Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
REVISED: format - 10/15/2006

Replaced Bride – Part III
Loving Fiancée

Sesshoumaru stepped out of the room with an unfamiliar sense of relief. His silk shirt was torn in places and hung off his lithe, fit frame carelessly. His tie had disappeared somewhere between the stairs and the hallway. His brother, of course, looked completely unscathed from the little tussle—but for the faint pink tinge to his much-abused ears.

"They're crazy," Inuyasha declared hotly as the made their way to the dining room for their delayed dinner. His companion made no comment, which was hardly surprising, as he tore off the tattered remains of his top. It seemed it would be 'casual wear' for supper.

"So… why are they still here?"

Sesshoumaru glanced at his brother in faint annoyance as he brushed his hand through his silky hair, allowing it to fall back into a waterfall of perfection once more. "Because, my moronic little brother, we need her."

He said the word 'need' with a subtle shade of disgust. He was good at subtle.

Inuyasha frowned. "What, Kagome? The waitress from Western Lands? She's nothing like Shirei Kikyou," he pointed out. "Kikyou's much softer-mannered and calm. You'll never get it past Dad."

"Father doesn't need to see her until the day of the wedding." Sesshoumaru strolled calmly into the dining room, as arrogant and confident as ever. "He just needs to believe that his cherished dream has come true."

"Look, isn't that a little extreme? Why not just call the entire thing off? Dad'll be furious if he finds out you married someone who isn't from the Shirei dynasty. There's other people you can be mated to in order to strengthen our business. Besides, you hate humans."

He slanted his irritated golden gaze his brother's way. "This isn't for me. Father's dearest wish is for me to marry Shirei Kikyou because he dotes on her like his own daughter, not for the business. If it will make him happy before he… dies, then it is a small sacrifice to make." He sat regally at the head of the table, as though he wasn't shirtless and hadn't just dealt with two screaming drunks.

Forever being unable to capture Sesshoumaru's lithe grace, Inuyasha slumped in his own chair. There had been a time when, as a child, he had tried to be as much like his older brother as possible, but that time had passed, as all idiotic things did.

"So you'll enter an unhappy marriage just to make Dad's last moments happy?" he taunted angrily. "His was unhappy, too!"

Sudden silence reigned over the table. Talking about The Mistake was always bad. Inuyasha shifted in his chair, angry with the uncomfortable feeling stealing over him. He glowered sullenly at Sesshoumaru. "If you ever told Dad how you felt, he wouldn't push so hard anyway."

Silence again as servants came, placing the various food on the table. Two thick, heavy goblets were filled with wine that both men quietly refused. It was quickly replaced with cool water in clear glasses.

Sesshoumaru ignored his brother as he began to eat, quickly and neatly. Their conversation had been abnormal; the lack of it was a more usual occurrence. Inuyasha picked at the succulently roasted chicken, remembering his dining experience earlier. Granted, it had been a full three hours, but he wasn't hungry.

It was amazing how much his brother could eat, though.

His mind wandered to the two women locked into the room upstairs, and he wondered if there would be any way to make that 'Kagome' amenable to Sesshoumaru's plan.

Then his eyes widened as he remembered an offhand remark of Bankotsu's, a few months ago. His girlfriend had gone out with her roommate and "the kids"…

Bankotsu, he knew, didn't have children. And with that one woman's reaction to his name, it was obvious that she was his girlfriend—and he knew they lived together because of a few discreetly placed questions earlier…

"Aw, shit," he muttered. Sesshoumaru ignored him until the unwelcome news was shared. "Your fiancée has kids."

- - -

She stirred, groaning at the pain in her head. The munchkins must be making a little village in her brain. Then she realized that moving even the slightest bit and making the slightest sound was a bad idea.

Immediately, her slight form stilled. But something bubbled beneath her ear. How odd… she didn't know that pillows made noises. They were funny noises, too.

Baaalurp. Bubble, bubble. Baaaalurp. She stifled a giggle, then moaned at the pain. They must have gone out to the club, which was funny, because they never went out to the club, much less got trashed. I must've gone out on another date with Hojou, she thought with an inward sigh. One of these days, she would have to tell him that their relationship just wasn't going anywhere. They still acted like the thirteen-year-olds in junior high that couldn't think of any relationship past holding hands, gasp!

The pillow baalurped again, making her draw her brows together in a fierce frown. That was more than annoying; it was getting on her nerves. She patted it gently, mumbling something soothing beneath her breath. "Calm down, Mommy wants to sleep," she sighed.

Then her pillow groaned. Which was odd, because the groan came from her side, though she could sort of feel it emanate from beneath her ear, too.

She sat up blearily, ignoring the way the world began to spin, and fisted one of her hands, ready to beat that hapless pillow into submission. Then she blinked.

"Sango?"

Well, that explained things. Though it certainly didn't explain why she'd been using Sango's stomach as a pillow, or why they both were naked.

No, not naked. Thank God. They were still in their panties…

The other girl made a little whimper, waving her hand vaguely in the air, as though to ward sound off from her ear. Then her eyes, too, opened and locked on her best friend and long-time roommate.

"Okay, what the hell did we drink?" she croaked hoarsely, after an uncomfortable pause.

"I'd say some of Johnny's flat beer, except that I don't know a Johnny." Kagome grabbed a blanket and pulled it over her, shivering as she finally realized that the room was damned cold.

And it wasn't her room.

"Where are we?" She frowned, trying to blink away her hangover. It didn't work, though the world did spin for a second. "And… how did we get here?"

"And who the hell undressed us?" Sango muttered, shoving her lank hair out of her face and grabbing the other end of the blanket. "God, the last thing I can remember is…" she squinted, swore lightly at the pain in her head.

Then her eyes snapped wide open. "Oh man—the limo. And the champagne…"

Kagome looked horrified. "We didn't…"

- - -

Inuyasha paused outside the door, hearing the voices from within. It looked like their sleeping beauties were awake, which meant sending a maid to get them some clothes—their old ones had disappeared, probably to the waste basket. The servants had odd ideas of what proper ladies were supposed to wear, and uniforms from a classy restaurant weren't on their list.

- - -

Kagome paced in irritation, unwilling to admit the guilty pleasure she felt as silk swirled around her bare ankles. Sango was carelessly perched in a perfectly comfortable armchair, thumbing through one of the financial magazines scattered on the coffee table. Their host had kept them in the private lounge for the better part of an hour and hadn't yet shown.

She couldn't remember the meeting, and blushed furiously when she wondered exactly what she had done. She'd never been one to hold her liquor—Sango, either, though she seemed perfectly poised.

The only thing she could remember was the feel of silk ripping beneath her hands. But that had to be a weird dream.

"Hey, Kagome-chan! This says that the stocks in Jaken are worth more than the stocks in Armani. That's got to be a first!" The older girl whistled, impressed. "Wasn't Kirishima Sesshoumaru wearing a Jaken?"

"Who?" She paused in her pacing to blink at her friend.

"You know, arrogant guy at the restaurant yesterday?" Flipping a page, she continued, "I think his brother was wearing the Gucci loafers."

"I don't know why you noticed his feet, but yes, he was wearing a Jaken." Kagome frowned. "How can you be so calm?"

"Well… it might have something to do with a lovely bath, or the gorgeous clothes, but I'm quite willing to overlook any embarrassment I may have caused in order to bask in all this luxury for right now." Sango peeked over the journal to arch a wicked brow. "Why, do I look bad?"

"Of course not," she huffed with a faint toss of her head. The shimmering scent of Herbal Essences (for being such a fancy bathroom, the shampoo and conditioner had been rather convenience-store-brand...) tangled into the air at the movement. Both were dressed in nearly similar evening dresses, though the older girl wore simple black. Kagome had been shoved into a magenta strapless that showed far too much of her back. At least Sango had skinny little straps crisscrossing over her skin; she had nothing. Even her hair had been put up into an easy, stylish twist.

Her friend smiled blandly. "Good." She peered down at her shoes, wiggling her toes in the strappy black sandals. "I don't know how they managed the perfect sizes for everything, though. What did we do?" she mused.

Kagome frowned. Her sandals, too, had been the perfect fit, but after nearly tripping and breaking her neck in her first five minutes of pacing, they'd been tossed to the side, discarded without a second thought. "I don't know, but as long as it didn't involve strangers and a bed, I'll never complain about anything for the rest of my life," she muttered.

Sango grinned at her statement, before delving back into the oh-so-fascinating material of something that probably belonged on the desk of an… accountant. Didn't they deal with all the money aspects of life?

She gave up pacing to tour the room again, trailing her fingers over a cherrywood vanity. Oddly enough, it seemed a little out of place in the grand chamber. Everything else seemed to be vintage-era, while this…

It reminded her of a little child's play-desk in her grandfather's shrine that she had loved so. She hadn't been able to take it with her after their small vacation in Japan, but it held a dear place in her heart. That was where she had pretended to write music compositions.

Now she knew that she had no ability to write music, though she could play whatever came through her mind. Not many were particularly impressed with a little flute-piece until they heard it. Such an underrated instrument, despite its ability to evoke strong emotion from player and listener alike.

Kagome sighed and collapsed onto the loveseat across from her friend. Crossing her ankles, she leaned back, absently toying with a small lock of hair that had fallen from her now-sophisticated hair. "I wonder why we're still here…"

She finally gave words to the curiosity that had plagued her. Yes, why were they still in this beautiful manor, instead of being politely sent back to their apartment? It must have been obvious to their host that neither of them was the woman he'd been expecting. And had he been less impatient on the phone earlier, he would have known that.

Sango finally put down the magazine with a sigh. "I hate to break it to you, Kag-Kag…"

"What?"

"One of us probably slept with him last night," she said bluntly.

"WHAT?"

"Well, why else would he get us pretty clothes, if not for payment?"

- - -

Amazingly, the faintest smile tugged at his lips as he listened to the conversation. So they believed he was paying them for 'services rendered'? That would be amusing to play upon. Especially since the most risqué thing that had happened yesterday was his calling of his guards to peel one Higurashi Kagome off of him.

It was a rare woman who clung so tenaciously to him in an effort to maim instead of seduce, even when drunk. For that reason, he'd felt a slight, grudging bit of respect for her ability to stand up to him. Not a lot, just a little. Humans were fools, after all.

He continued to listen shamelessly, hand on the doorknob.

"…was probably me," Kagome groaned. Even when devastated, her voice was low and husky. Pleasant to his sensitive ears.

"Why do you say that?"

"I keep remembering ripping silk. I mean, I ripped the silk. With my hands…"

"Oh, Lord. I didn't know you had that in you, Kagome!"

"Sango! I was drunk! God, I don't even know what he looks like… he's probably old and potbellied and smells like cigars!"

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. He was most certainly not potbellied, nor did he condone the reek of smoke. Tobacco was one of mankind's most idiotic inventions, and certainly one of the most odorous. But he had to admit that he was old—in human standards.

He heard a distinctly depressed sigh. "It's sad that my first time was taken away in a drunken haze. I would have at least liked to remember it."

"I wish I could forget mine," came the soothing words of her friend. "It hurt like hell and was messy. Contrary to popular belief, Bankotsu was not a good lover when we first got together."

How odd. Her first time? But Inuyasha said that she had children—the fool. Well, that would make his life much easier to know that she wasn't a mother. There would be no child to hide from the eyes of his father.

Despite the constant pain, Inutaisho was quite able to smell children from five miles away. It was probably his fatherly instinct—or a normal male one. Sesshoumaru certainly avoided the brats he ever scented.

"I thought I was supposed to feel sore—"

"Well, maybe he was very considerate." The friend's voice had turned thoughtful. "Or maybe he couldn't, you know, get it done…"

That was quite enough of listening at the door. Before long, they would paint him as a decrepit old man who could do nothing more than fondle or grope those he felt desire for.

He opened the door swiftly, interrupting them. The words were sliced cleanly from the air the moment he entered the room. Kagome was staring at the floor, not having glanced up at all; Sango turned slightly, her eyes widening at the sight of him.

He waited for the second girl to raise her eyes from the floor. When she did, he was hit again by the unusual color of her eyes—she seemed to be full-blooded Japanese, yet no Asian had such a color of cloudy blue.

She stared, dismayed, a bright flush coloring her cheeks. He could almost hear the thoughts going through her head.

I slept… with him?

No. Good God, no. You can't be that cruel.

I know he's an absolute dream, but he's not my dream! Please, Sango, be wrong…

"After last night, I hadn't seen you as one to blush," he said conversationally.

The color drained immediately from her cheeks, leaving her light-headed, reeling, and stunned.

She was right. Oh, no…

"L-last night?" she stammered. How smart, stupid.

"Surely you remember?" He moved closer, and she realized that no sentiment flickered on his face. Though his eyes had odd traces of emotion that she couldn't quite read, and his words were infused with amusement.

Like a cat toying with a mouse—but he wasn't a cat youkai. More like a wolf. Or a dog, she amended, remembering his brother's ears.

Which led to a question—why did only one of them have the cute ears?

A faint memory came to her head, of soft felt beneath her fingertips, before she shook it away. "O-Of course…" she murmured lamely, shooting a distressed glance at Sango.

Her attention wasn't on him, but on someone over his shoulder.

Following her gaze, Kagome gave a soft gasp. It was the cute-eared brother, with… a yellow two-tailed cat on his head?

"Kirara!"

"Ah, yes." The older man glanced behind him. "She came pawing at the door this morning, fully transformed." He grabbed Kagome's arm before she could move, and propelled her none-too-gently out another door she hadn't realized was there.

"Wha—" she squeaked, her pulse rate doubling, tripling, and quadrupling within a matter of seconds. It was not a good idea for any sort of physical contact between them, especially if he thought there was going to be a repeat of last night.

When the door closed behind them, he ushered her into a seat. "I am going to be quite blunt with you, Higurashi Kagome."

Now how on Earth does he know—oh. Well, he is my ultimate employer. "Y-Yes, sir?" she asked, licking suddenly dry lips. If he asks, I'm going to tell him no. Even if my job depends on it. I can always get another.

"You're going to be married to me."

She blinked.

Twice.

Three times.

And, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming, she blinked again.

"Excuse me?" she croaked. Marriage? Isn't this a little soon? I know I couldn't have been that good in bed.

"In six days' time," he continued calmly, staring down at her from his not-inconsiderable height, made more intimidating by the fact she was sitting. "You have child—"

"A little brother," she corrected automatically.

"You and he will live in a small town house I have bought, as this is my father's home," he went on without missing a beat. "You will have no contact, under any circumstances, with my father until the wedding. You will also be expected to give up your job at the Western Lands…"

"I—"

"…and take over social duties as hostess. You will, of course, be expected to accompany me to any events outside of the Kirishima household…"

- - -

His ear twitched violently as he listened to the words beyond the door. Sango had her own pressed against the oak, though she couldn't hear a thing. "What are they saying?" she hissed.

"He's… proposing," Inuyasha uttered in disbelief. Even Kikyou was only expected to stay in the house and keep quiet. But he wants this woman to go everywhere with him? I don't understand it one bit.

"What!" she shrieked. He slapped a hand over her mouth, glaring at her pointedly. She blushed and said in a much quieter tone, "What do you mean, proposing?"

Kirara mewed questioningly, her head tilted adorably to the side. Inuyasha made a faint, annoyed gesture of his hand. "Shhh, let me listen."

- - -

"Are you crazy!" she yelped, jumping up from the chair. "I can't marry you!"

"Well, why not?" His brow lifted.

He asked that in such a reasonable voice, as though she were crazy to deny him. Which she was, according to 99.9 of the female population (only excluding herself and independently wealthy women who didn't like men).

"Why not?" she spluttered. "Well… well, I'm not going to marry someone I don't love, and…"

"Love is overrated," he dismissed. "You will be free to divorce me after a suitable period of time if you find someone you love." Not. "Any other protestations?"

"My brother doesn't know you," she tried.

"He will soon. And?"

"And… I… can't!"

He leaned forward, his nose brushing against hers. "You can. And you will, in six days' time."

"You can't force me to!" she protested desperately.

His eyes darkened. "You will marry me. Because if you don't, you'll never see your little brother again."

She gasped, outraged. "Is that a threat?"

"No. I'm adopting him."

- - -

Inuyasha blinked. "He's adopting her little brother?"

She stared at him blankly. "You had to have heard wr—"

"WHAT!"

The scream was clear even to Sango's very human ears. She winced.

"No way in hell are you taking my little brother from me!" she yelled, grimly enjoying the way he cringed at her shouts. Then his eyes pierced hers once more.

"Do you truly think you can stand up to me?" he asked silkily. She paused.

"Well… no, but that's—"

"Then I will see you in six days."

"Wait!" She panicked as he turned to leave. He stopped.

Her mind went blank. What am I going to…

"I'll only marry you if you'll do one thing!"

He glanced behind him, faintly curious at her rash tone of voice. "Oh?"

She took a deep breath. Well… they do say 'seize the day'. And this would be perfect. She wouldn't ever have to worry about anything again, and damn it, if I'm going to be miserable, she is too!

"Make Sango marry your brother."

- - -

"You're supposed to marry me," he stated dumbly, staring at the door in shock.

The door opened to reveal a very amused Sesshoumaru, smiling blandly.

"Congratulations. You're going to be married. There will be a priest coming around in two hours' time."

He shut the door in their stunned faces.