Chapter 6: Kekkon

This time when Kagome entered the main hall, it was filled with demons to each side of a long piece of red silk. She walked along the piece of fabric, careful not to move too quickly in the tight kimono. She didn't think she'd be able to survive if she fell on her face in front of all these demons.

Sesshomaru stood at the far end of the hall, looking even more regal than before. This time he wore no armor, only a beautiful kimono that matched her own. He regarded her with his usual cool expression. She wanted to sigh, but kept her expression neutral.

'At least he could show some sort of emotion! How am I supposed to know what he wants me to do if he just stands there!' she groused to herself.

His mother was also in front of him. Rin had told her that the Lady Mother would conduct the ceremony.

Kagome came up beside Sesshomaru and turned to face the Lady Mother, but she could see from the corner of her eye that Sesshomaru tilted his head, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Shall we begin?" the Lady Mother asked.

"Yes," Sesshomaru said, and Kagome glanced up at him. He was looking at her with those beautiful golden eyes, but while his voice sounded sure, she could sense in him that he wasn't nearly so confident. Was he as nervous as she was? She didn't know if it was true, but she took some solace in the thought that maybe he wasn't devoid of emotion, like she'd feared. At least if Rin liked him as much as she did, he couldn't be entirely bad.

By the time the Lady Mother had finished with the formalities of addressing the crowd, Kagome's feet already hurt and her heart hurt worse. Every time, 'Kikyou-sama' was mentioned, a knot twisted in her stomach.

'He doesn't want to marry Kagome the Shrine Maiden. He wants Kikyou the Princess. He wants someone else. Not me. Not me...'

Then came the final ceremony; the binding of blood.

The Lady Mother picked up a knife and Sesshomaru offered his hand. When Kagome hesitated, he glanced over at her.

"Kikyou-sama?" he asked. Her hand shook as she extended it, but not because of a little blood. She'd hurt herself many times while practicing her archery and kendo. It was because he thought she was someone else.

The Lady Mother took her hand gently, and she looked up into a twinkling set of golden eyes. "It's all right, little one. Trust in the fates." For some reason that she couldn't explain, the knot in her stomach unclenched. It would be all right.

The Lady Mother pricked both Sesshomaru and Kagome's fingers, and pressed them together as she chanted. Kagome gasped as she felt energy swirl around the two of them, and their hair billowed in a wind only they could feel.

And then Sesshomaru leaned down and kissed his bride. Kagome was surprised by the gentleness of the kiss, as her eyes fluttered closed. His lips were soft as he pressed them against hers, one arm wrapping around her to pull her against him and the other sliding against her neck. She tilted her head back and her lips parted as she moaned softly against his mouth. She felt his hands tighten their hold, and wished that Rin had left her hair down so that he could run his hands through it. He ended the kiss instead of deepening it, and she opened her eyes to see Sesshomaru looking at her very intently. He didn't step away from her, and she could hear the roar of the crowd, and the Lady Mother ordered the wedding feast to begin.

But Sesshomaru didn't move to let her go or join the others. For a moment, Kagome wondered if Sesshomaru was going to simply take her off to his chambers and skip the celebration entirely. Then, just as suddenly as the moment had begun, it ended, and he released her, stepping back and offering his arm to escort her to the head of the table where they would both now sit.

xxx

"That son of yours is more stubborn than his father," Nakoudo commented to the Lady Mother as the two of them watched the young couple.

The other woman chuckled. "Of course. He's young and didn't have to fight for his power, like his father did. He'll learn with time." The Lady Mother looked over at her old friend and smirked. "That was very clever. It will take him weeks to realize that she's the shrine maiden you told him to send for, and not her half-sister."

"Well, he should have trusted me more. While she doesn't know it, she is a daughter of the King, as much as Kikyou." Nakoudo was still a little angry at Sesshomaru's flat denial to marry a miko. The boy still had much to learn, and the poor girl would suffer for it until he was ready to be honest with himself.

"All we can do is watch and guide. In the end, they must both decide for themselves what to make of this match."

Author notes: 'Kekkon' mean 'Marriage' in Japanese.