Chapter 56
Hours later, Kagome was still overcome knowing the effect she had had on Sesshoumaru. After hours of fuss and poking, her entourage stepped away and she saw herself in her completed wedding gown for the first time.
In her first wedding, she had let her future husband make all of the decisions and he absolutely did not want to dress up so had forbidden her to have the storybook white dress she had dreamed of. Instead, she had worn a simple, Hawaiian print dress to match the Hawaiian print shirt and khakis of the groom. This time, Sesshoumaru had practically demanded she search every dream for inspiration and find the dresses she would joyously wear that spoke of her true, romantic soul, insisting the same for her mating dress.
Her midnight black hair was mostly down, with a few curls pinned up here and there to create volume and drama. Fine, silver thread had been woven into her hair so it glittered. Today she would not be wearing a headdress, or tsunokakushi, because Sesshoumaru liked her "horns of jealousy" it was said to cover and the idea of her being a gentle and obedient wife was truly a little funny.
For jewelry, she wore sakura blossom-shaped sapphires at her ears and throat, her necklace like a flower crown around her neck, her something blue. Her veil was done in English tradition: a crown of orange blossoms for luck and fidelity with her mother's veil, trimmed in handmade lace falling behind her, her something borrowed. Her dress newly designed and Victorian-inspired, was off-the-shoulder, in heavy, white silk-satin, with a drape of vintage Honiton lace, the same kind of lace Queen Victoria had decorating her dress in her marriage to Prince Albert, her something old, over her generous bosom and around her slightly puffed sleeves and back. Embroidered orange and sakura blossoms fell over top of her lace and in two matching, ribbon-like trails that grew wider as they went down, curving over the front of her belled skirt, moving around the back towards her train before meeting just above the hem. She smiled in confidence now that she knew her unorthodox choice in undergarments would meet with her soon-to-be-mate's approval once the surprise wore off.
Underneath, she wore a silk-satin corset in crimson with white stitching and laces, with attached garters, nude stockings, a crimson satin thong, a white, Egyptian cotton slip over top so the vivid colors stayed hidden, and a white petticoat with silver fringe. On her feet were handmade, white silk-satin slippers with white satin ribbon laces to climb her ankles.
Her makeup was simple: black mascara and clear red lip gloss. She was so excited there was no need for blush. She had to admit, even unable to smile properly, she'd never looked better.
There was a knock on the door. "Kags? We're ready whenever you are," her best friend called.
She turned to look at Shiori, who was fussing with Kagome's train, and smiled. "I'm so ready."
….
When the limo arrived at the shrine, her grandfather was there to help her get out. He made a fuss over her dress and made her smile, calming her nerves. She wouldn't be completely calm until they were safely shut up in their cave. She had had too many things go wrong in her life and even though she was sure she was being paranoid, a small part of her still wondered when the other shoe would drop. But mostly, she was just excited.
They could hear the strings playing in the courtyard. Sesshoumaru had arranged for the wind ensemble from the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra to perform. The scent of cherry blossoms was heavy on the wind. Toga's request for the ceremony was to provide the flowers. Kagome's bouquet was a mix of cherry and orange blossoms with a peony in the center: cherry for the House of Taisho, orange to honor the Western belief of purity and fertility as well as to remind her future mate of her early scent, and the peony as a symbol of prosperity.
Shiori went on ahead to make sure everything was ready and came back to wave them in. The music changed to signal her entrance and the courtyard quieted as everyone turned in their seats to watch the procession. Fully grown and unbelievably blooming cherry trees rustled in the breeze from their places lining the aisle and surrounding the courtyard sending blossoms flying in the air magically.
Kagome entered on the arm of her proud grandfather and she instantly found the eyes of her intended. They were in front of others, so his expression was his usual mask, but she could see the light in his eyes that burned only for her. She noticed that he had manifested his fur pelt to complete his ensemble, and it rested over his right shoulder. She walked slowly to him, finally meeting him at his place in front of Goshinbuku, the sacred tree that had been Kagome's haven, Inuyasha standing at his side, who winked cheekily at his best friend. To Kagome's left stood her maid of honor, Shiori. Her grandfather released Kagome's hand from his arm and moved in front of the couple.
The ceremony was brief, little more than an exchange of vows and a blessing, but exactly what the couple desired. They signed their marriage license, Kagome officially taking her new last name. They posed for pictures for the next hour as the courtyard was set up for the reception. Inuyasha and Shiori helped come up with pose ideas and they both agreed their favorite was Sesshoumaru lifting Kagome above his head. Her curls were tumbling down, framing their faces, hers shining with happiness, and despite being very much in front of other people, Sesshoumaru's eyes betrayed his deep feelings for his new wife.
When they rejoined their family and guests, Sesshoumaru made the official announcement that Kagome was his chosen and would be his mate. This sent the guests tittering and gave rise cheers of congratulations from those closest to the family. There was also rampant speculation about just how powerful this woman must be to be the chosen of Sesshoumaru and what that would mean. He fully intended to let them keep imagining. The business of Naraku was completed and as far as he and everyone else involved was concerned, it was family business and none of anyone else's.
They sat, Sesshoumaru pulling out her chair for her as always, signifying the start of the meal, which was filled with foods rampant with symbolism for the couple. There was lobster, whose red-cooked color was considered lucky, which was halved then coated in a mixture of egg yolks, mirin, lemon and soy sauce before grilling, sea bream, whose name, tai, has a syllable in common with medetai, the word for celebration, was folded into a circle and salt grilled, sekihan with gomashio, or red beans rice, again featured the color red, kombu, or sea kelp, which was made into a soup with tofu, sesame seeds, and green onions, kazunoko, or dried, pickled herring roe, which symbolize fertility, datemaki, which is a rolled omelet made from dashi stock and white fish cake, a sushi cake in the shape of a dog demon in his true form, and ichigo daifuku, a sweet mochi cake, a symbol of sharing happiness with friends and relatives, made with a whole strawberry inside, served with green tea.
After everyone had been served, Kagome left to change into her second wedding dress, Shiori slipping off with her to help. When she returned, all eyes turned to see her. Sesshoumaru was pleased to see she had chosen a kimono, even if it was contemporary in design. She wore a light purple silk-satin kimono with a matching obi tied in a nijudaiko musubi, or double drum knot, symbolizing double joy. Over top both was an uchikake of dark purple voile embroidered in a swirling floral pattern. Her hair was up in an elaborate chignon, showcasing her graceful neck, seen as the most attractive part of the kimono-wearing female, accented by two large, light purple flowers in full bloom. In her hand was a white fan.
She returned to her new husband's side and they made the rounds, greeting their guests and speaking with friends. While Kagome's only guests were already part of the wedding party, Sesshoumaru, as heir to the West as well as a demon with many connections both personal and business, had been forced by societal expectations to invite many people, mostly demons, to the wedding. He was pleased, though, that it had been necessary to hide their mating from the world because it meant his mating ceremony would be family only.
Finally, everyone had digested enough that it was time to cut the cake. It was multilayered, white, covered in filigree and honeysuckle, her scent but also a symbol of devotion and the bonds of love. As the couple approached the table, they got their first look at the topper and looked to each other with surprise before finding Inuyasha's smirking face. There, on top of the cake, was Sesshoumaru in his true form with Kagome in her red sailor dress, hair flying behind her, arms spread wide, with a look of greatest joy. Kagome laughed out loud and Sesshoumaru just barely cracked a smirk, enough for his brother to pick up on.
After everyone had been served cake, and a round of champagne served, Inuyasha finally got around to making his toast. He clinked his glass to quiet the guests and when there was silence, he said, "So, I just wanted to thank all of you for coming to my brother's wedding. Anyone that knows us knows we haven't always gotten along, but it's amazing what the love of a good woman can do. Kagome here is my best friend in the world and always will be. She was the first person outside of my parents that I trusted or loved and she even introduced me to my wonderful mate at a time when I had given up on ever finding someone. She has the biggest heart of anyone I've ever known and I saw her get it trampled on over and over until she met this bastard. Sess, well, he doesn't let people in, but anyone with eyes or a nose can tell how wild he is about her. He dotes on her, takes care of her, and would give his life for her, and I gotta tell ya', I wasn't gonna let him have my Kagome until I saw that. So here's to my best friend finally making her place as packmate official with the demon I'm finally proud to call my brother!" There was applause as everyone appreciated the sincerity of the hanyou's words. "Now where the hell is the music? It's time these kids got a dance!"
Kagome and Sesshoumaru got their dance, to the waltz from Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" and many more throughout the afternoon. She didn't miss the notable surplus of early Nora Jones being played or the three versions of "Lovesong" or the presence of "I Could Have Danced All Night" and knew her gruff hanyou and his mate were responsible. She got to dance with all her males: her grandfather, Toga, and Inuyasha. Some of the guests tried, but Sesshoumaru made it very clear no one else was to touch his wife, something Kagome enjoyed. Her husband was adorable when he was possessive. In Japanese tradition, the reception did not carry on into the night as is common in a Western marriage. Instead, it was starting to wind down. But before the guests left, Kagome had one more costume change to attend to.
She reappeared with Shiori at her side in her mating dress, a white uchikake kimono heavily brocaded with flying cranes, symbolizing luck, longevity and fidelity as well as forget-me-nots symbolizing true love. Her hair was loose and fell in a mass of curls down her back. Her purest white kimono underneath, her actual mating dress, peeked out from the bottom in a train that followed her steps. The couple saw their guests out and posed for some final pictures before getting in the waiting limo with their family and heading home.
They made their way to the mating cave, where they would spend their days and nights until they decided it was time to rejoin the world, and stood outside. Shiori helped Kagome out of her uchikake and everyone got their first look at Kagome's mating dress. It was a simple, white, silk kimono tied with a red obi in a double drum knot, which was brocaded in the Taisho family crest of sakura blossoms inside hexagons. Sesshoumaru swelled with pride seeing his soon-to-be-mate wearing his crest. She had defied tradition in wearing that obi, but this was their ceremony and they had picked and chosen a mix of traditional ideas and their own ideas the whole way.
He stood with her at the mouth of the cave, situating her so she faced their family as he stood behind her, holding her upper arms and recited the rote, "Here stands my chosen, my one, my only. Intentions were announced and the Courting accepted." He tilted her head, baring her neck, and grazed her skin with his fangs, drawing twin drops of blood. "As I taste, so shall she be mine!" He made eye contact with everyone present in turn. As they nodded their assent, he moved to the next person. When all had given their approval, he licked up the droplets on her neck, picked up his bride and turned to carry her into the cave. Kagome broke the seriousness of the moment by smiling and waving over his shoulder. Inuyasha and Shiori waved back enthusiastically.