Chapter 22: Uninvited Guests
Reiwa Era, 3rd Year (July 2021 CE)
Touga stood with Sesshoumaru at the bottom of the steps to the Higurashi shrine. The morning sun already had the city simmering in sight. Touga's makeup felt like a greasy layer on his face amidst the humidity. But even though he was baking in his black tux, nothing could dampen his mood.
To think that both his sons would be married in the space of three months. It was a blessing he could have never foreseen in all these years of waiting for them to find the right life companions.
A car zoomed past them, and Touga delicately cleared his throat to block the fumes of gasoline that billowed through the air. Sesshoumaru's nose crinkled, and he looked back up to the shrine with some impatience. However, they would not return until summoned. The two of them had taken to waiting on the street level of the shrine to give Rin and the women some privacy. Though Rin's mother, Inukimi, Izayoi, and Kagome were readying the bride in her old bedroom, the house itself was of old construction and not nearly soundproofed enough to keep dog demons from hearing what went on inside.
Sesshoumaru stood like a statue in his black groom's kimono with the old cherry blossom emblems of Inukimi's noble house upon the sleeves. His boy was never the talkative sort, but Touga felt compelled to say something to his son before this momentous occasion.
"Are you nervous?" he asked.
"There is no reason to be," Sesshoumaru answered. "Being with Rin is right. It makes me feel…complete."
Touga smiled. "That's good. But…you didn't actually answer the question."
Sesshoumaru shot his father a mildly irritated look. "I am not nervous. And yet…I have felt a sense of unease ever since we stepped onto the property." Touga raised his eyebrows in a knowing way, and Sesshoumaru's features flattened even further. "It is probably just the purified air here trying to repel us."
While it was true that Touga's perception felt dulled around such spiritually laced air, he didn't think that was what was bothering his son—at least not entirely. "A lot of people get the wedding jitters, Sesshoumaru. It's okay to admit that. Even I got them the first time."
Sesshoumaru glanced back over at him. "Did Mother terrify you that much?"
Touga burst out laughing. "Well…a little, if I'm honest! I just couldn't believe that someone so noble would deign to marry me." He shook his head. "Looking back on it, I probably appeared no better than some mangy mutt wandering onto her doorstep. And even though I won her hand fair and square…I suppose I kept waiting for her to call it off. Not that I wanted her to, but…"
"It felt too good to be true," Sesshoumaru supplied.
Touga's eyes widened. "Yes. Precisely."
Sesshoumaru nodded. "I too am waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Rin's not going to leave you, son. I've seen how much she loves you."
Although the couple had only been reunited for two months, Touga and Izayoi were shocked that it took this long for the couple to get engaged and then married. After all, the very day Izayoi had almost left his life forever, Touga had gone and mated her. A couple days later, they were wed. He just hadn't been able to ignore those instincts to mate and please Izayoi.
But during the past couple of months, Sesshoumaru had had to show Rin that she could trust him to always be there for her—to never abandon her again as he had in the fall—and while Touga wasn't sure about all the specifics in their relationship, he knew from experience that Sesshoumaru had been dying for all to be right with them and for them to live as one.
Strange how in one respect, his and Rin's relationship differs from ours, and yet in the other…we've been following parallel paths. I still haven't figured out how to gain Izayoi's trust again. So it seems Sesshoumaru has overtaken me there.
Sesshoumaru shook his head. "It's not that. Zero is still a threat—as is Naraku. They have been quiet lately…but I suspect they are simply biding their time. And with Rin's due date drawing nearer…."
"Oh, son," Touga murmured, putting his hand on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. He would be the first to admit that Sesshoumaru had brought some of his suffering upon himself. But he couldn't control the actions of others—so he had to anticipate them. And that sort of anxiety never went away, especially for a warrior.
And a parent.
"Have no fear, my boy. Today is the culmination of all the hardship you've gone through these last nine months. Relax and enjoy it. I won't let anyone interfere with your happiness." He held Sesshoumaru's gaze so that his son would know his father was there for him. For after Sesshoumaru had confessed feeling so abandoned by him two months ago, Touga was determined to make sure his son knew he could count on him for anything.
The clack of wooden sandals in the courtyard above made both dog demons turn towards the top of the stairs just as Izayoi appeared beneath the torii gate. "Rin will be down momentarily. Come on up!" she called out.
Just as Kagome had orchestrated a "first look" photo session at her wedding, Rin wanted the same. So Touga walked his son back up to the courtyard, where Sesshoumaru took his position a little ways from the front door of the Higurashi home. Izayoi had joined Inuyasha under the Sacred Tree, and Inukimi stood not too far from them. The Higurashis were grouped there as well. Touga started towards Izayoi's side, but then with a glance at Inukimi standing alone and apart, he decided to stand between her and Inuyasha. This was his and her son's wedding, after all.
Something niggled at his senses, and he turned to stare at the Sacred Tree. Its serene awareness pushed against his, and yet it felt like there was something…off there. Yet he couldn't pinpoint what it was with all this pure, spiritual energy around him.
From the other side of the front door, Touga heard Kagome ask, "Are you ready?" He brought his attention back to Sesshoumaru, and seconds later, Kagome pulled open the door.
Touga's eyes widened in surprise as Rin stepped out into the late morning sun. The lengthy, layered kimono softened the swell of her stomach, and its rays highlighted a subtle silk cloud pattern interspersed with the same cherry blossom emblems that adorned Sesshoumaru's sleeves.
Is that…Kimi's wedding gown?
If there were two dresses he would never forget in his life, it was this one and the juunihitoe he had purchased for Izayoi for their ceremony.
He turned towards Inukimi, nodding his head towards Rin and trying to send the question through his eyes. How could he not have known about this? Kagome was such a blabbermouth—surely she had mentioned it at some point in the last couple of weeks! Or had he just tuned out all their wedding planning jabber to focus on hunting down Naraku?
Inukimi sent him a questioning look in return—something he read as, Are you surprised I kept it? That I gave it to Rin to wear?
He was—on both counts.
Sesshoumaru's soft voice cut through his thoughts.
"Exquisite," his son murmured.
Touga turned back to find Rin's hands entwined now with Sesshoumaru's. His heart melted at the soft way Sesshoumaru stared at his mate.
"As are you," Rin answered.
"Only one thing could improve this vision before me," Sesshoumaru said.
Rin's brows rose in mock affront. "Oh? And what is that?" From his sleeve, Sesshoumaru produced a red chrysanthemum, its bloom as big as her palm. She gasped. "Where did you get that? It's not in season yet!" The demon photographer Touga rehired for this wedding snapped a photo: click.
"Seasonality means little to plant demons who own nurseries," Sesshoumaru answered. "And I needed this precise flower for today."
Rin grinned. Click. "Are you trying to say you love me?"
"Passionately," he answered. "With the hope that our lives together will be long and joyful, for no matter what, I will never leave your side."
Rin's eyes grew glassy, and Touga was ready to dab his eyes as well. Sesshoumaru had shown great thought in all his gifts to Rin of late. He realized then that every single one of those gifts had come in the form of a flower. Knowing Rin's propensity for plant life, Touga was even more astounded to realize just how much Sesshoumaru had invested in learning about Rin's interests to come up with such perfect gifts.
"May I?" Sesshoumaru asked, indicating Rin's ear. She nodded, and he carefully slipped his hand beneath her wataboshi hat, tucking the stem into her hair like an ornament and resting the head of the flower in the crook of her ear. Meanwhile, the photographer snapped away. When Sesshoumaru pulled his hand back, he looked at her again, his lips just barely tilting up. Click. "Now you are perfect."
They might have stayed there forever, looking into each other's eyes, had Grandpa Higurashi not cleared his throat behind them and asked, "Are we ready to begin?" Rin nodded enthusiastically, and Sesshoumaru guided her towards their families.
"Approach the Sacred Tree," the elderly priest announced, gesturing to where Rin and Sesshoumaru should stand. As they did, Sesshoumaru looked up at the tree, then swooped down, scooped up a stray pebble and flicked to into the leaves. Something fat fluttered out of it, flying away. Touga tensed.
"Sesshoumaru, what are you doing?" Rin hissed. This was not the way to start off asking the Tree for its blessings. "Why disturb the poor bird?"
"That was no bird," Sesshoumaru answered, glaring in the direction in which the creature had flown off.
Of course—that had been the source of their unease. That Sesshoumaru had picked up on it so precisely was astounding. I really must be getting old—I'm losing my edge.
Touga hadn't gotten a good look at it, but the subtle aura it gave off was foul. What was that creature…and why was it here?
He had to stay alert. After all, he had promised his son he would let nothing ruin this day.
Rin tried to speak again, but Grandpa Higurashi cleared his throat again and shook his onusa, the papery tendrils rustling as he did. "Oh Sacred Tree, which has stood watch upon this shrine for generations, we offer up this prayer of thanksgiving. As we gather here today to celebrate the union of Sesshoumaru Nishikuni and our own Rin Higurashi, we beseech you to watch over them and guide them on their matrimonial journey."
The priest then held out a wooden pail and ladle to Sesshoumaru and Rin. First, Rin took the ladle, dipped it into the water, and spread it over the Tree's roots. She clapped her hands twice and bowed to the Tree. "Oh Sacred Tree," she murmured, "thank you for watching over me these many years. May you continue to watch over our family and all those that enter into it as well."
She handed the ladle to Sesshoumaru, and, as could only be expected, he perfunctorily spread water over the Tree's roots as well. To Touga's surprise though, when he replaced the ladle, Sesshoumaru stared hard at the trunk of the Tree and said, "Entrust your care of her to me. Watch over her when I cannot."
He really has grown so much in this last year. Only a few months ago, Touga would never have believed Sesshoumaru capable of asking anyone—even a sentient tree—for such help to protect someone.
Grandpa Higurashi then led the couple in a procession into the shrine proper. While the couple knelt at the altar, which contained traditional Shinto wedding ceremony items, the family took their seats on cushions on either side of the aisle. Kagome, acting as her grandfather's acolyte in this ceremony, went to stand next to him.
"Oh great gods of the land, as once Izanagi took Izanami as his wife, so too does Sesshoumaru Nishikuni come today to take Rin Higurashi's hand in marriage and ask for your blessing," the old priest announced. "We beseech that you bestow it upon them with these three ritual sake cups."
Touga couldn't stop smiling as the ceremony progressed. His heart burst with pride that his eldest son was settling down—and with such a lovely woman as Rin. His joy must have been truly palpable, because when it came time for Sesshoumaru to read the vows for the couple, Izayoi looked over at him with a smile and took the hand next to her, clasping it. He squeezed it in return, smiling at his mate.
In times like these, how could he not have hope that they too would reconcile?
But that though reminded him that he had another wife to attend to—at least for today. He turned to his other side to find Inukimi's gaze locked on the couple as they offered up sprigs of evergreens to the gods. He reached out and placed his other hand over hers. It was a simple gesture, and he did nothing more. But it caused her to look down at his hand and then over to him. He smiled, though in a more reserved fashion than with Izayoi.
For today, he could set aside their recent issues and celebrate the joy of their son's wedding.
Then came time for the exchange of rings. From what Touga could see, their wedding rings were composed of two smooth bands of yellow and white gold melded together seamlessly in oblong shapes, the yellow part thicker on one side, the white part thicker on the other, and the two dividing the ring equally between them. Each was topped by a tiny half-pearl. Touga found that addition a strange choice, since wedding rings typically did not contain gemstones, but he figured Housenki knew what he was doing.
Tears dripped from Rin's eyes as Sesshoumaru slid the ring onto her finger. And when she reciprocated, she looked up at his face and bit her lip as if anxious. Touga frowned. Why does she look so nervous? It was as if she were waiting for something….
Then, strangely enough, Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed, and he glanced aside, as if struggling to understand something. And then his eyes widened. "Rin, what is wrong?" he asked. Now everyone in the shrine glanced at each other with questioning looks.
Rin gasped. "Could you feel that?"
He nodded, and Rin squealed, pulling his head down for a kiss. In the background, Touga heard a faint click. Kagome whooped and Souta whistled at the unexpected display of affection. Touga laughed at his son's startled expression—which mirrored those of the other audience members. When Rin allowed Sesshoumaru to pull away, he blinked, as if dazed.
"I know you're excited, dear, but this is not a Western ceremony," her grandfather whispered, not unkindly. Kagome walked around, pouring sake for the family members in attendance.
Rin's smile lit up the room. "I'm sorry, Grandpa, but I can't help it." She turned to face the family and held up her and Sesshoumaru's hands, showing off the wedding rings. "Because thanks to Hosenki, Sesshoumaru can now feel my emotions, as if we were fully bonded."
Touga's eyes widened, and Izayoi gasped. What? How can this be?
Even Kagome stopped pouring Souta's sake to stare agape at them. Her brother tapped a finger on the spout of the pot to drip some sake into his cup. "I don't know what that means, but it sounds like the perfect time to offer congratulations, don't you think?" Souta asked.
The family members all grabbed their cups and held them up. "Congratulations!" they announced at various volumes. Touga regretted that his voice sounded a little less enthusiastic than he wanted it to be, but he was still stunned, his mind reeling with this new information.
So when he slammed down his finished cup, he asked, "Is it true, Sesshoumaru? You can feel Rin's emotions?"
Sesshoumaru looked back down at Rin, and the barest hint of a smile slipped onto his face. "Yes, Father. A layer of happiness over my own." The shrine erupted in applause.
Touga was going to pay a visit to that old hermit as soon as he was able.
If I could feel Izayoi's emotions, maybe I would finally feel complete and these warring feelings of mine would cease.
But then that begged the question: was such magic only possible for mates, or could it work with anyone? What if he could know Kimi's feelings after all these years?
No, no. Don't go down that road. Focus on the present. Focus on Sesshoumaru and Rin's happiness. Tomorrow, you can go see Housenki and figure out how it all works.
With the ceremony concluded, they moved outside to take photos. First, Rin and Sesshoumaru had their own session, taking several portraits just of themselves. Then the photographer lined up the whole family in front of the Sacred Tree to take a formal portrait.
Inuyasha suddenly made a face and sniffed just as the photographer snapped the photo. The demon looked at his camera and sighed. "Inuyasha-sama, please restrain yourself. Once more."
"No, hold on. I smell someone coming. Someone…familiar." He furrowed his brows in thought, but the photographer took the photo anyway. Touga took a whiff then too, and while he did smell someone approaching, nothing about the scent clicked.
Just then, a bunch of car doors slammed on the street below them, and the clack of boots on stone resounded through the otherwise quiet temple. "What in the world?" Grandpa Higurashi said. "I know I put a sign out saying we were holding a private ceremony today." He walked to the top of the stairs to go tell off whoever was coming, and suddenly he yelped.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?" Higurashi-san asked.
He scurried back over, waving at the house and hissing, "Quick! Hide them! Run away! Get them out of here!"
"Who?" the Higurashi matriarch asked.
Touga froze as the march of footsteps resounded in his ears, bringing him back to his military days. A sense of apprehension ran down his spine as he recalled the old man's warning. "Too late."
Sesshoumaru stiffened and held Rin against him. "I will not leave you."
"What's happening?" Rin asked.
Just then, two heads crested the top of the steps, and as they climbed up, their form-fitting, black uniforms came into view sporting the Demon Slayer Corps crest on their breasts. Two dozen demon slayers fanned out across the courtyard, guns cradled in their arms. As the final two parted, one last woman brought up the rear, walking between the ranks and approaching the family. Unlike the others, she did not carry her gun. Though age lined her face, she strode forward without hesitation, and her silken black hair glimmered with only a few silver streaks.
"Kikyou," Inuyasha murmured.
Kikyou's eyes shot towards him, widening only fractionally before she turned to scan the rest of the family.
Grandpa Higurashi puffed out his chest and stepped forward. "Ma'am, as you can see, w-we are in the middle of a ceremony. W-What is all this about?"
Touga had to give the man credit—he was a brave soul to put on such an air. And it only reinforced the fact to him that his sons had married into an incredibly accepting family.
If only their luck had held out.
Kikyou straightened, looking down her nose at the old man, and announced, "We have received an anonymous tip that the Higurashi Shrine is harboring demons…though it seems 'harboring' is quite the understatement." Her flinty, brown eyes took in Rin and Sesshoumaru in their wedding garb as well as Inuyasha positioning himself in front of Kagome. "Therefore, you are all under arrest for suspicion of harboring demons, being demons, and wedding them."
Everyone was so shocked by the pronouncement that no one spoke or moved. Seeing this, Kikyou added, "Are you going to come quietly, or will we need to use force?"
"Now, just a minute Chief Kimura," Touga said, raising his hands to show he was unarmed—and, incidentally, declawed. Even though the Higurashis knew what they were now, his family had not taken any risks when it came to keeping up with their disguises during the ceremony. After all, the shrine was still a relatively public space. He stepped forward, adding, "On what basis can you make this arrest? An anonymous tip alone is not enough. Do you have a warrant?"
"I do not."
"Then by law, you cannot arrest us."
Touga had studied every human law about demons in detail since the DSC started gaining so much power during the Meiji Era—exactly for this sort of reason. He would try to reason with her and avoid any altercations.
Because the Demon Slayers had a reputation for being trigger happy, and he would prevent any bloodshed at all costs.
Kikyou's brows rose. "You presume to lecture me on the law?"
"I only wish to keep either side from panicking and escalating this situation."
"I see. However, as you are apparently so familiar with the law, you may recall that, even without a warrant, I can make an arrest if I have undeniable proof of one being a demon or associating with demons."
Touga's kept his face neutral. He did know that. But he was trying to buy time at this point. She recognizes Inuyasha—even with silver hair and after all these years. Even so, he knew the key to keeping a disguise was denying the truth until he couldn't anymore. "But you have no proof…unless you believe racially profiling those of us here with European blood constitutes proof."
"European blood?" Kikyou chuckled. "Is that what you tell people? Forgive me if I don't believe it, because you see…I do have undeniable proof that at least one of you is a demon. Or rather…half-demon. Don't I?" Kikyou asked, looking straight at Inuyasha.
Inuyasha didn't even react to her words. He seemed lost in his own world, staring vacantly at the DSC chief.
Touga wished he knew what his boy was thinking. Inuyasha didn't seem nearly angry enough with the woman who had almost shot him to death. In fact, he looked…almost like Touga had felt when Inukimi told him she loved him. Like he couldn't believe it. Like he had been waiting for this moment without even realizing it.
But what moment could Inuyasha have possibly been waiting for? …Don't tell me he actually wanted to see Kikyou again?
Kikyou strode around Touga, passing by Sesshoumaru and Rin. Sesshoumaru backed away from her, using his body as a shield between Rin and the demon slayer. But Kikyou paid him no mind. She walked up to Inuyasha and Kagome, though she had eyes only for Inuyasha. They stared at each other in silence for several tense seconds.
"So, we meet again, Yasha. I admit, this is unexpected." She reached out and fingered some of his silver locks, but Inuyasha didn't even flinch.
Touga had not known Kagome for long, but he had seen her feisty personality. Even though Kikyou could be Kagome's grandmother, she was still Inuyasha's ex—and the fact that she was touching him so intimately should have set Kagome off. But the young woman appeared just as shocked by Kikyou's appearance as Inuyasha was. Did Kagome even know about Kikyou? Had Inuyasha told her about their past?
"I would say you've aged well, but somehow, I doubt this color is the result of age," Kikyou continued. Inuyasha said nothing, and Kikyou then turned to Kagome, who finally shook herself out of her trance and tightened her possessive grip on Inuyasha. "Higurashi-san, under different circumstances, I would say it's a pleasure to see you again, but…." She ran her eyes over Inuyasha's arm wrapped around Kagome's shoulder, pressing her into him, and Kagome's hands clutching at his kimono—as well as the wedding rings glinting on their fingers. "…It seems you have been implicated in this matter as well." She sighed. "This is a pity, but I suppose it all makes sense now. I had wondered at your sudden skittishness in joining the Corps after we had such a lovely talk at the show."
So Kagome and Kikyou know each other…. Touga hadn't expected that.
"I knew you reminded me of myself when I was younger, but I would have never guessed we had the same taste in men. Or…half-demons, rather," the demon slayer continued.
Then, quick as a shot, Kikyou reached up and yanked off the false human ears Inuyasha wore. The headband tore from his head and upset his tall, eboshi hat, causing it to tumble to the ground and reveal his dog ears.
Kikyou turned to Touga, spinning the headband around her finger. "And there is your proof. Now, forgive me for profiling, but given the rather strong family resemblance between several of you and the fact that this is a wedding, where only the closest of family members attend, I have both undeniable proof and probable cause to arrest the lot of you. Now, I will not repeat myself again: will you come quietly, or must we resort to force?"
Sesshoumaru looked ready to use the "force" option, but Touga would not allow Rin to become a widow on her wedding day, so he shot both his sons a look, ordering them to stand down. Whether Inuyasha registered the command or not was up for debate though.
"We will go quietly and see if we can sort this out," Touga replied, making sure to meet Inukimi's eyes as well. She sighed as if getting arrested were as trivially bothersome as getting stuck in traffic.
Kikyou smiled. "My sincere thanks for your cooperation. Now, if you would all place your hands behind your backs." She snapped her fingers, and several slayers came forward, pulling out handcuffs.
A male slayer reached Rin first and grabbed her arm, yanking it behind her back. She cried out, and Sesshoumaru snarled, his hand at the man's throat in an instant.
Immediately, the beads of laser sights appeared across Sesshoumaru's body as the remaining Slayers aimed their guns at him.
"No—Sesshoumaru, stop! Let him go. I'm fine," Rin said. She turned to Kikyou. "Please don't hurt him—he's only trying to protect me. I promise we'll go quietly. It's just…you must know that you've interrupted my wedding. I can hardly move in this outfit and…I'd rather not have it too ruined. Please…won't you let me go and change into something easier to move in?"
Kikyou frowned. "We don't make accommodations for criminals."
"Please," Rin begged.
"Chief," the slayer holding Rin's arm piped up. "Honestly, it'll be hard to cuff her with all this fabric in the way."
Kikyou sighed. "Very well." She turned and addressed two female slayers with their guns still trained on Sesshoumaru. "Disengage. You two, escort this lady to get changed. Make sure that is all she does." Kikyou gave Rin a look, as if warning her not to try anything funny. As the slayers took Rin inside the house, Kikyou added to the man who had tried to cuff her, "And Officer Nanasuke? Do recall that pregnant women are to be cuffed from the front, not the back."
Touga watched over Rin until she disappeared inside the house, all while allowing the slayers to cuff him. His sons bristled at having their hands bound behind their backs, but they didn't try to fight back, thankfully. Inukimi walked ahead of her captors so regally, it was as if she were still in control of this whole situation, despite being the prisoner. Touga looked around for their photographer, but he was the slippery sort, able to deflate himself and twist his body around so that he could essentially "disappear" in thin air through an illusion. Thankfully, it appeared he hadn't been caught. As the slayers marched the family down the steps to a couple of waiting trucks, he found Izayoi's gaze. He saw no fear there—only reassurance.
He twitched his lips back at her. Of course his beautiful, courageous mate wasn't afraid of the DSC. She had been one of them once. She knew exactly what was going to happen to them.
If all else failed, perhaps she even knew of a way to free them.
The slayers trundled him, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Inukimi—all the ones with obvious or suspected demon blood—in one truck while the Higurashis and Izayoi were loaded into a separate one. Izayoi met his gaze again as she was getting pushed into a truck, and an overwhelming urge came over Touga.
He mouthed, I love you, trying to convey with his feelings the sentiment as much as he could.
Because he could no longer shake off the sense of foreboding that took hold of his gut. Sesshoumaru had been right: the other shoe had dropped. And now, he had failed yet again to keep a promise to his son by preventing the worst from happening on Sesshoumaru's wedding day. But the day was not over yet.
And he'd be damned if he let anything worse happen to his family.
AN: Originally, I was going to add more to this chapter, but I decided to break it off here, since it was going to get unwieldy otherwise. That, and it gives me a tiny buffer, haha. I'm trying not to make this next plot arc TOO long (i.e. not make it as long as in MS)…but some parts need to be told to resolve certain storylines. So I hope it's still enjoyable!
