It Started With A Kiss

By: Queen Beryl

Chapter Fifteen: I Do

Apparently Inuyasha has an amazing talent for getting out of trouble. Not only himself, but others as well. He sweet-talked every one of the teachers, except Naraku-sensei, of course, into not suspending me from fighting because I wasn't the only one, et cetera. I don't know precisely what he said, but he looked incredibly smug as he walked out of the office where three teachers and the principal were gathered. I ended up only having to serve detention on Monday after school.

Oh, how I love that irrational boy.

"I guess we won't fail after all, Kagome." Inuyasha grinned, running his hand through his mussed up dark hair. He had a mischievous look in his deep violet eyes, making me laugh. Our relationship had grown significantly deeper throughout this whole… situation. First between Kikyo, then with Kouga… they were just stepping stones in the progress of how close Inuyasha and I became.

"You didn't have to do that for me, you know."

"Are you kidding? I didn't want to fail class!" Inuyasha slung his arm around my waist and kissed my neck. I rolled my eyes. I knew for a fact he was worrying more about me than his grade, even if he was too stubborn to admit it.

"Ahem." Naraku-sensei coughed pointedly at Inuyasha's lips on my neck. Inuyasha waved at Naraku-sensei and kissed my jaw line. We headed over to Inuyasha's house in his car. It was already four o'clock, after school, and I was tired. We sped all the way to his house, and the moment we opened the door, I knew chaos had reigned supreme.

"We don't have time for this!" I heard someone, who sounded a little like Inuyasha, yell. "Where are the flower orders? The dress money? Did the limo service call?"

I looked at Inuyasha to explain. He just shook his head, a secretive smile on his face, and led me inside.

"Kagome! Oh, thank goodness you're here! Quick! Come with me into the library. That's where we're being fitted." Rin clasped my hands and instantly dragged me away from Inuyasha. I sent him a confused look, but he just stood there, withholding great mirth.

"Fitting into what?" I asked just before we burst into the library.

"No, no, silly! Getting fitted for the dresses!" Rin smiled widely and pushed open the library doors.

"What dresses?" I looked around the library and found a very old looking woman smiling patiently at me. She had a soft yellow measuring tape draped around her neck.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? How silly of me! I want you to be my Maid of Honor!" Rin exclaimed excitedly. With all of the problems going on, I'd forgotten that Rin was getting married.

"Me? Your Maid of Honor? I'd love to be!" I was so excited, all my earlier problems just evaporated.

"Great! Now, let's get you fitted!" Rin pushed me over to the old woman. "This is Mrs. Fiacre, the dressmaker. Mrs. Fiacre, this is my newly acquired Maid of Honor, Kagome."

"It is good to meet you," Mrs. Fiacre smiled pleasantly, speaking in a rather thick French accent. "You are ready for fitting, no?"

"Uh, sure." I muttered, but Mrs. Fiacre was already wrapping the measuring tape around my waist and marking down the number. She proceeded to do this to just about every imaginable place that should be measured. Rin grinned like a giddy little school girl and clapped when Mrs. Fiacre finally straightened.

"I vill get back to Madam tomorrow for zee dress. It will be ready in five days, vith zee wedding dress, vhich is almost finished."

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me… the money for the dresses… let me go get Sesshy." Rin skipped out of the room, searching for her fiancé. I stood there, smiling slightly as Mrs. Fiacre gathered up splotches of fabric and other sewing and measuring materials.

"So, when is the wedding date? Aren't you making preparations slightly early?" I questioned as Rin came back, handing the check to Mrs. Fiacre.

"Nope, we're getting married next Saturday." Rin replied excitedly.

"Seven days? A week!" I allowed my mouth to drop open in shock.

"Yeah, I don't want to waste any more time being single." Rin simply grinned from ear to ear. "When you're in love, you don't want to waste time, ya know?"

"But a week?" I couldn't get over that fact. So soon!

"Perhaps you'll understand when you become engaged." Rin smiled, as though she was withholding a great secret. I almost missed it.

"What's with that look?" I queried. Rin looked startled, as though she hadn't expected me to see her at all. She then smiled and shrugged her shoulders dramatically.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kagome. C'mon, let's go find Sesshy and Inuyasha." Rin grabbed my hand and practically skipped down the hall. I rolled my eyes and decided not to press the issue any further. I'm sure it was just a coincidence… that look in her eyes.

"…no! I said I will not have black at the wedding. Oh, for the love- white! I want to wear white!" I could hear Sesshoumaru's voice reprimanding somebody just before we entered the foyer. I felt sorry for whoever it was. It was Mrs. Fiacre.

"Is wrong?" She held up a splotch of black fabric. Rin giggled and proceeded to correct the misunderstanding, while Sesshoumaru just fumed in a cold manner. I didn't exactly think that was possible, but Sesshoumaru pulled it off very well.

"Groom wearing black… can you imagine?" Sesshoumaru turned his icy gaze at me, as though daring me to say they should. I shook my head, pulling my eyebrows together in full agreement with him. He seemed content and exited the room in as calm a manner as he could.

"A week…" I shook my head slowly in disbelief.

"I know. And I thought Sesshoumaru was never going to get married." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. I just realized that he was seated on the couch a little ways from me. I smiled and sat beside him.

"What part do you play in their wedding?" I asked, leaning my head on his shoulder.

"Best Man, although Sesshoumaru wasn't too pleased with that. He's still not too fond of me." Inuyasha smirked, not really caring. "You'll save a dance for me at the reception, won't you?"

"Of course, Inuyasha. We'll have to, after all. The Best Man and the Maid of Honor have to dance at least once."

"What about a couple?"

"Well, they dance all night." I replied, closing my eyes, smiling. He rubbed his hand against my cheek. He kissed the top of my head that was still resting on his shoulder, and that's the last thing I remember before I fell asleep.

I woke up to the sun hitting my face. It was warm and pleasant, just like the couch I was on.

Wait, couch!

I sat bolt upright, trying to figure out where I was. Apparently, I had fallen asleep for the evening on Inuyasha's couch. A soft blanket was covering me, and I clutched it up to my chin.

"Morning, Sunshine." Rin said, peeking around the corner. "Sleep well?"

"I'm still over here!" I exclaimed frantically. "My mother's gonna kill me! Kill me dead, do you hear!"

"Don't worry. I called her last night and said you were sleeping over. Working late on a project." Rin smiled.

"Project… that reminds me… it's due on Tuesday."

"What is?"

"The Family Life class project. The Assigned Marriage one." I explained.

"Oh, that's what got you and Inuyasha together in the first place, right?" Rin winked and sat down next to me as I swung my legs off the furniture.

"Yeah, sorta." I blushed. Rin wrapped an arm around me.

"Well, what's left for you to do?"

"We need to write an essay and make an in-class presentation with a poster." I stuck my tongue out and rolled my eyes. I was creative, but come on.

"Oh! I want to help make the poster!" Rin clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. How could you say no to that?

"But it should-"

"The sensei will never know! I doubt he'll ask, 'did only you and Inuyasha make it?'"

"She." I corrected.

"Whatever. Let me go get the poster paper."

"You have this stuff just lying around?" I called after her incredulously. Sure enough, she came back a few minutes later with markers, poster paper, pencils, erasers, other paper of pretty colors, and stencils. Was the drawing room really for drawing?

"Alright, let's get started!" Rin rolled up her sleeves and hunched over the blank poster. I started to wonder if she'd write the report for me, too. Well, hope was more like it.

The next thing I knew, the poster was complete, and Rin and I were sitting at her desktop, typing up the essay. It was about this time that Inuyasha wandered in… wearing just red flannel pants. Wow.

"You're catching flies…" Rin mumbled. I closed my mouth and smiled.

"Morning." Inuyasha mumbled, running a hand through his black hair.

"Sleep well?" I countered. Inuyasha mumbled something and sauntered off to the kitchen.

"Okay, so we're at the part about the mistress." Rin reminded me as I watched Inuyasha go.

"What?" I completely forgot about the paper. I stared incredulously at Rin.

"The paper for your class? You wanted a divorce because he cheated on you…?" Rin urged. A light clicked on in my brain.

"Oh, yes. Then Inuyasha was seen, by me, might I add, all over Kikyo next to the lockers after school. We got into a lovely argument and I told him I wanted a divorce. I asked Kaede-sensei to separate us or something, but she wouldn't do anything."

"She's smart." Inuyasha came back into the room, eating a sandwich. For breakfast?

"Well, at the time, I'd rather have failed than stay 'married' to you." I acknowledged. Inuyasha frowned and plopped down onto the couch.

The rest of the day we worked on the Assigned Marriage project. It was mostly Rin and me, but Inuyasha saw fit to inject his own words whenever he disagreed with what we were writing.

I left about four o'clock. Rin brought me home, since she had to take care of some last-minute details for the upcoming nuptials.

"Thanks again for the ride." I shut the car door and waved to Rin.

"Remember, the rehearsal dinner is this Thursday at seven o'clock. Don't be late!"

"Inuyasha's coming to pick me up." I called as Rin drove off. I hesitated in front of my front entrance and took a deep breath. I pushed open my front door and closed it softly behind me.

"Kagome? Is that you?" Mom's voice sounded from somewhere inside the house. "It's about time you got home. Dinner's almost ready."

I entered the kitchen to find her cooking something. I leaned against the doorjamb and smiled. She wasn't berating me for not coming home. She knew I was safe at Inuyasha's house. Before she could notice me standing there, I headed upstairs to take a shower and get ready for dinner.

& &

Monday passed rapidly, and Tuesday came quicker than I could ever believe. Inuyasha and I were suddenly standing in front of the entire class and Kaede-sensei. We were the last group, so everyone was excited that they'd all finished. I had hoped they wouldn't pay too much attention to us, but I forgot that the hottest guy in school was my assigned husband. Many females were ogling him, even though he was already spoken for. Maybe they all assumed it was only apart of the assignment.

"Alright, your turn." Kaede-sensei smiled and nodded. I cleared my throat. I didn't much like speaking in front of everyone.

"I was assigned to marry Kagome Higurashi. Over the past few months, we've hated each other, liked each other, and had so many experiences together. We've learned how to deal with uncertain circumstances and overcome them." Inuyasha boldly took the floor. He reached over and draped an arm around my shoulders.

A few girls let out gasps.

"As a married couple, we've even dealt with a mistress and fights, but we've learned to cope, forgive, and pick our battles. We've both become better people. Some more so than others."

Inuyasha shot me a look, which I ignored.

"This experience has been very beneficial for us both." Inuyasha concluded with a dazzling smile. The entire classroom burst into applause. Kaede-sensei clapped politely, frowning slightly at the sudden outburst. Every other group had only gotten a mild ovation.

"Very good. Leave your poster there and reclaim your seats." Kaede-sensei commanded. We did as she requested and Kaede-sensei shuffled up to the front of the classroom. "Your grades will be posted by Friday. Since this has been such an effort for all of you, it will count as the final."

A collective groan was let out. I, however, was ecstatic; I sucked horribly at tests. Kaede-sensei patted the air, attempting to get us to quiet down.

"I will also be grading on a curve, so stop whining." The class laughed, most likely more from relief than humor. "Family Life class is coming to a close, just like your final year at high school. On next Wednesday, which is the last Wednesday of your final year, we'll have a small party. Assignments will be handed out this Friday. And good luck!"

Class was dismissed, and everyone filed out, eager to escape. I waited just outside the classroom for Inuyasha. He was saying something to Kaede-sensei, but I couldn't hear what it was. Afterward, we headed toward Inuyasha's car, and he drove me home.

& &

Thursday after school I went straight home. My dress had come yesterday; it was a spaghetti-strap, light pink dress that hugged all the right places and was just the right length. Of course, that was because of Mrs. Fiacre, but it felt good to be in such a wonderful-fitting dress. It was made of silk, and the bust was covered in sheer lace that matched the dress. I needed to re-shower and get ready for the rehearsal dinner in a few hours. I was just glad it wasn't a dress rehearsal.

My mom helped me with my hair and helped pick out an elegant black dress. When Inuyasha came to the door, he was speechless for a moment.

Until my mom coughed pointedly.

"Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha smiled, "I'll be sure to bring home your daughter at a decent hour."

"You'd better. And have fun, you two." Mom kissed my cheek and watched me get into Inuyasha's car. She waved at us as we drove off.

"My little girl… all grown up, and I've hardly noticed." She wiped away a small tear and went back inside.

"You look breathtaking." Inuyasha complimented as we drove to the chapel.

"Thank you." I blushed slightly. Just then I noticed his apparel. He was dressed in a black suit with a plain red tie. It seemed to fit perfectly with his personality and style.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

"Oh, Kagome, you say the nicest things."

I just rolled my eyes. We arrived at the chapel a little early, but Rin was still fussing over things.

"No, the orchids should go there, and the roses over here." A harried-looking church attendant fixed the obvious mistake.

"Incompetent people." I heard Sesshoumaru mutter. He was dressed in a white suit with a tie that matched his amazing eyes. Even though his words seemed carefree, he was surveying the room, making sure everything was under control.

"Okay, are we ready?" Rin, most likely talking to herself, asked and spun around slowly, taking in everything.

"Don't worry about it, Sis." Inuyasha came up toward the front along with me and nodded. Rin, at hearing Inuyasha call her his sister, smiled.

"Inuyasha, you sweetheart!" She exclaimed, rushing over and wrapping him in a hug. Inuyasha was taken aback, but patted her back awkwardly.

"I try."

"You shouldn't." Sesshoumaru sniffed. I held back a laugh.

"So, where is the priest?" I asked after looking around.

"I have a reservation at a restaurant, so we only needed someone to keep the chapel open for us. I only want the basics down. We'll walk down the aisle, the priest'll begin his thing and we'll recite the vows. Then, we kiss and head back down the aisle. We'll do a quick walkthrough."

And so we did. I almost had to jog to keep up the pace. I was paired with Inuyasha, and I was the only bridesmaid in attendance. I don't know why, either. Maybe the others couldn't make it? And where were the other groomsmen?

"Alright, now that it's all settled, lets head over to the restaurant." Sesshoumaru looked almost relieved to be out of the chaos. At last, everything was perfect, from the orchids down to the white runner in the center aisle that lead to the altar.

We all piled into our separate cars and headed to Mimi's Café. They had an entire room reserved for us. I didn't really see the point, considering we were a relatively small group, but I suppose it was more for privacy than anything else.

It was eleven before I finally got home. I hoped my mom wasn't waiting up, because then I'd feel guilty. Too bad hope doesn't get me anywhere.

I walked inside after kissing Inuyasha goodnight, and almost ran into my mother.

"M-Mom!" I cried, clutching my heart. Mom chuckled.

"Sorry, dear. I was just heading up to bed. How was it?"

"Absolutely wonderful. Except for the very hurried practice. What if I trip on Saturday? What if I do something stupid?"

"Don't worry, sweetie. You'll be just fine." Mom lifted my chin with her hand and smiled. She headed to her room. I followed and detoured to my room. Those words, though simple, were entirely reassuring.

& &

Friday. The last Friday of being at this school. I couldn't wait until Family Life class, but that seemed forever away. I was dying to know my score on the Assigned Marriage project.

Finally it was lunch. I was so excited that I almost missed Sango's melancholy face. Almost.

"Sango! What's wrong?" I grabbed her by her shoulders. We sat down at our usual table.

"Nothing." She muttered.

"Don't feed me that. Where's Miroku? Did something happen between you two?" I asked worriedly. I placed my hand on her shoulder. She suddenly swept me in a hug.

"It's… it's… our final year is almost over. I might not see any of you again!"

"That's all you're worried about?" I almost laughed. She half-glared at me. "I'm sorry. Of course you'll see us again. You and Miroku are gonna get married and live next door to me!"

"Married? I doubt that." Sango claimed, but a hint of hope was in her voice.

"You never know!" I sing-songed. The rest of lunch was spent talking about our plans for after school and eating. Inuyasha and Miroku joined us halfway through. Miroku had to convince Sango he wasn't going to leave where she couldn't follow. I thought it was dreadfully romantic.

The thought still lingered in the back of my mind. Sure, Miroku reassured Sango, but Inuyasha said nothing. Was he going to college far away? Was he going to take over his father's business with Sesshoumaru? I had no idea what was going to happen.

"Hey, Kagome. Lunch is over. Let's get to class." Inuyasha pulled me up from the bench and from my thoughts. He slung his arm around my waist and sauntered off to Family Life with me at his side. I wished it could always be this way.

"No way!" A female voice wailed in lament. "I got a C!"

My stomach suddenly tightened. With the conversation with Sango at lunch and my own thoughts, I'd completely forgotten we were getting our Assigned Marriage scores today. I gulped. Inuyasha rubbed the small of my back.

"We'll do good, don't worry."

"I'm not worried." I lied. "Why don't you go check the score for me? I'll sign us up to bring stuff for the party."

I went over to Kaede-sensei's desk and bent over the list of things needed. I signed Inuyasha and myself up to bring napkins, utensils, and plates. That should be easy enough.

"I'm sorry, Kagome." Inuyasha said suddenly, startling me. I turned to see his face. It was blank.

"What did we score?"

"I thought we'd do good…" Inuyasha trailed off. My heart sank.

"What did we score?" I demanded again.

"You need to see for yourself." Inuyasha followed me up to the door where our grades were posted. Mostly everyone else had already seen the scores and had either sat down in their seats or started to sign up for the party.

I let my eyes scroll down the list of names. Finally, "Higurashi, Kagome" stood out as though in bold. I placed my finger under my name and ran it along in a straight line. The grade "A -" also stood out. I turned around and punched Inuyasha in the shoulder. He was laughing too hard to fight back.

"You are terrible!" I slapped him again. "How could you do that to me? You knew how worried I was over this grade!"

"I couldn't resist, Kagome. I swear I couldn't."

"Alright, class, sit down." Kaede-sensei said pointedly, more to Inuyasha and me than everyone else. We did as told, and the rest of the class time was spent in discussion of the project outcome and the future party. Oh yeah, it was definitely the end of the year.

& &

It was Saturday morning and I had knots in my stomach. I began wondering if I was more anxious about Rin and Sesshoumaru's wedding than they were. Rin and I, along with a few of her female coworkers, were in a room at Inuyasha's house. I wasn't sure what room it was, and at the moment, I really didn't care. My hands were clammy and my stomach wouldn't untie.

"Kagome, are you feeling okay?" Rin asked as one of the coworkers helped zip up the back of the dress. Rin held her veil in her hands and was looking at me through the mirror. I smiled.

"Of course. The dress is a little snug, that's all." I lied. Rin nodded.

"Alright, Rin, you're all set. Let me help you with your veil." Kyoko, at least I think that was her name, helped Rin complete her ensemble. The wedding was going to take place in about fifteen minutes. It took five minutes to drive to the chapel, so there should be enough time. I blew my bangs out of my face, trying to relax. Why was this so nerve-wracking?

The limo ride over there was agony. Kyoko, Rin, Ami, and myself were all sitting around on our way to the church. I seemed to be the only one anxious. I kept tapping my fingers on the seat. Rin was grinning from ear to ear. Kyoko and Ami, Rin's two coworkers, were giggling like little schoolgirls. Schoolgirls who were younger than me, of course.

"Aren't you nervous at all?" I inquired of Rin.

"Just a little, only because I want everything to go just right. I'm so happy; I finally get to marry the man of my dreams!" Rin smiled and raised her shoulders slightly. I lightened up a bit; if the bride wasn't nervous, I had no reason to be either.

The limousine stopped and the driver opened the door for us. We all ducked out and headed up the chapel's steps briskly. We stood outside the doors leading into where the wedding would take place. Kyoko and Ami were fussing over Rin, making sure everything was absolutely perfect. I held her bouquet along with mine and nodded in approval once they were finished.

"You look practically perfect, Rin." I complimented. Rin beamed.

"Thank you. Oh, there's the music! Where are the boys?"

"We're right here." Inuyasha and two other men I'd never seen before came out from a side room. The two other men linked arms with Ami and Kyoko, while Inuyasha linked arms with me.

The wedding march was playing as the doors slowly opened. Ami and her counterpart entered first, followed by Kyoko and the man she was with. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. Or maybe everyone was indeed walking slower. How was I supposed to walk again? Right, together, left? Or was it the other way around? Did it really matter how I walked? I handed Rin her bouquet and waited for the right time for me to go forward. Suddenly, I could feel everyone's eyes on me. This wasn't even my wedding and I was freaking out.

"You look beautiful." Inuyasha whispered, his lips hardly moving. At those three words, everything was alright. I felt lighter and more at ease. We both walked toward the front of the chapel and it went well. I didn't trip; my feet knew automatically what to do. Inuyasha gave my hand a slight squeeze as we parted and stood across from one another.

I turned to watch Rin practically glide down the aisle. She looked radiant. Her hair, all pinned up, her makeup… everything was elegantly beautiful. Sesshoumaru seemed to think so, too. I snuck a glance at him to discover him with slightly widened eyes and a tinge of pink on his cheeks. That was something I didn't think I'd ever see. In fact, I doubted I'd see it ever again.

Then the priest began the ceremony with the routine, "dearly beloved," speech. Rin and Sesshoumaru recited their vows. Then they got to my favorite part of the whole thing.

"I do."

I hope that some of your questions were answered in this chapter. Whether subtly or flat-out! If not, I'm terribly sorry. sniff Uh, ask again? One more chapter after this, ladies and gentlemen. gasp!

I know it took me so long to update. I'm very, very sorry. I had HORRIBLE writer's block. I did start writing the next chapter, though, so does that make up for my lack of updating? Please say it does! This chapter is also pretty long, so I hope that compensates too!

Big thanks to my reviewers: Tiki-chan, Story Weaver1, Missyeru, m1s7ress, Dark Mistress Of The Night, ori-chan, Kumoritora, cyberdemon, Jeanniestorm, AngelnoDarkness, sc-fallen angel, Snoochie, tamashiinamida, Inuyashasgurl15, InuKag fan, Chrisy12 one of my faithful readers, Mila2504, anIme-prYncess, Jinenji, inuyashafan, Buyo the cat, Jean, Animekitty07, Eternalhappiness, Maki-no-tamma, sheenachi, obssesed-fic-fan, Youkaibabe, kam, dogdemoninuyashaandkagome, buffy crazy, Colormyworld, The real life version of kag, L-chan, inu romance FREAK, kagomereincarnated, alejandra, kyoulover, kili, and Rachel.

Special thanks to Yashinu, who is in dire need of me updating my other stories as well. You reminded me that there are other stories besides this one. Thanks! Also, special thanks to InuKag+ who loved this story so much she printed it out! Thank you so much! I'm so flattered! Another special thanks to Kagomegrl15000, who gave me a rose! Whoot!