Chapter Two
"Who the Hell is That?!"
Loud blaring noises ripped her out of the very nice dream she was having. Featuring a certain silver haired man carved from what felt like marble. God, Handsome Asshole was a dick for haunting her dreams like this.
Her hand slid along the nightstand and turned off the alarm. Her finger tapping repeatedly against the front of it.
She flopped back on the bed once the sound is silenced, and someone buried their face into her shoulder blades and wrapped an arm around her waist. Her entire body froze, and she then realized that it was only Sango.
"I'm not Miroku," she grumbled, lifting Sango's arm from her waist and pushing it behind her.
Sango let out a low groan, but settled in behind her. Kagome rubbed her eyes and moaned at the thought of having to get up at all. She was totally prepared to sleep in, and her body was protesting everything that wasn't involved in staying in bed.
Just five more minutes. She'd get up in five more minutes.
She drifted off as an arm slunk back across her waist, pulling her back towards the warm body behind her.
The loud voice of Bon Jovi declaring that she gave love a bad name jolted her back into consciousness.
Oh, right, morning. She needed to get up. She had errands that she needed to run. With a low groan, she literally slid out of bed and onto the floor. She pulled herself up, and Sango curled up into a ball in the sheets.
"Why are we awake?" She groaned.
"I have to go get a couple things. Just go back to sleep."
"Mmm," Sango shifted the blankets closer. "'kay."
Kagome went into the bathroom and started preparing for her day. She had a few hours before they were supposed to meet the boys for lunch.
Looking at herself in the mirror, she grimaced at the sight of her neck, which appeared much worse than it did the night before. The purple had spread across the entire area, though the redness had subsided.
She was going to need a scarf before going out. Maybe they had one in the gift shop?
Oh, right, no money.
Great, well, maybe she could wrap a shirt around her neck and no one would know? Not ideal, but maybe passable?
Or she'd look like a loser who didn't have a scarf and tried to make one out of a shirt.
Or worse, she'd look like she was about to try and rob the store?
Kagome was in the midst of applying her mascara when the door to the bathroom burst open startling her. She squealed and thrust the wand away from her eye before she gouged it out via cheap mascara wand.
"Oh good! I thought you'd left!"
"No, not yet," she mumbled as Sango came in and ran her fingers over the bruise.
"Bruises always look worse before they get better," she commented. "We should get you a scarf or something. Can you give me a few minutes to take a shower and get ready?"
The confusion must have been obvious on her face, because Sango elaborated.
"So I can go with you," she continued.
"You don't have to. I won't be long."
"Nonsense," she answered, slipping into the water closet to turn on the shower. "I want to."
"Sango, you have plenty of stuff that you should be doing for your wedding. I can do this on my own. I'm a big girl."
"Yeah, well, maybe I want to go with you." She shut the door behind her. "Don't leave until I'm ready. Give me like twenty minutes!" Sango's shout was muffled by the door and running water, but it was clear enough.
More than likely, Sango was avoiding the wedding planning and prepping. Or maybe she really did want to go to the bank and whatever store had plenty of concealer available.
She finished doing her makeup and slipped out to finish getting dressed since Sango burst in while she stood in front of the mirror in a pair of leggings and her bra. She pulled her shirt over her head, and tried to style her hair so that it covered as of her throat as possible. Spreading out sections in front of her chest, helped, but there was no way to hide it all. And none of her shirts worked as a scarf.
None.
It looked like she was wrapping a shirt around her neck or about to rob someone.
She grimaced.
"Too soon," she muttered to herself, fluffing her hair again.
Sango walked out of the bathroom in a towel while braiding her hair.
"Okay, almost done. Just a couple more minutes." She snatched a couple pieces of clothing and disappeared back into bathroom. Kagome sat on the sofa, scrolling through social media while she waited on Sango to finish up. This could take two minutes or twenty.
"Ready?" Sango asked, coming out of the bathroom finishing a braid. She grinned, snatching her purse off the counter.
Kagome stood and checked her hair in the mirror, fixing it slightly to keep the bruise from being quite so obvious.
"Come on," Sango said, grabbing her hand as Kagome walked out the door after her, her own purse on her shoulder. They waited for an elevator, and Kagome tried to casually rest her hand over her throat to hide the bruise when an elderly couple boarded the elevator right before the doors closed.
The elevator binged and another group got on before they finally reached the lobby.
"Hey, I have to go check the front desk real quick. Start the car, and pull up to the front, and I'll be right out!" Kagome nodded and made a beeline straight for her car.
She pulled up to the front doors like Sango asked, and sure enough, Sango was running out holding a small bag in her hand.
"Got it!" She grinned, shutting the door behind her. "Let's go!"
"What's in the bag?" Kagome asked.
"Well, I can't have my maid of honor hiding herself away, so I got this!" She held up a pink and purple scarf. "And it's almost my wedding colors!" She held it up, marveling at her own find, and grinned.
"Sango, that's really not necessary, but thank you," Kagome said.
"Of course it is, but I would not be opposed to you paying me back in coffee."
Kagome laughed as she headed for the bank.
The bank was a disaster.
Even with her bank account number and a signature confirmation, and one really long call to a 1-800 number that literally did nothing, she finally was able to withdraw the daily limit from her account. Which she didn't realize was only $300, but she did get a temporary ATM card, so was it really worth the two hours she spent there?
She needed to add aspirin to her shopping list for her growing headache.
"Coffee, now?" Sango asked, flopping down into the seat. "Coffee, please?" She wrapped her arm around Kagome's and leaned her head against her shoulder.
"Yes, we can get you coffee," Kagome said, turning into the nearest parking lot where she'd seen a small shop earlier.
Sango, once caffeinated, perked up considerably.
"Okay, now makeup," Sango said, sipping from her cup happily and letting out a sigh. "There's a place not too far from here."
Sango gave mediocre directions to a place that she thought she remembered being not to far, but wound up being almost twenty minutes from the bank, which was already ten minutes from the hotel.
At least they weren't busy and the salesperson knew their stuff, and they walked out with a couple bottles, one to hide redness and the other as a concealing foundation. She even gave them a couple sponges and brushes, and she helped them apply it before they left so they wouldn't be late to their lunch with the boys.
Kagome was pretty sure that it was a pity gift, because the bruise looked particularly gnarly when Sango gave her a peek behind the scarf.
But once the makeup was applied, her neck actually looked almost normal! If you looked really close, it was obvious that there was a lot, a lot, of makeup on her neck, and if she didn't extend it all the way down to her chest, then it was really obvious that there was a line.
They left the store, and Kagome tied the scarf as a headband.
"Ready to go meet the boys?" Sango asked as she again played the navigator to the restaurant.
"Of course, I'm really excited that I finally get to meet the mysterious Inuyasha that I've heard so much about!"
"He's really a sweetheart, I swear," Sango said, and Kagome raised an eyebrow at that.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just that sometimes his mouth gets away from him," she grinned. "You know what? I could totally see you two getting together."
"Sango, please, I'm going to have to spend so much time with him this weekend. I don't want it to be awkward!"
"I won't make it awkward! I swear!"
Kagome glanced over at her, and Sango only grinned at her.
"I swear!" She looked forward again, pointing out the restaurant and Miroku's car. "They're already here!" She squealed. "If you guys have cute babies, I expect to have one named after me."
"You're getting ahead of yourself, Sango," she warned, climbing out of the car. She fixed her halter top, glancing at her reflection in the window. "The makeup still looks good, right?"
"It looks fine," she stated, grabbing Kagome's hand and tugging her towards the doorway.
They walked in, and Kagome saw Miroku sitting at a table at the same time Sango did. He stood up as Sango leapt into his arms, telling him how much she missed him.
"In all fairness, she told me the same thing last night," Kagome said as Miroku wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.
"And how lucky am I to have the both of you to myself?"
"Oh yeah, where is Inuyasha?" Sango asked, glancing around.
"Sulking somewhere, probably," Miroku sighed, pulling out Sango's chair for her as she sat down. "You know how he gets, love."
Kagome took the empty seat next to Sango and the only one that didn't have a drink in front of it.
"So, how was your night, Miroku?" Kagome asked.
"Great! Inuyasha and I went to the bar and then we went out for dinner. And then more drinks! It was so nice! It's been so long since we've been able to hang out!"
"See, I told you," Sango said with a grin, "man-time."
"Man-time?" Miroku asked.
"Sango thinks that you're more excited to see Inuyasha than her," Kagome stated. "She said that you'd want to spend some man-time with Inuyasha over the weekend."
Miroku laughed.
"Trust me, I'm not nearly as excited to see you, love," Miroku laughed.
"If you were gay, you'd totally date Inuyasha," Sango said, with a firm poke to his shoulder. "I've seen how you two look at each other."
"Why are you even thinking such things, dearest Sango?"
"It's kinda sounding like someone has a fetish," Kagome added with a straight face as Sango stared wide-eyed at her.
"You're supposed to be on my side! Traitor," she growled out as Miroku nearly doubled over in laughter.
"I'm finding out so much about you today!" He started laughing again, and Sango shoved his shoulder with a warning to stop.
"What're you idiots giggling about?" Kagome turned towards the sound of the voice as a man came up behind them. Sango was already out of her chair and launching herself at the stranger.
"Inuyasha!" She squealed.
"Yeah, yeah, good to see you too," Inuyasha grumbled, and Kagome noted the long white hair behind him.
No.
It couldn't be.
Sango let go of him, stepping aside so she could introduce them.
"What the fuck are you doing here?" He practically shouted, as she immediately recognized him.
"Wait, you two know each other?" Miroku asked.
"What're you doing here?" Kagome asked, still staring, wide-eyed at the guy labeled 'Handsome Asshole' in her phone.
"We met last night," he said, ignoring her own question. "Wait, this is where you were going?" His eyes made an obvious detour to her neck, and she spun in her seat to face the table.
"But you were with me," Miroku said, trying to put the pieces together and failing miserably. "So when did you meet Kagome?"
"Wait, this is Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, staring wide-eyed at her, like he was seeing Bigfoot in person, and jutting a thumb in her general direction. "You said she was nice!"
"I am nice!"
"No, you're fucking stubborn!"
"I am not!"
"Uh, yeah, you are!"
"You're one to talk!"
He narrowed his eyes at her throat for an instant.
"Did she fucking tell you what happened?" Inuyasha snarled as he took his seat.
"Of course she did, that's why we cancelled last night," Sango said. "Oh my God, he's the guy!" Sango stated, pointing across the table at Inuyasha, and staring at Kagome, while Miroku blinked blankly in the background. Kagome merely nodded, already exhausted at the questions that were bound to be incoming.
"Wait, what happened to Kagome?"
"Remember, the robbery I told you about?" Inuyasha blabbered on, and Kagome groaned, knowing there was no way she was avoiding this now. "Well, she's the chick the bastard manhandled."
Miroku's eyes widened in fear, and he glanced at her neck as well.
"Why didn't you say something?" Miroku asked her.
"Because it's not that big of a deal. I'm fine," Inuyasha snorted, and she glared at him, "and it's your wedding! I'm not here to take the spotlight from you two, because of some idiot."
"The paramedics said you might have a concussion!" Miroku exclaimed.
"You didn't tell me about that!" Sango exclaimed
"I don't have a concussion," Kagome groaned. "I passed their concussion test or whatever." She looked at Sango pointedly. "I don't have a concussion."
"We had a long talk about it last night," Sango interjected, and Kagome sent her a thankful smile.
"You're really okay?" Miroku asked.
"I'm fine, I swear," she glanced at Inuyasha, who was fiddling with his silverware and avoiding looking directly at her. He looked like he was pouting. Seriously, what was he? Five?
She was given a reprieve in the form of the waiter appearing to take their orders before disappearing and leaving them with a quiet that promised fresh conversation.
"Well the whole point of this was for you and Inuyasha to meet, but apparently you two already did that, so let's maybe fill in the blanks a bit more?" Miroku started and for once, Kagome was glad for his peacekeeping tendencies.
"Well, as you know, Inuyasha and I were friends in high school, I mean, we were practically brothers! But then, in a tragic twist of fate, he decided to abandon me when he went off to college to a school that was almost entirely across the country. And then,—then!—he has the audacity to move hours away from me so that it's impossible to visit him."
"Maybe it was a plan," Inuyasha grumbled from behind his water glass.
"Man-time," Sango commented with a sideways glance and a smile on her face.
"What was that?" Inuyasha growled, and Sango waved her hand at him.
"You know I'll kick your ass if you try anything."
"I'd like to see you try!" Inuyasha countered.
"Inuyasha, our goal was to have a peaceful meeting," Miroku rested his hand over Inuyasha's and Kagome could practically see the embarrassed jolt run across his entire body as he jerked his hand away from Miroku's.
"The fuck are you doing, pervert?" Inuyasha leaned away from him, shifting more towards Kagome.
"Miroku stop riling him up," Sango chastised, and Inuyasha seemed to settle a little bit back into his chair.
"As you wish, dearest Sango," Miroku stated. "Inuyasha works for his father, and good news, he's single!"
Inuyasha dropped his head into his hand.
"Why is that good news?" Inuyasha grumbled. "And I work at the company, not for my dad."
"What do you do?" Kagome asked. "I'm an administrative assistant."
"To a complete asshole," Sango added. Inuyasha seemed to alight on that sentiment as Kagome made a face.
"He's not that bad; I mean, he's not the nicest person, but he's definitely not the worst." Kagome smiled at him.
"I work in technology," Inuyasha offered, flashing a glare at Sango as she made a noise in her throat. "So what about you, how'd you and Sango meet?"
"College roommates! We were matched up, and we stayed together, even when we moved off campus that one semester."
"Yeah, that was a mistake," Sango grimaced, and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the statement. "We should have known better when they advertised free pest control."
"Lesson learned!" Kagome laughed. "There were so many bugs!" She shivered and let out a laugh. "Sango and Miroku met our sophomore year."
"I remember the phone calls. He was completely smitten after the first date. At least you didn't have to listen to him swooning over the phone."
"Yeah, but now he does that after he talks to you," Sango said and Inuyasha shot a glare at his friend. "He talks to you and then I get a play by play of the entire conversation."
"Good to know nothing's sacred," Inuyasha grumbled with a glare in Miroku's direction.
The waiter arrived with their food, and they all dug in.
They made due with mild chit chat, and Inuyasha really wasn't that awful. He did get embarrassed easily, but she'd found out a lot about him.
He was half inu-youkai. His mother was human, and his father was daiyoukai. He really didn't like his half-brother, but he didn't mind his sister-in-law, and adored their adopted human daughter, Rin, who was going to be the flower bearer.
She told him about growing up on a shrine in Tokyo.
"I'm actually planning on moving back to Tokyo within the next few weeks," he commented, and Kagome watched Miroku's eyes widen with excitement.
She could practically hear a mechanical voice announcing that an explosion was imminent.
"What?" He shouted. "When is this happening? Is this my wedding present?"
"Calm down, you freak. It won't happen for the next month or so. I still have to find a place to live."
"Where do you live now?" Kagome asked.
"Fukuoka."
"All the way out there? It must've taken you almost twelve hours to get here!"
Inuyasha shrugged at the notion.
"Not a big deal."
Kagome smiled at him, and she watched a small blush roll over his cheeks.
He was a jerk sometimes, but he was still hella cute. Handsome Asshole indeed.
Sango and Miroku sent them out of the restaurant while they dealt with the bill, despite their assurances that they could pay their own portions. Kagome leaned against the door of her car as they waited for the bride and groom to return.
It was quiet between them while they waited.
"You're sure that you're okay?" He asked her suddenly, and she looked up at him. His arms were crossed, and he stared at something off in the distance, pointedly not looking at her in the slightest.
She smiled at him.
"I'm fine. Scout's honor."
"You're an idiot," he grumbled.
"An idiot that you're gonna have to spend a ton of time with this weekend!"
He groaned, and she laughed.
"Bestie!" Sango cheered, wrapping her arms around Kagome's neck. She quickly glomped Inuyasha with a shout of "Bestie-in-law!"
"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you people?" His arms had uncrossed in Sango's bodily assault, and he now had an arm loosely around her waist.
"I'm just so happy that you're finally here, and you're going to be moving back to Tokyo!"
"Seriously, you are way too excited about this."
"When we get back, we'll help you find a place to live!"
"Indeed," Miroku said, coming up behind Inuyasha. "In fact, we'll see if our building has an empty apartment for you."
"Like I'd want to live next to you ever again," Inuyasha scoffed, letting go of Sango as she swatted his arm.
"You'd be living next to me too!"
"And?"
Sango looked positively offended by that and spun on her heel.
"Honestly, and here I was excited about you coming back to town. Come on Kagome, let's go," Sango ordered, marching over to her side of the car and climbing inside, sticking her tongue out at Inuyasha.
He only grinned at her, sticking his own tongue back out at her.
"God, you're five," Kagome muttered as she climbed in and started the engine.
Sango and Kagome walked down together to the rehearsal, and Kagome laughed as Sango grumbled at her high heels.
"So, are you looking forward to having some time with Inuyasha up on the stage?" Sango nudged her with her shoulder, a grin spreading across her face.
"He seems—distant," Kagome started.
"He's always like that when meeting people. New or otherwise."
"He seems like he's probably nice once you get to know him." Sango fist pumped, and Kagome raised an eyebrow at the reaction. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing," Sango sang as they walked, but there was no time to ask anything else because they were now in the chapel.
"Wow, this is gorgeous!" Kagome marveled at the decorations. The building was divided by a singular hallway, one side being the banquet hall and the other designated as the chapel. Windows at the end of the chapel showed a fantastic view of the mountains in front of them.
"Isn't it? And tomorrow, we'll get to see the sunset over the range as we get married," Sango sighed as she leaned against Kagome's shoulder. "I got lucky, didn't I?"
"You mean marrying a guy that literally worships the ground you walk on and will do whatever you want to make you happy and is your best friend second only to me?" Kagome grinned. "Yeah, you got real lucky."
Hands slid up and around her waist.
"Well, if it isn't my two favorite women!" Miroku said, kissing Kagome's temple and then turning to kiss Sango on the cheek. Kagome returned the half-hug. "You know, there's a certain half-demon, who shall remain nameless that hasn't stopped talking about you since lunch."
"Miroku, I don't care if you're marrying Sango, I will kick your ass!" Inuyasha shouted from behind them.
"Not his ass!" Sango gasped quietly. "That's like one of my top five favorite body parts of his!"
"Oh yeah?" Miroku quipped, features brightening before the familiar look of lechery crossed in front of his face. "What are you other four favorites?"
"Sango, if you answer that, I will maim each and every thing on that list," Inuyasha warned.
Miroku blanched.
"I don't know if I want you touching my—oof!"
Kagome elbowed him in the side, with a sharp glare.
"I don't really want to hear it either," Kagome answered, glancing over at Inuyasha who only grinned malevolently at him.
"Of course, my dear Kagome," Miroku said. "We should probably go check on our guests and make sure that everyone knows where to be."
"Do you two mind waiting for people here?" Sango asked.
"Nope! Inuyasha and I will hold down the fort here, captain!" Kagome said, sidling over to Inuyasha.
The couple in front of them waved and headed back towards the hotel to greet their guests and guide them towards the correct building.
Inuyasha leaned against a pew and stared at his phone for a few minutes. Kagome thought about starting conversation, but felt like that might make it a little awkward. Sango had said that he wasn't the most social person, so maybe just letting him be was the best thing to do. She definitely didn't want to make anything awkward, especially since they were sitting together at both dinners this weekend.
"It's supposed to be chilly tonight," Inuyasha mentioned, and Kagome turned to see him staring at her bare shoulders.
"Yeah, isn't it great?"
He raised an eyebrow at her statement.
"Most women I know don't like cold weather," he commented.
"I love it! Winter is my favorite season!" The look he gave her was one of surprise. "What?"
"Nothing. Just pegged you for spring or some other basic bullshit."
She grinned up at him, and he quickly averted his gaze to the windows, staring at something unseen.
"It's okay," she whispers, leaning closer to him for a moment. "Most people do." She clears her throat, and follows his stare out the windows. "What's yours?"
"What's my what?"
"Your favorite season! What is it?" She shifted so that she stood in front of him.
He opened his mouth to speak, and she saw his eyes meet her gaze and then drift lower for a split-second before staring off above her head, and grimacing.
Maybe he really didn't want to talk to her after all. Sango and Miroku were known for setting her up on some terrible blind dates. With good intentions, but terrible dates themselves. She'd started mandating that they had to have double date first before they abandoned her with a dude they'd vetted but she didn't know.
She kinda liked Inuyasha, though. He was cute when he blushed like that.
But if he didn't like her then, she wasn't going to make him miserable for the entire weekend.
"I'll—uh—go watch the doors," she said simply, turning away to put some space between them.
"It's spring," he muttered, and she paused, turning to look at him. He only glanced at her, but that pink dusting across his cheeks was deepening, and she had a feeling that he wouldn't have told that to just anyone.
She grinned, but he was still scowling.
"Our little secret then," she whispered as the doors opened and she greeted the first guests. Thankfully, ones that she knew. Sango's little brother and father, who both gave her hugs when she held her arms open to them.
Kohaku was going to be the ring bearer, and she dragged him over to Inuyasha to introduce them.
"Kohaku is shy," Kagome started, hands resting on his shoulders as she stood behind him. Kohaku stared at his feet. "This is Inuyasha."
His head popped up at the mention of the name.
"Oh, Sango talks about you!" He said, and Kagome watched his doggy ears flatten back against his hair.
He's bracing for the worst, Kagome realized. Which was strange, because shouldn't he be comfortable with Miroku's friends too?
"Yeah, she says that you're really smart and into computers."
His ears straighten back up at that, and Kagome paused for a moment before slipping away to greet the other guests.
The wedding was a small affair. The wedding party consisted of her and Inuyasha alone, aside from Rin as the flower girl and Kohaku acting as their ring bearer. Neither Sango or Miroku had much family, and the trek was long for most people. Sango had wanted a small wedding in the mountains and so only their closest friends and family were invited.
The entire wedding consisted of approximately fifty people, which was fine. Kagome knew Sango's family and most of her friends, and she glanced over Mushin's shoulder at Inuyasha who had knelt down with arms wide open as a little girl ran right into him.
He laughed out loud, and—holy shit—did she want to hear that again, because that was an amazing sound to hear from him.
He scooped the little girl off the ground, holding her in one arm, as she flailed her arms wildly in telling him something obviously important. It was completely endearing.
And then she saw someone who absolutely had to be related to him. He had long white hair, almost like Inuyasha's, but this guy was taller, not lankier, but definitely a little less broad than Inuyasha. He was older but not enough to be his father. Maybe the 'asshole half-brother' that he ranted about, albeit briefly, at lunch earlier today.
Once the little girl saw the other man, she lunged for him, hands outstretched and grabbing for him, even though she had to be seven or eight.
The man took her from Inuyasha, settling her into his arms easily.
"That's Rin," Sango's father said quietly to her.
"Oh! Rin's the flower girl!" She clapped her hands together, remembering the conversation she had with Sango. "And she's Inuyasha's . . . niece?"
Sango's father nodded.
"I'm going to go say, hello," he said, patting her shoulder and walking towards the two dog demons.
A woman, also youkai, walked up to them, standing beside the taller of the two an smiling up at Rin.
Inuyasha glanced at Kagome, and the woman caught the direction of his gaze, grinned, and said something that made him blush. His brother glared at him for the remark, obviously unimpressed.
"That's Sesshomaru and Kagura," Miroku said as he came up behind her, looping one arm around her shoulders. "They're Inuyasha's brother—" a sharp glare from Inuyasha and Sesshomaru made him raise a hand and wave at them, "fine, fine, half-brother and sister-in-law. They adopted Rin a couple of years ago."
"Kohaku looks like he's enjoying himself," Sango noted as she came up on Miroku's other side.
"He seemed to hit it off with Inuyasha," Kagome mentioned.
"He practically idolizes him. He wants to learn programming and be a computer science major in college. Dad wants him to go into finance," Sango explained. "He won't actively go against Dad, but I can see him getting a double major though," Sango grinned.
"He's definitely the smart one in the family," Miroku commented, which earned him a punch in the gut from his fiancée. "Such violence!"
"You love it." Sango leaned up and pecked him on the cheek.
"Is everyone here?" Mushin asked, and Kagome turned towards him. He stood beside her, and didn't smell like sake, which was surprising.
Mushin raised Miroku after his parents died, but the man never missed an opportunity to drink sake, and on more than one occasion had appeared at whatever event smelling like the drink, or at the very least, left smelling like it. It never seemed to bother Miroku, who remained convinced that Mushin could safely find his way home no matter his level of sobriety, but Kagome worried many nights and asked for Miroku to double check that his father figure had arrived without complication.
"Looks like it," Miroku said with a quick scan of the small crowd, "Are you ready?"
Mushin nodded and ambled towards the altar. Miroku unwrapped his arms from around them and stepped forward.
"Alright everyone," Miroku announced, drawing attention to himself. "We are going to start the rehearsal, so we can get to the bar and dinner!"
Directions were given, and she and Inuyasha stood next to each other, waiting for the cue for them to walk.
"Hey," Kagome whispered, and she caught the turn of his head towards her in her peripheral. "Do I still look okay? I didn't think about it when I was hugging people earlier."
His eyes looked over his neck, and she started to blush at the scrutiny.
"Well?"
"It's fine," he stated plainly, and then stared straight ahead. His ears flickering on top of his head. "We're up," he said, offering her his arm.
Kagome rested her hand in the crook of his elbow, sliding her hand along his arm, and it twitched for a moment under her fingers. He took a step forward, keeping a reasonable pace for her, and adjusting the length of his stride for her. He could clearly make two to her one.
He paused at the stairs, allowing her to lean more of her weight on him as she stepped up in pace with him. He lingered at the top, allowing her to let go first before he moved to his own position next to Miroku.
Rin stood at Kagome's side, and Kohaku stood next to Inuyasha.
Then Sango came down the aisle walking next to her father, grinning.
Miroku stepped forward, reaching his hand out to help her up the stairs.
"Alright, now that everyone is in their places. Kagome, you will take Sango's bouquet. Inuyasha, you will stand there and look pretty," Mushin started, making everyone giggle, including Kagome, though did she note that his ears wiggled slightly. "Now, I will give my speech about how lucky Miroku is to have Sango and how she's obviously settling. Then, you two, will give your vows, which you will have written and/or memorized. Miroku, you will have exactly two minutes to wax poetic about how much you love Sango; we want tears of joy because you're finished not because you're still talking." Mushin turned towards Sango. "Sango, take as much time as you would like. Once the vows are done, we will trade rings." Mushin motioned for Kohaku to step forward, and he did so. "Kohaku will hand the rings over, and then you will recite after me, put the rings on each other, and then I will announce you as man and wife, and finally Miroku, you will kiss your bride."
Miroku wrapped his arm around Sango's waist, the other snapping across her shoulders, as he dipped her towards the ground and placed a very firm kiss to her lips. He quickly set her upright, as she gripped his shirt as he righted her, laughing at the shocked look on her face.
"Someone will clap, I'm sure, and then we will start the recession with you two," he motioned for Sango and Miroku to walk down, and then for Rin and Kohaku to walk down together. Kohaku made sure that Rin walked down alright and then continued her down the walkway as she enthusiastically waved to her parents at the back of the chapel. It was utterly adorable.
Mushin then motioned to her, and she moved to the top of the stairs, meeting Inuyasha at the center, where he offered his arm again, and then they slowly descended the stairs, and continued down the hallway before stopping with the others.
Kagome pulled her hand away as Inuyasha let his arm drop, and their hands brushed against each other. Kagome looked up at him. He scratched the side of his nose delicately with a clawed finger, so she didn't say anything else.
"We did it!" Rin shouted, throwing her hands up in the air next to her uncle.
"You did good, kiddo," Inuyasha commented, ruffling her hair, making her laugh loudly and try to push his hand away.
"We're going to go check on the dinner," Miroku said, dragging Sango after him.
"Five bucks says they go make out in a closet," Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, and Kagome laughed at the accuracy of the accusation.
"Rin," her father commanded in a stern voice, but Rin didn't seem to mind as she darted off, hands outstretched for him to pick her up. He picked her up effortlessly.
"That's your brother, right?" Kagome whispered and Inuyasha grimaced.
"Half-brother," he corrected. "He's an asshole, but Rin seems to like him."
His brother cut a glare towards them.
"What's his name? I don't want to keep calling him 'Inuyasha's half-brother.'"
Inuyasha grinned down at her, and she could almost see the sinister mental cogs rolling and working together.
"That's a great name for him. Do it. It'll piss him off all weekend."
"No, that's rude! Just tell me his name," Kagome pleaded.
"Nope," he said with a shake of his head. "You'll just have to refer to him as my half-brother."
Kagome sighed and looked at Kohaku.
"Can you—"
"No! No one tells her!" He jutted a finger at Kohaku. "I will not hesitate to drown you in the pool!"
"Sesshomaru," came the monotone voice from behind her. She jumped, turning towards him. He towered over her slightly, and she leaned back into Inuyasha slightly.
"Bastard," Inuyasha grumped.
"You are lucky father is not here," Sesshomaru stated before turning to Kagome. "This is my mate and wife, Kagura."
"Yo," the woman said with a quick wave of her fingers, and then motioning to the little girl in his arms. "And this is Rin. Sesshomaru doesn't like to let her walk because she's human."
Sesshomaru cut a glare at his wife, tucking Rin closer with his arm, as if afraid Kagura would take her from him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kagome added with a slight bow.
Sesshomaru's gaze moved to Inuyasha, and Kagome chanced a glance between the two brothers.
Kagura let out a sigh, tapping a closed fan against her cheek.
"Don't you dare, you ass," Inuyasha said, jabbing a finger at him.
"You have my condolences, Miss Higurashi," he stated.
"For what?" She tilted her head.
"Being forced to entertain my brother," he said walking past the both of them with Rin clutching onto his shoulder.
"You two are insufferable together," Kagura muttered, she squeezed Kagome's arm. "Come find me if you want to drown your sorrows. Lord knows I will be." Kagura flicked Inuyasha's nose with the tip of her finger. "Be nice, pup."
"I ain't a pup!" He retorted, rubbing his nose with his hand.
She reached up and flicked his ear hard. Kagome winced at the sound it made as he recoiled with a yelp.
"What was that for?" He shouted, letting go of her hand to rub his ear.
"Watch your language around my daughter. She says 'fuck' once and I beat your ass." She walked off after her husband.
Inuyasha growled after her, still rubbing his ear tenderly. It sounded like it had hurt.
And they were such cute ears! Kagome couldn't fathom ever wanting to maim them like that.
"Such a bitch," he grumbled, letting go of his ears to flick them back a forth a few times. "She knows that hurts too."
"I'm sorry," Kagome offered.
"Eh, don't be. Not your fault." She could see a faint blush crossing his cheeks.
"How about we go check on Sango and Miroku? I might take you up on your wager."
He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked down at her.
"Five bucks says they're making out in a closet when we get there."
"If they're not in the reception hall, how are we going to know?" Kagome asked, looking up at him. Inuyasha tapped his nose, a wry grin spreading across his face. "We'll sniff them out."
Kagome giggled at the notion of Inuyasha on all fours, sniffing out a trail for them to follow.
"Alright!"
Miroku and Sango were not in the restaurant and had not been seen according to the head waiter.
She could feel the way his youki sharpened, focusing like a dog on the hunt. He sniffed the air and then the game was afoot. He jogged around the building, following something that only he could see or sense.
He paused in front of a door and sniffed before grinning back at her.
Oh, she was going to lose. But she'd also figured that.
She pretty much knew that Miroku and Sango would take care of dinner and then disappear to make out in a closet. Nothing had really changed since college in that aspect.
She'd caught them in various states in some very weird and some very public places. They really had no modesty.
Correction: Miroku had no sense of modesty, but Sango usually curbed him somewhat.
Except for when she didn't.
Inuyasha rapped on the door.
"Put your pants on, lecher!"
Kagome could hear the sounds of shuffling and after a moment, Inuyasha threw the door open, grinning malevolently. Sango was still tugging her dress back into place, though she wasn't nearly as discombobulated as Miroku.
"There is still—" Sango grabbed Miroku's wrist and hoisted in front of her face, as he was attempting to zip up his fly, and glanced at his watch, "fifteen minutes before dinner starts. What could you possibly need to hunt us down for?"
"I won five bucks," Inuyasha stated. Sango was clearly untucking a wedgie. Miroku was working to tuck his shirt back inside his pants.
"While I am so happy for you," Miroku started as Kagome stepped forward and started fixing Miroku's shirt buttons, "I'm still not following."
"I bet Kagome five bucks you were making out in a closet." He clicked his tongue. "I was right."
Kagome glanced up at Miroku who raised an eyebrow and was clearly on the verge asking something that was probably bordering on inappropriate. She diverted her gaze back to finishing up Miroku's buttons.
"You are such a cockblock, Inuyasha," Sango mumbled.
"I aim to please," he called after her. Kagome moved away from Miroku, taking a step back. Inuyasha's arm slipped around her shoulders, guiding her out of the room. "We'll see you guys in fifteen minutes!" He kicked the door closed, pulling her back towards the restaurant.
His arm remained around her neck.
"You owe me five dollars," he commented.
"Are you going to remind me about it every five minutes?" She asked him as they walked through the halls back towards the restaurant.
"Maybe," he said with a sly grin that made her face flush at its proximity. "You know, I've never heard Sango drop so many 'fucks' in a row. You should've heard it." He snickered to himself. "I might not be the best man tomorrow."
"You sound so proud of yourself."
"You have no idea how much shit Miroku has given me over the years. This is hardly a drop in the bucket." He opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped himself, snapping his mouth closed.
"What?" She asked, taking a step away to look at him.
"Nothing. Let's go check on dinner."
She followed his long strides as he passed through the doorway and began talking to the wait-staff about what needed to be done.
"I'll go to the lobby and direct some of the guests. You can stay here and make sure everything turns up okay. And hunt down Miroku and Sango if they're not back in fifteen minutes." She winked at him. "After all, you're the cockblock, not me," she said with a wave of the hand and disappeared out the door, listening to him sputter behind her.
She knew everyone at the wedding. At the very least, they'd met a few times.
But there weren't that many people coming to the wedding. Mostly just really close friends and family. Neither Miroku or Sango had a ton of family, and they'd both wanted a small wedding. In total, there were going to be fifty-three people here. At least at last count. There were a handful of names that were on an extended maybe list. Kagome had spent several hours adjusting lists of names and whiddling down Miroku's infamous 'I'll invite everyone I've spoken to ever in my life' to just the people that absolutely had to be present on the day he married Sango.
It had taken her three months.
Sango swore that she'd quit her job and plan Kagome's entire wedding for completing that task alone.
Because Kagome was a great fucking friend.
Hence why she was now staring at her ex-boyfriend, Kouga, and his date.
In all fairness, it was wrong for Kagome to feel any bitterness towards the girl. It wasn't her fault that Kouga had left her out to dry randomly after two years of very serious dating. Like they'd talked about marriage. They were even living together! She'd moved away from her family to live with him, because he'd sworn that she was it for him.
But there were also little clues now that she knew what to look for that spoke the opposite.
Still though, the shock of it still made her mad at times.
Sango had said that there was an open bar for the bridal party, and Kagome fully intended to take advantage of it, because alcohol was going to be the only thing that got her through this evening.
"Kagome!" Kouga shouted, because of course he did, and hugged her tightly to his chest in greeting, despite her not reciprocating in any fashion. "I'm so glad we can catch up this weekend!"
"Eh, don't know how much catching up I'll be doing. I'll be a little busy," she stuttered out after a second of brain rebooting to avoid a grisly murder in the middle of a hotel lobby with lots and lots of witnesses.
"Oh, that's right, you're the maid of honor!"
Kagome looked behind him and saw a woman standing there, fully dressed for dinner, eyes narrowed and darting between the two of them.
She stepped around Kouga and extended her hand.
"I'm Kagome," she said.
"Ayame, Kouga's fiancée." She held up her hand with a stunning diamond ring on it.
Fiancée.
Kouga was engaged.
To be married.
Engaged.
Kagome sucked her reiki in even tighter as she put on a smile.
"Congratulations," she said. "You must be very excited."
The woman seemed to relax a little and moved to stand beside Kouga, wrapping one of her own arms around his.
This was a mistake.
A terrible, terrible mistake. She should've made Inuyasha do this.
Because after two years of dating and discussing what their futures would look like together, Kouga had ended their relationship, met, dated, and proposed to another woman in a single year.
And if that didn't make a girl feel inadequate . . .
"Well, you can head back. There's already some other people there. We're meeting in the ballroom just to the right. There's a seating chart right before you enter. It's alphabetical by last name with a table number."
It wasn't hard. He just needed to walk away and go somewhere else.
She'd told Miroku that it was fine, and Kouga had been Miroku's friend long before she started dating him, and they were over. Like over-over. So over that she would never even consider being in a relationship with him. But Kouga was on Miroku's 'absolute must be there' list, and she'd conceded, despite Sango's questioning if that would make things awkward.
Awkward? She'd said with a laugh.
No, it wasn't awkward. It was downright mortifying.
But there were no other guests walking into the lobby at the moment, so she had no excuse, no diversion other than to stand there.
"You look great, Kagome,"
"Uh, thanks," she mumbled, taking a slight step back. "You don't look so bad yourself."
"Yeah, Ayame and I just came back from a short little camping trip in the woods. It was amazing!"
She tried very hard not to wince at the reminder that he'd tried to take her camping. She'd really wanted to go with him, and she did, but keeping up with someone who is youkai is, well, tiresome for a human. It had spawned one of their nastier spats when she'd fallen ill from a rainstorm they'd gotten caught in. He'd acted like it was her fault, and somehow she could've stopped it if she'd really wanted to.
Their relationship had miraculously lasted almost another year after that.
But thankfully, Sesshomaru and Kagura were walking across the lobby, and Kagome managed to catch Kagura's eyes sending a silent plea for help and rescue before she drowned.
"Ah, Kagome!" She said in an obnoxiously loud tone, obviously drawing the attention towards her. "I had a couple questions about the ceremony tomorrow." Kagura walked up and began prattling away about start times and what time Rin needed to be down there, and where Rin would sit after she'd walked up with Kohaku, as well as a laundry list of questions. Then paused mid-sentence to look up at Kouga, who remained standing too close for Kagome's liking.
"Sorry, Kouga. I'll see you and Ayame inside."
"Yeah, sure," he'd said and left, holding Ayame's hand as they walked to the ballroom.
And then Kagome began rambling, halfway answering Kagura's questions until she was sure that Kouga was out of hearing range.
"You can stop now," Sesshomaru stated, holding Rin in one arm.
Kagome let out a breath and feeling like a balloon deflating.
"Thanks." Kagome smiled at Kagura who dismissed her thanks with a wave of her hand.
"You looked like you could've used some rescuing. Lord knows I've needed it once or twice myself. Practically had to cart away this little puppy here for stalking me in the beginning. So clingy." She made an elaborated shudder.
"I did no such thing," he commented, and she just laughed.
"It's cute that you think that." She patted his wrist. "Now go play nice with your brother for a moment. Girl talk."
"Half-brother," he stated plainly, well, emotionlessly. He was just impassive. At everything.
Sesshomaru walked away, heading towards the ballroom.
"So you know Kouga?" Kagura asked.
"Yeah," Kagome crossed her arms in front of her chest. "We dated for a bit. It didn't end well."
Kagura's eyes widened slightly.
"Ohh, I'd heard he was—" There was an obvious pause here as Kagura fixed whatever word she'd been about to say, "dating a human for a bit there." She made a face after a moment. "Well, at least there's an open bar, right?"
She snorted and glanced towards the ballroom. It was almost time to start, and she should probably go inside.
"I guess we should head in. No one else has walked by in a while."
"You know what else is good news?" Kagura said as they walked together to the ballroom.
"What?"
"Kouga's sitting all the way across the room from us!" She grinned from ear to ear. "And neither Inuyasha or Sesshomaru like him much, so as long as you stick close to us, Kouga will probably stay away."
"Yeah, but I don't want to make either of them feel uncomfortable! And Kouga's really pushy when he wants something. And he knows that if he makes a big enough scene, I'll cave."
Kagura laughed, sounding somewhat devious.
"Oh, honey, Kagome, sweetie, you haven't seen Inuyasha in action. I promise, if anyone's going to battle royale Kouga for Best Scene, it's him. You've got nothing to worry about. And I'll make sure that you'll be under puppy protection all weekend."
"Doesn't that make Sesshomaru and Inuyasha angry when you say that?" Kagome asked as she opened the door to the ballroom.
"Uh yeah, why do you think I say it all the time?"
Dinner went—better than she expected. She'd thought that Kouga would be pushier, but he seemed distracted with those at his table and Ayame. He was flaunting her around, and she went giddily, showing her ring to anyone who asked and even those that didn't.
But Kagura had made sure that there were a steady flow of drinks on the table, and Kagome was thankful for that.
In fact, they'd stepped inside and Kagura had headed straight for the bar, bringing them both drinks. Rin was sitting in a chair next to her, babbling excitedly about all the different things she saw. She chanced a look at Sesshomaru, whose face definitely did not look happy, and he was clearly watching something else behind her.
"What're you blabbering on about, runt?" Inuyasha muttered as he picked up Rin and set her in his lap, taking her seat next to Kagome in the process.
"Current events!" Rin shouted, and Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at the excited shout. Her face immediately turned into a scowl. "And I'm not a runt!"
"And I told you," he booped her nose, "I'll stop calling you that when you're taller than me."
She pouted, turning her head away from him.
"Stop upsetting my daughter," Sesshomaru stated.
Rin stuck her tongue out at him, and he returned the gesture with a grin making Kagome giggle. His ear flicked towards her, and she watched them move for a moment. They were absolutely adorable, and watching them move around, listening to the sounds and people around him.
His eyes snapped up, staring at her, scowling at her. She jumped at the sudden change in demeanor.
"W-What?"
"I forgot he was going to be here," he huffed, turning away from her and back to Rin.
"Who?"
"No one, doesn't matter," he muttered. "Hey Rin, wanna do me a favor?" She nodded enthusiastically, and he leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She leapt off and ran across the room, eyes alight.
"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru growled, but Kagura just let out a laugh.
"Too late now, love," Kagura said and Sesshomaru shot her a look. She took a sip of her wine, giggling at her husband.
Kagome smiled as she watched the two of them.
"They're not going to let her bring anything back," Inuyasha said, throwing an arm around the back of his chair. "So stop you're worrying."
"What did you send her to get?" Kagome asked.
"I asked her to get us drinks," he said with a laugh.
"Why would you send a little girl to go get drinks?" She asked him, and he took a swig of the water glass in front of him. Kagome looked over at Kagura. "I'll go check on her." Kagome stood and followed in the direction that Rin had looked at.
"At least she has some manners," Sesshomaru commented, just loud enough that she could hear him as she left the table. She flushed a little, but she moved through the crowd looking for the little girl.
"Ah, Kagome!" Kouga's voice called to her over the crowd as he pushed through towards her.
"Oh, uh, sorry, I'm looking for Rin at the moment," she stammered, trying to excuse herself from any conversation with him. However, she didn't seem particularly effective at it since he was now following her through the crowd.
"What? The mutt's niece?"
"That's rude, Kouga. His name is Inuyasha."
"You know, you were never afraid to put me in my place. It was kinda refreshing," he growled out lowly, edging in closer to her so that his hand brushed against her arm.
"You never seemed to appreciate it when we were together," she muttered, looking for the little girl around the bar. It didn't help that she was short. And so was Kagome.
"Well, you don't know what you have and all that," he said with a casual shrug and wave of his hand.
Her brain short circuited as it was submerged in pure rage.
"Don't know what you—!" She started to turn around to give him a piece of her mind, but somehow she managed to stop herself. Especially since there were so many people here and they all at least knew her in passing. "You're engaged to Ayame. What we had doesn't matter."
"You're not seeing anyone though." He leaned in close and sniffed her. "You don't smell like anyone else." He sniffed her hair. "Mmm, I missed your scent, you know."
"You're with Ayame now, remember?" She reminded him, pushing him away as she continued moving through the small groups, trying to make the pathway as wobbly and obnoxious as possible just so he wouldn't be able to stay so close to her.
He'd always complained about how she smelled like other people, especially her boss, and now she was something irresistible? Kouga was never this attentive when they were together. He was always shaking off her hands and avoiding cuddling unless he had something to gain from it.
Kagome finally spotted little Rin in the crowd, and she made a beeline to her with Kouga barely a half-step behind her.
"Kagome? Come on, Kagome, hold up!"
"Rin!" She said and the little girl spun towards the sound of her name and beamed up at her. "Hey!" She knelt down beside her. "I thought that I'd come help you! Sound good?"
Rin nodded enthusiastically, and then motioned for her to lean in.
"Who's that?" She whispered, and Kagome glanced over her shoulder at Kouga.
"Oh, that's Kouga. He's an old, uh, friend. He actually just said that he needed to check on his fiancée, Ayame, who's really pretty. Isn't that right, Kouga?"
Kouga scowled, and for a moment, she thought that he was going to stick around, but he turned back towards his table.
"Remember, Kagome, the hunt is part of the fun," he called over his shoulder as he gave her a slight wave.
Great.
Just what she needed.
More of his attention.
"How about we get a drink for Inuyasha, hmm?" She said, and Rin nodded.
"Uncle Inu told me what to get. Can I order from the nice lady?"
Kagome blinked once and then smiled.
"Yeah, sure. You want me to lift you up so you can order like an adult?"
Rin gasped so loudly that Kagome was momentarily worried she'd offended the poor girl. But her excited nod and beaming smile made Kagome smile herself. Rin held her arms up, and Kagome scooped her up, resting her on her hip.
"Can I help you?" The bartender asked, and Rin gave a short nod with a very serious face.
"Yes, please. I would like to order a whiskey double and a cabinet so men long. It's a red."
The bartender blinked and tilted her head.
Rin was so serious that Kagome struggled to suppress her laughter.
"I think you mean cabernet sauvignon," Kagome said after clearing her throat several times.
Rin nodded and slapped her hand onto the small bar, and with a very stern face, she stared down the bartender, "What she said."
"Uh, yes ma'am," the bartender sputtered out and began pouring their drinks. Kagome looked up at the ceiling trying to rein in her laughter. She struggled for a moment, biting her lip as Rin watched the bartender work. She wore a grin on her face as she slid the drinks across the bar to her.
"There you go. Enjoy," she said, and Kagome let Rin slide down to the floor.
"Can I carry one?" Rin asked, and Kagome nodded, handing her the glass of whiskey and taking the glass of wine herself. She looked down at Rin, who held her hand up to Kagome to hold.
Guiding Rin through the small crowd and the many tables, she also watched to make sure that she didn't spill anything on her dress.
"No running," Kagome told her when she felt Rin jerk on her hand as they approached the table.
"Uncle Inu!" She called, and Inuyasha shifted in his chair to turn towards them.
"Good job, kiddo!" He laughed and held his hands out to her. Rin handed over his drink, and he ruffled her hair, to which she squealed and chastised him for messing up her hair.
"Oh, Kagome, there you are," Sango said coming up beside her and grabbing her elbow. "Hey, we're about to start dinner."
"Oh! Do you need help with something?" Kagome asked.
"No, I just heard that some, uh, interesting news about Kouga," she said, glancing across the room in his general direction.
"It's fine," Kagome countered. "Don't worry about it."
"You're sure?" Sango asked, staring at her face, searching for any discomfort. And if there was one thing that Kagome excelled at, it was pretending.
"I'm sure. Don't worry about it. I'm a big girl. I can handle it." She smiled at Sango, who exhaled, shoulders dropping slightly as she relaxed.
"Okay. But you'll tell me, if you need something, right?"
"There's a full bar. I'm sure I'll figure out a way to cope," Kagome said with a smile. Sango's relief was an almost tangible thing, and she returned the smile with vigor.
"You're the best, you know."
"Oh, I'm aware."
Sango laughed, and Miroku wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her temple.
"I'll go grab us drinks for the toast," he said, and walked away. "Do you need anything, Kagome?"
"No, I'm fine."
"I'll be right back," he said.
"What am I? Chopped liver?" Inuyasha retorted.
"Ah, yes, my sincerest apologies," Miroku knelt down on one knee beside Inuyasha's chair. Kagome could already see the flush starting across his cheeks. "My dearest and closest friend, love of my life, can I get you anything else? Anything at all?"
"Get up, you ass," he said, shoving Miroku's shoulder, who only laughed.
"No, no, I insist. Please tell me what you need, and I will gladly provide it."
Inuyasha's face flamed, and Kagome could see a glower starting on his face.
"Miroku, stop. You've tortured him enough," Kagome said with a shove of his shoulder, and Miroku stood with a grin on his face, only to lean forward to whisper something into Inuyasha's ear, which flickered as Miroku spoke.
Inuyasha's flush didn't abate, and only seemed to intensify at Miroku's words, and Kagome felt the full pressure of his stare as Miroku glanced at her and then stepped away, moving back to Sango.
"Thanks," he muttered under his breath, shooting a glare across the table at his brother and his wife.
"No problem," she said, taking a sip of her wine. She'd break for the hard liquor once dinner started.
"Miroku!" Kouga's voice barreled through the room as he appeared right next to their table, wrapping Miroku up in a one armed hug.
He'd explained that Kouga was not allowed to give him two armed hugs after he almost cracked a rib at one point.
Inuyasha grumbled something under his breath, and Kouga shot him a death glare.
"You wanna go, mutt?"
"Yeah, sure, I got five minutes."
Kouga's growl reverberated as Inuyasha stood from his seat.
"Inuyasha, stop," she whined, grabbing onto his sleeve. "He's just being a jerk, like always. Don't let him antagonize you."
"You know this prick?"
"Language, Inuyasha," Kagura warned, and he shot her a glare across the table.
"Kouga, we talked about this," Miroku hissed at him. "This is a wedding, specifically mine and Sango's, show some respect."
"Yeah, sorry, man, just got away from me is all. You know I won't do anything to ruin it." He patted Miroku's shoulder as if that would remove the last minute from the records.
God, this was going to be a long weekend.
And she still had the actual wedding to get through.
This was going to be a disaster.
"I need a drink," Kagome stated, turning away from the bold presence of testosterone in favor of testosterone but with hard liquor. That made everything seem way more tolerable.
"Makes two of us," Inuyasha grumbled. "I'll go with you," he said as he rose to his feet and followed her to the bar.
A sudden snap of his head and a low growl made her look up at him and then follow his gaze where Kouga grinned like he'd just caught and eaten the proverbial canary.
"What?" Kagome asked.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Oh, no." She planted her feet. "What did he say?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it," he repeated, urging her forward towards the bar.
"No, don't. I know he said something. He always has to have the last word. So what did he say?"
"Nothing important."
Kagome stared at his face, trying to read him. She looked back at Kouga, who was actively engaged in a conversation with Miroku now.
"It was about me, wasn't it?" She whispered. Inuyasha didn't answer, and she let out a sigh. Of course it was. "I need some air. Can you come get me when dinner starts?" She altered her course and started for the entrance to the ballroom. A couple minutes outside away from Kouga would help her compose herself, because there was no telling what Kouga actually said, but she had a feeling it was inappropriate and uncouth. "And don't tell Sango, please?"
She didn't wait for an answer, instead opting to just bail and walk out the side exit that led to the gardens.
The air was cool, and while the ballroom wasn't hot, it was certain people who made it feel stifling.
Why was she so nice?
She groaned to herself, because she knew the answer.
Her loved ones always came first.
And to be honest, she thought she'd be able to handle it.
She didn't realize that Kouga would be engaged. If she'd known beforehand then it wouldn't have been so bad. But no one had said anything, and she thought that Miroku would've at least said something about it. He knew that the hurt ran deep, even though he hadn't been there for the actual break up or the crash and burn weeks that followed.
Taking a deep breath, she willed herself not to ruin her makeup and worry Sango. This was her weekend, not Kagome's. She could break down and cry on the hours long trip back home, but she would hold herself together right now.
And to top it off, Kouga was acting like he still owned her. Like she was some possession and he got to choose what she did and who she did it with.
And the audacity to make a comment about her not smelling like anyone!
Jerk.
It was like he was trying to push all her buttons.
Reaching for her face, she only narrowly stopped herself from rubbing her eyes and smudging her make up.
She should've told Miroku no. Sango gave her an out, and she'd turned it down.
This was stupid.
She should be a grown adult about all this.
It just—stung a little to think that he could move on so quickly.
A glass appeared in her line of vision, and she jumped, reaching up to take it as she followed the arm up to Inuyasha's face.
Of course, it would only be a couple of minutes.
"Thanks," she said, letting out a small sigh, turning towards the door.
"Dinner's not ready yet," he answered. "Just didn't want you to be out here by yourself and have to go in there completely sober."
"You're such a gentleman," she commented taking a sip of the clear liquid in her glass. "This is good! What is it?" She smacked her lips at the taste. Definitely vodka soda, but there was a flavor there she couldn't quite place.
"Mango pineapple vodka."
"It's really good! How did you know what I like to drink?"
"Miroku," he shrugged, taking a sip of his own fresh drink. "Bastard doesn't think I listen when he talks." He shrugged again.
"Well, I, for one, approve. You're a really good guy, Inuyasha." She nudged his arm with her shoulder gently, and he made a quiet noise. "So, you gonna tell me what Kouga said?"
"Nope," he said, sipping from his own glass.
"You know I've probably heard him say it before."
"Doesn't mean you need to hear it again."
His retort startled her. It had been a hot minute since someone had gone out of their way for her like this. She smiled at him, and his cheeks darkened.
He turned his head towards the door, ears twisting, hearing something she couldn't.
"Dinner?"
"Yeah, sounds like it. We should go inside." He turned towards the door, waiting for her to join him, and she clutched her glass as they walked inside. He held the door open for her, and she stepped inside.
Rin talked eagerly about being a flower girl, sitting between Sesshomaru and Kagura. They'd shifted Kagome's seat so that she was now sitting between Inuyasha and his older half-brother and her view was blocked from the table across the room. Sango and Miroku joined them at their table after welcoming everyone and encouraging them to enjoy the bar and the menu provided that evening, and after they would have after-dinner drinks in the garden outside.
Kagome eagerly ate through her meal, enjoying the fish and potatoes, and the soup starter. It was a simple meal, but Miroku and Sango had promised quite the meal for after the wedding. Miroku hadn't stopped talking about the couscous bar they'd ordered before they'd arrived, and Sango frequently commented that she wasn't sure if he was more excited about their upcoming nuptials or the couscous.
But in the end, Kagome was happy sitting between the two dog-demons as Kouga remained sequestered at his own table.
A/N: I was going to have this posted on Saturday, but there was a lot of stuff happening, and I didn't have time to edit it. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. My goal is to publish once a month (at least until I finish with "Ghost of Higurashi Shrine").
Anyway, please drop a comment and let me know what you guys think! I love hearing from you all!