InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Marriage of Convenience for Whom? ❯ What's in a Name? ( Chapter 14 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Productions.

 

Thanks to my wonderful reviewers as always: Seiteki_Tenshi, j jarviss, Pim, DemonGirl11, Faded Lilac, MyInuYashaObsession   

 

Autumn_the_Reviewer: Thanks for the tips, and yes, Sango will find out very very, shortly. Patience is unfortunately a virtue

 

Sassa: you have so many good suggestions for this story, I may have to borrow one now. Thanks for the speech tips—I'll keep them in mind.

 

Rose of Sharon: No, I'm European American, but I've submitted myself to a year of Mandarin, and the most coherent sentence/phrase I can manage is “Ni hao”

 

Ru-Doragon: *Cowers* I do watch Charmed, and that's scary. I hope this is soon enough for an update. Lol.

 

srg1: I hate to say it, but as of now I have no great plan for Mr. Kikyou. But I'll keep him in mind—you never know when you need a plot twist. Thanks.

 

A/N: Whenever “Dun-dun-du-dunn” appears, its supposed to be the Wedding March. Its as close as I can get. Use your magical imaginations.

 

For the wedding vows, I Googled “wedding vows” and looked at like the first link. They had some New Age stuff or the like, and celebrity vows, so I just cut and pasted several together.

 

Chapter 14

 

Inuyasha didn't know what to think, much less do. Though he knew he had to stay where he was, his gut told him to make a run for it.

 

He was staring down the church aisle at the woman who had been the center of his confusion for so long. Kag—no right now she was Kikyou—was walking toward him.

 

Each and every one of her delicate footsteps was in time with the wedding march blaring from the organ. Everyone in the church had turned to get a glimpse of her, some fathers holding their younger children on their shoulders so they could catch sight of the angel making her way up to the priest and her future husband.

 

There was something about her bridal gown that Inuyasha did not like.

 

It was the kind of dress many an actress would kill for, but it did not fit…his Kagome. It was not something he would have thought she would have chosen for herself.

 

Inuyasha scowled at the bride. Obviously, there is a lot you do not know about her.

 

She is nothing more than a two-timing bitch, a tramp—she's using you!

 

As the audience in the sanctuary “ooo-ed” and “awed” at the bride, Inuyasha couldn't stop the tiniest of smiles to tug at the corners of his mouth.

 

She really is beautiful.

 

Inuyasha's eyes moved from her dress to her face, covered by a simple veil. He could see her face with its delicate makeup, her hair pulled up and piled on the top of her head. Kagome's small hands held the red and white flowers close to her chest, the bouquet's ribbon swayed with her movement.

 

If only everything wasn't so fucked up.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

At any moment she was going to trip and fall.

 

At any moment she was going to trip and fall.

 

At any moment she was going to trip and fall.

 

One would think being a famous actress would exempt Kikyou from being forced to wear stripper shoes to her wedding.

 

Kagome gritted her teeth. I will not trip…I will not trip.

 

Everyone in the entire church was staring at her. It was true that at the few weddings she had attended she could remember every one turning to see the bride as she marched her way to her soon-to-be husband, but it was a completely different feeling when all the eyes were on her. Boring holes into her skull, body, and soul.

 

It made her extremely nervous, and she knew at any moment her face was going to break out in a violent blush or she was going to fall flat on her ass.

 

One forth of the way there. Dun-dun-du-dunn. Eek! Why is that kid looking at me like that? Dun-dun-du-dunn

 

Kagome flicked her gaze up to Inuyasha. No, no, no. Bad idea. He still looked angry and appeared to be motioning her with his eyes to hurry up.

 

Halfway there! Dun-dun-du-dunn

 

As she moved, Kagome idly wondered where all the people in the church had come from. She didn't know anyone on the bride's side, and her father had not been there to walk her down the aisle. No one was from her family—not that that was a bad thing. She really did not know what her parents would think if they knew what was going on.

 

Glancing over at Inuyasha's half of the audience; she did not see any one who remotely looked as though they were Japanese.

 

And as far as she could tell, none of the hard-bodied rock-star types who had been at her bachelorette party the night before were in the church either.

 

Who the hell are these people? Everything was so…wholesome. Like you would want when you trying to convince the world the wedding's groom was not gay.

 

Almost there! Her mind screamed, pleased she had made it that far without falling or blushing the shade of a Coke can. Dun-dun-du-dunn.

 

She was only a few feet from Inuyasha when it happened.

 

Her heel—pointed and several inches tall snagged on the inner lining of the wedding dress.

 

Before she could make the final few steps to her place, Kagome found herself hurtling to the ground. Dun-dun-du-dunn.

 

Of course I would, she thought dumbly as the ground continued to run up to meet her, as though she were in some kind of slow-motion action sequence.

 

At the last possible instant—Kagome thought afterwards that she could smell the cleaner they used on the carpet she had been so close—a pair of arms shot out, grabbed, and promptly righted her.

 

A soft blush speckled her face as Kagome stared into the eyes of the actor who still had his hands snuggly on her waist after saving her yet again from an embarrassing tumble.

 

There was a flash of concern in Inuyasha's face before he was again looking at her with disdain. A little too forcefully for her liking, Inuyasha tugged her to her place before the priest, and gave the man of the cloth a curt nod so he knew it was time for the wedding to proceed.

 

The priest looked a little taken aback by the interchange between the couple, but he opened his prayer book to the marked page. “We have come here today in the presence of God to join in holy matrimony Inuyasha and Kikyou.”

 

The moment he began to speak, Kagome felt like the vein in the side of her head was going to explode.

 

You are getting married.

 

Her hands felt sweaty against the silk that wrapped the stems of her flowers. She dug her nails into the fabric and tried to focus on what was going on around her.

 

You are marrying one of the hottest—physically and career-wise—actors in the world. And he doesn't even know who you are.

 

The tightening in her chest that had been plaguing her all day worsened.

 

I guess this pretty much screws the pooch with Inuyasha the hanyou. It will probably look like I lied to him about the day I'm getting married. And then those pictures.

 

Suddenly, there was a pressure on her hand, and she looked down to find that Inuyasha had taken her hands and was in the process of carefully turning her towards him. At the same time someone took her flowers from her, freeing her grasp.

 

They were now facing each other, his face so close to his own.

 

He looks familiar….For a moment his eyes almost appearedgolden, but then Kagome shook her head and the thought disappeared.

 

Before she could ponder the familiarity that seemed odd since she had seen the actor so many times in the past, the priest needed her full attention.

 

“First, the couple will recite the poem of devotion together. Inuyasha, Kikyou, repeat after me:

 

“I love you. Today is a very special day.
Long ago you were just a dream and a prayer.
Thank you for being what you are to me.
With our future as bright as the promises of God,
I will care for you, honor and protect you.
I lay down my life for you my friend and my love.”

 

The priest continued on with the ceremony, but Kagome found herself staring at Inuyasha who was now looking back at her. There was a fierce intensity to his eyes that made her a bit nervous, yet within the depths of his expression there was something else Kagome could not quite place. His eyes seemed to both glare at her and caress her face with their tiny movements.

 

“Kikyou, do you take Inuyasha to be your wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in times of good and bad?”

 

Kagome had to forcefully stop herself from jerking at the priest's words, she had been so captivated by the violet eyes that had drawn in her attention.

Right, I'm Kikyou.I'm supposed to say something.

 

“I, Ka—Kikyou, pledge to you, Inuyasha, as my friend, my love, and my companion to love, honor, and cherish as long as we both shall live.” Kagome resisted the urge to smack herself in forehead. I almost said my own damn name. baka, Baka, BAKA!

“And now, Inuyasha, do you take Kikyou to be your wedded wife? To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health, in times of good and bad?”

She could have been mistaken, but Kagome was sure Inuyasha hesitated. To her, there was a distinct pause—a gapping worm hole of time to be exact—where he murmured something completely inaudible to her human hearing. It was so quiet, so slight a sound that she could hardly catch precisely what he said.

 

But to her nerve wracked and heart sick ears it should like her name. It sounded like he was saying Kagome.

 

Again, there was that marked stirring in her mind of a forgotten memory, something important about her name. But what could it be?

“I, Inuyasha, pledge to you, Ka—Kikyou, as my friend, my love, and my companion to love, honor, and cherish as long as we both shall live.” Still watching his face closely, Kagome saw what appeared to be a flinch when he stumbled over her sister's name. She would have questioned it more, but the priest was still chugging through the remainder of the ceremony.

 

It still stung a little when he said Kikyou instead of Kagome.

 

Who would have thought that would have happened?

Taking the wedding rings from a beautiful little ring boy who Kagome was sure was a child actor she had seen in a number of sugary cereal commercials, the priest begin to speak of the importance symbolized by the matching silver-gold bands. “Kikyou and Inuyasha will now exchange rings at the same time. “Kikyou, Inuyasha, please repeat after me. `I give this ring in token and in pledge of my constant faith and abiding love with all that I am, and all that I will become.'” Kagome's hands were shaking as she took Inuyasha's larger hand in hers, but she could still feel a matching tremble in Inuyasha's fingers as he slipped on her wedding band.

 

Once the rings were on, Inuyasha still did not let go of her hand when they turned back to the priest.

 

“Now that vows and rings have been exchanged, I give you Mr. and Mrs. Inuyasha Takahashi. Inuyasha, you may now kiss the bride.” The priest spoke proudly, but he looked a little dismayed. The newly weds were nothing like the other couples he had married in the past.

 

The bride had her eyes cast down, away from her husband. The groom was flicking his eyes at the bride from time to time, something about his countenance screaming suspicion toward the woman.

 

The priest had to give a little gesture of joining with his hands to get the husband and wife to kiss. It was usually the favorite part for most couples.

 

Inuyasha and Kagome turned inward, once again facing each other. Neither quiet seemed to know what to do with the other.

Finally, slowly, Kagome stood on her tiptoes moving toward Inuyasha. Taking her lead, Inuyasha finally leaned in toward Kagome.

 

Kagome felt herself blush as Inuyasha kissed her. Guilt flared as images of the hanyou appeared unbidden in her mind.

 

As their lips met in a chaste kiss, the priest concluded the ceremony with a final blessing, “The peace and serenity of the heavens be with you all!”

 

Everyone in the church lurched to their feet and the room echoed with applause.

 

Second in volume to the sound of clapping hands was the noise from hundreds of cameras going off as hundreds of paparazzi clicked pictures. All were racing with their competition to get the first pictures to press of the new happily married couple.

 

XXXXXXXXXX

 

Inuyasha half walked, half dragged Kagome down the aisle.

 

Are you retarded? You are supposed to be marrying Kikyou. Ki-ki-you. Even if she really is Kagome, Ka-go-me, you still have to call her Kikyou in your fucking wedding vows!

 

God, he was so confused.

 

Glancing over his shoulder, he looked at the woman who is now his wife.

 

My wife. Who the fuck would ever thought that would have happened?

 

He had honestly never thought he would get married. He never thought there would be a woman who would willingly put up with him. He was foreign, he was a hanyou, he was known as a womanizing actor, and first and foremost he knew he could be an ass.

 

Who would have married me—even with a gun to her head? Which was basically how Kikyou had been coerced by the executives into this stunt.

 

And now—in spite of the fact it was a massive publicity stunt and his wife seemed to have some kind of personality disorder—he was married.

 

To Kagome.

 

Or is it Kikyou?

 

Taking a final glance back at her, he couldn't help but smile.

 

Leading them both out of the chapel, he had the tiniest hope that things would work out. That whatever the papers were saying about “Kikyou,” Kagome was really being faithful.

 

He could only pray.

 

Smiling a little more, he gave a final tug of Kagome's hand and walked out the open church doors.

 

XXXXXXXX

 

Outside the church another group of wedding goers were ready to throw rice on the newly wedded couple. To Kagome, they all looked like models instead of the upright crowd that had been at the ceremony itself, and there were even more photographers with larger cameras, shooting snap shots of their every move.

 

Inuyasha continued to tow Kagome along, taking little notice of the swarm of people around them. He was used to this after all.

 

Yanking her into the waiting limo after him, the couple found themselves alone.

 

They sat together on the same side of the double-seated back quarter of the car, staring at one another.

 

Kagome felt as though she should say something to her new husband, but nothing came to mind. The man before he was not only a stranger but in essence he was an ass. Every encounter she had had with him had been unpleasant—or at least had ended unpleasantly—and she had been forced to give up a really descent guy so she could marry this one.

 

Damn you Kikyou.

 

Inuyasha for his part was once again lost in confusion. Here was this woman—extremely beautiful, possibly kind, but she was lying to him. He hated when bitches lied.

 

But he especially hated it when his bitch lied to him.

 

Continuing to lock gazes with one another, the couple still did not say a word.

 

Being alone with her like this made all his fear of lies and infidelity flee his mind. He wanted to be near her. She was his wife after all, and at least for a moment he wanted to be near her with out the problems. Later would be the time for questions and answers. Now was the time to be close to the woman to which he was bound.

 

Inuyasha wished he could take off his charms so he could take in Kagome's scent, take in her taste. He regretted the fact that their first kiss had as a married couple had been while he was in his human form. He would never truly be able to know the flavor of her essence at that exact moment.

 

With out warning, it became an ache to get to her scent, her taste.

 

“Close your eyes,” Inuyasha said hoarsely.

 

Kagome blinked in surprise.

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Close your eye.” Kagome still looked skeptical. “Please?” His need slipped into his voice with the last word the muttered.

 

Kagome still raised and eye brow, but complied, trusting. “You better not try anything. You never know when a girl is carrying mace.”

 

Inuyasha chuckled at her statement. “Just don't open them, wench.” Kagome wrinkled her nose, but said nothing.

 

Breathing in a whisper, Inuyasha released the spells that both made him human in appearance and blocked off his senses. He was tempted to bound Kagome's eyes with some cloth, but he had none. Not to mention he was pretty sure she would be upset and resist.

 

Moving slowly and carefully as not to frighten her into opening her eyes Inuyasha placed his lips just over Kagome's. He breathed out, telling her silently his intensions. With his eyes open, he knew she still held hers closed, and he crossed the tiny gap of space remaining between them.

 

Inuyasha had already inhaled the fragrance of her skin and hair, pleased that she had worn little perfume or makeup. When his lips joined with hers it was powerful spark. Inuyasha was afraid for a moment Kagome would open her eyes and see him, but he did not pull away. She tasted too good it felt too good to move.

 

Instead, he slipped his hands down to her waist, clutching her hips.

 

Kagome, obediently keeping her eyes closed, looped her arms around Inuyasha's neck, bowing her body to her husband.

 

My husband.

 

Though she had been in a long relationship with Kouga and she had tried to move their relationship to more than mere dating, she had never really thought she would ever really get married.

 

Who would want to marry me?

 

She studied too much, seeing the inside of the library more than her own home. Most man avoided her thanks to her jeans-and-baggy-shirt uniform-esq clothes. When they were interested in her, once they figured out who her sister was, they only wanted Kikyou.

 

And now here she was, essentially married to Inuyasha.

 

Too bad it was the wrong one.

 

Inuyasha nipped at her bottom lip and at the same time pushed Kagome flushed against the car door.

 

“Inuyasha,” Kagome whispered, pulling back as best she could. “Can I open my eyes now?”

 

Inuyasha practically jerked back. Quickly as he could, he changed back into his human form. “Sure, go for it.”

 

Finding himself immediately missing Kagome's warmth and flavor, Inuyasha knew that if he had his puppy ears they would be sinking to his head with disappointment.

 

Kagome blushed.

 

What am I doing? I'm kissing Inuyasha! What about Inuyasha? I just kissed Inuyasha.

 

Your husband.

 

But—

 

And you liked it.

 

Did not!

 

Kagome did not realize that the argument in her head was causing her to give tiny jerks in the direction in which each particular voice seemed to be coming from. Inuyasha watched her with worry.

 

“Are you all right?”

 

“Call me Kagome,” the confused girl blurted out.

 

Inuyasha's first reaction was to smirk, but somehow he suppressed it before Kagome could see. “Kagome?” He had honestly wondered if she would want to drop “Kikyou” around his human form too.

 

“It's a nickname,” she said lamely as she tried to cover up her blunder.

 

What are you doing?

 

He had to say Kikyou's name to marry me. That does not mean he has to call me that forever. I don't think I can bear it.

 

Fair enough.

 

Glad that her own mind had stopped arguing with her, Kagome turned her attention back to the man before her.

 

“A nickname?” He was asking her seriously.

 

“From my family. And now we're kind of family.”

 

Inuyasha seemed to accept this, smiling widely as if something had just occurred to him. “Fine, but I get a nickname too. You will call me Inu.”

 

Kagome suppressed the urge to giggle at the strangeness of the entire situation. “Fine,” she said, smiling for the first genuine time all day. “Why are you being so nice?”

 

Inuyasha felt himself growl. Who was she to question his actions? Did she suspect something? He was going out of his way to be kind even though she was the one who had fucked up and now she was asking….

 

Her innocent question was the one microscopic straw needed to tap into the fathomless pit of confusion, despair, and anger that had been building within him for some time. His short temper was barely held in check as it was and he exploded.

 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Even though he spoke quietly and looked away from her, Kagome could feel the change in the backseat of the limousine. The sudden tension was tangible.

 

“I—I,” Kagome couldn't form words. “I didn't mean anything,” she swallowed hard. This was too much. Just as Inuyasha was overburdened with negative energy so was she. Too much was happening too soon. Tears started in the corner of her eyes, and she quickly brush them away.

 

“Great,” Inuyasha smacking the tops of his thighs with fists. “Now you're crying.” He moved to other seat, turning away from Kagome as she silently cried.

 

Kagome to moved the window opposite Inuyasha, scrunching up into the corner, tucking her legs underneath her. In the layered wedding dress, she looked like a gigantic fluff ball.

 

How did I screw things up now? I can't even be around other people without pissing them off. First Kikyou, now Inu…I'm sure Inuyasha hates me too.

 

Swatting away another stubborn tear, Kagome resigned herself to her fate as the car sped its way to their wedding reception.

 

Inuyasha on the other side of the back seat felt like a tool. Just as quickly as his anger had surged, it was gone and now he regretted his actions. Keeping his anger and other emotions in check was so much easer when he was a hanyou; he felt so much more as a human.

 

He had hurt the girl again—even if she had hurt him too. This was not the way to make a marriage work. Not even a fake one.

 

And I don't know how to make it better.

 

Growling to himself, he decided he might as well not say anything else for fear of only causing more damage. He turned to the window and watched the scenery fly by.

 

Neither seemed to realize the comfort they would find in the other who shared their plight. Hiding oneself was never easy.

 

XXXXXX

 

A/N: Extra thanks to Sassa who's constant questions about what is going to happen next inspired the almost name slips in the wedding vows. I can't believe I almost missed that opportunity!

 

So yeah, I said Friday updates and that the reception would be in this chapter. I think under the school-induced stress the Saturday update is acceptable. There was no reception here because the limo fight was supposed to be there, but I think it fits better where it is. So next Friday's update is the reception. I will really try to keep this date because I don't think fanfition.net's email alert thing is working right now, so just look for the chapter then. I've been planning the events of the reception for some time—before I knew what was going to happen at the wedding—so I think it should be good and happier than this chapter.

 

Thank you to every one who wished me luck on my speech and gave me tips—they helped a lot. I think I did pretty good, and my professor who proctored it said I had improved in presenting and jokingly suggested I write a book on my topic. So, cool beans as far as that went. One less thing to stress me.