Author's Note:
Ne, I was watching my Inuyasha DVDs in the background whilst writing this, and when episode 26 rolled by, I noticed this cute little scene I never noticed before, where Shippo is asleep while Miroku & Sango are explaining stuff about the Sacred Jewel. Kagome is patting Shippo on the head *awwwws at it* he's so cute ^_^ Neways, where was I? Oh yeah, glad ppl are still liking this, Not much time to chitter today though, sorry ^_^
IMPORTANT: The Eight Vows is a ritual i comprised myself, as far as I know no such thing actually exists, if it does, I must be psychic XD But if you wish to use or develop it for your own use, please ask me first, K? ^_^
Thankies for reviewing.
Enjoy!
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The Eight Vows
Eleven
Kagome worried her lower lip between her teeth, drawn from her silent anxiety as Izayoi placed her hands firmly on her shoulders.
"Worried?" Kagome shook her head, rousing a soft smile from the woman.
"It's alright…every woman is just a little worried…Inuyasha won't be upset if you are. He's probably a little nervous too." Kagome inhaled shakily. In truth, she was nervous; she could feel the apprehension creeping up through her limbs, making them slightly numb, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She might need to be sick again…
How was she supposed to remember all these demon traditions? She didn't even know what to do, or what to say at this thing! Something about the 'Eight Vows', was all Inuyasha could tell her before Inu-no-Taishou and Sesshomaru had hurried him off in another direction. Apparently Inuyasha had to prepare for this too. Kagome shook her head at the strange (but somehow familiar) tradition she had understood, (and blushed at), the crimson red garter offered to her by Izayoi, it apparently having something to do with the rituals which lie ahead of them that night. She sighed as Inu-no-Taishou peered round the door, resuming in swiftly relaying to her what was going to happen. But it shot right over her head. She had no idea what was about to happen to her and Inuyasha. I wonder what weird traditions we're going to have to suffer before the night is out…
***
Inuyasha swallowed hard as he stood only in a white fundoshi under his brother's gaze. "Get it over with Sesshomaru," the half-demon growled impatiently.
"If you would stop fidgeting like a bothersome pup then I would get this done quicker, now hold still." Inuyasha winced as Sesshomaru dipped the brush doused in purple ink, flicking the brush across his brother's left cheek, making him wince at the tickling sensation. "Inuyasha-"
"-What it tickles!"
"Don't be so childish."
"Whatever, go get bent…" Sesshomaru arced a delicate brow.
"Indeed," he proceeded to paint a matching stripe across the other cheek, mimicking his full-demon form's demonic crests. "Are you sure Kagome is aware of what this ritual entails? She is human after all…our traditions are foreign to her, she may become overwhelmed if she's not thoroughly informed of what to expect." Inuyasha huffed, reluctantly holding his arm outward so Sesshomaru could finish the crest that began at his shoulder blade and curved round his arm to just above his elbow.
"Keh, I know that, Dad's gone to tell her, and Mother is with her." His brother shot him a look that he didn't understand, manoeuvring to mirror the stripe on the opposite arm.
"If you were so worldly Inuyasha, then you wouldn't have needed your mother to inform you of your own woman's pregnancy." Inuyasha snorted at that, trying desperately not to giggle, or move too much as Sesshomaru painted the stripes which would have adorned his hips (were he full demon).
"Curse being a demon… I'm half-human too, can't Kagome and me just have a human wedding?" Sesshomaru made a point of jabbing him hard in the leg with the opposite end of the brush, standing back to his feet.
"The dominant instincts in you are demon, your male parent was demon, your female parent follows demon traditions, you were raised with and around demon traditions, you really think it prudent to suddenly exhibit human rituals?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his brother's condescending tone.
"Yeah I know, I know, I don't mind, it's just it's such a pain…" Sesshomaru smirked at that.
"I can assure you, human traditions are just as troublesome… Now come, it's time." Inuyasha looked over himself in the mirror, the marks looking odd on him.
"Geez, am I glad these come off afterwards, they look weird…" he frowned at recalling the following step to the mating ceremony. He was almost certain it would prove difficult; after all, it was Kagome he was mating…
***
Inuyasha tapped his clawed fingers agitatedly against his leg, the hall alight with fiery torches, his father and mother at his side, along with his brother, the neighbouring demon lords and ladies gathered in two straight lines along each side of him, creating an odd sort of walkway from him to the door, a walkway for Kagome to walk down – when she appeared anyway. "Where is she?" he growled under his breath, earning a slight smile from his proud father.
"Women are always late…have patience… Good things come to those who wait…" Inuyasha snorted, folding his arms impatiently across his chest. His heart skipping a beat in apprehension as the doors opened slowly.
Kagome was framed by the great doorway, ornate combs fixing her hair back deftly, her pale pink and white kimono clinging elegantly to her curves, making Inuyasha swallow hard. He'd seen human women at the traditional Japanese weddings for humans – they looked like freaky porcelain dolls, unnatural. His Kagome had raw beauty that didn't need to be covered up. Who'd want their women to wear all that shit on their face? He asked himself mentally, a foreign fluttering feeling rising in his stomach as she slowly drew forward, evidently trying not to trip on the bottom edge of her kimono that trailed slightly on the ground. Inuyasha never was one to admire pretty clothes as such, but he had to admit, his mother's work was flawless, it was beautiful. Kagome was beautiful. He could have sworn his jaw dropped a little as she drew nearer, the celestial firelight reflecting in her nervous eyes, he could even sense her refraining from gnawing her lip, lest the dark lip-colouring adorning her lips mark her teeth.
As she stopped before him, he could tell she was confused, recognising something different about him, but not able to put her finger on it. Crests, her mind supplied, guessing it was part of the ritual. Inu-no-Taishou had said something about painting crests on his body since he had none of his own…
Kagome noted the large screen standing behind the demon that was situated at the head of the hall (reminding her of the priest at the human wedding) the ornate shoji screen reminding her only as what she could call a dressing screen, though what it was doing there, beside the luxuriously dressed shrine, she was unsure. She'd been so nervous and sketchy about this whole thing that she hadn't heard a word Inu-no-Taishou had said – She had absolutely no idea what was about to happen.
"Join hands," the cool ethereal voice of the aged demon said, and Kagome looked to Inuyasha, who promptly shifted her hand out straight before her, his own hovering over it, his palm to the back of her hand. The weight of the many sets of eyes within the hall bore into her back, distracting her from the priest's words, tuning out slightly, until Inuyasha (sensing her distance) grazed her lightly with a claw on her finger, bringing her back to reality. "…may their ancestors and the gods sanctify this union. May they bless them with good health, fertility, and happiness, for the following days of eternity, keeping them safe from any harm, and allow them to face the ages of the world together." Kagome felt nervousness rise in her again, Inuyasha turning his head slightly to make sure she was okay, sensing her scent spike lightly with nervousness. At least in that he wasn't alone, it was…oddly comforting to know they both felt the same. But hell who wouldn't be nervous at being bound to the one you loved most forever?
"With the power coursing through my aged veins I bless this union, and the two who unite within it, the joining of their blood and bonding of their souls on this sacred night, the completion of their mating." Kagome flushed lightly, feeling Inu-no-Taishou, Izayoi and Sesshomaru standing not far from Inuyasha and her, their presence some comfort at least, unlike the worrying gazes of the strange ruling demons that watched on, witnesses to the union, Sesshomaru had told her earlier.
"Lord Inuyasha?" Inuyasha nodded at the unasked question from the priest (as Kagome had mentally named him), fingers enclosing around his mate's hand as he slowly led her round the back of the shoji screen, the screen shielding them from the view of the others in the hall. Her eyes widened. What the hell was going on?
"Inuyasha?" she whispered, "what's-" He held a clawed finger over her lips, careful not to touch them lest the red rub off onto his finger.
"Just listen carefully to my vows, 'cause you'll have to repeat them in a moment," he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear, indicating that she turn her back to him with his hand.
Kagome did as she was told. Jumping as she felt his hands rest suddenly on her shoulders, she felt the sudden urge to resist him as he tugged at the sash around her waist, slowly sliding the kimono from her shoulders onto the ground.
"W-What're you doing?!" she gasped almost silently.
"It's alright, they ain't gonna see you naked, stupid, that's what the screen is for," he assured quietly, "hand me that pallet…" Kagome looked around swiftly, seeing the said object on the stand beside her, begrudgingly handing it to him, unsure of what to expect. What's he going to do?
She flinched slightly in response to the tickle against her shoulder-blade, about to question him when his voice sounded, louder than before, evidently The others occupying the hall needing to hear his words. "By marking my mate with these temporary crests, I signify my vow to be selfless within our union, never to use or abuse our love or my mate selfishly." She realised what he was doing then, feeling the brush stroke over her skin, creating a mimic of a demon's crests. Crazy demon rituals, she thought, trying not to giggle as the brush came to rest on the opposite shoulder blade, just like his own temporary marks, curving round her upper-arm and stopping at the elbow. However, looking down, the colouring was different, the stripes adorning her flesh crimson instead of purple, unlike Inuyasha's. They reminded her of Sesshomaru's marks.
"The marks are different for the submissive partner;" he whispered quietly, "Sesshomaru inherits his natural markings from his mother. Usually I'd just paint over your existing marks, but because you're human I'm supposed to paint on you the duplicate markings of my mother but…my mother doesn't have any so…" she nodded slightly in understanding. As he dipped the brush into the pallet again, this time brushing it around her lower arms and wrists, his voice raising clearly again, so that all could hear… "I vow to support my mate in anything and everything in the eons to come; I'll never let her fall…" After mimicking the same stripe on the other arm, Inuyasha got to his knees, making the girl blush as she found him facing her nether regions. Revelling in the seductive little flush to her skin, finding it went nicely with her fake crests; Inuyasha cleared his throat quietly, bringing the brush to her right hip. "I vow to accept my mate no matter what, accepting her for her faults as well as her admirable qualities."
"Inuyasha? What's that stuff made of?" she whispered, trying to distract herself from the tickling against the flesh of her hip.
"It's some weird concoction for the mating ritual… It's ink mixed with herbs, sacred water, blood…"
"Blood?"
"As part of their blessing on us, every surviving member of my family has to offer some of their blood to it…" Kagome quirked a brow. Really weird demon rituals…Can't they just say: "You have my blessing" and have done with it? It's always got to be blood… His words projected again to every occupant in the hall, whilst his hand duplicated the marking on her left hip. "I vow to protect my mate from the horrors of the world, and never to allow any harm to come to her as long as I still have breath in my lungs."
Ever so happy to have him finish the markings adoring her hips quickly, the former priestess let out a deep breath she couldn't recall holding as he got back to his feet, smirking cheekily at her as he raised the brush to her face. "I vow to remain loyal to my mate," he stated loudly, brushing two marks across her right cheek, just like Sesshomaru's, "to never wander from her loving heart, or her side. Never to betray her in any way, shape or form." Kagome offered him a nervous smile as he brought the brush to her unmarked cheek, flashing a duplicate smile before speaking, and painting at the same time. "I vow to do everything within my power, and then more, to ensure my mate's happiness…"
Kagome's fingers clinched into her palm, her release at the tickling sensation, trying really hard not to let loose the giggle brewing in her throat. Inuyasha's smirk broadened into a grin at her lack of control, telling her to close her eyes quietly. Obeying, trusting him completely, she shut her eyes against the world, guessing where the next marks would be. She only had to think where else Sesshomaru had marks after all…
Flicking the brush across her eyelids gently, careful not to let any in her eye (not that it would have done her any harm – it just would've stung a bit) Inuyasha spoke as the liquid set fast on her flesh, flushing in advance at his oncoming words. "I vow to provide a loving, fertile relationship, and provide my mate the ability to bear healthy young." Squeezing her arm gently, signalling it was okay to open her eyes now, her eyelashes fluttered, opening, stunning Inuyasha for a moment at the mesmerising crimson adorning her lips, cheeks and eyelids in contrast with her mahogany eyes. She looked beautiful, ten times more beautiful than she would have if she'd been dressed up in the way of a human wedding. He flushed darker then. "You're gorgeous…" he growled quietly, for her ears only, before dropping to his knees once more, sweeping the soft brush over her navel, scribing the kanji for his name just under her navel gently.
"I vow to my mate…" he began again, reciting the final vow, "I vow to her unconditional love and worship, more powerful and invincible than any force in this unpredictable world…" The half-demon raised himself to his feet, lifting her kimono from the ground and pulling it back round her, tying it slowly as he locked eyes with her. "To love her for the rest of eternity…and longer…" She leant forwards, blocking the tears from her eyes as she moved in to kiss him. Inuyasha's hands came up to stop her, and the girl frowned. He smirked, gesturing to her the crimson covering her lips, before taking her hand in his, leading her back out before his father and the others, his nervousness subsided somewhat. She hadn't reacted badly to that at all; in fact she'd taken it...rather well.
Kagome was slightly surprised when she resumed her place before the demon priest, only to be handed a small, thin burning bar, suddenly just noticing the incense candles arranged neatly on the shrine she, Inuyasha and the priest stood before. She swallowed nervously, throwing Inuyasha a confused look, only receiving a small nod in return. All she could do was guess what to do. Moving forwards gradually, she lit the candles, one-by-one, repeating the vows as she did so, her quavering voice struggling to make sure it was heard. She wouldn't look like a coward now. All these demon lords and ladies would see just how strong she truly was.
"By setting these candles alight, I signify my vow to be selfless within our union, never to use or abuse our love or my mate selfishly," she recited, lighting a candle with each vow. "I vow to support my mate in anything and everything in the eons to come; I'll never let him fall. I vow to accept my mate no matter what, accepting him for his faults as well as his admirable qualities. I vow to protect my mate from the horrors of the world, and never to allow any harm to come to him as long as I still have breath in my lungs. I vow to remain loyal to my mate, to never wander from his loving heart, or his side. Never to betray him in any way, shape or form. I vow to do everything within my power, and then more, to ensure his happiness. I vow to provide a loving, fertile relationship, and bear my mate healthy young. I vow to him unconditional love and worship, more powerful and invincible than any force in this unpredictable world. To love him for the rest of eternity, and so much longer." Letting out a little sigh of relief, she turned, the faces of the audience blank, but she could tell…they were all shocked she hadn't screwed up…
Returning to Inuyasha's side, Kagome met his eyes, telling he was silently praising her for her confidence. He was proud of her. Tearing his eyes from his soon-to-be mate, Inuyasha accepted the goblet the priest held out to him, taking a quick sip from it. Kagome seemed to lighten at the sight. This she remembered! She knew what to do next! Feeling excited she'd managed to actually decipher something from Inu-no-Taishou's brief explanation earlier, she took the goblet from Inuyasha when it was offered to her, sipping the water from the opposite side Inuyasha had drunk from.
"I hereby bless this union." The cool words of the aged demon flowed over everyone, and Sesshomaru threw Inuyasha a congratulating look as their father neared the shrine the candles sat on, leaning down anbd writing towards the ancient script lying there uselessly. Kagome arced a brow in confusion, causing Inuyasha to mouth something along the lines of 'the family tree' before the elderly demon spoke. "This union is completed, and will be finalised upon enactment of the final duty…" Those words were slightly daunting… 'Final duty'… What exactly did he mean?
She didn't have long to wait to find out. After managing to escape the congratulating crowds and overly happy Izayoi and Inu-no-Taishou, Kagome felt Inuyasha snatch her arm, dodging out of the hall unseen, leaving the celebrating demons behind them, as they ascended the grand staircase to Inuyasha's – their room…
She was sceptic of what was to come; after all they'd already consummated their coupling, what more left to be done? She was sceptic, that is, until the chamber door closed behind them, and Inuyasha leapt towards her, smashing his lips against hers. She trembled under the ardent embrace as she felt him run his clawed fingers through her hair, drawing out the combs, leaving it to fall freely down her back. Breaking apart, Inuyasha smiled lustfully, Kagome smirking at the imprint of her lip-colour on his mouth. Leaning forwards to brush the mark away, she felt him staring at her, and found herself staring back. He looked, strange with those crests, not in a bad way, she'd just, rather have her half-demon the way he was. And though she knew for a fact he felt the same way about her, she also knew he was liking her forged crests an awful lot.
"Like what you see, Inuyasha?" she asked coquettishly, wrapping her arms round his neck. He smiled.
"Gods, do I…" Giggling slightly, Kagome kissed him gently.
"Inuyasha? What is the 'final duty'?" Inuyasha smirked this time, lowering himself to his knees before her.
"I'll show you…" he growled, clawed fingers pushing her kimono up above her hips, leaning in to brush his mouth over her inner thigh. Hearing a hiss of pleasure draw from her lips, he seized the crimson garter with his teeth, dragging it off slowly, allowing her to leisurely step out of it. Coming back up to where it had been, Inuyasha cast a flushed look back up to her. "This might sting for a bit, okay?" she nodded apprehensively. A small scream tore from her throat as she felt his fangs sink into her previously unmarred flesh, the teeth pulling back swiftly to allow its accompanying tongue to lick apologetically at the wound, causing it to heal rapidly.
"Wha-What did you do?" she asked hazily, feeling her body overcome with sudden tremors from his attentions.
"It's my mating mark…the union is sealed now…we're mates." She smiled again at that. They were together, properly, forever. Bound to each other for the rest of eternity. Nothing could stand in the way of their happiness, not anymore…
"Lord Inuyasha?" The said half-demon growled at the cowering voice sounding from beyond the door. He heard his new mate laughing slightly at his annoyance at being interrupted, as he headed to the door, flinging it open. He was most aggravated.
"What?" The young servant seemed mortified, taking a step back slightly at Inuyasha's terseness.
"I-I'm sorry to interrupt you Sire, however…" Inuyasha scowled, much rather doing a certain something else with Kagome than talking to this whelp!
"However?!!" The dark-haired demon's head snapped up obediently, seeming to suddenly find some backbone.
"However, there are some people arrived in the foyer, Sire. They say they wish to speak with Lady Kagome." Inuyasha's eyes widened, turning slowly to face his mate. She looked bewildered. They were clearly both wondering the same thing. Who would come to see her? She didn't know anybody. Who the hell was it, and perhaps, more importantly…what did they want with her?
TBC
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A/N: 10 MS word pages, not bad ^_^ Okay, I realise you were all holding out for the lusty mating night, but trust me...the suprise I have in store leads to something...oh SOOO much better XD Review me to find out wonderful people!
Shigure-san
x chuu x
