Souta sat next to Inuyasha as they took their breakfast on the bench underneath the Goshinboku. The sun was still rising and the air was crisp. The boy happily shared his portions while his new big brother ate in silence. His mother was having breakfast with Kagome. They couldn't allow Inuyasha to see his bride before the wedding, but they couldn't let him have breakfast alone.
Souta took the trays inside to his grandfather to clean. Kagome was locked in the bathroom. His mother was still dressed in her dressing gown. He rolled his eyes at her orders but skipped outside. Inuyasha followed him across the grounds to the building adjoining the shrine. The decorations were different than the main house, more formal. Pale wood and expensive scrolls and polished-to-a-shine decorations. Inuyasha followed Souta into a room. The boy fiddled with the handles that controlled the water in the little tub while he undressed. The lukewarm water didn't burn his skin. Souta left soap and a long-handled brush on the edge. The scentless soap Kagome had purchased for him was withdrawn from a plastic bag. Souta ignored his complaints about dousing his hair with the entire bottle. The boy helped massage the soap into his scalp, every damn strand. Inuyasha sneezed bubbles.
Souta left him alone to scrub his skin with the soap. The Higurashi family was determined that he be spotless. The boy had taken his bath the previous night. The human's skin still reeked of soap. The impending night of the new moon was already in motion, weakening his nose. He grumbled but used the brush until the bristles bent. Souta returned to douse his head with water. He grumbled about the water in his ears. A big fluffy towel was brought out to dry him off. Another was brought out to towel off his mass of hair.
Inuyasha sat on the floor while Souta combed out his hair. The lack of purpose left him thinking about Kagome. In a matter of hours, she would be his wife. He would be a husband. It seemed unreal. The beautiful, kind and smart girl wanted him. It was hard to let ago of his doubts. No more chasing Kagome to the well, afraid that she wouldn't return. If they had children, she couldn't abandon them to run home during a fight. The girl was really promising to stay by his side. It wasn't just words, like it had been with Kikyo. She wasn't asking him to change or become human. Kagome wanted to marry him exactly as he was, uncouth and uneducated. She loved him. Her family was willing to accept him.
Maybe I could go to school part-time. Like Kagome. Inuyasha studied his claws. His time was promised to the protection of the village and help in the fields, but there might be something he could learn. Kagome deserved a husband that could help provide for her childhood home, her brother. He wasn't sure how men provided for their families in this era. Attending classes in a building like Kagome's would help him provide for his new family. It was not only the village that depended on him now. Kagome's mother was a widow. Her grandfather was an old man.
Inuyasha exhaled raggedly.
Decades, decades of his life had been spent with only one purpose. Survive. Live to see another day. Then Kagome had entered his life. Caring about the life of a single human girl had spiraled into a group, then a village, then an entire familyof humans. Now he was voluntarily putting his neck into the final noose. By accepting Kagome as his wife, it was officially his responsibility to protect the idealistic human. He would always protect her regardless but a marriage was heavier. Permanent.
A noise at the end of the hall perked his attention. Creaks on the shiny stairs let him know Kagome and her mother were inside the building. He heard her voice as a wooden door clicked closed. More steps on the stairs. Shizuka and other strange women were in the hallway. There was a lot of noise on the other end of the building. Boxes made noise as they were shuffled around. The slower footsteps preceded the door to their room opening. Kagome's grandfather carried a little box in his arms. Through his legs, Inuyasha saw several dark-haired women disappear into the door at the other side of the stairs. The door closed.
Souta turned off the hair dryer and brushed his hair straight. The old man set the white box on the plush bed. Kagome's grandfather sat on the plush white duvet. The lid was discarded and paper dropped in the floor. A pile of fabric was carefully removed and draped on the bed.
There was another chorus of female squeals down the hall.
"I repaired that trinket of yours. My granddaughter was pleased." The elder eyed his snowy hair. There was a slight snuff of approval as Souta finished brushing his mane. The kid looked pretty pleased with himself.
"That was a thoughtful tribute to your mother and wife."
"Glad she liked it." Inuyasha shrugged.
A door slammed in the hallway as more footsteps traipsed the stairwell. They all listened to the rustle of fabric and the loud whispers. A hand on his shoulder kept Inuyasha from jumping to Kagome's aide when a group of girls screamed. There was a familiarity to the screeches.
"Kagome's friends." Souta had his hands over his ears.
"How many women does it take to dress one girl?" Inuyasha wanted to march down the hallway to see for himself. Based on the noise, at least six women were required to help Kagome into her clothes. Her mother. Her three friends. All the footsteps back and forth. His weakened nose could still identify the different scents. The old man turned on the television set for background noise while he laid out his clothing. Black silk, gray silk, white cotton.
Souta snorted knowingly. "Women love dressing up. That's why there's a dress montage in every movie."
"A what?"
"The part of the movie where the girls put on different outfits? Remember Kagome's choice on movie night? The girls in the dress shoppe, a dozen different dresses?"
Inuyasha shrugged, taking note of another difference between their eras. Village women normally had one or two kimono. Kagome had a closet filled with clothes, accessories, toiletries...things she would have to give up in his era. Wearing her strangely short kimono as an unmarried priestess was one thing. The status of a miko, especially a time-traveling one like Kagome, was unusual. A married woman wandering about in such strange fashion would attract the wrong attention. She could keep her pink pajamas, what she wore to sleep was private. Kaede had spoken to her, but Kagome was stubborn. In a village like Kaede's, reputations mattered.
A knock at the door startled them all. Mama Higurashi opened the door. Adorned in a fine black kimono, there was no mistaking the mother of the bride. She smiled warmly when she noticed he was still sitting in the floor.
"Just checking up. Is your hair dry?" Why she bothered asking, Inuyasha didn't know. The woman stepped over to touch his hair. Gentle hands checked the length of his hair while he huffed. Souta giggled until his mother turned her appraising eye on the boy. She took a stack of clothes from the bed and ushered him towards the bathroom, reminding him of their strict schedule. Souta shut the door harder than he intended and rattled a picture on the wall.
"Now your attire for the ceremony is quite traditional. For the reception, you and Kagome will change into Western-style clothing." She gestured to the plastic bag resting on the bed. He cringed inwardly at the cost of two wedding suits. In his era, only the bride ever changed clothes! This modern era dressed women strangely enough. He dreaded whatever strange outfit was destined for him.
"Young people and their fads."
Inuyasha obliged and turned his head. The matron was carefully manipulating his heavy hair with some difficulty. He nearly apologized for his inhuman mane. Feeling fingers on his scalp was unfamiliar. His ears swiveled as he heard Kagome's laugh echo through the walls. The women were having fun dressing her in the layers that made up a shiromuku. Kagome's loud friend make a joke that burned his ears. All those times her friends had inquired about her 'bad boy' were they making a euphemism about their friendship? The horny, oversexed womanizer better described Miroku than himself! Kagome had not tamed him!
"Are you alright?" Kagome's mother noticed his burning cheeks.
"It's nothing."
"Western-style suits are quite modest. You have nothing to worry about." The warmth in her voice soothed his ego a bit. Who cared what Kagome's friends thought? Her mother trusted him. They knew he wasn't some pervert that crawled through her window for 'nighttime visits'.
"There! Let's check the mirror." Kagome's mother accepted a handheld looking glass from her father-in-law. The jiji went to the door when a strange voice called for him. The priest was looking for him.
"Very handsome." A small hand squeezed his shoulder. His own image filled the frame. The mirror was dropped on the bed. Following her kind orders, he stood, ready to be dressed.
"I must check on Kagome. You should get dressed. Souta, help Inuyasha!" She called gently.
"Yes, Mom!" The voice was slightly muffled through the door.
"We might just make our schedule. Souta!" The woman seemed torn but hurried out of the door with haste. The hakama on the bed were simple enough, if softer and thinner than his own. There were several layers to be adorned. He eyed the tabi with a twitching brow. His clawed feet would rip through the thin fabric in no time. That would be just his luck, wouldn't it? To show up with torn socks to his own wedding! He scoffed as he quickly donned the first layer of his kimono. His robe of the fire-rat seemed pedestrian next to the shining black fabric. Did Kagome's mother want him to wear the Tetsusaiga? If not, where would it be stashed during the wedding? Surely he could avoid any incidents that would require a transformation until tonight?
Souta burst out of the toilet with a beaming smile. His shiny black clothing swirled around him as the kid spun on his toes. He wore a coat like the fire-rat that buttoned down the middle. The hakama were the same style he had worn to the tailors' with the buttons instead of fabric ties. He quickly evaluated the other clothing wrapped in protective plastic. A Western-style suit? It didn't look so uncomfortable, just strange.
"Can you help me with my bowtie?" Souta held up a scrap of thin cloth.
"What is a bowtie?"
"I'll ask Mom. Need help?" Souta climbed on the bed. Souta helped him to tuck the kimono into his hakama smoothly and free his hair. He allowed the kid with his nimble fingers to tie thick knots on his clothing. Souta stepped back with a serious expression as he surveyed him.
"Well? Is that it, kid?"
"You look grown-up. It's weird." Souta shrugged.
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Kagome will like it. You're all cleaned up. Hey! Would you bring me back a present from your trip?" Excitement gleaned in the kid's eyes. "Matsumoto Castle was built in your era, wasn't it?"
"Never heard of it."
"But you've seen other castles, haven't you? With real samurai and princesses?"
"Course, kid."
"Do you have a castle?"
"No. Kagome and I are going to live in the village."
Another knock at the door preceded the return of Kagome's mother. She left the door open while she clasped her hands together. He quickly checked his gray and black clothing for anything out of place. There was no warning before she came forward to squeeze his arms in her dainty hands. The tears threatening in her eyes made him squirm. Women and their tears - he could never predict whether it was based on happiness or disappointment. It unsettled him.
"What do I do about these?" Inuyasha held up the thin tabi in his hand.
"Your socks?" Tears blinked back from her eyes.
"Can you finish my bowtie?" Souta interrupted.
"Yes, yes. Sit." Inuyasha did as he was instructed. He watched with curioisity as she deftly tied the little cloth around Souta's neck. The result was a little knot that balanced evenly on each side. Her attention turned to his sharply adorned feet. She seemed to understand his conundrum. Her finger rested against her chin lightly as she thought.
A larger pair of tabi were procured from the prepared tailor. Careful wrapping of his claws with a layer of gauze and a quick prayer finished his dress. He stood carefully but the gauze seemed to hold.
"Kagome is still dressing but we seem to be slightly behind schedule." Her fingers snapped as she grabbed his geta, the pair that he would adorn at the bottom of the stairs. She passed the geta to a young woman in the hallway carrying boxes. The door to Kagome's suite opened and Kagome's schoolmates poured into the hall. They waved at him excitedly. He held up his hand.
Kagome, where's Kagome?
With nothing left to do, his nerves returned with full force. The impending ceremony intimidated him slightly. His vow to Kagome and her family in their own ancestral shrine had to be recited properly. If he stumbled or embarrassed himself, he would never forget it. If he could get through the next few hours without embarrassing her family, they would be man and wife.
"How did you propose to Kagome?" Souta jumped on the bed. His legs kicked against the sides lazily.
"What?"
"What did you say? When you told us you were getting married, I got confused."
"We were having a special supper under the Goshinboku. I-I don't know. We ate and sat on the blanket. I just blurted it out, I guess. I'm not good with words so I just said it plainly. It was loud and sudden. I just asked her." Inuyasha remembered that night under the stars, watching the lights shoot overhead. The way he'd grasped her hands and barked out his feelings. Her pretty face staring at him in shock. "Are you serious?"
"Is that romantic?" Souta frowned.
"I dunno. Kagome said yes and kissed me." Inuyasha shrugged.
"Did you give her a present?"
"I wasn't planning it! Well, I was thinking about it. It was spontaneous!"
"All of our relatives are going to ask. You should tell it better." Souta counseled confidently.
"Gee, thanks."
"Come along, boys!" There was a noticeable rustle of clothing from the women's side. Souta hurried into the hallway. He took a step, testing his clothing. On second thought, he turned for the Tetsusaiga. With his protection at his side, he felt much more natural. He entered the hallway more cautiously. Souta's hands on his legs prompted him to stand at the stairs. His hands clenched as he waited for instructions. Shizuka passed by the doorway as they spilled out. Rustling fabric caught his breath as Kagome stepped forward. Peerless white silk covered her from head to toe. The confining fabric forced her to take small, hesitant steps towards the stairs. Souta nudged his legs.
"Move, dummy," the boy whispered.
Inuyasha didn't trust his voice, but he could read the emotions in Kagome's eyes. The normally talkative girl was silent as she turned her head toward the stairs, hiding her face from him. Pressure built in his chest as he began to slowly descend the stairs.
