InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Feudal Tale ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

There is insinuation of sexual activity in this chapter. Be forewarned.

 

Kagome woke the day of the wedding with slight chills. She looked around and memorized the sight of her sisters sprawled in their futons about the main room. That night she would share a bed with Inuyasha, alone in his house…

 

She sat up, enjoying the semidarkness of predawn. She rose quietly and crept to the window. She loved how the world looked this early in the morning, everything still fresh, cool and covered in dew. Soft lights danced across the lightening sky.

 

“Kagome, awake already?”

 

Kagome turned and faked a smile for her mother. “Hai, Mama. I was enjoying the peace of the early morning.”

 

Her mother smiled. “It is good to use this time. The rest of the day shall be busy.”

 

True to her mother's word, the morning was filled with frantic preparations. Kagome herself was washed and had many oils combed though her black hair, making it slick and shiny. The traditional makeup was applied, and she was told not to touch her face on threat of having to redo her entire makeup assembly. Her hair was painfully styled, and her body was wrapped in the many layers of the wedding kimono.

 

The whole process, having her family devoting full attention to her, was certainly a wonderful feeling, but it was dampened by the images of what would happen that night. Kikyo's harsh assessment of a wife's duty still floated around in her head.

 

My body no longer belongs to me. Kagome thought sadly. It was another case of not knowing what she had: she didn't appreciate her freedom until it was taken away.

 

Before she knew it they were in the shrine. It was midafternoon, and the shrine was filled with her family and friends. Inuyasha knelt beside her, and he seemed a lot less nervous than she. They went through the motions almost subconsciously.

 

Kagome looked around at the people in the shrine. Most were associated with her and her family. She frowned slightly.

 

Where is Inuyasha's family? I thought he might have some relatives in Edo, someone who would want to come see him married.

 

One last chant filled the air, and then silence permeated the building. Kagome rose a second later than she was supposed to, startled slightly by the quickness of the ceremony.

 

Why is it that right when I need more time to think time flows by quickly?

 

The feast that followed was splendid. The food was fairly meager, but considering the rationing that had been their lot for the past few months any feast was welcome. Many people in the village came up to the new couple to give their congratulations. Inuyasha accepted for them, obviously uncomfortable with all the attention. Kagome remained silent. Only when her sisters came to visit did she smile slightly and accept their well wishes.

 

Kikyo never came up to her. In fact, she and Akamaru both were not present at the banquet. Usually she would have been disappointed, but now she didn't really want to have to face Kikyo again.

 

All too soon calls were made to send the new couple off to their house. Inuyasha rose and led her away from the banquet and away from the main center of town. Most of the houses of the farmers were clustered on one end of the village, with rice fields surrounding them. The main road split the village, and Inuyasha's home lay almost directly on the road, uphill from the rice fields.

 

It was a beautiful place, really. A small vegetable garden lay on the south side of the house, wild and unruly. A large maple provided shade over the main house without being a threat to roof damage. The stream that went by the village sprang from a cluster of rocks nearby and flowed down along the far side of the house, providing the soothing sound of falling water.

 

Inuyasha slid open the front door and stepped inside with practiced ease. Kagome hesitantly followed, carefully watching the threshold to make sure she didn't trip.

 

Her new husband stepped up onto the raised wooden floor and Kagome copied him. A chest sitting on the floor drew her attention. Her things had been carefully packed the night before, and brought over immediately after the wedding ceremony was performed. She walked over to it and attempted to lift the chest.

 

It rose only slightly from the ground before dropping back to earth with an undignified thud. Kagome pursed her lips.

 

I wonder how rude it would be to drag it all the way to my husband's room.

 

Before she could begin dragging, Inuyasha returned and lifted the chest.

 

“Get the door.” He ordered, voice wavering under the strain.

 

Kagome blinked and then looked around for said door. She moved as quickly as she could in her wedding attire towards the room that was evidently to be theirs. She slid open the door and pressed against the wall to allow Inuyasha passage.

 

He grunted when he set it down. “Kami, what is in this thing?” he grumbled.

 

Kagome blushed in mortification. “Only what is necessary.” She replied.

 

Inuyasha muttered under his breath. Kagome's blush deepened. “I didn't even pack it.” She muttered.

 

“But it is your stuff.”

 

“I think it is. I don't even know what is in there. It could be just rocks.” Kagome argued.

 

Inuyasha growled slightly and opened the trunk before Kagome had a chance to protest.

 

When he started to thumb through the contents Kagome cried out and grabbed his hands to pull him out of her trunk. Inuyasha sighed and halted his search without a fuss. As soon as his hands were out of her trunk she slammed the lid.

 

“Fine, then. Are you ready?”

 

Kagome blushed again, looking down to hide her mortification.

 

“Did someone tell you what to expect?” Inuyasha pressed.

 

Kikyo's parting warning replayed in her head and she began to feel the pangs of fear.

 

“H-hai.”

 

Inuyasha pulled off his outer kimono and tossed it into a corner. Kagome turned away when he began fumbling with the ties on his hakama.

 

“Ano—” she began, very embarrassed.

 

He turned back, the ties undone and pants loose.

 

“I can't undo the obi by myself.” She mumbled. He nodded and walked behind her. The jerks at the tie sent shivers clear down to her toes. She trembled as she felt the obi come loose. It dropped to the floor and her kimono loosened. She pulled off the outer layer and carefully folded it up. She organized the obi and put it on top of the folded kimono. She carefully loosened and removed the underkimono, leaving her in a thin kosode.

 

Now trembling slightly, she turned to the futon. Inuyasha lay upon it, the covers pulled up to his waist.

 

Kagome knelt next to the mattress and bowed deeply.

 

“I will try to be the best wife I can to my new husband.” She intoned.

 

“Kagome.” He replied. She realized that it was the first time he had said her name. “I'll try to be the best husband I can to you.”

 

Kagome nodded, smiling slightly at him. His gaze turned to her form, his desire in his eyes. Her smile faded and she silently undid the ties on her thin undergarment. She shrugged the garment off her shoulders with her eyes averted. The chill of air against her bare skin gave her goosebumps. She shivered slightly, and slid under the covers.

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Inuyasha lay still, not wanting to disturb the girl next to him. He wasn't sure whether she was awake or not, and didn't want to wake her accidentally. He had known that she was frightened, but he hadn't expected it to hurt her.

 

Damn, it's probably because I'm so inexperienced. I hurt her with my stupidity. Baka!

 

He glanced over in time to catch the reflection of the moonlight on her eyes. He turned away hurriedly, shame filling him.

 

“Daijobu?” Inuyasha turned back to look at Kagome, noticing the inquisitive tilt her head held.

 

“Aa.” Inuyasha replied. “Uhhh…”

 

He cut himself off, unable to ask the same question since he already knew the unfavorable answer.

 

“My sister,” Kagome said. “She said that it hurts for a woman. At least the first time.”

 

Inuyasha's eyes widened, then narrowed. “You should have warned me. I could have been gentler.”

 

Kagome drew back. “I thought you would have known,” she said quietly.

 

He growled under his breath. “I don't know shit, okay?”

 

“Gomen nasai. I won't presume again.” Kagome said softly, drawing even further away from him.

 

Internally Inuyasha cursed his foolishness. I should be the one apologizing to her, not yelling at her. She was just trying to be nice and I had to bite her head off.

 

The remainder of the night was long. Kagome succumbed to her exhaustion quickly, but he lay awake for what must have been hours before sleep took him. When he opened his eyes the morning light poured through the window and he lay alone on the futon.

 

He rose and dressed, noting that their wedding attire had been carefully folded and lay atop Kagome's chest of belongings.

 

When he entered the main room he saw that Kagome sat by the fire, stirring something in a pot slung over the flames. She wore a regular kimono, one of the ones he had seen her wearing everyday. It was worn through at the knees and patched in several places. Inuyasha silently decided that he would have her make herself a new kimono. While her family could not afford such a commodity, he had nothing else to do with his gains.

 

She cautiously glanced up at him, bowing slightly to acknowledge his presence. Her eyes evaded his when he sought contact.

 

Breakfast was served in silence. The only sounds to be heard in the hut were the chirping of birds outside and the shuffling when Kagome poured servings of the rice porridge into bowls.

 

“I need to work today.” Inuyasha said abruptly. He stood and walked away without any other orders.

 

“What should I do, husband?” Kagome called after him. He stopped and turned slightly back towards her. “You need a new kimono. I have enough money to pay for new cloth, or if you want to weave your own you can. Just come to me when you are ready to go and purchase anything.” He left without further discussion.

 

Kagome washed the dishes and looked around for anything she might use. The first thing she noticed was that the house had not seen much cleaning. A fresh layer of dust lay in the corners and on some of the walkways. Kagome found a rag and began to attack the dirt.

 

Several hours later she paused in her efforts. The woodwork shone with her efforts, and she had even scrubbed the tatami and hung them out to dry. But the firepit had obviously not been cleared out in quite some time, and she hadn't dared to look in the closets yet. She had also noticed that the garden showed definite signs of neglect. She could arrange with her mother to get seeds for a vegetable garden, but the soil needed much tending before it would yield any fruit.

 

I wonder if this was why he decided to find a wife. He obviously doesn't want to take care of his home.

 

That or he can't. Father couldn't clean if his harvest depended upon it. He always said that it was a woman's job.

 

It was almost time for lunch, and she could find very little food stored anywhere in the hut. Apparently Inuyasha had survived by eating anything he could find.

 

She did use the barrel of rice that was in a corner in the hut to make several rice-balls. From what she had discerned about Inuyasha he would likely not come in for lunch on his own. Maybe she could improve his mood slightly with this small kindness.

 

She plucked up her courage and headed out to the back of the house. A thick layer of sawdust lay over everything back here, and Kagome added it to her growing list of places to clean.

 

Inuyasha was easy to find. He was shaving pieces of wood into long cylinders, and adding them to the pile he had going by his side. He was so concentrated in his work that he didn't notice her approach.

 

“Something to eat, my husband?” She asked, hiding her smile when he jumped. Luckily he had pulled the knife away before she spoke, because she was sure that he would not appreciate her making him ruin a piece.

 

“I don't eat lunch.” He replied with hostility.

 

Kagome's smile didn't falter. “But it will help you concentrate and you will be able to work harder. I worked hard to make them.”

 

Inuyasha took the proffered food reluctantly. “Rice balls don't take that much effort.”

 

Kagome looked at him incredulously, and before common sense could kick in, she bit back at him.

 

“Please, I had to clean the entire kitchen to make it even habitable, and I'm amazed this rice was there at all, given the state of the food supplies. What did you eat all this time?”

 

She immediately lowered her head. “Gomen nasai, I shouldn't have said that.” A deep red blush spread over her face.

 

Inuyasha scoffed. “You should be able to speak your mind to me. And I don't care what I eat.”

 

“That's just because you haven't had proper cooking.” Kagome insisted, “I'm sure you'll like a little diversity now and again.”

 

A small bag landed at her feet. “I'm guessing that you want to buy food.”

 

“Arigato, husband.”

 

Inuyasha grumbled under his breath and resumed digging into the rice balls.

 

“I have a name.” Kagome looked up, startled. Inuyasha continued. “Everyone in this village calls me `craftsman' or `you,' not one calls me my true name. I would expect that my wife would call me by my given name.”

 

Kagome titled her head slightly. “But, husband…Inuyasha-sama, it wouldn't be proper for me to address you—”

 

“My mother called my father by his name. And I am not worthy of the honor you give me. Just Inuyasha, Kagome.” He carefully enunciated her name.

 

Kagome sighed. Truly she wanted to call him by his name, but wanted to put up a token resistance in case her father were to complain. “Hai…Inuyasha.”

 

Enjoy the fic, and another chapter should be up within a day or two. - Akihana