InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Til Death Do Us Part ❯ The Ceremony ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I wish I did, but I don't.

AN: Gracias for the reviews people! Didn't know that this little fic would be so interesting but by the sound of your reviews you think otherwise.

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The Ceremony

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Kagome groaned and pulled the covers of over her head. A throbbing headache pulsed in the back of her head ominously. Her tongue felt like it had grown a thick coat of fur overnight and she felt a little more than slightly queasy. 'What in the hell..?' Kagome thought coming to her senses drowsily. Blinking the blurriness in her vision away, she was vaguely aware that she, and about half a dozen of her other friends and bridesmaids, were all sprawled out in various places in the hotel room with her being on the couch.

Her best friends were among the few that were completely knocked out. Ayame was snoring loudly on top of the table, drool trickling down her chin in a steady stream and pooling beside her face. Sango lay upside down on the opposite end of the couch with legs flung across the back and arms sandwiching a bottle of some kind of liquor. Rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands, she tried to piece together what had occurred the night before, though most of it was in a haze.

She remembered the past couple of weeks going by quickly, all of which was spent on preparing for the upcoming wedding ceremony. She remembered being pissed off and sulking every time someone even mentioned that intolerable hanyou's name and their joining together in holy matrimony. And then there was last night, the night before the wedding. She had been angry and frustrated and depressed, so Sango, Ayame, and the others decided to do cheer her up…by calling male strippers and buying enough alcohol to supply the entire hotel.

'Of course.' No wonder she was feeling like crap. After all, all of them had partied it out with sexy strangers and drank obscene amounts of liquor. Only Kagome had done so to get the wedding out of her mind and it hadn't seemed like a bad idea then.

A brisk knock on the door made her headache echo in response. She knew who was there even before Hitomi and Megumi stepped foot into the room. They blinked in surprise at seeing the bridesmaids and the bride still sleeping with the ceremony being only a couple of hours away. Kagome cowered behind her pillow in hopes that they wouldn't notice here, but knew it was useless when she felt her mother's eyes silently boring into the back of her skull.

"UP! UP! UP! Everybody up!" Megumi ordered right away, clapping her hands. "The ceremony will begin in less that three hours and you're all still sleeping? We have a wedding to prepare for!"

With the exception of Kagome and her best friends, everyone awoke suddenly from their slumber and slowly clambered to their feet, all of the women feeling the result of a hard night of partying.

"Sango, Ayame, Kagome, this means you too," Hitomi said with hiding a smirk as she gently shook the girls from their positions. "You shouldn't have partied so hard knowing that you all had a wedding to attend today."

"Who are you? Where am I? What's goin' on?" Sango slurred disjointedly as she awoke.

Ayame rolled off of the table, still half asleep, and fell to the floor with a loud thud. "I'm awake," she mumbled from her face down position in the carpet.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kagome groaned as she swung her legs off the couch and to the floor. The queasiness she had felt in her stomach earlier had gradually turned to sick churning in her gut. She could feel the bile rise in her throat. This wasn't good.

"I do believe I said no alcoholic beverages at the bachlorette party," Hitomi said with a wry twist of the lips as she help her daughter come unsteadily to her feet.

This made Kagome grin and momentarily forget about her hung-over state for the time being. "We didn't drink…a lot. I only had a couple of apple martinis…and a couple of daiquiris and then that guy brought over Pinot Noir," She giggled at the memory. "The fireman had a really nice ass…so did the police man. He gave me his number." More giggling. "Kouga's gonna kill me when I tell him that me n' the fireman gave each other body shots." She stopped giggling when a wave of nausea flooded her senses.

Hitomi sighed and had to remember that once she was young too. "Kagome, maybe you should go the bathroom and get yourself cleaned up." She wrinkled her nose at her daughter's horrendous breath. "And be sure to brush your teeth. Use my bathroom down the hall since yours is obviously overcrowded."

Kagome yawned. "Yes Mama. I'll be right back." On shaky legs, Kagome tottered out of the room and towards her mother's room. She frowned at her hazy mind. Now if only she could remember where it was.

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"Would you hold still," Inutaisho barked at his son while attempting to adjust his bowtie.

"I look like a clown with this stupid thing," Inuyasha responded sullenly as he struggled to extricate himself from Sesshoumaru's tight grasp while his father tried fruitlessly to place the stupid bowtie on him.

"Inuyasha, you would like one without the accessory," Miroku remarked casually as he sipped his coffee.

"I don't know why you have to dress me!" Inuyasha snapped indignantly.

"Because dear brother," Sesshoumaru began, his words dripping with sarcasm, "obviously you can't seem to get on your tux without running away. And this Sesshoumaru doesn't feel like hunting you down and bringing you back here, again."

The hanyou growled menacingly baring his fangs at his so called family. They were supposed to be on his damn side. Where were the loyalty ties when you needed them? It was all his father's fault. It was his fault he had to get married to that stupid human. It was his fault that he had to wear this stupid tux. And it most definitely his fault that they didn't even get to have a damn bachelor party.

Inuyasha's hatred for his father soared to staggering heights at the memory of being forced to stay inside his room for the entire night. Inutaisho had said that he hadn't wanted him getting into more trouble with anymore females now that he was about to get married. Inuyasha had practically cried when he realized that there would be no half naked women and booze. So much for his bachelor party. But what made him even angrier was the fact that he could hear the females partying it out down the hall. While they were having the time of their lives, he was stuck in his room playing cards with Miroku. Talk about a fun night.

"There." Inutaisho thumped his shoulder, grinning wide at his achievement. "And your mother said I couldn't tie one of these things if my life depended on it."

Inuyasha shrugged his father's hand off of him as Sesshoumaru released his hold on him, then glared at the occupants of the room sourly. "I just want to let you all know that I hate each and every one of you."

"You say that now, just wait until your honeymoon," Miroku said with a suggestive undertone and a lecherous grin.

"There's not going to be a honeymoon." 'Well with that wench anyways' Inuyasha added gleefully in his mind. He and the sexy French model, Clarice LeBeau, were going on a little trip to the Venice for a bit of sightseeing…amongst other things. Just because he was married didn't necessarily mean that he and the wench always had to be together. She could stay at home and knit and dust or whatever housewives do, and he would continue his usual routine of seducing beautiful women everywhere he went. He smirked. That would be the perfect marriage. She could stay out of his life, and he would stay out of hers.

"I'm going to take a walk," Inuyasha said exiting the room.

"Don't make me hunt you down again hanyou," Sesshoumaru growled softly, promises of death and dismay glinting in his cold, golden depths.

"I wouldn't dream of making you break another nail Fluffy," he replied sardonically, although he inwardly cringed at his brother's arctic glare. People should really learn to lighten up. Inuyasha stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. 'Now' he thought heading in the direction of the ladies wing, 'all I have to do his make her see eye to eye with me. Then we can all be satisfied with this little arrangement.' So deep in thought was Inuyasha, he failed to see a blundering female staggering toward him drunkenly.

Kagome latched on to the first person she saw. "Excuse me could you show me where the bathroom is?" Her head felt as if it had been hit by a truck…several times, and the vomit she was trying to suppress threatened to unleash its disgusting self very soon.

"Get off of me freak!" Inuyasha growled, irritated that some drunken fool dared to cross his path when he was in such a foul mood, and was about to fling them somewhere when their eyes connected. "Kagome?" 'Jeez,' he thought wrinkling his nose, 'if I have to wake up every morning for the rest of my life and look at this drool stained chin, messy haired, and bleary eyed woman, give me the arsenic now.'

Inuyasha tried to shake her off of him but she had a death grip on the sleeve of his tux. "Listen wench, let me make myself entirely clear. I don't love you, you don't love me. This arrangement is solely for the benefit of our parents and their stupid companies. I don't want you hanging around me or get any crazy kind ideas about us. We are nothing to each other but associates." He stopped when her eyes began to glaze over. "Oi wench, are you even listening to me?"

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Kagome managed a weak smile at the audience as they stood to their feet when she entered sanctuary. She felt seventy five percent better after puking all over Inuyasha. Her stomach didn't hurt as much and she had the satisfaction of seeing the priceless/horrified/pissed off face of the enraged hanyou after she threw up on his new five thousand dollar silk tux. She had half hoped that this would postpone, or even delay the wedding, but no. Her father just had to have an extra tux for him as if he had expected this sort of thing to occur.

The wedding march began to play through the pipes of an ancient organ. Ryo came up from behind her and held out his arm for his beloved daughter. "Kagome."

"Dad." She linked her arm with his and they started down the aisle.

"I just want to tell you how proud I am of you," he said smiling down at her, his little princess, who looked like beautiful angel from the Heavens dressed in her all white gown.

"Don't get all teary eyed on me. This is only a business arrangement. It's not that serious. I don't know why we could just do this at the court."

Ryo sighed. "You know your mother. Everything has to be grand and elaborate. Besides, it is best that the employees from both companies attend so that they can establish some common ground and get to know one another. It is for the good of the future Higurashi-Takeda Incorporations."

Kagome's smile grew strained. 'For the good of the company, it is best for the company, the company needs you to do this…everything always has to revolve around the company. Screw the company. What about me?' She felt like screaming and ripping off the dress and telling all these people to kiss her ass, but she maintained her composure for the sake of her parents' dignity.

Up ahead she saw Sango, Ayame, and the other bridesmaids lined up across from the groom, who had his back turned toward the aisle, his best man, and the rest of the groomsmen.

Inuyasha's nose twitched when the familiar scent of jasmine teased his senses. He knew damn well whose alluring scent it belonged to. As much as he wanted to, he never could forget her sweet smell. His curiosity getting the best of him, Inuyasha slanted a quick glance in her direction. Blue connected with amber. Surprise flashed through his orbs when he saw her. She actually looked elegant and somewhat attractive in the dress and with her beautiful raven black hair twisted up in an intricate pinup atop her head. But the admiration was quickly squelched by hatred when he remembered what she had did to him two hours before. 'Always there to humiliate me, just like old times,' he mused bitterly

Growling softly to himself, Inuyasha faced back toward the priest. He had wanted to kill the bitch for spewing that shit at him and would have had not Miroku been tailing him and held him back. He had spent an hour and a damn half in the tub trying to rid himself of the revolting stench. Inuyasha's nose twitched again. He could still smell traces of it, but at least it wasn't as strong as before. `Dumb bitch.'

Ryo kissed his daughter. "Good luck." He left her at the altar and returned to his place beside his wife, Souta, and father-in-law, whose snoring had gotten so loud Hitomi had to slap his bald head and tell him to wake up.

Kagome went up and stood beside her husband-to-be. Her back stiffened when he shot her the coldest of glares. She rolled her eyes and faced the priest, who had already begun his speech.

"Don't ignore me bitch," he hissed.

"I don't respond to ignorance," she hissed in return.

"Would you two shut up," Sango whispered.

They were quiet all of five seconds before Inuyasha decided to speak again. "I'm going to kick your ass for puking all over me," he murmured darkly, venom lacing his words.

"I said I was sorry, stupid," she replied out of the corner of her mouth.

"Well you're not forgiven."

"What do I have to do? Get down on my knees and beg?"

He snorted softly. "That would be a start."

Miroku cleared his throat.

Inuyasha's ears perked up. The priest had stopped speaking and was staring expectantly at him. "What?"

Kagome coughed to hide her snickers. Somebody hadn't been paying attention.

"Do you, Takeda Inuyasha, take Higurashi Kagome as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold in sickness and in health until death do you part?" the priest repeated unperturbed by his lack of attention.

'Death, huh? Well that can be arranged'. "I do," he lied while inwardly pondering the possibilities of the statement.

The priest turned to face Kagome. "And do you, Higurashi Kagome, take Takeda Inuyasha as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Kagome felt like crying. "I do.”

"Are there any objections to why these two should not wed on this day?"

"I object!" All heads turned around to see a very pissed off wolf youkai enter the through the double doors.

"Kouga?" Kagome stared at him in surprise as he marched down the aisle determinedly. So he had come after her after all. He had been so angry and she had been so busy that these past few weeks they hadn't exchanged a single word with each other.

Inuyasha felt his hackles rise as unbidden anger rose. There was only one person who could invoke such strong feelings of fury within himself. "Kouga," he growled lowly, red flashing in his eyes as the wolf youkai entered the sanctuary with an air of arrogance that only he was able to pull off. That bastard was part of the reason why things the relationship between Kagome and himself was so strained as it was now.

"And the plot thickens," Sango muttered behind her.

Ayame's heartbeat quickened in her chest, her eyes trained longingly on the wolf youkai as he strode doggedly up to the altar. But he wasn't looking at her. The apple of his eye was and always would be Kagome. She sighed and looked away. It was almost too much to bear, but she had bore it countless times seeing them together and she would continue to do so until she summoned up enough courage to tell him her true feeling about him.

Kouga knelt down in front of a flustered Kagome and took her delicate hand in his, his piercing cobalt eyes gazing into hers with love and passion. "Kagome, I can't let you get married to mutt face. I've loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you. Even when we were children I knew that we were meant to be. I'll always love you with all of my heart, which is why I can't allow you to mate with inukuro and be miserable for the rest of your life. I refuse to allow it."

"Oi wolf, what the hell is that supposed to mean!" Inuyasha snapped, his fangs bared at the challenge. Even though he didn't want her, he wouldn't allow Kouga to take her away a second time.

Murmurs began to circulate within the audience as the suspense thickened. People began sitting up in their seats from their slouched positions, guessing it wouldn't be so boring after all.

Kouga ignored the outburst and continued to gaze into his beloved's eyes. "Kagome, become my mate, marry me, and let me take you far away from here. Away from dog breath, away from everything."

Inuyasha growled possessively, and yanked a surprised and flattered Kagome out of his grasp. "If you hadn't noticed wolf, your woman is getting married to me. Or were you just too stupid to notice this small detail?"

The wolf youkai flexed his claws as he stood to his full height, pent up rage boiling beneath his calm exterior. "It'd be wise for you to let go of my woman half breed, before my claws rip out your little balls and shove them down your throat."

Smirking, the hanyou pushed Kagome behind him and rolled up his sleeves. "You rip my balls out? Don't make me laugh asshole. I'll be doing the castrating here, or would be if you had anything to cut off."

Gaining her wits back, the bride darted from behind Inuyasha and stepped in front of the two fuming youkai. "Would you two grow up! Enough with this stupid cock fight."

"Get out of the way Kagome, I don't want you getting hurt," Kouga said reaching for her hand.

But Inuyasha, seeing his attempt, grabbed Kagome's hand and snatched her away once more before the wolf could come into physical contact with her. "You're the only one that's gonna be getting hurt wolf boy. So back off before I knock your fangs down your fucking throat."

Megumi punched her mate in the arm. "Stop staring and do something."

Inutaisho's face fell in disappointment. He had been looking forward to the fight. "Yes ma'am." He whistled for two of his big cousins to escort the wolf youkai out.

"That's it mutt, I've had enough of this talking. It's time for me kick your a-" Kouga came to an abrupt halt when two very big and very strong inuyoukai grabbed a hold of him and began pulling him toward the exit.

"Kagome, never forget that I will always love you! You will become my mate for all time's sake, my love!" Kouga yelled as they dragged him back down the aisle.

She bit her lip. She had half a mind to run down the aisle after Kouga and allow him to whisk her away from all of her responsibilities. He loved her, which was more than she could say for Inuyasha. And though she didn't love him the way he loved her, she was positive that a life with Kouga would be better than with the hanyou that tore out her heart. .

"Keh, stupid wolf. Knew he didn't have the balls to challenge me," Inuyasha sneered, rolling down his sleeves. He was most disappointed that he wouldn't be able to kick Kouga's sorry ass in front of all these people, especially in front of her.

Kagome glared at him. "I hate you Inuyasha," she said through clenched teeth. Why did he have to be such a jerk?

"Same here sweetie," he responded with a cynical grin.

The priest cleared his throat now that the problem was rectified. "Shall we continue?"

"Yes, please," Hitomi replied quickly before the bride and the groom could say anything. So much for the flawless wedding she had envisioned.

"The rings?" the priest asked.

Sango and Miroku both handed the bride and the groom the golden wedding bands.

"Take her hand in yours Takeda-san."

With an irritated scowl in place, Inuyasha reluctantly reached for Kagome's hand. A familiar jolt of electricity raced up their arm as soon as their skin made contact. Awkwardness passed between blue and amber. That wasn't supposed to happen.

"Repeat after me. With this ring I thee wed…"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but did so. "With this ring I thee wed." He slipped the ring onto her fourth finger. It was ironic how he had imagined this scenario not too long ago, just with the love and trust factor incorporated into the ceremony that was obviously lacking at the moment.

Emotions flitted within Kagome as his claws gently scraped along her skin as put the ring on. 'I shouldn't be reacting to him like this' she inwardly seethed. 'I hate his guts.'

"…and with my body I thee honor," the hanyou repeated after the priest spoke once more, "and with all my worldly goods I thee endow." His molten gaze made her heart do a flip flop in her chest.

The priest turned to Kagome. "You will do the same Higurashi-san."

Inuyasha dropped her hand as she picked up his left. He felt his heartbeat quicken in his chest, liking the way her soft and nimble fingers glided down his skin as she placed the wedding band on his finger. It had been such a long time since he had felt her delicate touch.

The melodic resonance of her voice sent shivers down his spine as she repeated after the priest. Inuyasha mentally slapped himself for thinking such thoughts. He hated her. He loathed her very presence. 'So why are all of these feelings of affection bombarding my senses? She is a liar and traitor and I refuse to be caught up in her little scheme again.'

Kagome blinked at him in mild confusion as she dropped his hand. The impatience and sullenness in his eyes had gradually been overridden by warmth, then flashed with puzzlement, and had finally been replaced with abhorrence. It came as no shocker that she was still able to easily read his emotions. 'I guess old habits die hard.'

"…and so," the priest continued, "fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that you may so live together in this life, that in the world to come you may have life everlasting." He smiled at the hanyou. "I now pronounce you man…err, hanyou and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"Kiss!" he screamed jumping back incredulously, then whirled around to glare at his father. "You didn't say anything about kissing!"

Inutaisho shrugged casually. "It's a human thing."

Kagome rolled his eyes at his childishness. "It's not like I want to kiss you either. I don't know where your lips have been."

"Inuyasha just kiss Kagome so that we can head to the reception," Inutaisho commanded.

"Keh." He folded his arms and glared at the bride. "I'm not kissing the wench. The stinking wolf probably gave her fleas."

"Kouga doesn't have fleas!" Kagome yelled indignantly. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had them seeing as though you're the one who's been with a thousand different females!"

Inuyasha snarled at her, red flashing for a second time in the last ten minutes in his eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean!"

"What do you think it means stupid! You do the math!"

He uncrossed his arms and began to flex his claws and bared his fangs. "Don't make me kick your ass like I was going to do your wimpy boyfriend."

"I'd like to see you try jerk." She balled her fists and stared up at him defiantly.

Megumi signaled urgently for the old lady at the organ to begin playing again. As soon as the music started playing both Sango and Miroku began pushing the bride and groom down the aisle, who were still arguing and glowering at each other.

Hitomi sighed in relief and slouched wearily in the pew. "That was a nightmare."

Megumi, who was equally tired, rubbed her eyes. "At this rate I won't have any grandchildren until I'm a hundred."

"I need a drink," Ryo muttered, then took a silver flask from his inside pocket and took a good, long swig of the vodka.

"Didn't I tell you no drinking," Hitomi scolded her husband and snatched the flask out of his hand and had a swig herself. "Kami-sama, I'm going to be a damn drunk by the time the reception ends tonight."

"Well, we can only hope that those two don't kill each other in the limo ride before they reach the reception," Inutaisho mused darkly.

"They're mature, responsible adults. There is no doubt in my mind that…" Megumi trailed off. Lying was really never her forte. She couldn't seem to convince herself of her words.

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End.

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AN: Perhaps they'll make it to the reception….or perhaps not. Who knows. Maybe Inuyasha and Kagome will sort out their differences in the limo ride…or not. Stay tuned to see what happens people!

Review and tell me what ya think!