Hello, hello, hello you wonderful people! Thank you so much, I got a whole 32 reviews for the last chappie, and that has made me HUGELY happy! I'm just 5 reviews off 300 now, which makes me sure that by the end of this story, with your continued support, I could hit 350, which would set me up well for Blood Heritage's beginning.
Oh yeah, I was reading back over my story, and I found a couple of continuity issues that I hope you can forgive! Here they are, and I hope they clear some things up for you.
Sango DID know something about Inuyasha's secret, if you look back on last chapter, she didn't know, but by her note in Chapter 3, it indicated that she did. Miroku told her.
Inuyasha DID turn youkai later that night his mom died, and I hope that indicates what the panic attack was about. That's how come Sango had the youkai shot on her in Chapter 3.
Ayame and Kouga are NOT mated.
The incident with Kikyou and his mom was TEN YEARS AGO, when Inuyasha was sixteen, so it happened in 1996, not 1999.
Tell me about any more if you notice them, okay guys? Thanks xxx
IF YOU DON'T KNOW BY NOW, EVEN THOUGH I'VE KEPT SAYING IT IN ALL MY REPLIES, LOOK OUT FOR BLOOD HERITAGE, OUT SOON! SUMMARY ON BIO PAGE!
And on a more serious note you guys, and READ THIS! I need you guys to really try to feel what's going on in this chapter, and feel the words I've used as well, as it wasn't easy to write, but should be beautiful all the same. I hope you feel the same way too, as I'm proud of it. All you need to know is the KAGOME WILL SAY YES. Thanks xxx
I'm sorry, it's shorter than usual too...
Okies, I won't keep you all waiting, as I did get a few lovely death threats from people, but it got me reviews, so I'm happy!
Here goes nothing!
Chapter 16: My Life in Your Hands
The whole room was cloaked in a thick hush of near silence, broken only by Kagome's small, sniffling sobs as she held her hand to her mouth.
Inuyasha seemed entirely baffled by Kagome's reaction, and stood in the center of the room looking at her with wide, concerned golden eyes.
Kouga glared at Inuyasha, blaming him through his own furious blue orbs. Inuyasha glared right back, scowling at Miroku. Miroku kept his eyes focused on the floor, silently saying goodbye to his testicles. Sesshoumaru simply kept trying to pry the musician out of the saxophone.
Finally, Sango could take the tension no longer, and stomped up to Kagome, dragging a plush dining chair behind her as her heels clicked noisily in the still air.
"For fuck's sake Inuyasha, you haven't even said anything to her and you've already made her cry, you dumbass!" Sango exclaimed, backhanding him over the head as she eased Kagome down onto the chair in the middle of the hall.
"Uh..." Inuyasha mumbled intelligently, too stunned to even give Sango the sharp comeback she deserved as he watched her return to Miroku, looking at him expectantly. He didn't like the thumping of his heart nor the intense anxiety wracking his form.
"Well, go on then, we haven't got all the time in the world, you know!" Miroku said, quirking an eyebrow at the pair.
"Kagome...I..." Inuyasha began, watching her eyes swimming with tears as she looked at him, trembling slightly in her seat.
His eyes dissolved out of focus, and all of a sudden, he seemed to be seeing Kagome clearer than ever before. The light in her eyes shone softly out at him, glimmering behing the wall of tears. Her flushed face and yet her beautiful, light outfit all made him think how lucky he was to be having this, right here in front of him, his for the taking. But what if...what if she wasn't...what is she found someone else. Someone other than him, someone better than him, someone more deserving than him! He now understood half the reason why he'd been avoiding her all day. He was terrified. Had been the whole time. And now he knew it. It only took one look at Kouga to realize how truly special Kagome was, and how she imprinted everyone's lives she touched. Inuyasha's belly was hit with a level of insecurity he had never known before, and he reacted immediately. He only wanted what was best for his angel, and if it was with someone who deserved her, someone without all his baggage, so be it. Deep, deep inside, Inuyasha knew he was being irrational, and it was just his nerves playing his brain, but he couldn't fight it. After all, he was a creature of instinct.
No. No. He couldn't do this. He was only going to get them both hurt, and he figured it best if he walked out now. Ignoring the gasps of the crowd as he stalked to the door, Inuyasha jammed the ring stubbornly in his pocket and walked calmly, but swiftly out of the room. He knew he couldn't cope if she said no, and he wasn't going to give her the chance to do so.
And with that firm resolution in mind, Inuyasha stripped off his tux jacket and tie, and ran out along the beach, gravitating towards the place he loved her best.
8888 (AN: Please don't kill me!)
Once again, the silence was deafening in the room following Inuyasha's sudden disappearance.
Ayame, Rin, Sesshoumaru and Kouga all drew up towards Miroku and Sango, just behind Kagome's chair.
"Alright, what the FUCK just happened?" Miroku asked bluntly, looking at his circle of friends.
"Well, Einstein, Inuyasha just ran out on his own proposal, dumbass." Sango said, here eyes filling with tears at Kagome's stunned, heartbroken expression, rocking back and forth in the chair, her knees drawn up to her chin.
This is no time for wisecracks, Sango." Miroku said, fixing Sango with a look so grave that the smile fell right off her face.
"We can't let this happen to them!" Ayame said, looking to Kouga for answers.
"There's a way." Sesshoumaru said, standing self importantly at the back of the group.
"A way of what?" Rin asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
"Of finding him." He confirmed.
"Isn't that what the police are for?" Sango asked, already on her cellphone sending out security, looking for a rogue hanyou.
"Sango, I figured someone as smart as you would have figured this out by now. Someone's skills are getting rusty." Sesshoumaru reprimanded, raising a disdainful eyebrow at her.
"Do enlighten me then, oh great Sesshoumaru," Sango said, hands on hips and a stern look on her face.
"I will." Sesshoumaru replied, challenging her with his eyes. " But first..."
"Everyone!" he boomed, drowning out the din of the conversation that had built up around them. "Enjoy the food and the music okay? We will get this night back on track!"
The chatter resumed around them, as Sesshoumaru glanced out over the ground, signaling that the band start playing. All except the stupid saxophonist, Sesshoumaru thought malevolently, smirking at his creative placement of the saxophone once he'd finished with him...
Sesshoumaru swiftly ushered everyone out of the room, into the small room meant for brides to change in for their weddings, and carried Kagome out, who sat simply in his arms as he carried her in and laid her on the couch.
"Alrighty then, oh master of all you survey, what's your big plan?" Sango asked directly, stroking Kagome's forehead.
She was painfully aware of the numb shock reverberating through the small, flowery room, and was determined to get rid of this as quickly as possible. No way in hell the girl who had come to be her best friend would lose her love like this. Sango could only guess at the intensity of their love, but it was evident from anyone who knew them both. Sango could only be glad she had that with Miroku, and point blank refused to disallow Kagome that joy.
"Inuyasha and Kagome are true mates, correct?" Sesshoumaru clarified, beginning to pace as everyone sat on the floor, looking pale and nervous.
"Well then, they should have a psychological bond; an emotional tie to each other that is." Sesshoumaru said, nodding at Rin. He could feel her panic pulsing through her veins as though it was his own, and he struggled to alleviate it. "You must understand, the humans in the room, that no bond is as strong as the one between mates, and it holds immense power. The bond can be broken only by death."
"So then, if Inuyasha knows that, why has he run away from her?" Ayame asked, raising a good point.
"Just because they are bonded for life doesn't mean they couldn't be separate if they wanted, as long as the relationship remains true. So long as nothing sexual happens with anyone outside the couple, they're together by inuyoukai doctrine." Sesshoumaru answered, shifting uncomfortably.
"Though Kagome hasn't tried, and they haven't been mated twenty four hours yet, I think we can use her to locate him. Using police would be fruitless, as they have no way of tracking such a strong hanyou, and he won't be caught easily." Sesshoumaru continued to explain.
"So, we ask Kagome to tap into Inuyasha's mind and feel where he is?" Sango asked, curious.
"Exactly." Sesshoumaru said, smiling.
Everyone in the group smiled, and got up, the atmosphere having turned much lighter at having a plan. Everyone stood up and smiled, advancing to Kagome. Everyone except Miroku, who had remained silent throughout this conversation.
"Guys?" Miroku said softly, not wanting to be the one to say what he was about to.
"What?" Sango replied, looking at Miroku's concerned brow and thoughtful expression worriedly. When Miroku started thinking for longer than five seconds, you knew something was wrong with him.
"What if..." Miroku sucked in a dry breath as he prepares. "What if Inuyasha doesn't want to be found?"
The silence that ensued was heartbreaking.
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Kagome felt drained, empty, and hurt beyond comparison.
As she lay, motionless, in the couch a pair of strong arms had laid her down into, Kagome sucked in another dry breath.
If she was right, and she was pretty damn sure she was, Inuyasha was about to propose to her. In front of everyone who mattered to her. She'd even spotted Buyo with her mom near the front. With all the smiling faces, and Inuyasha looking so scared and earnest as she walked in, it had all been like a dream for Kagome, and she had begun to cry as the beauty of this hit her full on.
And then she'd seen it.
For a whole second, Inuyasha had looked clear, honest, and happy. And then their eyes locked and she saw it. The flicker of anxiety, intense worry, and insecurity flitting through his expressive amber eyes one after the other. She's been so worried for him, trying to reassure him with her own eyes. But it hadn't worked. They hadn't enough faith in each other. He didn't have enough faith in her. And he'd abandoned her.
There was nothing she could do about it now, and she wasn't sure how she'd live without him. Less than twenty four hours together. And, as a tear trickled from the corner of Kagome's eye again, what a twenty four hours they had been.
8888 (AN: It'll get better, I promise!)
"How could he not?" Ayame asked, her voice harsh with indignation.
"He ran away for a reason." Miroku began reasonably. " What we have to ask ourselves is if their love is strong enough for Kagome to find him no matter what."
"He's right." Sesshoumaru said, sighing heavily as he glanced at Kagome, staring blankly into the opposite wall.
"If he truly doesn't want her to find him, she won't be able to." Kouga said, shaking his head sadly.
"She can. I know it." Sango said resolutely, striding over to her friend and shaking her roughly.
"Kagome, sweetie, come on." She said soothingly, bringing her up into a sitting position. "We know a way we can find Inuyasha so you guys can talk."
"I don't want to talk to him." Kagome replied sadly.
"Well fuck that, missy, because you're going to!" Ayame said, pinching her shoulder roughly.
"OW!" Kagome protested, rubbing the spot fiercely.
"What you need is a swift kick in the ass..." Ayame muttered, walking away and giving Sesshoumaru room to tell her what to do.
"Kagome, I'm not going to pacify you. Nor am I going to make an inspirational speech right now. I'm going to tell you what to do, and you're going to do it, do you understand?" Sesshoumaru said, kneeling in front of her.
Something about the tone of his voice, the inner hardness and determination, so unlike Sesshoumaru (AN: Oh the irony...) made Kagome listen to him. All of a sudden, she didn't want to lay on her ass, moping and feeling sorry for herself. Like some wise idiot said, anything worth having wasn't easy, and Inuyasha was more than worth it. Who in hell's name told her that because of one minor setback in their baby relationship that she shouldn't try to fix it. That she should just assume that was that, and her life was over. What the fuck had been wrong with her? Kagome shuddered as she recalled just how pathetic she'd been. Fuck this, she wanted her man back!
She shut her eyes and breathed in and out once. When she opened them, everyone nearly gasped at the inner strength reflected in her eyes as they appeared a maelstrom of blue and pink, focusing on Sesshoumaru. As a pink glow enveloped here, emanating strength and love, Kagome said simply,
"Tell me."
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In a small beach garden, pebble displays and seawater fountains put up everywhere, a lone hanyou sat on th edge of the cliff, silver hair billowing out behind him in the sharp sea air, his shirt untucked and feet bare.
Inuyasha sighed as he watched the waves crash before him, feeling as though if he took a step closer they would just swallow him up, destroying the pain that ate away at him inside.
He honestly didn't know what had triggered the horrible insecurity there, watching her face. All he knew was that suddenly, he didn't feel good enough for her. Didn't feel strong enough. And yet, as he released a humorless chuckle. That was an outright lie. Why, when people threatened to like him for who he was, did Inuyasha feel inferior? Inadequate in comparison, somehow?
He needed time to think on this, he thought, and he needed Kagome. Badly.
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"I can't do it, dammit!" Kagome said, opening her eyes and thumping the chair in frustration.
"Try again." Sesshoumaru said calmly. "Focus on what you know is going through his mind right now, focus on what you think is wrong with him, as his mate. Use the miko in you Kagome."
Kagome shut her eyes once more and concentrated. She first visualized Inuyasha as she loved him best, like Sesshoumaru said. As the naked, loose haired vision of Inuyasha dangled behind her eyelids, she saw herself zooming into his head. And suddenly, like a bullet, it hit her heart and head. And all enveloping feeling of intense pain surrounded her, and she cried out as she saw where Inuyasha was and blacked out.
"Leave her be." Sesshoumaru said, holding out an arm to stop Rin from advancing to her friend.
"I know where he is." Kagome's quiet but strong voice said, as she took off her shoes, and began running down the shoreline.
"Follow her?" Sango asked the others.
"Are you kidding me?" Ayame asked incredulously. "This is the kind of thing you only see in soap operas, I'm filming this, dammit!" she said, whipping out her camcorder and throwing off her wedges.
"Okay then, let's go!" Kouga said, running down after Kagome.
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"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, peeking around a palm tree at the forlorn figure in front of her.
"Ka...Kagome? Is that you?" Inuyasha asked, turning around to look at her.
Silently, he held his arms out to her. She gladly rushed into them, collapsing on the sand next to him, burying her face in his chest.
"We have to talk." Kagome said, muffled, into his silken shirt as she fisted her hands in it.
"No, I know what's wrong with me, so I'm gonna tell you okay? Don't get used to it though, I'll make you try harder next time we fight." Inuyasha warned, releasing her and looking straight at her.
"Man, and I was hoping to get to tell you all the things wrong with you again..." Kagome pouted, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
"So maybe I came to my own conclusion on my personal psychosomatic health!" Inuyasha exclaimed. "See, I am smart!" he finished proudly, before a serious look came on his face, replacing the laughing smile that had been there seconds before.
"Kagome, do you respect me? As in, see me as your equal?" he asked plainly.
"Of course I do, you asshole!" Kagome said, shocked.
"Then why do I feel like this?" Inuyasha asked, frustrated.
"Feel like what?" Kagome asked, laying a hand on his arm, seeking out his eyes with her own.
"Like I'm not good enough for the likes of you, dammit!" Inuyasha exploded, causing Kagome to shoot backwards from him, looking at him quizzically, fanning the air in front of your face as the sand blew upwards around him.
"How in hell's name could you not be good enough for me, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked emotionally, her eyes filling with tears as she crawled back over the sand to her forlorn hanyou.
"Can't you see it? You are like this huge, warm, wholesome light that touches and loves everything you come across. You walk into a room, and everybody turns to look at you and wants to be friends with you. You – " Inuyasha was cut off by a teary female voice in the bushes.
"Louder, Inuyasha! The camera can't pick up on all that!" Ayame called out, sniffling and poking the camera lens through the leafy fronds.
"The hell are they here for?" Inuyasha asked Kagome, still looking for their actual bodies.
"They taught me how to find you, and tagged along. I have to say though, I thought Ayame was kidding when she said she was filming this..." Kagome replied.
"Great, now you chicks can watch this and laugh over popcorn and nail polish later..." Inuyasha muttered.
"You were saying?" Kagome asked, using her index finger to pull his face back to her.
"Fuck, I was on a roll as well...Anyway, basically Kagome, you are this beautiful, almost otherwordly person. You don't know how you've affected my life and the few people in it. How could you want a grouchy, mean, self-centered ass like me?" Inuyasha finished pathetically, saying only what he felt.
"You know what, Inuyasha? I don't know who you are, but grouchy, mean, self centered guys are just my type." She finished, grabbing his face in her hands and kissing him.
"You sure?" Inuyasha asked, pulling out of the kiss briefly.
"For fuck's sake..." Kagome said, yanking his face to hers before he could get another word in.
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"Oh Kami that is sooooo cute!" Ayame sniffed, the camera jiggling from her sobs as she watched Inuyasha and Kagome's kiss deepen.
Miroku began to hum the wedding march, pulling a suggestive look at Sango, who was looking at her friends blissfully.
"We should take a leaf out of their book, Sango my love..." Miroku muttered in her ear.
Sango smiled back at him, but was interrrupted by Sesshoumaru's elegant head between theirs.
"No. I can only take one making out couple at once, before jumping Rin, and we're not here for an orgy, okay? Shut up and wait till he proposes. Ayame, you'll ruin the tape if you keep quivering, so hold her still Kouga." Sesshoumaru commanded, a wry look on his face.
"Ooh, look he got out the ring box!" Rin squealed quietly.
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"What on earth could that be?" Kagome asked, tapping her chin sarcastically as Inuyasha broke apart from their kiss to hold up a small velvet box in front of her face. Her smile widened as her heart fluttered in anticipation.
"Guess and I'll throw it in the ocean, wench." Inuyasha warned, taking Kagome's left hand in his right.
"Okay, go on then." Kagome said excitedly.
"Kagome Sakura Higurashi, you have become the light of my life." Inuyasha began, happy that he'd memorized the speech he actually started idly writing a week ago. Funny, he hadn't expected to have to use it.
"How'd you know my middle name?" Kagome asked curiously.
"You're interrupting." Inuyasha said, unimpressed.
"Sorry, continue..." Kagome said sheepishly.
"What was I saying? Oh yeah. Ever since you walked up to my door and screamed at me the morning three weeks ago, I knew. Well, not really, but it sounded cool, no? Anyways, Kagome, I'm not good with words, and it's hard for me to say this, but all you need to know is that I love you to the ends of the earth. Like the song, I want you need me, like I need you. And that's all I'll ever want. You hold my life in your hands, Kagome, and all I'm asking is you keep it close to your heart. I realize marriage is a big thing for you human bitches, so I'm asking you. Kagome, will you marry me?" Inuyasha opened the box and held up the ring, waiting for her reply with bated breath.
"I love you, Inuyasha." Kagome sobbed as she buried her face in his shoulder as she climbed into his lap.
"Is that a yes then?" Ayame yelled out.
"Is it?" Inuyasha asked, pulling away a little to look in Kagome's tear filled eyes.
"You totally dense dumbass!" Kagome shrieked, smiling happily. "Give me that ring, I wanna see what it says inside!"
And the laughing pair were glomped by their six friends, well, all except Sesshoumaru and Kouga, who shook their heads in disdain at the childish scene before them.
They were too cool for behavior like that...
8888
"Are you ready?" Inuyasha called up from the base of the stairs, wearing a yellow t-shirt with "Last Night of Freedom" written on it and carpenter jeans that clung to his ass. With flat Lacoste sneakers, large dark shades and his hair down, Inuyasha looked the epitome of cool club hot.
"Unless you want us out there makeup free and half naked, NO!" Sango yelled from the room, whilst the guys paced in front of the elevator.
"Why is it we're always the ones waiting for them?" Miroku asked, striding around the small lobby in his open purple silk shirt over a tight white wifebeater, tags hanging down his carved torso to the tops of his black jeans worn with black Nike sneakers.
"Maybe if we try shaving off every spare centimeter of hair from our bodies before we go anywhere, we'd be just as slow." Kouga quipped, fiddling with his leather biker jacket over a tight white t-shirt and blue jeans, very James Dean.
"But don't you enjoy the effervescent glide of smooth skin beneath your fingertips?" Sesshoumaru asked airily from the corner, looking simple but highly attractive in a white button down, top two buttons open, and black slacks.
"What?" Inuyasha asked, squinting at his brother.
"Fluffy, have you been in my Cosmo again?" Rin asked from close to the door.
"No!" Sesshoumaru said, his blush spreading to his toes as rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"So maybe I was reading Rin's copy of Cosmo this morning!" Sesshoumaru said defensively. He had so meant to say that in his head...
"I won't worry, then!" Inuyasha said sarcastically.
"Well it did me some good, cause I seem to be the only one present whose had a mate this long!" Sesshoumaru pointed out.
Just before Inuyasha shot him his own smartass answer, Sesshoumaru whirled him around towards the stairs coming from the girls' room, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
"For Kami's sake, all you people do is whine at me to hurry up all the time!" An indignant female voice chimed out as Kagome walked down the stairs with her best friends.
"Uh hi..." Inuyasha said weakly, struggling to pry his jaw up off the floor as Kagome descended the stairs.
She was wearing an midnight blue silk peasant top that stopped just under her breasts, giving way to about three inches of shimmery film over her stomach, stopping an inch above her pierced navel. The top had pretty diamante embroidery all over it, and complimented the tight dark blue jeans and silver go go boots Kagome wore over the jeans nicely. Her long, thick dark hair was shiny and luxurious and held up in two silver hairsticks. Her prized engagement ring twinkled on her hand, as she walked down the stairs and hugged Inuyasha.
"You can unwrap my present tonight..." Kagome whispered huskily as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Oh Santa, you bad girl..." Inuyasha muttered back.
"I know, but Santa knows you've been naughty..." Kagome giggled back, releasing him after kissing him quickly on the nose.
"If this is what being bad gets me..." Inuyasha said in a low voice as he grabbed her before she could back too far away as he lowered his hot mouth to hers.
"God you people are sickening." Kouga said, offering his arm to Ayame gallantly, who was dressed in a cotton yellow halterneck dress that came down to her knees, yellow heels on her feet and hair held up in a pretty half ponytail.
"Oh get over it!" Rin said chirpily, bouncing down the stairs happily.
She wore a miniscule khaki miniskirt, with a tight black t-shirt and spike heeled combat boots that came up to her knees.
"SANGO! Hurry up! The masses are making me feel lonely!" Miroku called out, as he noticed everyone was making out around him. Inuyasha was eating Kagome's face again, pressed up against a wall, as Rin stood on her toes on Sesshoumaru's feet outside the elevator, whilst Kouga was stroking Ayame's leg as they kissed right next to Miroku, demonstrating their excellent balance.
"Quit whining, already!" Sango replied as she locked the room behind her, smugly looking at Miroku's face as she came down in her sparkling emerald dress, a simple strapless creation like the last time they'd gone clubbing, except this one was smothered in green glitter, and had a slit up to Sango's hip up one side of the skirt, despite being a knee length dress. Gold pumps finished it off as Sango dealt Miroku a swift, hard kiss and in turn yanked everyone off each other and pushed them into the elevator.
"You know I love you, right?" Miroku asked as they squeezed in and pushed the button.
"Oh yeah." Sango said, chuckling as she felt his hand on her ass for the first time since they'd hooked up.
"Doesn't mean I won't still hit you for that." Sango warned.
"No you won't." Miroku said surely.
"Yes I will." Sango said.
"Won't."
"Will."
"Won't"
"Will."
"Will you guys just SHUT UP!" Sesshoumaru snapped from somewhere near the back, over Rin's head. "Making out is hard with children in the room!"
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"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked as they climbed into the limo.
"Yeah?" he replied.
"What is that random little oasis on the beach actually for?" she asked.
"Well, I hate to say it, but it's our family mating domain. It's been there for the Mireshis for centuries now, though it's changed since our grandfather used it. It's just a point in the world where there's a lot of youkai energy flowing, which makes mating stronger and easier. I'll assume Rin knew about it." Inuyasha replied, blushing.
"That I did!" Rin said, peeling herself away from Sesshoumaru long enough to say it.
"Okay, so explain all the feminine clothing!" Kagome asked, ehr eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Well, did we come with spare clothes?" Inuyasha asked.
"No." Kagome asked, the point suddenly clicking.
"So we have spares...get it, koishii?" he asked, tapping her head lightly.
"Oh shut up!" Kagome snapped, pouting at being outsmarted.
"Mwahahahaha, I beat you..." Inuyasha teased like a five year old.
"That's another thing! How come you MATED me without saying anything about what a big deal it is?" Kagome asked, slapping his chest.
"Ummm..." Inuyasha said, blushing to his toes.
"Explain!" Kagome asked, sitting up straight opposite him.
"Call it hormonal?" Inuyasha asked, hoping she'd let him off now.
"Not on your life, asshole!" Kagome snapped, not fooled at all.
"Okay, think of it as a dominating sort of thing." Inuyasha's voice dropped to a whisper as he turned them away from their six chattering friends.
"Say what?" Kagome asked.
"As an inuyoukai, or rather, an inuhanyou, you were my intended bitch from our first kiss. That meant that by ancient law, I should have kept courting you, but we skipped that part due to our constant molesting of each other. So, when we had sex, our two auras joined up, speeding up the instinct I had to mate you. I could have chosen not to, but honestly Kagome, did you not see the light surrounding us when we...came? That's what happens when a connection like ours is made, not just because it was an inuhanyou mating a miko. Can you honestly say you don't mind having a youkai lifespan with me for the rest ofyour born days?" Inuyasha finished cockily.
"You know, if you hadn't proposed today, I would not be speaking to you right now." Kagome said as she slipped into his lap, nestling her head on his shoulder.
"See, I was counting on that..." Inuyasha muttered, sighing in contentment. Ignoring a tiny niggle that tweaked at his heart, he asked. "So, can I have a candy cane from my present yet, Santa?"
"Nope! Still not forgiving you just yet!" Kagome chirped out, deliberately wriggling down into Inuyasha's crotch.
"I hate Santa..." Inuyasha groaned.
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As the eight sauntered into Il Palace di Partito, an exclusive restaurant and dance club for youkai and their guests exclusively. The place was exquisitely decorated, in modern black granite and dark red, see through acrylic, which was half the reason Inuyasha had paid so much to get in here.
Ignoring the strange twang he could detect in Kagome's cocoa butter scent as they squeezed through the door all together, he ushered them inside, nodding at the maitre'd as they passed.
"Inuyasha, how did you get into Il Palace di Partito?" Miroku asked, following the waiter to their dinner table. "And how is it we're on THAT table!" he asked shrilly, pointing into the air.
"What table?" Ayame asked, following Miroku's indication.
Inuyasha just smirked as he waited for their reaction.
He had managed, in twenty four hours, to complete a feat only Madonna and Michael Jackson had accomplished before. He had scored the hottest dinner table on earth. The restaurant was incredibly classy enough, with transparent furniture and cutlery, dancing and a hugely successful club scene through some huge see through red doors, but NO ONE got the table. This table stood in the middle of the restaurant, on a pole like the stem of a champagne flute. Fifty feet off the ground, suspended by a thin tube of glittering glass in an amazing display of mechanic genius, the only way of getting there was going on one of the wireless flying pods that went up and down from the table. The table was just as the others far below it, except it stuck straight out of the domed, reflective ceiling, right out into the night sky.
"HOW MUCH DID THIS SET YOU BACK, YOU IDIOT!" Miroku asked, stepping onto one of the pods the waiters indicated.
As they rose slowly up towards the table, which a gobsmacked Kagome could now see actually revolved, very slowly so as not to make them sick.
"A few million dollars." Inuyasha said, brushing it off as though he'd said it cost him fifty cents.
"DO YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY?" Miroku asked, jumping up and down in excitement.
"I've been saving. All I want to eat is Ramen, all I drink is water and alcohol, and all I wear is what you make me." Inuyasha said simply. "I make somewhere around the $7million a year on photographing around the world, as I have for the past three years, and you don't even KNOW how much Mom left me..." he finished, pushing Kagome by the small of her back to the table, struggling to identify the strange smell on her.
"Inuyasha, this is..." Kagome gasped as she saw the huge bouquet of flowers at one particular place setting, with a card in the front with her name written in bold script on it.
She ran up to the flowers, as the girls gathere around her examining the blooms and the guys opened up the menus and tried to figure out how the revolving worked.
"To my beautiful mate and hopefully fiancee by the time you get these. Love, Inuyasha" Kagome read to herself, a huge smile building on her face as she strode up to Inuyasha and kissed him soundly, despite the fact he was trying to talk to the maitre'd whilst eyeing her at the same time.
"I love you." She whispered as she pulled away, and returned to gush over the flowers with her friends.
"Thought so..." Inuyasha said, still disturbed, as she even tasted a little different now. Not in a bad way at all, but just...different. And it bugged him that he couldn't lay his finger on what it was. She wasn't sick or injured, but it had to be something...
Inuyasha sat through the meal, delighting in Kagome's company and watching her have the time of her life with her friends, as he made guy talk with the others, but it still distracted him that Kagome smelled weird and he didn't know why.
As they finished their meal, and Inuyasha signed off the colossal bill without even checking, he went to the men's room, taking Sesshoumaru with him.
"I have to ask you something." Inuyasha said, upon telling the girls to go pee too, before they crossed over to the club section to dance the night away.
"Sounds important. Go." Sesshoumaru said, crossing his arms.
"Kagome smells odd. Weird. It's just a tiny change, you know? She normally smells of cocoa butter, but this is like, cocoa butter and I don't know, warm toasty bread or something fuzzy and homemaker-ish like that. What's wrong with her?"
Sesshoumaru suddenly realized exactly what had happened to his favorite couple, and instantly felt worried for how they would deal with this news.
"Nothing's wrong with her as such. But I'm almost sure, that if you're the only one who can smell this change, which I think you are, and it smells like that, then-" Sesshoumaru cut himself off of the news he was about to break when he realized the girls were leaning against the thin wall between the men and women's bathroom doors, and Ayame at least would definitely hear them if he said it too loud.
Sesshoumaru bent and whispered in Inuyasha's ear his thoughts.
Inuyasha's eyes widened, and he realized that before he evaluted this by himself, he had to tell Kagome and deal with her reaction first.
Grabbing her arm as she chatted with her friends, without a word Inuyasha chewed on his bottom lip as he led her all the way down the walkway, onto the pod, and up onto the table, in complete silence. On reaching the table and helping her step on, Inuyasha grasped both her hands in his and looked into her eyes.
This would change their relationship for good, but Inuyasha was ready. He'd known that the second he'd heard. But was Kagome?
"Inuyasha, what's the matter?" Kagome asked, stepping towards him in concern.
"Kagome, honey, sweetie, baby, lo – " Inuyasha was sharply cut off as Kagome smiled and poked him in the chest.
"Spit it out, dog boy."
"This is serious, Kagome." Inuyasha admonished.
"Okay..." she replied, worried.
"You...Sesshoumaru and I think...You might be pregnant, Kagome."
AN: Uh oh...I hope you guys liked how the proposal went, and this interesting new development. I'm extending this story a little bit, so there should be approximately four chapters left after this! Thank you sooo much, and hope you liked, and seeing as it worked last time.
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