome smiled and held the boy, hugging him gently. Once she was done with that, she allowed him to scamper up and rest on her shoulders. Huffing, InuYasha folded his arms into his haori and brooded. His expression caused Kagome to giggle as she walked over to her Feudal family.
Everyone, including (which shocked the miko) Kouga, Sesshoumaru and his ward had congregated into one section of the room, away from the loud, energetic modern-day guests. After receiving many hugs, a few teasing comments from her friends, and the ghost of a smile from the Taiyoukai, Kagome managed to pull Sango and Rin out onto the dance floor and began the process of showing them how to move in a form of dancing which she called 'hip-hop.'
She gave her brother a look when he made eye contact, and, nodding, the now fifteen-year-old boy proceeded to drag InuYasha, Kouga and Miroku onto the floor, teaching them how to dance. Once they had gotten the hang of it, and were jumping around to the American song "Get Up" by Ciara, the boy then returned in a futile attempt to get the stoic demon lord moving. Sesshoumaru merely watched him with frosted gold eyes, his lips quirking upwards in mild amusement. After a few minutes, the boy threw his hands up in defeat, and left Sesshoumaru alone to go find Kohaku and show him how to play Street Fighter II.
Kagome managed to weave her way over to the refreshments table, where she promptly snagged a soda pop from the small tub filled with ice. Cracking it open with a small noise of satisfaction, the raven haired girl brought the can to her lips and tilted back her head, allowing the sweet, carbonated drink to flow into her waiting mouth. Coming back up for air, she held her sustenance loosely in her hand and stared around at the people, grinning. When someone tapped her on the shoulder, she turned to see who wanted her attention. But when she saw Houjo, her grin was replaced with a glower.
"What are you doing back on my property?" She growled, drawing the attention of her demon companions. The sandy-haired teen gulped, looking sheepish. Not looking her in the eye, he stammered, until the girl growled at him to spit it out.
"I-I just came to apologize for the other day," he spluttered, worrying the hem of his shirt. "I was, ah, I was hoping that I could possibly make it up to you?" He jumped, however, when a familiar silver-haired man walked up to Kagome, closely followed by a black-haired man, a brown-haired girl and a small, auburn-haired boy, who was seated quite comfortably in the girl's arms. Grinning, Kagome raised her eyebrow at the suddenly skittish air about Houjo, restraining a laugh.
"What the hell are you doing here?" InuYasha demanded, his lips curling over his fangs in a snarl. At her other friend's inquiring looks, Kagome quickly explained the scenario the other day. This earned poor Houjo three more dark looks, the other two male's lips curling back into snarls identical to the one issuing from Kagome's boyfriend.
"Sorry," The slayer said curtly, eyes narrowed dangerously at him. "It doesn't appear that you're welcome here." She placed her hands on her hips defiantly. The boy had since migrated to Kagome, and was currently glaring at him from her shoulder.
"And since this happens to be her festival, we suggest you depart." Kouga sneered, picking up where Sango left off. He and InuYasha feigned an advance, causing Houjo to stumble back. "Run along, human, before you make more of a fool of yourself." Houjo immediately bolted, egged on by the daunting laughter of the group.
After her schoolmates had gone home, and Sesshoumaru was settling Rin down in a spare bedroom, Kagome had her friends gather their presents and sit down in the now vacant dance floor. Smiling at everyone, Kagome held up her finger in order to excuse herself, and then went off into the kitchen. From the noise she was making, it sounded as though she were rummaging around in the cupboards. When she returned, she was holding a green bottle, which at one time held cooking wine.
Positioning the group into a circle, she placed the bottle in the middle and twisted her wrist around, causing the container to spin in place. While it rotated, Kagome explained the concept of Spin the Bottle, receiving nods of understanding.
Finally, the bottle stopped moving, its head pointing at Shippou. Flushing from embarrassment as all eyes turned to him; he darted over to Kagome and sat in the valley made by her crossed legs, holding a small, fur-wrapped package up to her. Once she took it from him, he curled up in her lap, pressing himself against her stomach.
Once the sinewy cord and soft white rabbit fur had been taken off and folded next to her leg, Kagome stared at the pretty necklace. The thin chain was comprised of strands thinly cut grasses, woven tightly together and dyed either brown, red or orange. Small shells, two on each side, led her eyes down the chain to rest on the large half-shell at the base. A vivid magenta outlined the edge, covering nearly half the shell before it wisped off into creamy white.
"It's so beautiful, Shippou!" She crooned, one hand dropping down to rest on the boy's head. He puffed his chest out proudly, telling her that he had made it, which earned him a kiss on the forehead and a hug. Kagome gently laid the necklace down on the fur, then smiled as Kouga extended a slightly larger fur-wrapped package, ignoring InuYasha's growled warning. Inside this parcel was the softest clothing she had ever felt. Kouga went on to explain that one of his pack's females specialized in tanning hides. So he had gone out to find a few sikas, giving their hides to the she-wolf, who he called Akiho. Kagome unfurled the surprisingly European-styled tunic, leggings moccasins and hair-thong, running her thumb over the light brown pelt, thanking the wolf prince before folding it back up and placing it beneath the fur which cushioned her necklace.
Miroku had also given her clothing, however his was slightly more modern. In the center of the wrappings lay a neatly folded white silk kimono, embroidered with red sakura petals and silver butterflies. Its obi was a soft gold colour, which accented rest of the kimono prettily. Reaching across the gap, Kagome hugged Miroku, who returned the embrace, pleasantly surprising her by keeping his hands well away from her lower torso. Sango handed her what appeared to be a book of some sort, made by woven grasses and bound by a pretty red silk thong.
It turned out to be a handmade photo album, containing pictures of the group in various areas of Japan, with various people. There were also some pictures that Kagome didn't remember having taken, like the one she was staring at now.
It was taken at an odd angle, as though the photographer had been lying in the grass. It showed InuYasha and Kagome lying on a hillside, gazing up at the stars. One of InuYasha's arms was bent so he could pillow his head, the other laying on Kagome's hip. She was curled into him, her arm splayed over his chest so that her hand could drape over his opposite shoulder, her head occupying the other. Their hair spilled out behind them, causing a brilliant contrast of light and dark, illuminated by the moon, which shone somewhere to the left of the lens.
Kagome's gaze softened at this picture, only to liquefy as she finished flipping through the book. Dewey-eyed, she hugged Sango tightly, leaning against her in a sisterly way and whispering a soft 'thank you'.
A soft cough made her release the slayer and turn, only to come face to face with Sesshoumaru, who looked suspiciously self-conscious. After a moment or two of staring at each other, she averted her gaze to his shoulder. She was rewarded with polished, silver-infused cherry wood bow falling into her lap, and a bamboo quiver full of eagle-feather fledged arrows. Gasping softly, she ran her hand down the shaft of the bow, then along the twine and feathers. After the shock wore off, she rose to her feet and bowed deeply, articulating her gratitude. When she straightened, he replied with a nod; the closest he would ever come to bowing.
-----------------------------------------------
Kagome sighed softly, leaning out over the veranda and gazing up at the Goshinboku. This had to have been the best party she had ever had. Her attention was drawn back from her musings when arms snaked around her, a firm body pressing against her. She smiled and leaned back against InuYasha, relishing in the embrace. His familiar pine-and-musk scent enshrouded her, momentarily numbing her senses.
"Mmh, I had a great time, InuYasha." She purred, placing her hands on his arms.
"That's good," He sounded slightly apprehensive, which caused her to turn enough to look at him. "Uh, can we go somewhere more private?" At her nod, he gathered her up into his arms, and with a dexterous jump, found themselves sitting on one of the large branches of the Goshinboku.
"What's up with you? I've never seen you this nervous." Kagome said gently, brushing his bangs from his eyes. He caught her hand in his and kissed it, then pulled her into his lap. "InuYasha?"
"There something I've got to tell you," He paused when she stiffened. Rubbing her arm, he smiled at her. "It's nothing bad, I promise." Once she relaxed again, he took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he continued. "Something about you always seemed special, Kagome; ever since you pulled me from this tree, I've felt a certain connection, though at the time, it didn't make itself predominant. I know what it is now, though." He shifted her around so that she was facing him, making sure that she could see any emotion which ran through his eyes, as he knew they frequently did. "Kagome, I had chosen you a long time ago. But not as my girlfriend." He tightened his grip on her when she made to lurch back, shaking his head fractionally. "I chose you for something more than just being my girlfriend. Kagome, I chose you to be my mate. I realize that now."
She was speechless. She had hung around demons enough to know what a mate was, the importance of it. She brought her hand to her mouth, which was hanging open in shock. He wanted her… As his mate? This was incredible. Releasing a choked laugh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him to her, placing a soft kiss on his lips.
Mating was the most sacred thing a demon could do. It involved the merging of two souls for all eternity in a bind of devotion and love. It was very much like marriage; however it could not be annulled. This made sure that the two were truly ready for the union, and not just star-struck. It was comprised of a series of rituals, which ended, of course, in physical mating. They had already unconsciously proceeded with the first step, and now InuYasha was getting ready to dive head-first into the second.
When they parted from their kiss, Kagome rested her forehead against his, smiling.
"Well Kagome? Do you accept?" InuYasha murmured huskily, nuzzling her nose with his. In reply, she kissed him again, nodding happily.
"Of course! Yes, InuYasha, I accept your proposal." She smiled, nestling against him comfortably. She was rewarding with his soft murring, and his arms swathing her in red.
She drank in everything about him then, the firmness of his body, hidden beneath soft skin, the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed; the scent that was purely his, the aura which calmed her. She was content and lost herself in him until her eyes slowly began to flutter closed, and drowsiness overcame her. She floated, into a state of bliss, curled against the one person that meant the world to her…
I hope that this was a bit better for length. It took me a while, but I managed to rewrite the entire chapter. I'm trying to make things a bit more intimate, and I hope I'm doing a decent job.
Lots of Love,
Harusaki Taisho