Adult-FanFiction.org : Inuyasha / Yashahime

Sweet Surrender	By : inumom Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female > InuYasha/Kagome Views: 7748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

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Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. Damn.

5. Decisions

By the time dinner rolled around, I had pretty much given up trying to think of a way to explain the whole process. Fortunately, Mama had that base covered. While out doing the day�s shopping, she had found a number of bridal magazines. Deciding that it would be easier to explain with the help of a variety of pictures, she�d brought them home.
Once the food had been eaten and the dishes cleared away, we buried the table in a thick layer of magazines. Flipping a couple of them open, Mama said, �The first thing we have to decide is whether you want a traditional Japanese ceremony or a more modern Western-style ritual.�
He looked blankly at her. �What�s the difference?�
Mama blinked a few times in confusion. �That�s right--I suppose that any ceremony we could have would be very modern to you, wouldn�t it? Maybe we should try something else. Try looking at some of the pictures and see if anything appeals to you.�
Souta and Jiichan rapidly made their escapes to the video game console in the living room and the shrine, respectively, leaving the rest of us of us sitting around the table with a pile of thick magazines in front of us. The plan was simple enough in theory: we�d look through the hundreds of pictures until something--anything--happened to catch our eyes. That should give us at least a clue about what exact kind of things would work best in our admittedly odd situation.
It had taken only a few minutes before a hoarse whisper erupted to my left. �Sweet Kami--what is that?�
Glancing over at the exposed page, I saw what was probably one of the most remarkable garments I�d ever seen in my entire life. The dress was made of a heavy ivory satin exactly the color of Kirara�s thick fur. It had a snug-fitting bodice that left a great deal of cleavage exposed without being tasteless. The model�s shoulders were left bare, the only thing that passed for sleeves being two straps that wrapped loosely around the upper arms. I was glad to see that the skirt was not extremely full, although it flared out slightly from the hips before falling in soft folds nearly to the floor. There was also no excess of lace and ruffles--the only real ornamentation being a light sprinkling of tiny glass beads that would pick up and reflect the light as it moved.
I was not especially surprised that it had caught his eye. Despite his sometimes rough exterior, he had lived with beautiful things for a time in his life, and seemed to have remembered that. In spite of all the hardships he had faced, he had somehow managed to retain a sense of beauty. What I didn�t expect was his reaction. He stood up abruptly, said, �I have to leave now,� in a strange, choked voice, and almost sprinted for the stairs.
Ignoring a lingering stiffness in my leg, I rose to follow him. �Inu--�
I looked down suddenly to see Mama�s hand on my arm. �Let him go, dear. I�m sure he�ll be back in a little while, once he regains his composure. I think,� she said, looking closely at the picture and smiling, �That we have a winner.�
She must have seen that I was confused, because she smiled and shook her head. �Didn�t you notice the expression on his face? He was obviously thinking about what you would look like wearing that, and it got him so�excited that he had to leave. I�m sure he�ll be back within twenty or thirty minutes, once he�s had a chance to �calm down a little.�
I guess I was still a little insecure. �Are you sure? I�ve never seen him behave that way before.�
�I�m sure,� she said. �That�s the ideal reaction: enormously excited but discrete enough to want to avoid doing anything offensive or embarrassing.�
Silently hoping that she was right, I only said, �I hope he comes back soon--we still have a lot of stuff to decide.�

*

When my beautiful hanyou finally returned he made no real mention of his abrupt departure, saying only that he was a little overpowered by the whole complicated thing. Mama wasn�t about to let him get off the hook quite that easily, though. �Well,� she said, �We�ve settled on a gown for Kagome, but that�s only the beginning. Have you given any thought to where you want the ceremony held?�
We exchanged a brief wordless communication, then he said, �There�s really only one place, isn�t there? Right here at the shrine, under the Goshinboku.� Even though he was going out of his way to be agreeable, I could still sense an undefined tension in his voice and the way he moved.
I nodded vigorously. �That would be absolutely perfect! After all,� I said, turning my attention back to Mama, �That�s where we first met.�
�That settles it, then. Now, what are you going to wear, dear? Have you seen anything in the magazines that appeals to you?�
He shrugged. �Not especially. What does it matter what I look like? If she�s going to be wearing something like that, nobody�s even going to notice that I�m there.�
I reached up to lightly run a fingertip along his jaw line. �I�ll notice,� I whispered. Turning my full attention to him, I said, �You got to pick mine--can I pick yours?�
Crossing his arms over his chest, he said only, �Feh! Suit yourself.�
I flipped the magazine in front of my mother back a few pages to reveal a tux in a Chinese style, with a high mandarin collar and a long row of silk frogs running up the front to hold the jacket closed. �What about something like this? The only thing is, I don�t really like the color: it�s way too white--he�d be almost invisible in it. Do you think we could find it in something else: a dark red or rich purple, maybe?�
Mama shook her head. �I don�t know. It doesn�t look like that complicated a garment, dear--if we can�t find one, I�m sure I can make it.� Glancing at the silent figure next to me, she asked, �What do you think?�
I could see that he was trying his hardest to maintain his old tough-guy image. I could also see that he was failing miserably. Finally, he gave up the fight with a sigh, slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me a little closer to him. �It�ll do, I think.�
Carefully marking the place where I had found the picture in the magazine, Mama had still more questions. �When are we going to do this?�
We looked at each other briefly, then simply shrugged. �I�d like to do it as soon as possible, but I know it�ll take a while for all the arrangements. Do you think we could have everything ready in three weeks?�
Mama shook her head. �That would make it terribly difficult for much of the family to come, dear. Once the invitations are printed--that can take a week or more--they still have to be sent out, and the replies have to be returned. Most people won�t be able to make such sudden changes of plan.�
�Would you be terribly disappointed? I think it would be best if we kept this thing as small as possible anyway. I mean, I think we can keep his ears hidden in his hair with a little effort, but I�d really rather not go looking for trouble.� I chose to ignore the muttered, �That�s a first,� exhaled into my ear.
Mama gave me a warning look. �You understand that there will be a lot of questions asked about why this is all being done so quickly? There will be assumptions made that this was a marriage of necessity.�
I reached down and gently squeezed the hand at my waist, hoping to still the low, threatening growl I could hear from his throat. �Mama, it doesn�t matter. We�ll be spending most of our time in his world anyway--who cares about what somebody here who knows nothing about the situation might think?�
Suddenly she laughed out loud. �You�re right, of course. You know, dear, in some ways you�re much more your father�s daughter than you are mine. You most likely have few memories of him, but that�s exactly the kind of thing he would have said. Still,� she said, �We�ll send out the invitations all the same. Perhaps a few of your favorite relations will make the effort to be here.�
She rose from the table with a sudden movement. �I think that�s enough for now. We have a lot to do tomorrow, and we should make it an early night.�
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Sweet Surrender