InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Once Upon a Time ❯ The Plot Thickens ( Chapter 31 )

Disclaimer: No, still not mine. Rats.

31. The Plot Thickens  

When Kagome’s family returned a couple of days later, the girl was amazed at the amount of--stuff, for lack of a better word--that they brought with them. While much of it consisted of the same kind of things Kagome herself usually brought from the other world--boxes of instant ramen, some chocolate bars, a few books (this time on traditional medicine and campfire cooking)--the woman had also brought a huge stack of bridal magazines. “I ran into your friend Eri’s mother the other day. It seems that she’s decided to skip high school and get married--to Houjou!”

“Really?” Remembering her friends’ endless matchmaking efforts on her behalf, Kagome asked, “Does Houjou know about this yet?”

The older woman nodded. “He knows. He even seems sort of happy. Eri will work in her parents’ store for now, while Houjou finishes school. Then, when he opens his traditional pharmacy, she should be experienced enough to handle the business end of things.” She handed the heavy magazines to her daughter. “I brought these so you can see what she’s planning.” The woman looked in confusion at the circle of faces standing around the well. “I don’t remember these people from last time.”

Kagome laughed and introduced Sango (“She’s been like an older sister while I’ve been here.”), Kohaku (“Sango-chan’s little brother--a lot like Souta, really. He’s saved two lives that I know of--one of them mine.”), and Miroku (“Now that Naraku’s curse is gone, he can live to a normal lifespan--if an angry girl or jealous boyfriend doesn’t kill him first.”).

With a sound somewhere between a chirp and a kitten’s mew the tiny animal launched herself from Sango’s shoulder to that of the other woman. While Sango looked absolutely scandalized, Kagome laughed. “I almost forgot! This,” she said, “Is Kirara. She’s a firecat youkai who came from Sango’s village.” Taking the little youkai from her mother, Kagome continued, “Go ahead and show them, Kirara.”

Although the actual transformation was hidden in a ball of flame, the result was clearly visible. The woman simply stood and stared while her son reacted as he did to everything in this world. “Cool!”

Sensing the newcomers’ rather tentative acceptance, the youkai instantly reversed her transformation and leaped to the boy’s shoulder, rubbing her head on his chin.

Kagome decided that it was time for an even bigger shock. “There’s something else, Mama. Try not to be nervous.” At a gesture from the girl, a shadow detached itself from the edge of the surrounding forest and moved noiselessly to stand between his new leaders. At the woman’s utterly shocked expression, Kagome explained. “Yes, he’s a real wolf. He was sent here by Kouga and Ayamae--the leaders of the wolf youkai in the mountains to the north of here --to be a messenger.” She laughed a little self-consciously, “He seems to have attached himself to us.”

Realizing that the enormous carnivore posed absolutely no threat to her daughter, she nodded. “Of course he has. Wolves have a very definite sense of the social hierarchy in their packs. He obviously sees the two of you as the leaders.” She stood very still as the animal examined her and Souta, learning their scents. Once the wolf was satisfied that these two humans were in fact a part of his new pack, he returned to his primary function of guarding the leaders from the shadows.

While Souta, Taki, and Shippou spent much of Saturday helping Kohaku sort through the equipment that would be installed in the taijiya workshop, the three women took the stack of magazines over to the hot spring.

As they settled down to examine the multitude of pictures, Inuyasha made an effort to sound grumpy, even though he couldn’t entirely hide the euphoria he’d been living in since their month in his mate’s world. “It’s obvious that you don’t need me around for this,” he said.

The older woman looked up in surprise. “Of course we do, dear. A male perspective is always welcome--you’d be surprised at how many men refuse to have anything to do with planning their own weddings.”

He shook his head in confusion. “I thought the ritual was for both of them.”

Kagome tried to explain the biggest difference she’d noticed between the men of her own time and this one. “In my world the men spend so much time and effort trying to prove how strong they are that they don’t seem to have any time or energy to ‘waste’ on things like romance. Here, the men don’t have to show they’re strong--they live it every day. That seems to leave them with a lot more time for…other things.”

He sat quietly, watching the three women paging through the magazines, pausing now and then at a picture that one or another of them especially liked.

“Mama, look at this one!” Hearing the excitement in his mate’s voice, Inuyasha glanced at the photograph. It was easily the most amazing garment he had ever seen: a creamy ivory color exactly the shade of Kirara’s thick coat, the top part of the dress fitted the model snugly, although it didn’t seem to restrict her breathing or range of motion. The satiny fabric was heavily embroidered with matching thread in a pattern of roses and lilies so that they weren’t even visible unless you looked at it from the correct angle. The sleeves--if they could even be called that--were simply straps around the upper arms. Though not terribly full, the skirt flared slightly from the hips to fall nearly to the ground in soft folds. The rich satin was lightly beaded with glass beads, just enough to provide a random sparkle as the tiny beads caught the light.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds, imagining Kagome wearing something like that, her thick black hair loose about her shoulders, spinning in the firelight. Springing to his feet, he walked off toward the forest. “I have to go,” he muttered thickly.

As the others watched him go, the older woman nodded in satisfaction. She had recognized the raw desire in the hanyou’s eyes and voice. It seemed, she thought, that they had a winner.

The women continued to look at photos of formalwear, jewelry, food, resorts, and floral arrangements. Kagome’s mother subtly marked each page that got an especially strong reaction from her daughter--those were the ones she would discuss with the hanyou when she had the opportunity. She thought of the sample invitation she had tucked into her purse. Once she had explained a little about the personalities of the couple, it had taken her friend in the university’s fine arts department only two days to complete the custom design. That design, which featured a shining silver sword wrapped in a vining rose, might have seemed an odd choice to most, but Kagome’s mother found it oddly appropriate, symbolizing both the two individuals and the way each had changed the other by their relationship. The background was the very distinctive Shikon no Tama pink--an especially nice touch, she thought.

Of course, these details would mean nothing to most of those who would see them, but would be significant to both those who were directly involved and those few others who knew at least part of the story of the young lovers.

The hanyou stomped through the forest, trying vainly to regain the composure he had very nearly lost. He was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea after all--how on earth was he going to get through this thing if Kagome looked anything like the image he had conjured up?

At a faintly musical sound by his side, he looked up to see that Miroku had fallen into step with him. “What the hell do you want, monk?” he growled.

The other’s face was a mask of righteous innocence. “Only your ultimate happiness, my friend.” At the inevitable snort of disbelief, he continued, “Once you and Kagome-sama are officially paired off, maybe I can finally get Sango to choose a date for us.” Noticing the stiffness in the other’s movements, he asked, “Did they chase you out? What did you do to deserve that?”

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. “It wasn’t like that, monk!” he snarled.

Miroku’s smile grew even wider. Ever since the hanyou and the little miko had chosen each other, he had been given little opportunity to indulge in his favorite recreation: tormenting Inuyasha about his feelings for the girl. “So what is it then?”

Inuyasha studied his friend briefly. “Do you have any idea what they wear at these things?”

The monk nodded slowly, his eyes shining with an unholy glee. “As a matter of fact, I do. Kagome-sama told us all about it when her cousin got married last fall. You would have known that if you weren’t sulking up in that tree all night. But why is that a problem?”

The hanyou’s eyes seemed to focus on a spot about halfway between his sternum and his spine. “Imagine Sango dressed that way.”

Miroku’s smile faded as he considered the image the other’s words had given him. “I think I see what you mean,” he said, walking away into the woods.

Kagome couldn’t for the life of her understand the hanyou’s reaction to a simple

photograph. She had been his friend for months--and something much more intimate for several weeks--and it was obvious to her that he had become aroused and wished to leave before he said or did something to embarrass her in front of the others. Even after all this time she still couldn’t convince him that she was never embarrassed by him--she just worried sometimes that he would give himself away to an outsider.

When she thought no one was looking, she idly flipped back to the page with the picture, trying to decide what had gotten him so worked up. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t see what could have caused the unexpected reaction.

She didn’t think that he had reacted so strongly to the tall, blonde, artfully made-up model--he tended to prefer a more natural style, saying that he thought the cosmetics made them look artificial, more like dolls than living women.

Finally, she could stand it no longer. With a brief apology--but no explanation--she left the others and walked into the forest in a direction slightly different from that in which the hanyou had gone.

As her daughter disappeared from view, the older women shook her head. “I thought she’d never leave.”

Sango was momentarily confused. “You wanted her to go?”

“Of course--how else could I talk to you alone for a bit? From the look of things, I’d say that she’ll be gone for much of the afternoon.” Turning back to the youkai hunter, she continued, “What do you think of the dress--the one she was looking at when Inuyasha left?”

Sango glanced at the magazine Kagome had left lying open. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I think it would suit her.”

The older woman nodded. “So do I. So does he, apparently. But I don’t think something like that would work for you--you have a much more classic look.” She flipped through one of the discarded magazines until she found what she was looking for--a very traditional silk kimono. “What would you think of something like this--maybe in a rich shade of rose?”

Sango suddenly brightened. “I think I know just what you mean!” Running back into the house, she returned just moments later with a long strip of fabric--the sash she wore when in her role as a youkai taijiya. “Is this what you had in mind?”

The older woman took the piece of fabric, wondering how hard it would be to match the subtle coral pink. “The color is just perfect, but what about the style?”

Sango considered the matter, then nodded slowly. “You’re right.” She thought briefly of the dozens of pictures he had seen. “I don’t think I would be comfortable in anything like the others.”

The other woman held up the strip of cloth. “Can I borrow this? I want to try matching the color, and I’ll need a sample so I get it right.”

Sango simply nodded, not at all surprised that so many people were going to such great lengths to make Kagome happy.

“Are you all right?” Even without the new awareness of his presence that had been growing steadily stronger in her, Kagome was certain that she would find the hanyou either beneath or in the branches of the Goshinboku. Now that he no longer tried to deny it, she had quickly realized that he had also managed to find a measure of peace near the ancient tree.

“Was your mother mad?” She jumped as the quiet voice spoke right in her ear. “I didn’t want to be rude, but I was afraid to stay any longer.”

She turned to face him, searching his face for the truth. “I know why you left, but I don’t understand it. What was in that picture that got you so…” She fumbled briefly for a word before finally settling on “…upset?”

He looked away, not wanting to admit his weakness to her. “It wasn’t the pictures--it was you. I thought of how you would look wearing…that, and I had to go.”

She nodded in sympathy--she had had similar thoughts while looking at the men’s formalwear. “I think I can understand--I was thinking about you wearing a couple of those suits and could hardly stand it.”

He shook his head. “I can’t go back yet.”

“Neither can I. Unfortunately, I can’t think of where else we could go.”

His voice was low, almost a soft growl. “Why do we have to go anywhere?”

She blushed furiously as she realized what he was suggesting. “Here? In the forest?” She looked around nervously, as though she expected the trees to suddenly sprout eyes and ears.

“We won’t be interrupted. You didn’t think you came out here alone, did you?” He raised his voice to slightly above a whisper. “We don’t want to be disturbed, Wolf. Now,” he said, turning back to the girl loosely surrounded by his arms, “Where was I?”

She looked into the hanyou’s honey-colored eyes. “I don’t know, but I hope you find your place soon.”

He laughed softly at the tremor in her voice. Bending to her ear, he whispered, “I think I remember now,” just before burying his face in the side of her neck.

At the tiny gasp when he grazed the skin of her throat with a fang, he pulled back to look at her. Gods, he loved her this way--eyes half closed in pleasure, head thrown back, her hands gripping his arms as she fought to keep her knees from buckling, the intoxicating scent of her need for him saturating the very air. Keeping a firm grip on her with his left arm, he freed his right from her grasp by transferring her grip to the front of his haori. He ran his fingers down the back of her neck, feeling his claws dragging lightly across her skin.

His eyes widened as her eyes flew open as she gasped in surprise, then moaned against his chest, her muscles trembling with the effort needed to maintain at least a little control over herself. It never occurred to him that the same claws that gave them meat and destroyed their enemies were also capable of invoking such intense waves of pleasure in his mate.

It was, he decided, something worth investigating another time, when he was not quite so near to his own breaking point.

Later, he looked at the woman in his arms, “Why are you so different?”

She frowned in momentary confusion. “Different? Different from what?”

“Other women.”

Her voice took on a note he hadn’t heard in quite a long time. “Which other women?”

“The ones I used to see with their men in the forest.”

That explained quite a lot. “I’m probably not very different from them at all. What makes you think I am?”

He shook his head. “No. You’re nothing like them. Even the ones who didn’t fight with their men didn’t seem to enjoy it like you do.”

So, she thought, that’s what this is all about. “It’s kind of complicated,” she began. At his expectant expression, she continued, “Throughout most of history, sex was associated exclusively with reproduction. People--especially women--were discouraged from using their bodies to give each other pleasure. Sex was a serious matter, something to be endured for the sake of preserving the race.”

She looked up with amber eyes wide with disbelief. He shook his head slowly. “And they call me an animal,” he muttered. Hoping she hadn’t heard that, he asked, “And why are you so much more…eager than they were?”

“I was lucky--I had parents who loved each other and weren’t shy about showing affection. But the real difference between me and the women you saw in the forest is that none of them had you.”

Although that answer was immensely flattering, he couldn’t bring himself to entirely believe it--it would take even her endless belief in him a long time to overcome his early conditioning as a “worthless hanyou.” He ran his hands through her hair, loving the feel of the silken strands as they slipped through his fingers. “Are you ready to go back now?”

She stretched, then nodded. “No,” she said softly, “But I suppose we really should.” She sat up, looking back at him stretched out on the soft grass. “Are you going to come back with me?”

The open invitation in her voice and eyes made him smile. “Depends. What are you going to tell your mother?”

“That’s the easy part,” she laughed. “We can explain it as a kind of ‘culture shock’--say that you were just so overwhelmed by the whole complicated thing that you had to take off for a while.”

“You can come out now. I know you’re there.”

The young man emerged from the shrubbery with a sheepish expression. “Your pardon, ladies. I didn’t mean to spy. I saw Inuyasha in the forest a little while ago, and he seemed a little…tense. I hope he didn’t do anything to offend you, Higurashi-san.”

The older woman shook her head. “Not at all, dear. Would you like to join us? Sango-chan tells me that you’re involved in our little conspiracy as well.” At the young man’s nod, she continued, “Sango-chan, why don’t you show him the choices we’ve narrowed down so far?” Though her voice was neutral, her eyes sparkled with a perverse glee as she thought of his reaction: if the hanyou had become so--what was the word the monk had used?-- “tense,” this boy would be practically drooling on his sandals, given his reputation.

“You understand, of course, that these selections are tentative--Inuyasha will have to make the final decisions now that we’ve picked the three or four choices that we think Kagome will like best.” Noticing his glazed expression, she decided to take pity on him. “I understand that you’ve volunteered to perform the ceremony.”

Although the best he could manage was a weak nod, it was enough. She looked him up and down, trying to gauge his reaction. “You understand that this won’t be a binding ceremony--it won’t have any legal force in either of our worlds. Will this be an ethical problem for you?”

Sango nearly choked trying to stifle her laughter. “Ethics are never a problem for our houshi-sama,” she laughed. “Actually, he got us a good meal and a comfortable place to sleep on more than one occasion by being a little less than ethical.”

Since this woman seemed to be basically the kindly, forgiving type, he hung his head with a sheepish grin. “All true, I’m afraid. You see, I’m not really a very good monk by most standards. I do, however, understand that this ceremony will be mostly for the friends and family--the legalities really don’t matter very much. Besides,” he continued, “I don’t think that any ceremony will be able to make them any closer than they already are.”

The woman nodded: he was, as she had been told, a bit of a rascal, but was essentially very sweet. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out some folded sheets of paper. “I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “I managed to get my hands on a pretty good general-purpose ceremony of this kind. Feel free to modify it as necessary--the tradition in my world includes provisions for lots of variations: some couples even write their own ceremony, but since Kagome doesn’t know, that’s not really an option here.”

He looked briefly at the sheets. “How long do I have to learn this?”

She smiled at him. “Plenty of time--I’m planning the ceremony for the new moon after this one: about six weeks. I think it will be easier doing it that way, don’t you?”

He was beginning to see where the girl had gotten her cleverness. “After sunset, I assume?”

She nodded. This boy was pretty quick--he would be a definite asset to their conspiracy, especially as things came to the point where some of the conspirators would have to spend brief periods in her world without her daughter learning of it. “Has he found a second man yet to act as the witness? It really should be someone who knows them well, as he’ll have to make a short speech at the party after the ceremony.”

The monk and the taijiya looked at each other, then spoke in unison. “Shippou.”

The woman shook her head slowly. “I know how important he is to all of you, but I’m afraid it just wouldn’t work--he’s really much too young.”

The monk held up a hand. “You don’t understand. One of his abilities is changing his shape--he’s impersonated Kouga, the leader of the wolf youkai pack, and even Kagome--usually to irritate Inuyasha: I’m sure he can portray himself as he will when he’s…oh, sixteen or seventeen.”

The older woman smiled. This couldn’t possibly be more perfect! “Unfortunately, I’ve come up with another problem. My son Souta wants to take part in the ceremony, so we’ll be making him the ring bearer. That means that we need a little girl to partner him as flower girl. Since we don’t have any relations or close friends of an appropriate age, I think we’ll need to find her here.”

Sango frowned thoughtfully. “The only little girl I can think of offhand is the one with Sesshoumaru.” At the woman’s blank look, she explained, “Inuyasha’s half-brother. He’s been traveling around the countryside with a little human girl a bit younger than Souta. For a while we thought she was a prisoner, but now it seems like he’s sort of adopted her.”

Kagome’s mother smiled again. “Absolutely perfect! We can ask her when we invite this…Sesshoumaru, did you say?” She noticed the large shadow emerging from the underbrush. “I think we’d better finish this later on--they’re coming back.”

If anyone noticed that the “tension” seemed gone from the hanyou, or that the two seemed to have gotten some leaves and twigs caught in their hair, they made no mention of it.