112A/N: Thank you to the following for your reviews: Esha Napoleon, blackdame, Taraah36, xxdarienchibaloverxx, and Puppylove7. And thank you to anyone who added this or its author to their lists since I last updated. Somewhere along the way my esteemed readers and reviewers forgot to mention the rather large plot hole I was digging for myself. (Don't you know I count on you to catch me in the act?) My muse kindly reminded me before once again skipping out on the writing process. For all of you who were waiting to see the wedding Mama Higurashi put on for her daughter, here it is.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha characters, manga, anime, movies etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al.
Family Reunion
Ch. 25
Just when Kagome thought that she could settle down to a relatively peaceful and normal life with her husband and newborn son, Mama remembered something that everyone from the Feudal Era had forgotten, or almost everyone. If she was being picky with the details, it was more like Mama had been reminded, by Hisana no less, of the strange arrangement that had been made before the miko had ever graduated high school.
Sitting across from her mother at the shrine, Kagome sipped her tea and eyed the floral catalog her mother had out in front of her. "Don't you think it's a little redundant, Mama? Everyone already thinks I had one because I've given birth."
"Not in the least. None of your human blood relations were invited and I did say that I would put one on for you. As discussed, we'll have the ceremony here and then go to Sesshoumaru-kun and Azami-chan's country estate for the reception. Can they truly accommodate everyone?"
"Yes, don't worry."
"You're my only daughter, Kagome; I want to be able to do this for you." Mama smiled and patted her daughter's hand before doing the same to Etsuo. The baby giggled and went back to watching his surroundings.
"Thank you, Mama. I guess the best way to do this would be to call on Kirara. And Kellan-sama if you don't want Hisana-okaasan to interfere too much."
"Kirara-san probably has a lot of connections when it comes to weddings, doesn't she?"
"Yes, although I'm sure that if you spread the word that it's for a Taisho, you can pretty much get anything at any time without too much hassle."
"That won't be necessary, dear, but thank you. Now then, tell me which flowers you would like…"
In the end the wedding was small, elegant, and just what Kagome and Inuyasha would have arranged for themselves had they been the ones to plan the ceremony. There was no elaborate finery, no pomp and circumstance to take away from the true meaning of joining two lives together. Before they had had to put up with strangers at their reception as a clan wedding had to be witnessed by every demon lord and lady that could attend.
Higurashi-jijii stood in front of his granddaughter and grandson-in-law and performed the ceremony, watching with teary eyes the exchange of sake saucers. Even though he knew they'd done this before, it didn't take away from the emotional pull it had on his heart. Souta and Mama stood with Sango for Kagome as Miroku, Sesshoumaru, and Shippou did for Inuyasha. They sat in the front row, each satisfied that in the eyes of everyone now, their friends and relatives were married. The rest of the close pack was also there to see, Hisana silently consenting to the fact that small and elegant fit the two ex-shard hunters better. Even Kagome's trio of friends had come although they were still confused by the necessity if they really were already married.
The bride had laughed, saying that every once and while a wedding was done so that outsiders believed they were a true young couple instead of one that had lived for centuries. And since none of her relatives had seen the real ceremony, it was a way to bring the event to life. Kagome wore her grandmother's white Shinto wedding kimono, forgoing the white painted face as everyone that would be there knew she'd had a baby recently and there was no point in pretending to be untouched.
The groom had once more donned his family crested robes, the black youkai silk still fitting as easily as it had five hundred years ago. Simple rings had been given to Shippou to hold onto, the kitsune warned not to lose. He'd joked that he was a little old to be the ring bearer but a gentle reminder that most of Kagome's relatives didn't know the truth, had the young fox demon back in child form.
Inuyasha's brothers, in heart and in blood, had agreed that it was best to keep the truth from the rest of the Higurashis so they made sure that the kitsune had kept to his illusion during the whole thing. While Shippou might be put out about remaining a child for the majority of the day, he wasn't going to do anything to cause his parents problems on this day. That was why he was content to simply stand in between his uncles, one of their hands constantly on his shoulder as if reminding him of his duty.
Azami, the twins, Akiyo and the rest of the royal pack looked on, the women still brought to tears even though this was nothing new. Sango's twin girls and Etsuo were held by nearly everyone until the last word was said and they were free to go back to their parents. Babies were changed and wedding clothes put away so that traveling to the estate in the country was easier.
If anyone thought that it was odd that three train cars had been reserved for the wedding guests, no one said a word. Already dozens of people not invited to the ceremony had made their way to the country to enjoy a reception that was sure to rival the largest affairs of state. As the wedding guests were shone into the ballroom and greenhouse they were struck by the seamless combination of winter and summer. Kellan's faerie magic had made it possible, star dust and tiny lights dancing among exotic plants and white decorations.
"Mama, did you think this up on your own?"
"I had help," the matriarch admitted. "Kellan-sama was most obliging. I wanted to stay with simplicity and yet create a depiction of the fairytale that your courtship had been. What do you think?"
"It's perfect, Okaa-san," Inuyasha said, putting his arms around both women. "Two worlds that shouldn't be able to blend together at all, have." He looked over the crowd, a number that easily surpassed two hundred and grinned. "No one would guess the true significance of the action unless you knew how we met."
Kohaku and Rin passed them, each raising a glass to silently toast the couple before moving to greet her parents. Sesshoumaru and Azami sat to one side, the demon empress too heavy with child to participate much. Her mate had given in easily enough when it had been announced that his sanctuary would become the staging of this gathering but he clearly didn't like his space invaded.
Kirara and Arashi mingled, each with their own purposes in mind. Ever the dutiful nekomata guardian, she was on the lookout for trouble while he was clearly of a mind to establish business connections. Their children frolicked with the other kids; Shippou in charge of making sure their double tails weren't discovered. The babies had been put down to nap in the nursery, a maid posted to care for their immediate needs.
Miroku and Sango stayed by their friends, chatting with Kagome's relatives and keeping an eye on Shippou. Hisana meandered through the throng, accepting compliments on behalf of her stepson and stepdaughter-in-law and silently musing that this too suited the two warriors perfectly. Hano stayed mainly with the other clan members of youkai blood, making sure that none made any comments that would make the outsiders suspicious.
Souta and his grandfather had been flabbergasted by the splendor of the estate but had easily gotten comfortable with the surroundings. The younger Higurashi found himself in the company of the royal twins and Kai. Akiyo, desperately trying not to be labeled a kid, stayed with the elder young people in an attempt to get away from the noise created by the dozen or so human children.
Kagome watched everything from her seat at the head table, thinking that it had been quite a while since an entire clan gathering had been a must. Her husband and mate now sat beside her, talking to Miroku and keeping an ear out for anyone who wanted to disrupt his mate's happiness at having all of her family present. A familiar scent reached his nose, something he hadn't had the displeasure of smelling in over five hundred years.
"Okaa-san, you invited Hojo?"
"Yes, dear. It wasn't his fault his parents were against your family in the first place."
"No, I suppose not."
"And it was Shippou who played that prank, although that samurai deserved it. I only grounded him for a few days because of his actions." Kagome smiled towards her old schoolmate, showing that there were no hard feelings.
"How very mature of you, my dear. I felt for sure you were going to punish him the moment you returned to the Feudal Era after that incident." Mama chuckled, remembering how infuriated Inuyasha had been.
"Nah, he hadn't done anything yet. The only reason we grounded him at all was because he didn't get our permission." Inuyasha laughed along with his mate, several others joining in. Picking up his mate's hand, he brought it to his lips, eliciting several sighs of appreciation from around the room. Everyone present clearly saw that they were in love.
"Are you happy, koiishi? Do you feel like everything is finally complete?"
Kagome gazed into the gold eyes that were just as bright and as rich as when he had first looked at her all those years ago. "Yes, my love. Everything is complete."