"What do you think?" Kagome examined the inside of her new bedroom. The new bed was longer with a softer mattress. Two pillows decorated the head. A soft, silky bedspread made her room look more mature, more grown-up. A new chair sat at her desk, wide enough for Inuyasha, if he wanted. New curtains flowed with the slightest bit of wind. Mama had left Inuyasha's designated drawer open, showing a tidy row of shirts, pants and men's underwear. A pair of men's sandals were sitting in a box on her desk. The smell of paint had faded away.
"Keh. Looks fine to me." Inuyasha stepped forward. He sat on the bed experimentally. She saw him estimate the length of the mattress.
"You don't have to wear the clothes..." Kagome gestured.
"Your mom thinks I should. The tailor won't ask me to undress, will she?" Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably.
"Not this time – she'll measure how long your arms are, your legs, your chest." Kagome sat in her chair. Inuyasha watched the flowing fabric of her skirt rest against her knees. The relatively modest blue skirt matched well with her short-sleeved shirt. The early morning traffic from the street could be heard from her window.
"Will she care about these?" Inuyasha held up his fingers. The long claws shone in the sunlight. Deadly. Inhuman. His doglike ears spun like satellites. With a bit of maneuvering, she tied a bandanna over his head. He looked more like the unruly gangster Hojo had assumed he was, but his ears were protected.
After insisting Inuyasha didn't have to, she picked out a pair of soft gray cargo pants with a stretchy waistline. She pulled out a soft white shirt with long sleeves. She hesitated.
"Keh. I'll wear the stupid things." Inuyasha interrupted nervously. "Which way is the front?"
"T-this." Kagome showed him the side with the printed tag. She left Inuyasha with the pile of clothes and stepped into the hallway. Her arms folded across her chest. There was a string of cursing.
"Inuyasha?"
"Dammit!" Inuyasha let out a frustrated breath. "Kagome!" Her hanyou was wearing the white shirt and the pants. She noticed the peek of white underneath the waistline. His hands covered the gaping section where the crotch hung open.
"It fucking bit me!" Inuyasha swore.
Kagome had experience dressing her little brother in previous years. She knew what he meant. He glared at her as she stepped forward. He hesitated before he moved his hands away. She saw a band of white above the half-completed zipper and the hint of a bulge. With care, she undid the zipper and pulled the fabric free of his body. She slowly pulled the tab upwards. A scratch on the button and the extended fabric showed his efforts to work the little button through the loop. With his claws, it was probably difficult to manage.
"I'm sorry Inuyasha. I didn't think." Kagome pushed the little button through at an angle with the pad of her thumb. She pulled his shirt down over the offending clothing.
"Fucking hurt," he grumbled.
"I'm sorry." Kagome lifted onto her toes to kiss his bottom lip. Her apology was accepted. He grabbed the sandals and followed her down the stairs. Her mother was waiting in the entryway. A purse was in her hands as she packed items inside. The sandals were slipped onto his feet with protest, his clawed toes hanging out the front. It was less conspicuous than traveling barefoot.
The tailor was a friend of her mother's. The little shop sat on a busy street full of little boutiques. Women shopping with friends and mothers. A full bridal shop displaying an expensive wedding dress caught her eye. The mannequin was obscenely buxom and bent forward at the waist. She ducked into the little shop with the bell. The large, clean space was nearly empty except for a wall with mirrors and a raised stand. A little cash register was against the back wall. Bolts of fabric were lined on the side, efforts in work, little ornaments for brides and a sample bouquet. Inuyasha bristled at the feminine energy but followed her lead. A thin, beautiful woman with gray hair was already greeting her mother. Shizuka tilted her head forward and let her spectacles rest on her nose as she examined the male in tow.
"This is the husband?"
"Inuyasha is my fiancee." Kagome nodded her head. He calmed slightly at the pride in her voice. She was glad he belonged to her.
"Let me see." Shizuka stepped out from behind the counter, ignoring the clipboard with measurements and notes. Inuyasha did not squirm under her direct gaze. She lifted her finger and moved the digit in a circular motion. He balked.
"What? No!"
"Inuyasha, turn." Kagome beckoned softly. With an embarrassed grumble, he swiveled on his feet. Shizuka's gaze seemed to sear through to his bones. Her pen scribbled something on her papers; she wet the tip on her tongue and scribbled something else out.
"Coloring is unusual, tall. Tall is good." Shizuka murmured. The woman pulled a length of paper from around her neck. Her approach was direct, purposeful. When beckoned, he extended his arm. Placing the outside of her hand on his shoulder she held the paper down, eyes flicking over the numbers. She repeated the process with his other arm. She wrapped the tape around his bicep and noted the size with an appreciative hum in her throat. She stood behind him, making him nervous, to measure the width of his shoulders.
The process continued. Wrists. Neck. Chest. Hips. She flattened her hand against his belly.
Inuyasha balked at the woman kneeled and pushed his feet apart. His cheeks filled with blood as the woman's hand brushed against his crotch. He kept his eyes on the display of flowers as her hands touched his legs, taking his measurements. Eventually the woman reclaimed her clipboard from Mama Higurashi, who had been recording the measurements spoken aloud.
"Do you prefer a loose fit, regular fit, or slim?" Shizuka asked him directly.
"Regular fit?" Inuyasha glanced at Kagome.
"He has the body for slim." Shizuka glanced at his abdomen. Kagome covered her mouth as her eyes sparkled. The adult women were consulting a chart with pictures attached, photos of men's wedding attire. Inuyasha shook off the slightly dirty feel to his skin as he followed Kagome to the other side of the store. Her fingers picked at the overlapping metal of a bracelet. A smile was pulling at the corner of her mouth.
"What's so funny?"
"You look good in those clothes." Kagome looked at him. "Even Shizuka thinks so."
"I feel ridiculous." Inuyasha pulled at the shirt.
"I mean it. The ladies on the street were looking at you." Kagome eyed the fabric that outlined his physique. There was not a bit of flesh on Inuyasha's body that was weak or extra. Years of living in harsh conditions had left him muscled, chiseled, strong, lean. It was almost impossible not to stare at him in his fitted modern clothes. His muscled arms were more powerful than Shizuka knew.
"Keh."
"Silk, silk." Shizuka approached. In a businesslike manner, she compared a roll of colored samples against Inuyasha's skin. Black, gray, white, red, navy. There were so many shades of black and gray.
"What say you, Kagome?"
"Well..." The teenager stepped forward. She flipped through the little reel. Her lips pursed in a cute manner.
"Your arms and your back are rather long." Shizuka pondered. Kagome remembered Inuyasha's propensity to drop onto all fours, a dog's gait, when carrying her on his back. It was natural for him, second nature. She hadn't thought that perhaps his arms were longer than a normal human's to accommodate such behavior, his spine longer. "It will drape your sleeves low. Perhaps a darker color for the top, to accentuate the silhouette?"
"Perhaps." Mama Higurashi nodded.
"This one." Kagome fingered a solid black swatch. It was one of the darkest of the selection. "Can you make hakama from this gray?"
"Very traditional." Shizuka paused in thought.
"Is that ok with you?" Kagome rested her hand against her chest. I'll wear whatever she wants. I don't care. Her smile widened and she hugged him around the middle. Her warmth soaked through the thin fabric.
"As for the bride, shall we try it on?" Shizuka asked quietly. Kagome kissed him on the cheek before disappearing behind the curtain. Kagome's mother slipped some money into his hand.
"There's a burger shop down the road. Why don't you get some lunch? It's called WacDonalds. Go in and ask for a burger and some fries. Order a drink. There will be a little machine on the wall. Just do what the other kids do." Mama Higurashi left him with paper money and a pat. He exited the little shop hesitantly and went down the sidewalk. He remembered the giant yellow sign Kagome had described to him. Others entered the shop ahead of him. He stood behind them on the dirty smelling linoleum and watched others give their list of food to the shop boy. They were given a tray and a cup. They handed over the paper money and sometimes got paper back. He felt a bit overwhelmed by the colorful menu glaring overhead. The overhead lights buzzed with a weird sound. He stepped forward and repeated the order the guy ahead of him had given...his food had looked decent.
Inuyasha handed the shop boy the paper money and waited. He took the tray of food and the empty cup and followed the brown-haired friends to the rumbling machine. The boys pressed their cups against a lever and ice fell down. They pushed a button on the machine and sugar-mixed liquid came down. He blinked at the different names before he found a button marked water. There was a table by the window that faced the street. The swivel-chair was metal and cold. His claws tore through the paper-wrapping casually and he sniffed at the bun. Beef was sandwiched between two layers of bread with some vegetable. He sniffed at the little red cup and recognized the same vegetable from the steak inn.
Inuyasha was feeling very pleased with himself, eating the potato stick. He watched the metal demons on the street going by. Miroku would enjoy the variety of girl's outfits hanging in the shops. Some of them were little more than bits of string and a square of fabric. Girls would come out with bags and hold up fragile bits of lace and squeal. Sango would agree with his conclusion that none of it would stand up to life in the village. The thin, silly fabric tore too easily.
Inuyasha's eyes purposefully avoided the store with the naked mannequin being redressed by a young woman. The ridiculous see-through fabric covering her breasts accomplished nothing. The scarlet red was eye-catching. A dark wig was added to the plastic woman. He kept his eyes down and chewed his food slowly. The saltiness of the potato made him thirsty.
"Is anyone sitting here?" He snapped his head up. A pretty girl with brown hair smiled at him. Shrug. The girl dropped into the swivel seat across from him and arranged her food. She removed the top bread and added a layer of the sauce. He waited uncomfortably. She knows I don't belong here. Kagome warned me not to let people know what I am.
"I never like to eat in public by myself." The girl dipped one of her potato sticks into the sauce. "It makes me feel weird, you know? My mom and my sister are shopping down the street and I didn't want to look at clothes with them. They have the same style and I just don't fit in. My mother always makes me wear things I don't like."
"...yeah." The modern clothes felt strange on his skin.
"Are you waiting on someone?" The girl smiled knowingly. "This isn't exactly a guy's shopping road, unless you're a pervert. You're not, are you?"
"I don't think so."
"Good. I'm Arisu." The girl gave him a little wave.
"Inuyasha. I'm waiting on family." He followed her example and put a dab of sauce on his potato. It added a sweet layer to the overly salty flesh. She took a long drink from the thin cylinder in her cup. He briefly wondered if he should have added a top to his cup.
"Do you go to high school near here?" Arisu pulled out her black talking device. "What's your number? You seem really nice."
"I don't have one." Inuyasha dropped his gaze.
"That's ok. Can I have your extra napkin?" He ceded the thin paper to the girl who dabbed at her mouth.
"It's probably going to rain later. See those clouds?" The girl pointed at the sky. I could have told her as much. Humans. "Don't you just love a good rainstorm? It's so relaxing. I always love the way the air smells afterward. Clean and new."
"It's ok." Inuyasha's posture changed as he noticed Kagome hurrying down the road. A small bag clutched in her hands, excited breathing, looking down at the inn. She looked blissfully happy. Her mother was walking at a more measured pace, reading a piece of paper. The two argued for a moment before they stopped on the sidewalk to cross the road. Inuyasha's heart flipped as he watched her scanning the restaurant windows. She waved.
She's so beautiful, so good. Why is she marrying me?
Kagome crossed the street and noticed he was eating French fries. He waved back like a normal boy, trying not to feel proud about ordering from the confusing shop. She disappeared from view for a moment before hurrying up the linoleum.
"Inuyasha!"
"Hey, Kagome." Inuyasha felt pretty cool sitting in the restaurant.
"I'm Arisu." The girl waved politely. "Is this your cousin?"
"Inuyasha's my boyfriend." Kagome eyed the pretty girl. Her hand casually pulled a potato stick from his tray and chewed it thoughtfully. Kagome's mother bustled inside. The distant boom of thunder caught his ears. The matron dropped a bag on the table before stuffing a shuffle of papers into her tote. She withdrew a square and checked the contents.
"Will you order?" Kagome accepted the paper money from her mother. Inuyasha made room under the table as his mother-in-law joined them. She seemed preoccupied with her paper. Inuyasha shrugged at the girl hurrying to finish her meal. By the time Kagome had returned with two rounds of burgers, fries and drinks, the girl had finished her meal. He waved a polite goodbye but she flushed. She said goodbye before hurrying onto the street.
"They were out of tea so I brought you water." Kagome set the tray on the table.
"Do you have your mobile phone? We may need to call a cab." Sprinkles of water were beginning to splatter the concrete outside. People were hurrying into shops and doorways to escape the oncoming storm.
"Do we need to pick Souta up from his friend's?"
"No, His mother will drive him home." Mama Higurashi looped the handle of her tote over the chair. The matron began to eat distractedly.
"Was the bill very much, Mama?" Kagome eyed the paper on the table. Inuyasha notice even scratches of ink on thin paper, numbers in columns.
"Never you mind!" Her mother noticed their curious eyes. The paper was folded and tucked into her pockets. Noting Kagome's muted color, she sighed and patted her child's forearm. "There is plenty enough funds for your wedding. I was just considering her schedule estimations. If we don't pay for an assistant's help, your clothing will be delayed a week past when we thought. Since our venue is safe, that would only leave the caterer and the flowers and the cakemaker. The Almanac warns about a spring rain."
"Mom, we can wait a week!"
Inuyasha let out an involuntary yelp, then ducked his head when Kagome heard. The sound he had made, in protest, had been pulled from his chest. He struggled with himself. He loved Kagome. He wanted to stand with her and marry her, to join her family. The scent of Kagome's arousal in her sleep had started to haunt him. In the past few days, the girl's dreams had left her mumbling and moaning slightly. Flushed in her sleep, she would reach her hand out for him, sitting against her new bed. The combination of her touch and her sound and the sweetness in her smells had chased him to the roof. The reminder that her bed had been changed to accommodate him was an impossible temptation. Kagome was taking medicine to have 'safe' sex for pleasure, their lovemaking.
Another week? Another WEEK of Kagome calling for me in her sleep? Inviting me to share her bed, feeling her hips press against me? In his era, where things made sense, it was unheard of to invite a man to sleep in your bed without ulterior motives. Miroku had tried that line on Sango a thousand times and she had never agreed.
Inuyasha dropped his head against the table as Kagome talked to someone on her portable machine. She gave them their location. Inuyasha groaned when he remembered the stupid clothes he was wearing. The source of his passion would have to help him undo the silly round piece of plastic only loosely attached by a whisper of thread to his crotch. Her hands lingering over his body, undressing him –
I cannot bed Kagome before our wedding. It would disrespect her family. Kagome is the only daughter of a long line of spiritual powers. It would anger the spirits of her ancestors. They could curse our marriage. They could turn me into an actual DOG panting after her leg for all I know. I've already seen the presence of spirits in her world.
Inuyasha's claws dragged against the metal table lightly, drawing scratches on the cheap surface. The only one I can talk to is Miroku, but I already know what he'll say on the matter. Find a woman or find a cold pond. I'll have to sleep on the roof again.
