Disclaimer: I still don't own Inuyasha.
Chapter Thirty-Three: Graduation Day
During the next two weeks, time for Kagome was something that didn't seem to exist. From the moment she woke up until she went back to sleep, all that she saw were her school books, anything else seemed to have disappeared.
Looking back at it, if she were to think about it more closely, she would have deemed it foolish to spend so much energy on something that would have never helped her in life anyway. Everything she needed, she had already learnt. Nonetheless, she had promised her mother and her family's honour was at stake. That's why she was trying hard to pass his exams with flying colours.
When they came back from their honeymoon and her friends wanted to know everything that had happened, what exactly a honeymoon was, how she had dressed etc, she spent just five minutes with them, before running to bury herself under piles on piles of notes. From that moment on, no one saw the Miko-sama outside her home anymore until the day she went to the well to go to school and take her finals.
Inuyasha, Shippo and Muteki had all learned at their expense what did it mean to bother a stressed schoolgirl that was studying for the exams.
The first one to make this mistake had been Inuyasha, who had never been good at being quiet while she was studying. After the first day, when she had yet to move from the wooden desk he had built for her when they had first been married, he had approached and tried to distract her, make her release some stress in the way they both preferred. He was sure it would have been worked, but she had had no qualms about sitting him to make sure he would have understood her point.
Inuyasha had understood very well and had starting to care for the food, while he asked both Sango and Rin for help in other matters. He only approached her when he had to bring her meals or tea. At night, she usually fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow and he held her close.
The second one to approach death had been the fox kit.
Shippo had been sure the only reason why Kagome had sat Inuyasha was because he was being his usual self, doing something stupid and getting on her nerves. That's why he hadn't heeded the hanyou when he had warned Shippo not to bother Kagome, because she was already too stressed and was likely to create a set of new beads just for him. When Shippo had completely ignored him, he had laughed to himself while he fed his son. Shortly after he had heard Kagome's shriek from their room and saw Shippo flying through the opened window. Later, when he had retrieved the young fox demon, Shippo had told Inuyasha that he had made the mistake of setting on fire a piece of paper.
"Geez! I didn't know it was so important... I mean it was all unreadable and scribbled. I thought she had discarded it, it was even on the floor! I wanted to help her," he defended himself. Inuyasha had shaken his head and told him not to try something like that anymore if he ever wished to see the day he would have had children of his own.
The luckiest of the men who were currently living under that roof was of course Muteki, being he just a toddler. He didn't really understand why his mother was spending all of her time on a chair and why she couldn't play with him anymore. Both Inuyasha and Kagome had explained to him that she needed time to study and that it was essential to leave mama alone, but to no avail, he still was perplexed. That's why Kagome allowed him to approach her and sit on her legs while she was studying; sometimes he even fell asleep in her arms, he wasn't doing real damage.
Inuyasha had observed from afar, to make sure she didn't annihilate their son in a fit of rage, but everything seemed fine... until the fourth day.
Muteki had been tired of always being ignored by his mother; even when he patiently waited for hours and hours for her to finish, she didn't close these strange books to come and play with him. Now it was only his daddy to take care of him, but he wanted his mommy too. For this reason, when on the fourth day the sun went down, once again without Kagome having come out of her room, Muteki had started one of his famous tantrums, demanding his mother to go outside with him.
Inuyasha had rushed over as soon as he heard his son's angry cries, but what really scared him were his wife's flaming eyes. Apparently, Muteki had also thrown a few books on the ground in an attempt to convince his mother to give in. The half-demon had swept away his son and waited for him to calm down before explaining to him again that he could approach his mother but he couldn't expect her to come and play with him during the following ten days.
Muteki had pouted, crossed his still small arms, and turned his nose up in the air. Inuyasha had understood for the first time what Kagome meant when she called him a puppy; his son was literally his clone. He had then promised to start teaching him how to fight whenever his mother couldn't play with him. It was at that moment that Muteki learned that his father was incapable of saying no to him, and Inuyasha realized that Kagome would sit him as soon as she found out about this promise of his.
When they had recounted their disadventures to Miroku, Sango and Kaede, they had deemed it safer to give Kagome the wide berth until she went to the future to complete her exams.
Finally, the day before her finals, Kagome came out of her den, her faithful backpack on her shoulder, ready to go to her mother's. Following behind her were Inuyasha with Muteki walking next to him, his small hand in his father's larger one. Sango, who had seen them from afar, quickly reached them to bid Kagome good luck.
"Kagome-chan! Inuyasha!" she waved, a little bump already visible under her clothes. She was pregnant again, circa four months along and Miroku hoped this time it would be a little boy. They were both extremely excited, even if the twins were still little. They had intentionally tried to have another baby because they wanted their children to be close in age as much as possible. It was the way most of the villagers in that era though. This time Kagome would be the one to follow her pregnancy closely, Kaede only offering her help. "Are you going?"
"Yes, Sango-chan. We'll see each other in two days, take care," Kagome answered before heading towards the bone-eater's well along with her mate and son. A couple of minutes later they jumped in and a brilliant light engulfed all three of them, transporting them 500 years in the future.
That evening her mother made her favourite dish and her grandfather decided to place some of his ofuda for good luck on her bedroom's door. He even tried to bathe her with sake, but luckily she had stopped him in time or she would have gone to school stinking of alcohol.
When it got a little later, she fell asleep in Inuyasha's arms and woke up the next morning fully rested and ready to take a full day of exams. She met up with her friends in front of the school and gave her best. In the afternoon she had lunch with her schoolmates for good luck and when she returned to the Shrine she was dead tired. The results would be out by the end of the week and her mother had already decided that they would have a quiet evening to celebrate at home with the whole extended family, which included Sesshomaru and Shippo. The real celebration would be next week after the graduation ceremony.
Her mother and Rin had been organising a party since the day she came back from her honeymoon. At this rate, she thought, the two of them might as well open an agency that planned weddings and parties if they liked getting busy so much.
She wouldn't have been all that surprised if she found out they were planning a farewell party as well, now that their last journey to the past was getting closer and closer. On one hand, she didn't blame her mother either, she knew she cared so much about planning these last things because of her. Those represented the last moments she would have with her teenage daughter.
When they came back to the village and reunited with the others, they could finally talk more about their wedding and Kagome was surprised to discover they didn't even saw the pictures she had left Inuyasha to show them. They had wanted to wait for her, more exactly, Sango had insisted they waited and Miroku had agreed, Shippo with reluctance and pouting.
Sango fell in love with her wedding dress and asked in amazement how she got it, but Kagome didn't reveal that it was Inuyasha's mother's because they had never told of the existence of demons in the future. If they said that Sesshomaru was still alive on the other side, Shippo would ask if he was there too and it was too risky. They had in fact only brought pictures of them alone or with her family, and just as the adult fox had told them, Kagome and Sango squealed a lot as they talked about Muteki's clothes. The men, on the other hand, shook their heads; they could never understand.
Kagome also explained to them what a honeymoon was and Miroku expressed his desire to have one as well, albeit two years later, once he understood what newly married couples actually did when they visited other cities. She also told them about their trip to modern Kyoto and how fun it had been to visit it with Inuyasha who only knew the one from the past. Finally, she also showed them pictures of said trip too.
By the end of the evening, they all toasted the end of these exams and promised to have a small party there as well when it came the day of the ceremony. Only among themselves, obviously, because they couldn't really explain why they were having a party on a grand scale in the village. Even if, Kaede admitted, the villagers would hold a party in honour of the venerable priestess for any reason.
A week later, Muteki was seated incredibly calm between his father and uncle Sota watching his mother go up on a stage dressed most bizarrely to accept a roll of paper. His father had been incredible stern when had told him that he had to stay quiet and not cause any ruckus; he had almost reminded him of his uncle Sesshomaru.
Muteki had looked at him straight in the eyes and nodded. Evidently, that roll of paper was important for his mother, so he would be calm and not speak when was unnecessary.
"Do they always dress like this?" Inuyasha asked Sota. Everyone was there watching Kagome accept her diploma proudly. Her mother and grandfather were crying, the old man had even resumed saying how proud her father would have been; Koga and Ayame had come too. Shippo was in the middle of another nostalgic fit, stating that he couldn't believe his eyes: he could finally see her graduating from high school after watching her go back and forth between the present and the past. It was a great accomplishment, especially considering all the fights Inuyasha and Kagome had had the first year.
Thankfully, Inuyasha thought, that was the last thing Shippo could cry about because in less than a few weeks the well would be closed for good and from that point on there would be no more things that the fox hadn't already experienced.
"Yes, nii-chan. The school gives them these uniforms to wear on graduation day," Sota explained. Inuyasha nodded and mumbled something about the strangeness of humans in the modern age.
"Inuyasha! Mama! Gramps!" Kagome waved to them from her spot, where she was currently speaking with a group of schoolmates after the ceremony. Everything had gone smoothly and she couldn't believe she had finally graduated, after everything she had been through and with all the times she had thought she couldn't make it or Grandpa had had to invent weird illnesses to justify her many absences. Even now, her classmates and teachers were amazed at her final results and her extraordinary health after three years of continuous and severe illness. She had explained that the thermal water and continuous prayers at the Shrine had worked miracles.
"Oh, Kagome, I'm so proud of you," her mother told her as soon as they reached them. "You did it! I knew you could," she hugged her and then congratulated her friends too. Her grandfather was still crying but managed to tell her how much he was proud of her too. Kagome felt her eyes welling up as well, knowing that she had made them both proud.
Inuyasha reached her as well and kissed her, whispering in her ear soft words. He had been next to her for every exam - even if at the beginning it had been pretty stubborn - and now understood well how much it meant to her and how hard she had worked for it.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Hojo giving him the hairy eyeball; he smirked in response. He was surrounded by other schoolboys and some other girls and Kagome went to speak with them, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi in tow.
"Kanako! Michi! Here you are!" she said while approaching.
"Kagome-chan! We did it! I'm so happy, we can have some peace before starting university," Kanako said. "Which one did you apply to?"
"Oh, I will go to Kyushu University. Since I'll be moving soon to Beppu, it was the best choice," she explained. It was one of the lies she had been spreading since the marriage to explain her leaving Tokyo permanently.
"Right! You told me that, I had completely forgotten," the other girl admitted.
At that moment, Hojo, who had been listening attentively, interrupted them. Inuyasha had an arm around her waist and kept his grip tight in a clear sign of possession. He enjoyed showing off to the wimp every time he could and Kagome wanted to scrub a hand over her face for such lack of maturity.
"Higurashi! Congratulations on your graduation. I heard you're leaving Tokyo," he noted. He eyed the strong arm wrapped around her waist possessively and her boyfriend - no, now he was her husband, Hojo remembered dejected; he still couldn't get over it.
"Hojo, congratulations to you too! Yes, I applied to Kyushu. I'll leave for Beppu in few weeks," she said excitedly, peeking at Inuyasha who looked like the Cheshire cat.
"Isn't that so romantic?" Yuka interjected. "They're so in love!" she remarked, referring to the fact that Kagome was going to move to Beppu for Inuyasha.
"Is this your boyfriend, Higurashi?" another classmate interrupted them. Kagome recognized her as the one who had thought herself the owner of the school for quite some time, Fuyuko. She fought hard the urge to roll her eyes and talk back, especially when she noticed the girl was eyeing her husband appreciatively. According to modern standards, Inuyasha was still a very handsome man and his shiny silver hair even attract more attention.
Inuyasha, who had noted Kagome's change of demeanour, answered for her. "Husband," he said bluntly. "We married some weeks ago. It's Taisho now, not Higurashi anymore."
Fuyuko gaped at her in disbelief and then Kanako added something else. "Some of us even went to their wedding. It was fantastic; I never saw a kimono more beautiful than the one Kagome was wearing. It belonged to Inuyasha's mother who was a princess, didn't it?" she asked. Inuyasha nodded, realizing that the girl was trying to make the other green with envy. "Plus, You would never imagine who Inuyasha's brother is!" she added. "Do you remember that tycoon who is always so discreet and appears very little in public? Yeah, him, that hunk called Sesshomaru Taisho! He even let us take a picture with him," she showed off, showing said picture on her mobile phone.
"I wouldn't be so loud, he might very well hear you; he's around here somewhere," Inuyasha commented. He was trying to understand what a hunk was but clearly, it had to be something positive.
Kagome laughed at the way Kanako was telling her schoolmates about her wedding. Fuyuko was gaping because of everything she had just learned but then recovered when she tried to make a snide comment. "How did you manage to tie the knot with such a wealthy man?" she grinned. "Do you happen to be expecting a little bundle of joy? After all, you are leaving the city in such a hurry, it could be very well because of this. Did you need a shotgun wedding?"
Kagome stiffened and was about to talk back when Eri intercepted her. "These petty-minded remarks are so hilarious, Fuyuko-san. Are you so green with envy that you couldn't think of something more clever? We all have been knowing Inuyasha since middle school. They love each other and they are moving to Inuyasha's city of birth because he has a business there. I don't see any reason why they couldn't marry. Inuyasha had asked her mother's permission two years ago."
"Yes, you're just jealous Fuyuko. Maybe you should found yourself a steady boyfriend to know the real meaning of love," Yuka mocked.
Meanwhile, all the men along with Inuyasha were laughing their asses off. Those girls could be fun, after all.
"Well, it was really nice to meet you all," Inuyasha said, "but our family there is waiting for us."
Kagome looked at her friends and added, "We see each other tonight then. Remember, we are having the party at Sesshomaru's mansion." That said, the couple left laughing merrily; Kagome had sure made a good last impression on Fuyuko.
"What is it a hunk, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked her when they were out of earshot. Kagome laughed some more then she caught her breath and explained. "The word describes a very well-built man", she touched his chiselled chest through his clothes to emphasise the concept and smirked.
"Ew! Sesshomaru is definitely not a hunk. But I appreciate you're referring to me as such, koi," Inuyasha replied; more laughter followed that statement.
For the evening, Rin and Kaori had organized a party in the villa's private garden, inviting all their friends, and Inuyasha didn't miss the opportunity to complain about the stinking wolves. The guest list was absurdly huge, as the few schoolmates had also brought their relatives and friends, with a certain selection, otherwise, Sesshomaru would have already kicked them out. It surprised them that the dai-youkai had actually allowed such a thing, but then they thought it was probably Rin's idea.
At one point in the party, Koga and Shippo lifted her onto their shoulders and made her spin around the gardens. She squealed and laughed until tears weren't marring her cheeks, while Inuyasha complained about Koga's being too close to his mate as usual. They took millions of pictures, and Inuyasha reflected with relief that he wouldn't have to see a camera again for ages; no one would force him into endless photo sessions anymore. He could make one last effort.
When people started making toasts again, Inuyasha managed to stop Shippo in time, because he was sure the kitsune would repeat the same words as last time and he couldn't take any more crying from Kagome. However, Ayame didn't have much luck with Koga who stole the mike from an unsuspecting parent and started telling all about how he was glad Kagome made it even though Inuyasha always distracted her. At one point, he also told some funny stories that the wolf couldn't have even known about unless a certain fox opened his big mouth. Inuyasha glared at the two and tried to chase after them, but luckily Kagome stopped him in time.
Inuyasha wasn't spared the crying fit either, because even if she kept herself collected while her grampa and brother talked, her cheeks inevitably moistened when her mother started telling everyone how much was proud and how she was gonna miss her daughter "... today represents for you the beginning of another life, one where you don't have to depend on me anymore. You'll soon leave and I couldn't be prouder of the woman you are. We're gonna miss you so much, Kagome." Her speech wasn't even over that mother and daughter were already crying inconsolably in each other's arms.
Finally, when the party was approaching its end, people started giving her presents on presents and what surprised her was that from Sesshomaru, Shippo, Koga and even her family, she received everything helpful for the other side of the well; anything the couple could easily bring with them. Rin had even bought her two ancient writing sets: while one was specifically for her, the other could be used when she will be teaching Muteki, and other future children how to write.
They returned to the shrine very late when Muteki and Grandpa had already collapsed. The next day, they went to the past where Sango and Rin had organized another little party. It warmed her heart to know that they were willing to spend energy on something they didn't even fully understand. For them to get the kind of education that people normally received in the modern era was unthinkable and most of the time people were illiterate. However, Kagome would make sure that each of their children had a proper education.
That night, when they finally got ready for bed and crawled under the covers, Inuyasha spooned her tenderly and nuzzled her neck. "One step left, koi," he whispered. "You're okay?" He had noticed that in the last few days Kagome had been strange. He was aware of the reason behind her behaviour and didn't blame her. At the same time, he also knew that the only thing he could do was to offer her some comfort and his presence.
She sighed blissfully as soon as his strong arms encircled her and leaned back in his embrace. "As long as you hold me like that, I'll be always ready," Kagome answered before turning to him and catching his lips in a fierce kiss.
A/N: Kagome is ready to leave her mother's nest definitely! Now we only need a teary goodbye and the jewel to disappear forever - in case you have forgotten, they hadn't wished it away yet. Go back to one of the first ten chapters if you don't remember the temporary solution they had applied. It will be happening very soon.