InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Minoue ❯ More Than a Feeling ( Chapter 47 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimers: I do not own InuYasha or any of the manga/anime characters. They belong to the wonderful genius Rumiko Takahashi. Any original characters do belong to me.

AN: Thank you very much to inufan625 for acting as my beta once again. An additional thank you goes to Knittingknots for her help as well. I greatly appreciate the time they've taken to help make me a better writer and this a better story.

Thank you very much for the reviews. I read each and every one of them, and greatly appreciate those of you that took the time to leave one.

Minoue

Chapter 47: More Than a Feeling

Jii-chan was closing things up for the night as he ran much of what had happened during the past week through his mind. Yes, the reporters had been an annoyance, but there were those who showed proper respect for the shrine by dropping an offering in the box before they approached him about the upcoming wedding. For those that did so, he would answer their basic questions about Shinto weddings, the rise and decline in popularity of the ceremony over the past years, or questions about the shrine itself. Nevertheless, he refused to answer any questions that directly related to the upcoming Nishimori wedding. The one person that he was to give that information to had it, and he refused to reveal any particulars about it to anyone else

Even so, what really had him stumped was the number of calls and donations the shrine had received over the last week. He had been afraid the shrine might be stricken by some horrible punishment in retaliation by the kami for allowing full youkai in his shrine. Not just that, he had agreed to unite them in marriage in a traditional Shinto ceremony. On the contrary, instead of punishing him, the gods seemed to be rewarding him for his open-mindedness, even if it was originally initiated by the donation that the youkai lord had offered in return. Well, no, that wasn't entirely true. It had started in a small way when he had agreed to perform the ceremony for his granddaughter and the hanyou, though she had asked to have the nuptials under the great tree rather than in the shrine itself, partly because she knew he was worried about the purity of all of the participants. Things had picked up shortly afterwards, but he had attributed it to the time of year or perhaps the returning of some to more old-fashioned values. Now, however, he had a steady stream of visitors every day and a number of weddings on the books for the upcoming year.

Some of the couples that came to him revealed that they were either youkai or hanyou wishing to marry their human partner. Not only did they all know who InuYasha was, those from the youkai underground of Japan knew exactly who Nishimori Shuichi was even if they did not know for certain who Kagura was. Jii-chan couldn't exactly tell them `no' when they knew he was already performing two marriages that the vast majority of shrines wouldn't allow, so he agreed to help them. He found that not only were those couples truly grateful, they made generous contributions to the shrine as well.

One of the couples that approached him wasn't as well off as some of the others were, but they were launching their own web design company and asked if they could create one for the shrine in addition to the small cash donation they could afford. One of the reasons that Jii-chan had not done so already was that he had checked into the cost of creating a website as well as what was involved, and he realized it was over his head and not inexpensive once everything was added up. He agreed, and they had returned that very morning with their digital cameras to set up and take photos of different aspects of the shrine to include.

They had stayed the entire day so that they could take pictures in the varying degrees of sunlight, starting with the sunrise that morning. They did not stop until they had their photographs of the sun setting behind the shrine as evening fell. The couple planned to download their pictures and get started on the HigurashiShrine.jp site as soon as possible. They also had the shrine's print brochure in hand and planned to redesign it to something more modern and catchier as well. The bridegroom had experience as a copy writer and editor and was going to rewrite all of the text for the pamphlet as well as write what would be included on the website. Of course to be included were the catchphrases that all hanyou and youkai would understand to mean that they would be welcome there.

Yes, Jii-chan was starting to come to the conclusion that maybe some things weren't as cut and dried as he always had been taught they were. Here he was expecting some great calamity to befall them, but it appeared that the shrine had received extra blessings instead. In hindsight, it truly had started the day that his daughter-in-law had turned up on his doorstep with her two children in tow and nowhere else to go. He took one look at the little girl by her side and saw the face of his son, and he realized that he'd been given another chance. He'd asked what they were standing there for and invited them in, and his life hadn't been the same since.

And he wouldn't change a thing.

~ ^~^ ~

Bankotsu was somewhat annoyed after his trip to the shrine. He'd had dinner with Kikyou the other night as he'd planned, and even spent the evening with her in the hotel room like he'd wanted to. He had to admit now that he was even more confused than before. He didn't think he loved her, but he felt comfortable with her - something that was as unusual for him as falling in love was. Maybe he felt the need to protect her because he had an idea of what Naraku might have in store for her, and he felt that she didn't deserve that. Plus, he had to admit she was good in bed. Not only that, she took care of herself and smelled nice. He couldn't say that about the majority of women he'd fucked over the last few years. Shaking his head, his thoughts returned to what he had learned at the shrine that day.

He didn't really get to talk to the priest because there were photographers there taking pictures of just about everything. There were also a lot more people roaming around the grounds than there were on his previous trip there. Apparently the announcement of the wedding had brought a greater number of visitors to the shrine. So instead, he wandered around as discretely as he could and then made sure to check out the building where he was certain the wedding would be held. In fact, there were three other couples in there doing exactly the same thing. Making sketches and notes in the small pad he carried in his back pocket, he retreated from the tourists and cameras before he was accidentally caught on film.

He sat in his office at his desk, making larger sketches of what he had observed. Still with no real idea of what exactly Naraku was planning, when he was finished, he gathered up his notes and headed upstairs to share with his employer what he had learned.

~ ^~^ ~

“…no,” was all that Miroku heard. Unable to respond or to stay where he was with his mind reeling, he stood rapidly, dropped the ring box, and practically ran for the door.

“Stay here; I'll go after him,” InuYasha ordered as he got up and followed his friend.

Sango leaned over and picked up the box from where it had landed. She flipped the top back open and stared at the contents. “He picked a coral ring?”

Kagome took it from her and held it on the palm of her hand. “He spent hours looking for the perfect ring for you. He couldn't make up his mind and had me go back with him Thursday because he wasn't sure if he should get this one. He knew that traditional engagement rings were normally a diamond set, but when he saw this he immediately thought of you. He said it was beautiful and unique - just like you. He did not want you to have something ordinary because you are the most extraordinary woman he's ever known.” Kagome placed the ring in its box on the table in front of her.

Sango pulled it back out of the box to study it. “It's beautiful. He said all of that? About me?”

“Yes, Sango, he did. He was worried it might be too soon, but he's seen how fast things can change and didn't want to wait. He really does love you. He thought you felt the same, even if you haven't said the words.”

“I… I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about him. But I don't know, Kagome. Will he want me to drop out of school and stay at home like so many women do when they get married? Even those that have good jobs just quit because they found a husband. I have so much that I want to do - does he want me to give it up? And what about Kohaku? If I get him back he'll have to return to the hospital, but what if they release him some day? Would he allow him to come and live with us, at least until he was able to be on his own? And what if he never could be on his own after what has happened to him? Oh, Kagome, I just have so many questions running through my head. Like how soon? Does he want to get married right away or do we wait? Does he want a Buddhist wedding? What if I want a Shinto or a Christian one?”

Kagome reached over and grasped her gently by the forearm. “Sango, I'm not the one that you should be telling all of this to. You need to discuss it with Miroku. But I will tell you that he loves the woman you are, and he respects what you are trying to do with your life. I don't think he was assuming you would give it all up for him.”

The restaurant was on the third floor, and InuYasha caught up with Miroku on the balcony that overlooked the sculpture gardens. His hands tightly wrapped around the wrought iron railing that enclosed the terrace.

“Miroku?” InuYasha said as he approached him. “Are you all right?”

His best friend was shaking his head. “It was too soon. I should have waited longer. I got too anxious, and now she hates me.”

“Whatever gave you that idea? It's not like she told you `no',” the hanyou responded.

“Yes she did; you heard her,” Miroku insisted, “She said `no'.”

InuYasha moved to the railing and stood next to him. He gently placed his hand on his shoulder. “You heard wrong.”

Miroku furrowed his eyebrows and turned to look at his friend. He searched his face for any sign of a lie, though it was difficult as his eyes glistened with tears he was holding back. Wiping his face with the back of his hand he asked, “What do you mean? I heard what I heard.”

The hanyou looked out at the gardens below them. “She didn't say `no.' What she said was, `I don't know.' She wasn't turning you down, Monk. She really didn't give you an answer at all. Maybe you should discuss it with her before jumping to conclusions.”

“I gave you that advice one time and look how that turned out,” Miroku said sadly. “I pushed her too fast; I know it.”

“If you did, then you take more time. But you won't know if you don't talk to her,” InuYasha insisted.

Miroku shook his head. “But what if she doesn't want to talk to me?”

“I think she does.” InuYasha grasped his shoulder a little more firmly and turned him towards the terrace door.

“Sango,” Miroku whispered.

InuYasha patted him on the shoulder and then left them alone together.

“Miroku,” Sango started before she stared at the ring in its box in her hand. “It's beautiful.”

“But will you wear it?” Miroku asked her. “Will you be my wife?”

“I had some things I wanted to discuss with you first. I understand that many women give up everything when they get married. I wanted to know what you would expect of me,” she answered.

Miroku's heart soared with the realization that InuYasha was right - she had not given an outright `no' as her answer. He moved to her and took her hands in his, ring box and all. “Sango, I love the proud, stubborn, determined woman that you are. I could never see you happy sitting around the house and waiting for me to come home each night. I understand that school is important to you as well as graduating so that you can try to help catch monsters like the one we're chasing now. I want to help you accomplish that, not for you to drop everything to wait around to serve me.

“Sango, you had a traditional, loving family growing up. I did not have that. I want you to teach me what it feels like to know that someone loves you and surrounds you with that feeling every time you see them, every time you walk through the door returning home. I want to know what it feels like to live with a woman you love so much that you want to find her again in the afterlife, like your father hoped to find your mother. Yes, the monks at the temple cared for me and they loved me, and in a way we were family, but it wasn't the same. I don't know how to explain it, except that it wasn't - it couldn't have been.” He fell silent and dropped his gaze from her face to his shoes.

Sango squeezed his hands. “Did you really say those things that Kagome said you did?”

He looked back up again and slowly nodded. “If she told you that I thought you were the most unique, beautiful, and extraordinary woman I've ever met, then the answer is yes. I did say that because it's true. I've never known anyone like you. You're special in so many ways that I can't even begin to describe them.”

“But Miroku,” she started and then her face flushed an even deeper shade of red.

“What is it, Sango?” he pressed, wanting to alleviate her fears about anything she might be worried about, at least where it concerned him.

“We… we… we've only… done it… one time…” her voice trailed away as she looked out into the sculpture gardens three stories below.

Miroku surprised her by pulling her against him and whispered in her ear, “And it was the best I've ever had.” He moved one hand to her waist and leaned back just enough for him to tilt her face up with the other so he could look her in the eye. “I never thought I would say this, or even admit it to myself, but sex isn't everything. Without love, it's just a physical act to relieve some tension and provide a few moments of pleasure, but that's all. With love, it means everything. That said, even if we had not made love, I would still want you to marry me. I meant it when I said I would have waited, and I won't pressure you until you're ready again. I love you, Sango. I think you deserve happiness, and I want to be the one to help you find it.” He dropped to one knee again, though he still held her hand in his. “Please, say yes, and we'll work everything out together.”

She extended her hand that held the ring box to return it to him. Taking it from her, he dropped to both knees and let his hands fall to the concrete and allowed his tears to fall.

Sango reached down to gently cup his chin and pull his anguished face upwards. She was holding her left hand towards him. “Aren't you going to put the ring on my finger?” she asked softly.

“You mean…” Miroku's voice choked out the words as hers sunk in.

“Yes, I will marry you. We can work out the details later, but I love you, too.”

Miroku jumped to his feet and pulled her into a bear hug that threatened to crush her. A broad grin crossed his face as he took the coral and diamond piece from the box and placed it on the ring finger of her left hand. As his lips found hers, they both heard a collective, “Awwwwwwww,” followed by clapping. They turned to see all of the faces in the dining room that were along the glass wall that looked out over the same sculpture gardens as the terrace they were on. It was hard to miss the silver head of the hanyou standing next to Kagome as they observed from where they had taken station since they could not see from their table. Miroku, the undeniable ham that he was, grinned at the crowd and bowed. Sango blushed and waved as he took her hand and led her back inside while saying, “Come on, we have reason to celebrate.”

They reached their table to find that the leaves had been pulled out to expand it to seat six and that Sesshomaru and Kagura had joined them. Kagura took Sango's hand to admire her ring while the waiters brought flutes and champagne along with their dessert.

After the clink of glasses and rounds of congratulations, Sango finally allowed her eyes to trail from face to face. Unable to stand it any longer, she finally asked, “Did all of you know about this?”

Kagura was sitting at the end of the table nearest her and reached over to pat her hand. “Well, we felt somewhat responsible for putting damper on your normal Saturday evenings out, so we thought this would be a good way to say `thank you' in advance for your help with the wedding.”

Miroku placed his hand over her other one. “And once InuYasha received the call from his brother yesterday and then told me about it, everything just sort of fell into place. I'd already decided to get the ring so I'd be prepared if the opportunity presented itself, though I'll have to admit that I wasn't expecting it to be so soon. But it was perfect, and I couldn't pass it up.” He leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek. “And I'm so happy that you said `yes'.”

“Well, now that I agreed to marry you, will you tell me what I made in your class?”

Miroku threw his head back and laughed before he answered, “I will tell you that you made the second highest grade in the class this semester.”

“Second! Who made the highest? Kagome?” Sango questioned.

Miroku shook his head. “She was just behind you. There is one gentleman in the class whose brother became a Buddhist monk. He was confused and took the course so that he could understand his brother better, which is probably why he did all of the extra credit assignments even though he didn't need them. He actually made the highest score in the class. You, my dear Sango, were one single point behind him. His was the first one hundred percent I've awarded in at least three years.”

Kagome was listening intently and squealed, making InuYasha lean away from her. She patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, honey. That probably hurt your ears.”

The hanyou mumbled something along the lines of, “You could say that.”

“So we made an `A'?” Kagome asked. When Miroku nodded she announced, “That calls for another round of champagne!”

“It looks like everyone has something to celebrate tonight except for you two,” InuYasha commented to Sesshomaru and Kagura.

Kagura looked at Sesshomaru and he actually smiled.

InuYasha thought the expression was a little frightening.

“That's not exactly true,” Kagura stated.

The waiters were pouring another round of the sparkling wine when InuYasha realized that the bottle they were serving Kagura with was different from the rest. They had the towel wrapped around it to hide the label, but the shape and color of the bottle was slightly different, and even though the contents were bubbly, they were completely clear. His eyebrows went up under his bangs in realization just as she announced barely loud enough for them to hear at their table, “I'm pregnant.”

InuYasha grinned. “I can't wait until you tell his mother.”

To be continued…

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Feudal Association

The Feudal Association is currently accepting nominations through Sunday, March 15th. This group is different from others in that you can nominate both InuYasha fanfiction and fanart. It's also different because if you place, your banner is a piece of original fanart donated for that category. The group is a lot of fun and pretty laid back. The two mods are knittingknots and inuyashaloverr. You can find information at http://feudal-pulpfiction.net/fa/index.html on current nominations, rules, categories, the ineligible list, etc. To join, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FeudalAssociation/.

That said, thank you very much to dreaming_trees, paynesgrey (aka quirkyslayer), and psyco_chick32 for the nominations of Blood and Ashes for Best Drama Fiction, Best Oneshot Fiction, and Best Angst Fiction. I truly appreciate it.

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InuYasha Fanfiction Guild

The Best of 2008 ballots have been posted, so if you are a member please be sure to go and vote before they end March 15th. Minoue is on for Best Serial and for Best Miroku/Sango Romance, and White Ribbon for Best Comedy.