Ever Us – A Slice of Life
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha. (In addition, this is not how I make money, but it is how I have fun.)
Title: Ever Us - A Slice of Life Chapter 6. A Call for Help
Author: Gayle Nightingale
Prompt: Special thanks to Empress Tatiana. She wrote: "I think it would be super sweet and fluffy if InuYasha and Sesshomaru help a pair of their kids that are dating to get their Wedding together."
Well this is where my mind went. Thank you, Empress. I enjoyed writing this.
Word Count: 7800+
Rated: Mostly this chapter is fluff, love, and family but inucest is mentioned. Does that make it T?
Genre: General/Slice of Life
Pairing: Inuyasha/Sesshomaru
Remarks: My thanks to Nikki for her help with making a wedding cake. I hope you enjoy your role in this tale.
6. A Call for Help
Time: 2019 after the fall family get together at the cabin
"DAD! It's a Disaster! A Nightmare! A Catastrophe! We need your help!"
The frantic, excited voice from his oldest child cut through the phone like a blow from Tenseiga.
"Are you okay? Is Steven okay?" returned the now startled inuhanyou in rapid sequence. Inuyasha had stopped breathing as he waited for the answer. There was one fear he had never conquered—the fear that something would happen to his children when he wasn't near enough to fix it. His heartbeat raced awaiting her answer, the beat so loud it echoed in his head. It was a good thing he was by himself. Suzy and Rin were napping. If they had been awake they would have picked up his fear, started yelling and then the noise would have been deafening. Inuyasha consciously moved his hand away from his mating mark. He'd call Sesshomaru right after finding out what was going on. Their kids never called asking for help. This was alarming!
Rustling noises were heard on the other end of the phone. A garbled male voice was heard droning softly to Keiko. Then the phone went to speaker mode.
"Dad, we're ok. Sorry, Keiko's just flustered. Keiko, please breathe," Steven muttered softly. "I'll tell Dad. It'll be okay. Dad can fix it."
A large breathe was heard on the phone.
Inuyasha's heart rate slowed.
He collected his wits.
His children were counting on him.
"My Blessing, I am relieved you are okay. And Steven, are you okay too?"
"Yeh Dad. I'm good," replied Steven.
Inuyasha released another deep sigh. "What has my Blessing so flustered?"
Keiko stuttered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you, Dad. It's just so complicated!"
"Well, tell me the details and we'll see what we can do. Your father and I will face on any obstacles that threaten our children." The power, intensity and confidence returned to the inuhanyou's voice.
On the other end of the phone Keiko relaxed and smiled.
"I told you, my love. Dad can fix anything." Steven pulled Keiko into his embrace and kissed her on the top of the head. He continued to mutter sweet nothings to calm her. Innocent as it was initially, Steven's attentions progressed rapidly to not so innocent actions: small nips, followed by more intense kisses and within second groping and heavy petting.
Inuyasha's ears remained perked and alert while his face relaxed a bit and a smile began to creep onto his face. 'The boy has finally gotten over his tongue-tied stage. That's a good sign. I remember when he couldn't say a word to her without a stutter.'
Inuyasha waited…
And waited…
And upon hearing a soft moan, he spoke.
"You were going to tell me a story?" the parent chuckled as he prompted his mated children.
Their Dad's voice startled them from their impromptu make out session. The two broke apart. Keiko blushed. Steven straightened his shirt and hair as he stuttered, "Yeh, Um, Dad, after we left the cabin from the family reunion, we found a nice bed and breakfast place and checked in. It was near the ballet company where we met up with Keiko's ballet friends. Keiko finally decided to stop dancing. It was getting challenging for her to travel with them and spend any quality time with me now that I'm in my internship. She wanted to say goodbye and get her last paycheck. They started pestering us with a billion questions. It was the first time they met me. She's kept her private life a secret from them until now. We avoided most of the questions but they wanted to know the wedding date. We told them there wasn't a wedding because we eloped last year but they insisted we needed to have a party at least."
"Sounds fun," Inuyasha agreed.
Wheels started turning in the inuhanyou's mind. The cognitive engine whistled and gathered up steam.
"Wait. What?" Keiko and Steven responded at the same time.
"Keh! Why not. A super big party to celebrate your mating. Awesome idea! I can get my cookbooks out and go crazy and we can get a super awesome cake from Nikki's. It'll be a blast!"
The cognitive engine blasted out of the station, increasing speed with each passing second.
"But...Dad!" Keiko tried to get their Dad's attention. She looked helplessly at Steven.
"I'll find a venue, and some invitations. We'll need a guest list. I think white and red would be great colors." The inuhanyou had started bouncing in his chair. "Great idea! We could even find one of Miroku's great grandkids to do the thing up like a human marriage. Where do you want to get married at? It'll just be for the humans. We all know you are mates already. I always wanted to throw one of these big shin digs."
The cognitive engine was now cruising at super speeds. The hanyou's artistic component was throwing in energy to stoke the inuhanyou's flames.
"Dad!" Steven tried to get their Dad's attention. He returned the helpless look to Keiko.
"We'll need a photographer, and a florist. I think we know a couple that do that. I suppose I should set a monetary limit but you guys are the first and it's just so much fun to think of all the things..."
The hanyou's right and left brain were working together in such harmony that they left everyone and everything else behind.
"Dad!" Both called together.
"We don't have to worry about which parents pay for what. That's one hassle we'll never confront. And you guys can get a pretty ring like mine," Inuyasha brought his ring up to his face as he gazed lovingly at the crystal sparkler. "Steven, you can ask your father where he bought it. I'm sure he can give you all the information."
The mental scenery flew by as idea after idea flooded the parent's mind.
"Dad!" They called again.
Keiko and Steven looked helplessly at each other. This was not the help they were looking for but it seemed their Dad was not listening.
"Oh, yeah. You two start writing your own vows. I always wished that your Father and I had written ours down. It's good to renew them periodically."
Inuyasha mind stopped at a private station, reserved only for two, a sweet memory of his mating.
"Dad?" The call was a bit softer and spoken with a questioning tone.
"Yeah?" The inuhanyou had stopped as he thought about his own vows.
"I didn't know you had a ceremony. You never told me that story," Keiko sounded surprised.
Without a second thought he shared that private memory with his two children. "Oh, we didn't. We just told each other we would watch each other's back and then we mated. It was a private thing, especially back then. Imagine: the King of the Western Lands and a hanyou, quite the shocker to a number of folks."
Inuyasha's mind shut down the private memory.
Shocked that he shared that very private and special memory, Inuyasha blustered.
"But that's ancient history now. I'll get off the phone to start planning this gala. Talk to you soon. I love you two. I'm so proud of you both." Inuyasha hung up the phone and started humming. 'So much to do. So much to do. So happy. So happy.' He rubbed his mating mark sending the feeling of happiness to his mate. 'I'll tell you later. So happy.'
Sesshomaru had been between patients, documenting on his computer. The rush of his mate's emotions flooded the great demon like a tsunami. He pushed away from the desk and attempted to drink in Inuyasha's thoughts. Happiness, great happiness. Sesshomaru smiled. Whatever his mate was into, he was happy. He'd hear all about it tonight. Sesshomaru rubbed his mark and sent a loving thought. He paused a bit longer to savor his mate's joy before returning to his charting.
His cell phone beeped.
He looked at the text.
Steven had texted. "Father, need to talk to you. Not urgent, but timely. Call when you are finished with patient care and before you talk to Dad."
When Sesshomaru had finished his morning clinic, he called his son.
"Are you in need of a professional consult or a parental consult, son?" Sesshomaru smirked as he awaited Steven's response.
"Parental, this time Father. We called Dad already and he's … well, he's…"
Keiko joined him on speaker phone. "Dad didn't listen and he's …"
"Happy, really happy," Sesshomaru finished their sentences.
"Yes, he is," they agreed and both sighed.
"Father, we mentioned to him that Keiko's friends from the ballet company were pushing us to have a wedding and now Dad's planning one. We really didn't want to have a wedding. We were happy with just being mated. But Dad's going on and on about wedding plans and colors and vows and …"
"Hnn," Sesshomaru pondered out loud. "Let me guess. The colors were white and red."
"You're right!" Keiko and Steven were surprised by their father's knowledge.
"How'd you know that?" Keiko started.
Quiet resounded for several heartbeats then Steven spoke.
"Dad is thinking about the wedding he always wanted, isn't he?" Steven's voice started out soft and slow but became more sure as he finished his rhetorical question.
"You did well in psychology as I recall," Sesshomaru remarked. "Perhaps a psychology residency would suit you. Consider applying after you finish this general internship. You can have as many specialties as you want but psychology is a good basic place to start."
Steven blushed. Compliments from their great and awesome father always made him happy. Keiko smiled at her brother. Kenichi, Steven, Kyo—the reaction to their Father was so predictable and it was so fun to tease them.
How did Ryuu and Bobbie overcome the blush response?
Keiko reflected. Ryuu never blushed when Sesshomaru complimented him. But he did blush when Inuyasha complimented him. She chuckled to herself.
'Ryuu is a Daddy's boy.' She continued to giggle softly. 'Anyone with eyes can see that now that I think about it.'
Distracted by her thoughts she failed to hear the conclusion of the phone call with their father.
"Wait. What did Father say?" Keiko looked up into her mate's round eyes.
Smiling, Steven swept her up into his arms. "Father said, "Don't worry about anything". He's got it under control." And with that he carried her off to their bed.
That evening Inuyasha produced a wedding planning notepad. He opened it and began regaling Sesshomaru with the wedding ideas for Keiko and Steven. He had decided that they should return to Castletown and do it up properly.
"I will have to talk to Jaken," Inuyasha was interrupted.
"Little brother, I would like to help in the planning of this gala." An evil smile crept across his face. "I would enjoy talking to the little imp."
Inuyasha laughed.
"Well, tell him to open the closed rooms. We'll have the ballet company join us at the castle. They can dance in the courtyard. The castle staff will have to be increased in order to serve all the visitors."
"Jaken can take care of that," Sesshomaru crooned as he started nipping on Inuyasha's ear.
"Right now I'm hungry for some inuhanyou." Sesshomaru's hands started roaming up and down his mate's torso, squeezing when it passed over his butt.
"Uhm, but there's more," Inuyasha panted as he struggled feebly against his lover's embrace.
"And it can wait an hour or more while I get some hanyou loving," Sesshomaru whispered in the ear that was trapped by his lips.
Inuyasha's knees buckled and the lovers joined together in waves of unbridled passion.
Sometime later Inuyasha grabbed the notepad he had dropped and began listing off items again. Sesshomaru listened intently, pulling his brother into his side, caressing him and adding "hnn," occasionally to let him know he was following every detail. At one point when they were talking about a photographer, Sesshomaru insisted they add several additional shots. His rationale: It wasn't everyday they had the whole family together. Inuyasha agreed. They would have to have more photos.
Finally the hanyou slowed down and appeared to be finished with his list.
"What do you want to wear, my love," Sesshomaru whispered as he cuddled his mate to his heart.
"I'd like to wear my fire rat kimono and hakama. It always looks pristine."
"Then you shall. I'll wear my white attire with yellow and blue obi then." Sesshomaru gently kissed his mate.
"Yeah. That'll look nice," Inuyasha's voice drifted off to a mumble and then light breathing filled the chamber.
Sesshomaru watched his bed partner. "I promise. It'll be perfect, my love. Just like it should have been so long ago."
Flashback
Inuyasha had met Nikki when he saw a shop that was titled "The Cake Demon". Truthfully Suzy should claim all the credit for introducing them. She saw pretty cakes in the window display case and pointed to the shop. Inuyasha was intrigued by the title. Hiding in plain site was one of the oldest tricks. Could there be a fellow demon in British Columbia? Without a hesitation he led Suzy into the store. While Suzy was distracted looking from one cake to another Inuyasha introduced himself to the cashier and asked to see the "demon". Nikki often referred to herself with that title and so the cashier went to the kitchen to get Nikki.
That particular morning was not one of the most stellar mornings for Nikki as the new assistant had made a mess of her spotless kitchen. Flour sacks had been opened incorrectly and a fine mist of flour had splatter all over the assistant and Nikki. Adding insult to injury the young helper cracked open more than a dozen eggs and accidently dropped a small egg shell in the big bowl. He decided to reach into the bowl to retrieve it. A bit short for the reach, the assistant tried anyway. The eggs spilled all over the flour on the table and down the side of the table on to Nikki's apron. He didn't ask what pan to grease and so he greased them all. Nikki didn't want to lose her cool with the new kid so she was practicing deep breaths when the cashier walked in and said a customer was looking for "the demon".
"Well, they found me," she snorted as she marched into the show room floor.
One look at the frazzled woman and Inuyasha bent over laughing.
"Kami!" The hanyou panted between breaths, tears rolling down his beautiful face. "That's priceless! So glad to meet you!" Inuyasha knew in his heart this woman was his type of demon. Smiling he walked forward to shake her hand.
Nikki was dumbstruck. Who was this drop dead gorgeous man with the adorable curly headed girl?!
Why was he acting so familiar? And how dare he laugh at her? She put a hand on her hip and pointed a finger.
"Who are you?"
"Pardon my manners," The half demon stopped just three feet in front of her. Calling Suzy to his side, he bowed and instructed Suzy to do the same. "I am Inuyasha Takahashi and this is my daughter Suzy Takahashi. It is a pleasure to meet a fellow demon or half demon."
To say Nikki was confused would be putting it mildly. The anger dissipated rapidly as Nikki took in the elegant man and his precious daughter. Silence filled the air as Nikki decided how she was going to move forward in this moment. This could be a future big wig client. Or a loser. A good looking one, but a loser. She took another deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"I'm afraid you haven't caught me in my greatest moment," Nikki finally commented. "I am Nikki, the cake demon."
Inuyasha smiled even larger. He really liked this lady. She openly sniffed them and then proudly announced her demonic heritage. Wait until Sesshomaru hears of this one.
Meanwhile Suzy found a piece of cake within reach and had put her fingers in the cake and tasted it.
"Yummy, Dad. Nikki makes good cake!" Suzy looked to her dad with cake and frosting all over her face and fingers.
Now the roles were reversed. Inuyasha started frowning and assumed the hand on the hip pointing position and Nikki bent over laughing.
"You're right, Precious. I make a wicked cake!" Nikki motioned to the cashier to set up the young girl with cake at the nearest table and then leaning on a chair as she caught her breath, she motioned to the now dumbstruck half demon to have a seat.
"Daddy, This cake is really good. I don't think it's wicked."
Nikki started laughing again. This time Inuyasha joined her.
"I'm betting you're from the East coast of the USA," Inuyasha smiled at Nikki.
"And you'd be right." The cake demon replied. "Come. I have a minute to spare while my kitchen staff cleans up their mess!" The last part of that sentence was aimed at the staff that had come out to see what all the noise was about. The staff flew from the scene to go to work cleaning.
"Now, Inuyasha, you said, what can I do for you?" Nikki smiled kindly as she watched her two customers.
"Honestly, I was just surprised to see another demon and I wanted to come in and meet him or her."
"Well, here I am. I specialize in excellent cakes. I can do almost anything."
"Really, Daddy. This cake is good," Suzy spoke with a mouthful of cake.
"Baby, what did we say about talking with your mouth full?" Inuyasha tilted his head and whispered in her ear.
"Sowwy," the little demon mumbled. "But twy this." She thrust a fork of cake toward her dad.
Inuyasha took the bite. "Yummy! It is good. Thank you my graceful lily." Inuyasha licked his lips. "It's really good Nikki."
Nikki tilted her head to acknowledge the compliment.
"Well, what's your story?" Nikki queried.
"Well," Inuyasha pondered. Where should he start. "Sesshomaru and I brought the family to Canada some time ago now and we've been practicing medicine here since then."
"Where did you immigrate from?"
"We were in Japan."
"I was in Boston."
The conversation continued for a while longer. Soon a staff member came out front and told Nikki that her kitchen was clean and they were ready to start over.
"It was a pleasure meeting you, Inuyasha and Suzy. Duty calls though. Come again any time."
It was the beginning of many visits and trading of stories. As time passed, the two traded recipes, spoke of family meals, video gaming tales, parenting problems and successes. It was many months later when Nikki's curiosity got the best of her.
"Why do you keep talking about demons and half demons, Inuyasha? I realize kids can be a handful and spouses too but they aren't really demons."
Inuyasha chortled. "You are right. They are good kids, but I really can't call them angels or humans, now can I?"
Nikki shook her head. "Can you repeat that? They aren't human?"
Inuyasha pressed on.
"Well, yeah. They are demons. Sesshomaru's genes were just stronger than my half breed ones. Good thing too or my precious babies would have had to deal with having these ears." Inuyasha pointed to his ears.
Nikki stared. "I … Ears …Half Breed"
"Hey! We're friends but I don't really like to be called a half breed," Inuyasha caught Nikki's eyes. They were dashing about, rolling from his ears to his teeth, to his nails, to his hair, to his eye color like it was the first time she had really seen him.
"Nikki! Hey. You ok?"
Nikki had just processed all the things she had seen and heard and only one answer remained.
"You're a dog demon."
Laughing, Inuyasha slapped his thigh.
"What did you think I was? I know you smelled us the first day we met. We smelled you. You smell of flour, sugar, and butter. We rather liked it."
"So you know that demons are real."
"Yaaaahh, but you knew that because you are a cake demon."
A shocked expression popped on Nikki's face.
"Are there real cake demons?"
"Yaaaahh, you are one." Inuyasha cocked his head to the side and stared at Nikki.
"I'm a kuro inu. I just like the title cake demon."
Now it was Inuyasha's turn to be shocked.
"But you don't smell inu. You smell like cake."
"Have you ever met another cake demon?" Nikki asked gently.
"No, but I've never been to Boston," Inuyasha countered.
The two friends stared at each other.
Nikki smiled. It didn't matter to her if he was demon or half demon. Inuyasha was her friend.
Inuyasha saw the smile and realized that Nikki accepted him.
"Nikki, I want to make sure you're ok with this. I am a half dog demon, half human. Sesshomaru is a full dog demon and so are our kids."
"Okay with it?! YES! It's awesome! Your secret is safe with me."
Flashforward
The next couple of months flew by. Inuyasha had his hands full with wedding plans, and coordinating the affair from Canada. He refused to get a wedding consultant to do the work in Japan. That led to many arguments with Jaken over the phone. Sesshomaru had already discussed the situation with Jaken and told him not to argue with Inuyasha but some old habits just don't disappear completely. In the end, Inuyasha got his way and Jaken sulked. Sesshomaru found much humor in the imp's condition but did remind Inuyasha that "Uncle Jaken" just wanted to help. Inuyasha took the message to heart and called the old imp to apologize.
"Bridezilla," grumbled Jaken as he got off the phone.
In Canada, Inuyasha sneezed.
"Are you sick?" Sesshomaru walked to his mate and put a hand on his forehead.
"I don't think so. I feel fine."
"Hnnn," Sesshomaru shrugged. "Well, wash your hands more often just in case."
"Yes Doctor Sesshomaru," laughed the hanyou as he walked from the room.
Inuyasha spent more time with Nikki coming up with the perfect wedding cake. They spent several days designing the cake and taste testing flavors. They decided the cake would have to have a five inch base at the minimum. Everyone put in their requests for flavors including Sesshomaru who mentioned more than once that he would really like vanilla bean with fresh strawberry preserves. Nikki and Inuyasha laughed and assure him that there would be an entire tier of vanilla bean and fresh strawberry preserves.
After many combinations they settled on a base cake of rum apple spice with a peach and wild berry compote. It would be the anchor cake, because of the weight.
Carrot and almond cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh fruit would follow.
Then vanilla bean with fresh strawberry preserves!
The top layer would be pink champagne with strawberry mousse filling, bits of fresh strawberry folded into the mousse.
Ultimately the cake would be very tall, so the bottom tier would be five inches tall. It would have four layers of cake with three layers of filling and frosting in between. It would be a work of art!
In Japan, Jaken was having the time of his life. The castle would return to its former glory and Lord Sesshomaru would recognize his most faithful retainer turned "Uncle". Even now he lived to please his lord. Jaken set out the word of the impeding wedding at the castle and so word flew through the castle town.
Chef came out of retirement as soon as he heard about the gala in the castle. Immediately he contacted Inuyasha and got the details of the menu. Inuyasha dropped in on Nikki and introduced them via speaker phone. Immediately Chef knew he had a kindred spirit in the cake demon. He would enjoy coordinating with Nikki. That cake was going to be something special!
They debated between them the best way to put together the cake. Normally it would be made in one location, packed up, delivered to the party area, and then assembled there. Then the decorations, sugar flowers, fruits etc. would be added so they don't get destroyed in the travel. It wouldn't survive the trip to Japan so they figured it would be best to make it there in Japan.
Nikki was versatile and could bake anywhere but she would need her supplies. Chef suggested they buy her a set for the castle. She was delighted. She would need 80-100 gallons of milk, fifty pounds of flour, sixty to eighty pounds of sugar, 50 dozen eggs, bushels and barrels of fresh fruit, and at least two bushels of apples. She asked for sugar, gum paste, or frosting for the flowers. Nikki preferred working with gum paste because it held its shape, and would look like real flowers. Chef agreed and said he would make sure he had what she needed. She was overjoyed with such cooperation. She decided that she wanted to bring her own pans. Chef didn't argue but asked for the sizes just in case.
Nikki felt she would need at least five days to prepare the bottom three tiers of the cake but was concerned that it would be all new equipment to her. Chef suggested they get the Castletown baker to work with them in a collaborative effort. The baker would have the largest oven in Castletown. The Castle had added a big cooler since his lords had left and that would keep the cakes and supplies chilled until assembly.
"It's great that your lords will share the castle's kitchens for this cake," Nikki commented as she was finishing her conversation with the Chef.
"Well, it's their kids getting married. They won't cut any corners. You know-Only the best for the Lords of the Western Lands. Call me if you need anything. Bye Nikki."
Nikki looked back and forth between the now silent phone and the mischievous inuhanyou smirking at her. Pointing a finger at the white haired male she adopted the manner of a school teacher scolding her student.
"Start talking Inuyasha!"
….
At the castle the air thrummed with excitement. The King was coming home! The dining hall was wiped down top to bottom. The table polished to a new level of shine. New cushions were made for the positions at the table with the family cushions made with a gold thread accent. The oldest table set was removed from storage and cleaned. It was set on the table on display because the castle was still open as a museum. The visitors to the castle were treated with a glimpse into the treasures. Word got around and more and more visitors made the trek to see the historic treasures of feudal Japan.
New linens were commissioned for the bedrooms as well as new futons.
The courtyard had been maintained through the years but that didn't stop the maintenance staff from bleaching stones and replacing chipped ones. By the time of the wedding there would not be one blade of grass or grain of sand out of place.
The Castletown silk demons were given the task to make the special kimonos for the females. They made a shiromuku wedding kimono especially for Keiko. The same pattern was used for the men's kimonos with the addition of hakamas. Beautiful paper umbrellas were made for each male of the family to carry and shelter their sisters. White, red, and black colors adorned the kimonos, the ceremony and the castle. The tailor's grandchildren presented Jaken with several puppy ear pennants and a tasteful festive banner with a great white dog. They told Jaken if it weren't for Lord Inuyasha's plans from years ago they would not be financial stable like they were. Jaken made sure they were invited to the castle for the wedding. The banners were hung with pride.
Invitations to the wedding were highly coveted and it didn't take long before gifts adorned the castle steps, each one a bid for an invitation. Jaken didn't recognize many of the names and realized that many were just trying to get in to set their social status. Perhaps he would have to call in a special team to help. Sesshomaru didn't say he couldn't.
Time flew rapidly. Yuki and Kyo arranged special seating for the family and Nikki on their airline and flew them all to Japan a week ahead of the ballet company. Uncle Jaken had a SUV Limo met them at the airport and they drove to Castletown. Suzy had never seen Japan and was glued to the window from the time they left the airport to the moment they arrived at Castletown. Bobby and Barbie had seen it once many years ago but they were equally entranced by the beauty of the country.
Castletown had been protected by the ravages of time. It was considered a historic site so many things remained the same. Demons, half demons, and humans still lived together in peace. The roads had never been widened in the center of old town. The SUV stopped at the old town barricade and the family disembarked. Prior to their arrival Jaken and his special team had coordinated security. The arrival of the large vehicle had caught the attention of many of the denizens of the town and a small crowd had gathered round. Once the white hair of the occupants was seen the word spread through the masses—The Royals were home!
Shortly the crowd enlarged and more and more people pressed in on the town square to see if it were really true. Some realizing they were too short to see over the mass of humanity ran into the local buildings and climbed to the second balconies to see.
"The King and Prince are home!" they cried as soon as they saw the white hair.
The crowd applauded and shouted for joy!
Realizing they could not avoid the masses but needed to maintain some control, Sesshomaru released a small amount of youki, enough only for the crowd to be pushed back so there was room for his family to walk. He guided his family toward a familiar statue that rested on an elevated platform. Assuming the highest position with Inuyasha to his right, he arranged his family around them.
"Castletown," he projected. "It is wonderful to be home! Thank you for your warm greeting. I present to you –my family!" As he introduced them they bowed to the crowd. "My beloved mate and brother Prince Inuyasha, Our Princess Keiko, Prince Kenichi, Prince Ryuu, Prince Suteiibun, Princess Yuki, Prince Kyo, Prince Bobby, Princess Barbie, Princess Suzy and Princess Rin!"
The crowd roared with excitement. Even Jaken move up and down about like a bobble head statue. Several hooded security guard-types stepped forward and offered to escort the family up the path to the castle.
Several things happened all the same time.
The kids recognized the statue behind them was their parents and started to say something about it.
Keiko stepped forward and took Rin from Inuyasha's arms.
Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's noses sniffed.
Four eyebrows lifted.
Two mouths smiled.
Both recognized that smell.
"SHIPPO!" Inuyasha cried ecstatically.
"Captain Kenichi!" Sesshomaru exclaimed.
Startled the two royals turned to each other and sniffed again.
"Shippo!" Sesshomaru exclaimed.
"KENICHI!" Inuyasha shouted joyfully.
The guards threw back their hoods.
Two well aged warriors kneeled before their kings.
Inuyasha rushed to his friends and hugged them, tears of joy rolling down his cheeks.
"We thought we lost you in the war," Inuyasha sobbed.
"Come, my Lords. We have some surprises for you."
The crowd backed away and the royals and their guards made their way to the castle. The procession was: Sesshomaru hand-in-hand with Inuyasha, Keiko and Steven carrying Rin who had started babbling nonstop, Ryuu carrying Suzy, Kenichi talking to his name sake, Yuki and Kyo making circles around Shippo, and Bobby and Barbie bringing up the tail of the procession, hand-in-hand, both absorbing every detail.
"But the statue…"Suzy started to say.
"Don't worry Suzy. We'll see it again. I promise." Ryuu grabbed her hand and hoisted her to his hip.
"You promise?" she asked as she made him look at her.
"I promise. Pinky promise." He lifted his free hand and offered his pinky to her.
"Okay!" Suzy attempted to wrap her small finger around his big stocky finger but could only get a quarter of the way. She took her other hand and squeezed it the rest of the way.
Ryuu smiled at his little sister's antics. It was good being home. He had missed it here. He had a very old and good friend here and he wanted to see them as soon as possible.
The royal family walked through the castle gate and stopped to take in all the details. The courtyard sparkled in the daylight. Puppy eared pennants flew from the eaves and a banner with a great white dog flew in the most prominent location, all gently flapping in the breeze. To the side a beautiful fountain bubbled peacefully. Surrounding the fountain a number of beings awaited the arrival of their friends. Behind them a two-headed dragon and a horse hanyou stood patiently awaiting.
Rabbits with fox tails stood and bowed as they were instructed by their seniors. A leash of kits had been playing near the water, floating leaves and wooden boats, having mock battles and splashing to their delight.
Inuyasha turned to his love and smiled a genuine smile that had taken away 200 plus years of age and stress and in its place left a young pup.
"Go Inuyasha! Greet our family!"
The hanyou ran to the crowd around the fountain where he began hugging and loving on everyone there. Beckoning Sesshomaru and their children to his side he made introductions.
Ryuu's eyes went straight to A-Un.
"Come Suzy! I want you to meet my best friend in the world!"
Suzy smiled happily and looked to the horse hanyou but was only slightly surprised when she was introduced to A-Un first.
"Hi Mr Dragon and Mr Horseman," Suzy curtsied. "I'm Suzy."
Jinenji smiled.
"A pleasure to meet you, Princess Suzy," Jinenji smiled and bowed.
A-Un dropped to the ground in order for Suzy to pet their heads.
Sesshomaru stood quietly next to Inuyasha. From his vantage point he watched the introductions, curious if the dragon would smell his former mistress. Curiosity overcame him and taking Rin from Keiko and Steven he walked her over to A-Un.
Inuyasha had been preoccupied greeting Usagi and Suzuki, their kits, and grandkits. But when all of them turned to see what Lord Sesshomaru was doing, his eyes followed quickly. He raced to his brother's side.
"I'm curious too," he gazed at his brother briefly and finished the steps to Jinenji's side.
"Tis good to see you," Jinenji smiled.
"And you also," Inuyasha said and he hugged the horse hanyou tightly.
Suzy had been patting Un's head when Sesshomaru arrived with Rin.
"Look Father. It's a dragon with two heads!" Suzy beamed with excitement. "And he let me pat his head."
"I imagine he'll let you fly on him too but first I want him to meet Rin too."
"Yes Father," Suzy backed up to Inuyasha's side.
"A-Un, old friend," Sesshomaru gently spoke to the dragon. "I want you to meet my youngest daughter." He brought Rin close to Un's nose.
The dragon smelled the child.
Un looked at A and A smelled her too.
Four very old and moist eyes starred at the young princess and the dog demon.
A-Un, meet Rin."
Tears of joy rolled down the old dragons faces as one head bowed to his master and one snaked close enough to let Rin pat his head. They quickly alternated and snaked their heads toward Suzy and Ryuu too. Soon all the Takahashi children were surrounding the old dragon and hugging on them.
While Nikki, Chef, and the Baker worked on the cake, the family spent the week exploring the castle and preparing for the wedding. Families met and stories were exchanged. Many jokes and pranks were pulled. A new stack of rocks found its way to the third floor master bedroom. The library was visited often by every family member. A-Un flew many flights with Suzy, Rin and Ryuu. Ryuu did take Suzy to see the statue of their parents. Suzy thought it was wonderful.
Kouga and Ayame showed up on the third day. Ayame wanted to get away from the kids but was worried about leaving them for too long with Hakkuku and Ginta. Kami only knows what bad jokes they would teach her babies. Kouga and Inuyasha hit the dojo for some mock fighting. Ayame laughed about the "male bounding" and shared with Sesshomaru how sore Kouga was the following day. Sesshomaru smiled. He would never admit that he had to massage his mate's muscles for several hours just to help him get to sleep.
The kitchen was put off limits when a chunk of cake disappeared from the cooler. Up until then Nikki and Chef were amused with "traveling fingers" that would take off with a flower or fruit decoration. They assumed it was Suzy or Yuki, but all were surprised when they smelled cake on Ryuu. He confessed and was scolded. Later Suzy told them it was her. She felt badly that Ryuu took the blame for her. She had wiped her fingers on his shirt. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha had to leave so they could laugh.
When the ballet company arrived they were told that the festival and wedding were going to be done in costumes and masks and that many were already in costume for the week's activities. So they were not surprised to see fox ears, or rabbit tails or dog ears at all but rather embraced it whole heartedly. Artists appreciate the labor of love for a good costume.
The dancers spent a majority of their day practicing in the castle dojo or in the castle courtyard. During their free time Keiko took them around touring the various wonders of Castletown. The family had to be careful about referring to places where they had been but rather made "historic stories" of the places.
The day of the wedding arrived. The front steps of the castle had been covered in flower petals. A small altar was placed in the center. The guests were seated in the courtyard facing toward the front door.
The wedding party was dressed and all gathered in Sesshomaru's first floor study that opened onto the garden. The plan was to walk up the aisle in pairs and divide evenly in the manner of a western wedding and once there the ceremony would shift to an eastern inspired event complete with sharing of sake and parental blessings.
First couple to walk in was Barbie and Bobby. Bobby held the red and white umbrella high over them and chatted softly to Barbie. He spoke of promises for their future and his wishes for his brother and sister. Barbie was so taken by his whispers she nearly forgot to separate from him at the base of the stairs. A quick peck on the cheek and the two blushing siblings took their places.
Kyo and Yuki followed. No one heard Bobby's words of love but both could tell by the blushing teens that it must have been good. Kyo smirked. He should have gone first with Yuki. It would have been easier than following in his younger brother's steps. That guy was too smooth. He stole a glance at Yuki. Kami she was so beautiful. He stared as he was lost in her beauty.
Yuki kept looking forward. She didn't want to ruin the day for Keiko but she really wanted it to be her day too. 'I wish Kyo would notice I'm a girl," she whined to herself. Steeling herself for another disappointing "he's not paying any attention to me" moment, Yuki stole a glance at Kyo only to find him staring love struck at her. Kyo's expression disappeared instantaneously and he returned his eyes to the base of the stair and promptly split off from his sister collapsing the umbrella between them to hid his embarrassment at being caught staring. Yuki stared after him, shaking her head in disbelief and then sliding into place next to Barbie.
Ryuu and Suzy strolled hand in hand, the umbrella resting on Ryuu's broad shoulders. Suzy waved at everybody and twirled to show off her kimono. The audience oohed and aahed at the curly haired beauty and her handsome escort. When they arrived at the base of the stairs, Ryuu bent down and whispered in Suzy's ear. The curls bounced as the little girl giggled at her big brother. She leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. Ryuu blushed.
Inuyasha had quickly feed Rin so she would be quiet during the ceremony. Kenichi took her from their Dad and burped her while Sesshomaru helped him readjust his fire rat kimono. The burping and adjusting complete, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha kissed Rin on the cheeks and entrusted her to her big brother. Kenichi loved Rin. She was funny and happy. She cooed and flirted with everyone. As he walked her to the steps he whispered to her, telling her a short tale of the purpose of the courtyard. He was a teacher and you couldn't start too young teaching history. As they arrived at the foot of the stair he walked with her to the side with the other male dog demons.
No one missed Kenichi's actions. Suzy put one hand on her hip. Pointing at Rin she made a funny face at Ryuu. Ryuu smiled. Walking to her side, he grabbed her hand and lifted her to his hip. The two turned to watch the next set of Takahashis.
Back in Sesshomaru's study, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were giving last minute words of wisdom to the bride and groom. Well, actually Inuyasha was giving words to Keiko and Sesshomaru was plotting with Steven. This had to be smooth or the fire rat wearing inuhanyou would soon be the same color as his fire rat.
"Good luck son," Sesshomaru patted Steven on the back.
"You too, Father," Steven laughed.
Inuyasha grabbed his brother's hand. "Come on. They are already mates. They don't need any advice on that stuff." And he drug Sesshomaru out the door. Keiko and Steven saw the crossed fingers for good luck from their father.
Laughing the two stood alone in their father's study.
"You are beautiful, my love," Steven brought a graceful hand to his lip and kissed it.
"I'm glad we're doing this after all," Keiko looked at her true love. "Dad had so much fun arranging everything. Let's go get married!"
They walked to the doorway to watch the royal duo stroll confidently to the center of the base of the stairs. Turning to face the audience power and elegance radiated from the duo. Inuyasha red fire rat and Sesshomaru's white kimono and hakama were complimented by their children's wedding attire. All in all they painted an awe inspiring tableau.
Custom was to stand for the entrance of the bride but in this case it was to stand for the king and his mate, so the audience stood and watched the beautiful men walk down the aisle to stand with their children. The audience was still standing as Keiko and Steven entered the courtyard. The eyes of the audience had been on their king. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha smiled and stared at Keiko and Steven. Sesshomaru nodded and Steven led his bride to the altar. As they reached the base of the steps Keiko reached out for Inuyasha's hand and Steven reached for Sesshomaru's. The couple led their parents to the altar with them.
It hadn't taken any time at all to find a priest of Miroku's lineage. After all, Miroku and Sango had been very proliferative. The priest looked exactly like Miroku. The priest stood on the opposite side of the altar.
"This is a beautiful day to celebrate," began the priest. "Love is wondrous. When you find your soulmate, don't hesitate. Tell them you love them. Tell the whole world that you have found the one you love. Don't let anyone get in your way."
"A good marriage is dependent upon many factors. I believe though the foundation of a strong marriage is a strong bond of friendship and respect of one another. Your love for each other will grow deeper with each day, but genuine liking for each other, the willingness to accept each other's strengths and weakness with understanding and respect is the foundation."
"Now is the point in this ceremony where vows are exchanged. Some would pledge that commitment regardless of riches or poverty, sickness or health, and more. But we want to hear your vows. I understand you wrote your own."
"Keiko and Steven have asked that their parents restate their vows first in the witness of their children, family and friends. They will follow with their own vows."
Inuyasha stared at the priest.
That wasn't in the script.
He looked at Sesshomaru and then Keiko and Steven. All three were smiling.
Steven took Keiko's hand and guided her to the side of the altar. Sesshomaru stepped to his mate's side and slipped him a piece of paper. Then he positioned them in front of the altar so that everyone could see them clearly. Grabbing Inuyasha's hands and holding them to Sesshomaru's heart, he looked into Inuyasha's eye.
"I, Sesshomaru Takahashi, promise to accept and love you.
I promise to share with you all my love.
I promise to be faithful to you forever.
I promise to watch your back.
I promise to treasure you.
I promise to share my life with you until it ends.
These promises I will keep through good times and bad.
I proudly proclaim this to the world.
As Sesshomaru recited the vows he had made to Inuyasha so many years ago he spoke confidently and without hesitation. He really was telling the whole world that he was proud to be married to his hanyou brother. Inuyasha felt it to his soul. His joy radiated. His face beamed.
And his eyes leaked.
But so did everyone else's.
In the master bedroom of the castle later than night, two lovers were wrapped in each other. They had made love in that room many times. Tonight it was special. Today Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha a grand wedding and proudly proclaimed to all who were present that no one was more important to him than his puppy eared hanyou brother.
