Inuyasha not mine, nor the song Hands to Heaven (whoever wrote it owns it).
Warning: there are some religious content (nothing dramatic) involving the Catholic Christian faith. I do not wish to offend anyone.
Chapter 7: Hands to Heaven
"Wonderful job, Ms. Meiyo. Your flower arrangements are just perfect," the wedding planner gushed upon seeing the colourful petals grazing the place.
The grotto of a small shrine was decorated with chrysanthemums and orchids, illuminating the stone statue of the Heavenly Son. Yellow sunflowers bordered the edges of the pews made out of stones. Different colours of rose petals were scattered along the stoned-path ground. The cool summer breeze carried the sweet scents through the air. It was a magnificent night for an anticipated wedding.
Sango looked around her, proud of the work she had done. This wedding was one of the biggest events in the town. Sango was more than delighted she had been picked by the marrying couple to take care of flowers and flower arrangement.
"The bride insists that you stay for the reception, okay?" the wedding planner patted her at the back before walking towards the musicians who had just arrived.
Sango brought her gaze to the small shrine upon the grotto where the altar had been set up. She decided to give her self a minute or two to say a little prayer.
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He always felt uneasy around weddings. It also stemmed from the fact that weddings meant commitment; and he was not someone committed to commitments. He was a little agitated at the moment. In his mind, he thought he should have stayed with his early decision denying Kagome's request to accompany her to a friend's wedding. But – he had promised to work things out with her.
Inuyasha looked around him. Kagome was with the bride and the rest of the bridesmaid at the moment. So there he was, standing alone in the midst of strangers. He wondered why he could not find anyone of his acquaintance. Perhaps this was Kagome's friends from her other 'world'. That was always the case in their relationship. Inuyasha had always felt he and Kagome were of different worlds. It was as if she could never be part of his world – whatever his world might be.
The beautifully decorated shrine of the Heavenly Son caught his attention. The flowers were just amazing, as if it was the humblest piece of offering. He was mesmerized.
His first thoughts were those of his brother's words: You're given a second chance. Use it wisely. Ironic how too simple words meant so much, especially coming from someone he had never gotten along well.
Inuyasha approached the altar, never taking his eyes off the stone statue of the Lord. He sat down instinctively. He did what he had not done for a long time. He prayed.
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Eyes tightly shut; she uttered the words in her mind she so daily thought of. My God, please let my brother live a little longer.
Eyes shut in deep concentration; he whispered silently to the heavens above. My Lord, thank you for making me live a little longer.
She tried hard to control the tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. I will sacrifice my life for his sake.
He let a lone tear fall down his cheek. I will sacrifice my life for your will be done.
She slowly opened her eyes, focusing entirely on the shrine, unaware of those around or the man sitting beside her. I know whatever happens, You have a greater plan for Kohaku and I.
He slowly opened his eyes, gazing on the grotto, oblivious to his surroundings or the woman beside him. I know that what happened to me was part of Your plans for myself.
I entrust to You my brother. Thank you, my God. She made the sign of the cross, and slowly looked to her right. And she saw him.
I entrust myself to you. Thank you, my Lord. He made the sign of the cross, and slowly looked to his left. And he saw her.
They stared at each other for all eternity in a span of just seconds.
He murmured her name softly upon his lips, "Sango."
"Inuyasha?"
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Before she could even react, a dark-haired woman diverted his attention.
"Inuyasha? Honey, I'll introduce you to some of my friends," Kagome's voice snapped him out of a dream-like trance. Her cheerfulness was apparent on her smile. She touched Inuyasha on the arm, beckoning him to come to her side. Inuyasha followed.
He tried to take away his gaze from the woman sitting beside him some seconds ago. He could not comprehend why he did not even notice. Was she there the whole time he was on reflection? Would that explain the extra warm calmness he felt?
Kagome's voice once more snapped him back to reality. She was saying something about an Eri and a Yuri, and a Hojo. Inuyasha could not concentrate. He glanced back at Sango. She was still there, but her gaze on him was lost.
"Inuyasha," Kagome tugged on his hands. He obviously wasn't paying attention to her once more. "Don't be rude," she whispered. He only nodded, then shook the hands of her friends.
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Sango watched the wedding ceremony with little interest. It was not because it was dull or relatively long; but because one of the guests there made her pulse race, her heart skip beats, her tongue tied in knots, her palms sweaty, and her senses clouded. He was a mere stranger yet he had become so familiar to her in so little time they had known each other.
She silently left the festivity. She did not belong there even though the bride had gracefully invited her to the reception. Anyway, she was too confused at the moment. Seeing him sitting beside her, gazing at the altar, stirred some peculiar feelings she had never experienced before. She hated it; so she left.
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His eyes had darted in every direction of the reception hall. His vision wanted nothing more than the image of the woman with beautiful brown eyes and flowing long hair the colour of the night sky. He needed to gaze at her once more; but she was gone. He would have inquired of her. (He had the hunch she was to 'blame' for the amazing flower decorations). But he promised to stick by Kagome for the evening.
Inuyasha conjured up the plan to see her once more. Why? He desperately wanted her friendship. Nothing more.
For now he would at least try to enjoy the evening, despite his impressions on Kagome's friends. It was not as if they were uncivilized people. In fact, they were 'too' civilized for Inuyasha's liking. All right, Inuyasha hated them. He just could not find any common interest between he and them. They were far too social, high-class and sophisticated for his taste.
Thus, for now, he would at least try to pretend to try to enjoy the evening.
All the way back home, from the Celestial Gardenia (an outdoor chapel where the wedding was held) to Kagome's home to his parents' house, Inuyasha's thoughts were focused on one woman. Sango.
He traced the marble pathways to the backyard garden where his parents were having a small cookout evening snack. "Isn't it too bizarre to barbecue at this time of the hour?" he inquired, leaning against the wooden railings on the patio. He raised a brow upon noticing another 'strange' guest. "Hey, why are you here?" Sesshoumaru elected not to answer his little brother. Instead, he focused his attention to their bickering parents, which immediately caught Inuyasha's.
Apparently, one neighbour woman was 'flirting' with Taisho much, much to Izayoi's dismay. Since then, Izayoi had not stopped badgering her husband. Inuyasha could only smirk at his mother's jealousy antics.
"Okay. This flirting issue is closed," he out-of-nowhere declared - much, much to everyone's surprise. Usually it was Sesshoumaru who would do the controlling. "Mom, you've been married to Dad for, like, thirty-one years now. You know how girls are around him. You should trust him more," he said casually, as if it was no big deal. He turned to his father. "And Dad, you know how Mom is when she gets jealous. Why don't you simply stay away from the female species, eh?"
Both his parents were speechless. Sesshoumaru tried hard not to snort. All were silent.
Izayoi went back to preparing the food. Taisho went back to reading a magazine after checking the grill. Sesshoumaru quietly sipped on his beer. Inuyasha grabbed one too to quench his thirst.
After a few minutes of more silence, Inuyasha cleared out loud his throat. "Do you believe in divine intervention?" he asked, question directed to everyone. When no one seemed to understand him, he continued. "The thing is, after I had the accident, I remember nothing from how I was rescued to how I got to the hospital. All I know is the truck hit my car. The next thing I knew, I was in a dark place alone. I hear your faint voices," he indicated his parents. "And yours, too," he nudged his head towards Sesshoumaru's direction.
"Then there was another voice. A female's voice. It was soothing, yet had this strong tone of a warrior and a survivor. She beckoned me to continue on. Then she said goodbye. I woke up cause I didn't want her to go," his eyes were glassy yellow now, recalling the scene he so memorized now by heart. "Do you all understand what I mean?"
"Why do you call it 'divine intervention'?" Sesshoumaru finally spoke up when no one stirred from the shellshock they had just witnessed. Everyone was just surprised at how Inuyasha had so eloquently spoke.
Inuyasha shrugged. "This woman I thought was my guardian angel."
It took him guts to reveal his inner thoughts to his family. He had hidden this sentimental side of him for so long that it was no surprise how his parents reacted. They were shocked was an understatement of the century. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, remained placid face; but underneath all he was wondering why Inuyasha chose to share his inner feelings with them.
"Keh. You all think I'm saying shit and stuff, I bet," Inuyasha snorted, once again reverting to his immature attitude.
Izayoi glared at him. "Watch your mouth, young man. –And I don't think you're saying foolish things. There's really no one formula in figuring out life, Inuyasha. You take what you get, and make the most of it. But once in your life, a person comes along that brings a whole new meaning to how you live your existence," she sat down beside her son with a comforting smile.
"Kagome is a very sweet young woman who really loves you, my boy," Taisho added, thinking Inuyasha's supposed fiancée was the woman whom provided the divine intervention in his son's life. "Plus, she's the only one who can control you," he snickered. "The only thing that puzzles me is how she resembles your old girlfriend, what was her name again? Ki- Kiyoko?"
"Kikyou," Izayoi supplied. "She does look like Kikyou. Are you sure they're not sisters?"
"Maybe they share the same soul," Taisho laughed at his own joke.
Inuyasha's mood darkened. He hated it when people discuss about his relationship with Kikyou, especially when they compare her to Kagome. Many of his friends had indeed noticed the resemblance between the two women, even Inuyasha himself. He refused to acknowledge the fact that he fell in love with Kagome because he saw Kikyou in her.
"I do not think little brother here wanted to talk about his love life," Sesshoumaru interrupted in a sarcastic manner.
Inuyasha eyed him, surprised yet glad he said his piece. He had noticed subtle changes in Sesshoumaru's attitudes nowadays. He wasn't always the passive, cold person he once was. He was still silent and calculating but his moods were less dark and chilling. He also spent more time at the city compared to before where he resided at the countryside. There was something going one with his big brother.
"Sooo… why are you here, Sessh?"
"This is also my home. Am I not allowed to come here whenever I want?"
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Expect the great Lord Sesshoumaru to give him a straight answer. The older Yuukan spoke in fancy riddles that always baffled Inuyasha. "Sheesh. I was just asking. I thought you hate staying here in the city."
"I have business here to take care of," was the only answer.
"Leave your brother be, Inuyasha. Tell us about the wedding," his mother disrupted Inuyasha's attempt to break Sesshoumaru's cool.
Inuyasha pouted his lips like a small boy. "It was boooring! I swear Kagome does the most boring activities. Put her and Sesshoumaru together and this world would come crashing down in boredom!" he exclaimed, still trying to annoy his bog brother.
Sesshoumaru shot him a stern glare. He stood up and 'accidentally' hit Inuyasha on the head. "Oops, I didn't see you there. Your big head was on the way, little brother," he muttered in a taunting voice.
Inuyasha jumped up from his seat, fists clenched as if ready to have a sparring with his brother. "I can take you on, Lord Sesshoumaru!"
"Boys!" Izayoi yelled. "Enough. You're acting like little kids."
"I think their theatrics are actually entertaining," Taisho amusingly proclaimed. It earned him a warning from his wife. He resumed reading.
The two brothers calmed down, especially the hotheaded Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru went back to his seat, a brand new beer bottle in hand. Being the logical big brother that he was, he had the last say.
"If you find Kagome boring, why are you with her?" he asked in his emotionless monotone voice. He knew Inuyasha would not say anything anymore.
Inuyasha opened his mouth for a retort then clumped it shut immediately. Sesshoumaru was right – he hate to admit it. But he was right. Why was he with Kagome and not… His thoughts trailed.
"I'm going to bed," he announced, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.
A/N: hope all of you enjoyed this chapter as I've enjoyed writing it. I'm aware that I'm no excellent writer but I think I did relatively okay in this one. also, i just learned that inu no taisho means "leader of dogs" so i think it's better if i really named their dad Taisho. heh.
Dark-magic67: you flatter me. Thank you so much. I've not decided how many chapters. We'll see. Hope you'll stick around till the very end.
Shezel: I'm not really into writing curses but I believe it's essential to keep him in character. That's my only way to have this AU inuyasha still possess canon Inu's attributes. Thanks for the errors you've pointed out. I revised what I think it was. If you find any, just let me know.
Kurokitsune: heh. Me, too. Grammar's not my forte. So I really need ppl to point out my mistakes.
Lord of swords and waffles: I feel guilty taking the credit with this 'fate' incorporation in the story. I'm following the movie's plot where I ripped this story from. So really kudos to the scriptwriters. I'm only it novel-style. Still, thank you for noticing this fate-interjection.
Peacemaker: sango should really tell Inuyasha, eh? Hmm we'll see. Thanks for the review.
Sango fan: I looove it how you said destiny is watching them. Perhaps, Destiny is really watching over them.
Sangolover4eva2004: I also liked that aspect where car didn't start, phone not working. Fate really wanted them to meet up. thanks for the comment.
SPECIAL MENTION to random person, sesshydog, dudei'mlikesobus, obliviandragon and seta. I appreciate how you all took time to leave a review. I'm very humbled with your kind words.
Sorry for such a long AN. See ya next chapter.