Hey everyone! Im back with the second story of TNGIT! Im so excited! If you have not read my first story, The New Girl In Town, I highly recommend you go check it out on my profile. If you don't, you really wont understand whats going on in this story.

Story rating: T For language and some suggestive themes.

Blanket Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to InuYasha or the characters associated with the anime Inuyasha or Inuyasha; the final act. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I do, however, offer my thanks to her for creating I such vivid character's for me to terrorize.

I also do not own the song Forever by the Beach boys.

ENJOY & REMEMBER REVIEW PLEASE!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.

Always.

Chapter 1. Fools In Love

~KAG POV~

Under a barren canopy of seemingly lifeless tree's, he raced forward. His feet pounded against the snowy earth below him as he thundered forward. His arms were wrapped protectively under me, his star-kissed hair flew backward and tickled the nape of my neck.

I leaned my chin forward and over his right shoulder and kept my eyes trained ahead of us, occasionally sneaking little glances at his face which held no signs of worry; he was perfectly serene and calm.

InuYasha suddenly changed direction and started running off to the right, letting me feel how his muscles moved and rotated as he maneuvered in and out of trees. It was time's like these that I wished I was a demon too. So instead of clutching to his back pathetically, trying my hardest not to fall off, I could race beside him.

"InuYasha slow down!" I laughed, clutching my hands tighter onto his shoulders.

InuYasha snorted indignantly and defiantly sped up, earning a loud 'Eep!' to escape my lips. "Whats that? I cain't hear you over the roar of the wind! Did you say to go faster?"

Knowing very well he could hear me perfectly, what with his doggy ears swiveling back and forth capturing every small sound I made, I knew that to be a lie. "No!" I shouted. "I said-"

InuYasha jumped over a rotten fallen log, purposely jostling me in his grasp and causing me to clamp my mouth shut. "If you think I'm going to slow down, your crazy woman."

Leaning my face closer to his over his shoulder, I frowned but my tone was teasing and light. "InuYasha, you do know that if I'm crazy, your crazy too?"

This time InuYasha laughed. He actually tipped his head back and laughed, allowing me to bask in the wonderful and beautiful sound. "You beat your cute little ass we are!"

I joined in his laughter as we kept moving forward, faster then Id ever thought, ever dreamed, possible. The sound of crunching snow underfoot echoed around the empty forest as InuYasha kept running, barefoot. He must have been going over one-hundred miles per hour by now, and amazingly he was doing it with ease. The only indication that he was doing anything strenuous was the occasional intake of labored breath as he kept up his speed.

Coming to a clearing, he slowed his pace slightly then bent his knee's before shooting up into the air, soaring up and over the tree line, giving me a beautiful view of the city and the forest surrounding it. Amazing.

InuYasha gracefully floated back down to the earth- light as a feather, me still hanging piggy-back onto his muscled shoulder's. As he finally came to a stop, I leaned forward again and tried getting a better look at his face, but only got the side-profile of his sharp jawline. He was panting quietly from his 'little' exercise, the small muscles in his jaw clenching.

The morning sun found a hole in the tree branches and peered brightly down onto his face, his silver bang's partially hiding his molten colored eyes from my view. "InuYasha do you think we should head back to the house now? If your dad wakes up and finds us gone…" I mumbled, trailing my thoughts.

InuYasha shrugged cooly before turning his head to finally look at me. "I think its alright. We can let him worry for a little while."

He winked playfully at seeing my pointed stare, trying to provoke me and push my buttons. I shifted in his grasp and wiggled my way out of his arms as he kneeled down and let me onto the snowy ground. "InuYasha…" I chuckled, "Im serious! If Im going to be -gulp- Mrs. Takahashi soon, don't you think I should get in the good graces of your family?"

InuYasha suddenly spun around, grabbing me by my waist, brining my face inches apart from his. "You don't need my family's approval. The only real approval you'll be needing is mine. And clearly, you know I already approve."

I grinned childishly. "And what if I say that it isn't your approval I want?"

He frowned, leaning his face dangerously closer to mine so that his warm, sweet breath tickled my slightly frostbitten cheeks. "Come again?"

I giggled. Then, with more force in my voice, I said "And what if I say that it-" I didn't get to finish my full sentence because InuYasha, growing coyly, leaned forward, filling the few inches that separated us, letting his lips gently ghost over my own. My eyes closed instantly as his mouth nudged closer to mine, almost like an invitation and I pressed my lips back against his own, letting myself go. His lips flittered across mine like the soft wings of a butterfly. Soft. So soft. And gentle.

I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling uncomfortable at having them dangle at the odd angle InuYasha was holding me in. I could feel him grin against my mouth at this. I tightened my hold around his neck and wrapped my hand into his long silver maine, feeling the need to be closer to him.

I couldn't, and wouldn't, ever get enough of InuYasha. It was like I had been wandering the desert for a thousand years without water, and InuYasha was a sudden rainstorm. Paradise.

His arms wrapped protectively around my waist as his mouth continued to dominate mine. As our kiss continued to deepen, I felt InuYasha lean backward and away from me. I opened my eyes slowly and focused my unhappy gaze on his grinning face. I let out small 'hmmpf' and stuck my bottom lip out.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked, feeling a little put out.

He smirked and leaned forward again, this time letting his forehead rest against mine. Our slightly labored breaths caused from our small make out session, mingling together in the space between us. "Princess," He said, almost purring. It sent chills running up and down my spine as he used my nickname he'd given me in high school. "If we continue this," he said, continuing to pant quietly, "I don't know if Ill be able to stop."

I couldn't help the smirk that forced its way onto my lips. I was suddenly feeling very warm. "Then don't."

InuYasha made a sound halfway from being a groan and a purring noise deeply in the back of his throat. Can dog demons purr? "Don't tempt me Kagome."

I continued to smile as I leaned back from him so I could look at his face. Sobering up somewhat I asked, "Why don't we head back? I have to get ready for tonight…"

His face fell slightly at the thought. "Oh yeah. Right. I almost forgot."

I forced myself to smile even though I was severely nervous about this evening and all day tomorrow. "Im going to miss you tonight." Seeing my smile he forced himself to smile a little too. "So what are you planning on doing while I'm gone?" I asked, honestly curious.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and helped me down onto my feet. "Im going to go out with my dad, Miroku and Sesshomaru. I have no idea what the hell they plan on doing but I know that I don't want to go." He cupped my cheek with his warm palm and gazed down at me lovingly. "Id much rather be with you."

I placed my palm on top of his and leaned into his sweet caress. "Im going to miss you too. But its your bachelor party. You should enjoy it. Its the only one your ever going to get." I winked playfully at him and his smirked stretched even farther across his face.

He turned around and knelt down on one knee, gesturing for me to get back on. I climbed my way onto his back again as he wrapped his arms under my legs and hoisted me up with ease. "And then," I said dully, going back to our conversation, "your going to have to spend the rest of you life with me."

I glanced over to my left hand where my engagement ring sat as it caught the morning sunlight and was sparkling proudly. The thought was completely absurd. Why in the world would someone like InuYasha, a strong and handsome half-demon, want to merry a pathetic and bland human girl like me?

The very idea that I was going to become part of the Takahashi family as InuYasha's bride, wife and mate tomorrow, was insane. I honestly wondered if InuYasha had finally lost it and had gone mad. I was nothing special compared to him and yet here we were, about to married and bound to each other forever.

InuYasha snorted indigently as he stood up to his full height. "I don't have to do anything. I decide my own fate and my own decisions. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Kagome."

I swallowed and nuzzled my face closer into InuYasha's back, loving the feeling of his body heat against my chilled cheek, loving being with him. "I love you InuYasha."

He chuckled and hoisted me up higher. "And I love you, Kagome." With that said, he started off again, racing forward through the tree's like a bullet fired out of a gun. I continued to hold on tightly, trying not to fall off or be jostled to much as he continued his sprinting. We continued this until InuYasha had run all the way through 'InuYasha's forest', that was conveniently placed behind the Takahashi mansion.

Mr. Takahashi, being the powerful and influential youkai that he is, bought eleven acres of forest so that he could run freely in his demonoid form if he pleased. After InuYasha was born, Mr. Takahashi would let InuYasha wander the grounds freely. And when he finally learned to run, InuYasha loved to make a break for it outside in the spacious land. Mr. Takahashi noticed that InuYasha enjoyed himself so much, the he even dubbed the land 'InuYasha's forest'.

InuYasha kept running until he'd made it into the spacious backyard of the gigantic mansion Id been calling home for the past year and half. I peered over InuYasha's shoulder once more and shook my head. The mansion seemed to loom over the whole Tokyo area. The style of the home was surprisingly western, with a high roofing structure and big, bay windows. I figured Mr. Takahashi had commissioned the house to look like that because of his many travels to America.

I sighed dejectedly. 'America, thats right. I almost forgot.' I shivered involuntarily and snuggled closer into InuYasha's back. 'America. Trapped. Kidnapped. Death. Bloodlust.' I shivered again and gulped as intense memories filled my head. 'Naraku.'

"Kagome? You okay?"

I jerked my head up and only just noticed that InuYasha was studying me closely over the curve of his shoulder. I bit my lip and glanced away from the concerned gaze he was giving me. "Yeah, just thinking is all."

He made a disbelieving face before he turned back around and kept walking up toward the house. "Kagome, have I told you that you're a terrible liar?"

I wrinkled my nose and straightened up so I could talk into his doggy ears. "What makes you think I'm lying?"

"A human's scent changes drastically with their moods and I can pick out certain scents with my nose. Thats what I get for being born a dog demon."

I frowned and sat back, already knowing all of this. "So?"

InuYasha stopped walking abruptly but didn't look at me. "Do you remember when I first found you in New York?"

I felt like the world stopped momentarily and so did my breathing. It hitched harshly in my throat and my heart started beating widely in my chest at his words. We rarely spoke about that..."Yes," I whispered, "I do."

Of course I remembered. How could I possibly forget? Id witnessed InuYasha getting stabbed before I was forcefully kidnapped, dragged all the way around the world, beaten and tied up by a homicidal psychopath. I could remember the exact words that were spoken like it was yesterday and it has been a two and half year's since. The words whirled around inside of my head like an angry tornado.

I could feel my face pale and my hands started to tremble violently like leaves on a tree, blowing in the wind. "Inu….InuYasha…..INUYASHA?"

InuYasha had chuckled and shrugged, surprisingly casual. "Hey. How you been?"

The breath flew from my lungs and I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Your….you….you aren't…..how are you alive? You're…you're dead!"

His eyes narrowed and his expression became confused. "What? No Im not." He continued to stare at me with a confused look on his face, until one of understanding donned. He realized that the very last time I had seen him he was dying. He realized that the last thing id seen of him was of him dying in a pool of his own blood on the floor of our high school stage.

With saddened eyes, he reached forward and captured my hand in his as tears started to sting behind my eyes.. "Oh Kagome I…Im so sorry you were worried." Finally, the tears hidden behind my eyelashes, cascaded down my cheeks and InuYasha reached forward and cupped my cheeks with both hands, whipping them away with his thumbs. "Please don't cry," he whispered soothingly.

I shuddered yet again and it wasn't because of the cold nip in the air. "Of course I remember."

He hoisted me up higher onto his back. "When I found you in New York your scent was terrified. It had this intense smell which pricked my nose like thorns. I could tell, just by your scent alone, that you'd been through hell." He finally turned his neck to the side and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Just now, your scent had the same smell."

I frowned and looked away and locked my gaze onto a seemingly lifeless tree. InuYasha's gaze didn't waver however. If anything, it became more intense.

"You were just thinking of Naraku weren't you." He said, it being more of statement then a question.

I lowered my gaze to the snowy ground and let my black bangs cover my face and nodded weakly. "Yeah. I was."

"You do know that you have nothing to be afraid of now don't you? Your safe with me and Naraku is never getting out of the hell hole he was sent to. He's never getting out." InuYasha stated with a firm nod. His voice betrayed him however. It sounded like InuYasha was only saying that to quell both of our fears. He wasn't saying that because he truly believed it. He was saying it so he could make himself believe it.

I nodded weakly and slid my gaze back up to InuYasha's face. "You right. There's no reason to be afraid." If that was true,' I thought, 'Then why do I feel this never ending pit in the bottom of my heart?'

My favorite lopsided grin appeared on his lips and he cocked his head to the side, once again reminding me of a curious puppy. "Good." He turned and kept moving us up toward the intimidating mansion. "Besides," He muttered once we reached the pool deck that was placed a few feet from one of the backdoor's, "Naraku is probably a terrified little whipping post now. Magatushi's is supposed to be the worst demon prison a demon cam be sent to."

Magatushi's correctional demon facility was the jail Naraku had been scent after his sentencing hearing two summer's ago. InuYasha had asked me if I wanted to attend at the time, but I declined. I didn't want to see Naraku ever again. Though InuYasha had gone, against me warning him not too. After the hearing, he'd come over to my house and told me Naraku had been sentenced to three hundred and fifty six years in demon jail (which adds up to be about sixty three in human terms). It wasn't the best outcome nor was it the worst.

I nodded at InuYasha. "Your right. I know I shouldn't worry so much." '

InuYasha opened on of the back door's and walked us both inside. I sighed as the heat from the house engulfed us, the smell from the christmas cookies Id baked the day before still lingering in the air.

InuYasha lowered me to the floor and off of his back before helping me out of my red, wool coat. Underneath it I wore a pair of light, cut off jeans tucked into a pair of hiking boots and a white cashmere shirt. InuYasha -who preferred not to wear a jacket even though it was freezing out- wore a maroon colored work out shirt and casual running pants.

I sat down onto he floor and started untying one of my shoes. "So, I was thinking for breakfast this morning we could-"

"Kagome."

"Huh?" I finished taking off one of my shoes and glanced up. My jaw went slack. InuYasha had taken off his slightly sweaty shirt and was now standing in only his tight fitting pants. His muscled arms were placed on his lean hips. I bit my lip and gulped and InuYasha gave me a smug look. Id been caught ogling him. "Wh-what is it?" I asked, stumbling over my words.

He suddenly kneeled down, a few inches closer then I would have liked and started untying my other shoe. "Im leaving soon, remember?"

The earthy, manly smell radiating off of his perfectly tanned skin wafted dangerously into my nose. He finally untied my other boot and placed it to the side before looking up and starring at me with his with his molten ocher eyes. They were dangerous. He was dangerous.

I bit my lip. "I…I forgot."

And I had. I totally forgotten that I was getting married tomorrow, that InuYasha couldn't see me for a whole twenty-four hours before the ceremony and that he was leaving for Miroku's house, which was why we had gone out so early this morning. We wanted to get a few more minuets with each other before being separated.

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes suddenly focusing on my lips which were parted as slight and labored breaths escaped them. "You naughty girl. You forgot did you?"

I nodded slowly, dumbly, entranced in the way he continued to lean forward, his eyes still locked on my mouth. "Yes," I squeaked out weakly.

Have you ever felt completely helpless? Completely and utterly defenseless? Have you ever felt like prey being stalked by a starving lion? That's exactly how I felt around InuYasha. He made me feel like a deer caught in the headlights. Helpless and unable to run.

He leaned forward and cupped my cheek with one of his hands and I tipped my chin forward and silently beckoned him closer. He nudged lips forward an inch and allowed our breath's to mingle between us. I closed my eyes and smiled and finally leaned in all the way and…

"Publicly making out? What? Are you two still in junior high?"

I stopped moving, my lips mere inches from InuYasha, keeping my eyes closed in the moment. I heard InuYasha growl deeply in the back of his throat. "Well, no one asked you to watch did they, ya' bastard?"

I sighed and slowly opened my eyes and found Sesshomaru leaning in the doorway, his large muscled arms -which he was showing off by the cream colored shirt that was rolled up to his elbows- crossed, eating an apple. His eyes were narrowed dangerously on InuYasha who was baring his fangs.

Sesshomaru sneered and swallowed. "Im trying to eat my breakfast. You could have the decency, what little of it you have, and take her up to your room to do that. I don't need to be a whiteness to it."

Grumbling angrily and incoherently, InuYasha turned to help me stand, wrapping his arm protectively around my waist as he turned to face his brother. "Why don't you get the hell outta' here before I make you sorry you were ever born?"

Sesshomaru's lip lifted upward slightly, but just barely. A smile. "I would like to see you try little brother."

InuYasha snorted. "Keh.' Any time anywhere."

Sesshomaru's eyes suddenly flicked over to me, his half-smile gone as he pushed himself up from the doorframe. "Kagome, Sango's here. She's waiting upstairs in the spare bedroom. Its time."

I bit the inside of my cheek and turned to InuYasha who was gripping my hands tighter. He didn't want me to go as much as I wanted to. "InuYasha. I have to go. Sango's waiting for me."

"No," He mumbled, pouting like a five year old that wasn't getting its way.

"No?" I asked giggling slightly.

He nodded, still pouting. "Thats right-No. I don't want you to go."

I smiled a little and wrapped my arms around my fiancé's neck and in turn, he wrapped his arms around my waist. I stood on my tip toes and smirked slightly. "I don't want to leave either. However, Sango is waiting for me and if I don't go now, I suppose she's going to come down here and drag me away from you. Now, the way I see it yo have two options."

InuYasha grinned, allowing me to get a close up look at his sparkling fangs. "Oh really? Do enlighten me."

"You can either A, let that happen. If such is the case, I don't think you will like that very much. Because you see that means I will have to go right now. Or you could B, escort me up there yourself, allowing yourself a little more time with me." I grinned and lowered myself down, still holding onto InuYasha's comforting hand.

"Well I guess Im going to have to choose B aren't I?" InuYasha chortled, toying with me. I pushed him slightly and he nudged me back in my side. Sesshomaru made a slight gagging sound in the back of his throat before turning on his heel and leaving the way he came. InuYasha rolled his eyes and turned to me. "Come on. Lets go."

InuYasha led me down a long, cream colored hallway, still holding my hand. I don't think I've ever walked any slower then I did that day. I didn't want to let go.

xXx

"InuYasha go away!" Sango hissed to said pouting half-demon through the open cream colored doorway to one of the guest rooms in the Takahashi mansion. I smirked as InuYasha didn't move. He didn't want to leave me.

He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his pants and let out an agitated huff. "Just tell Kagome I love her and that Ill see her tomorrow at the alter. Okay?" He mumbled, his adorable ears drooping slightly.

Sango's face deadpanned as she continued to stand in the middle of the doorway, blocking me from my betrothed's eyes. She scoffed and blew a few strand of hair from her face. "She'd better see you tomorrow at the alter. That, or I'm hunting you down to the ends of the earth."

InuYasha glared right back."As if Id leave Kagome at the alter!"

I rolled over on the luxurious bed and let my hair fan out around my face on the fine, cream colored comforter. "I love you too InuYasha!" I shouted. "Now go! Before Sango hurts you."

I watched with a smirk on my lips as InuYasha grit his teeth. "Fine." The calming himself he sighed and even smirked slightly. "Ill see you tomorrow. I love you Kagome. Bye."

"I love you too. Have fun tonight."

I saw InuYasha sigh heavily and run a heavy hands over his forehead back toward his perky ears. "Yeah. Ill try. You too."

I glanced over to Sango who had started to rearrange a bunch of girly stuff in one corner of the oversized room. "Yeah, Im not so sure about that."

I heard him chuckle. "Bye Kagome. I love you." Then I heard him leave, shutting the door behind him. I rolled over again and started fiddling with the ring on my left ring finger, idly wondering what InuYasha was going to be doing tonight without me. If this were a usual night, and not the night before my wedding, we would have been hanging out on InuYasha's couch, watching scary movies and eating popcorn. Now, I was preparing to become a bride. I groaned heavily and sat up. I just wish this whole wedding thing was over.

Sango, who'd locked the door, probably to keep InuYasha out if he came back, stopped reorganizing all the feminine crap in the corner of the large room and came skipping over to me. She clapped her hands and wiggled her eyebrows in a evil fashion. "Are you ready?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I felt an oncoming headache approaching. "For what?"

Sango rolled her eyes and jutted her hip out sassily. "For your spa treatment. You won't have enough time for one tomorrow so I thought Id give you one tonight."

After Sango graduated high school, she took a year off from school to travel around with Miroku. They went all around the world together. In the end the fell helplessly in love with each other and now were dating pretty heavily. When School started this past fall, Sango enrolled at a local collage and was going to school to become so type of beautician.

When she'd told me that was what she wanted to become when she graduated, I nearly fell over. I mean Sango as a beautician? What happened to the demon slayer job? When I asked her just this, she reassured me that she was hunting demons in secret so that they would't suspect her. She told me that she already had her demon slayer license and that she didn't need to go to school for it.

I glanced up to Sango and started playing with a stray stand of my hair. "Well, what do you plan on doing to me?" I asked, my voiced more concerned then Id intended.

She smirked and walked over to her bag of stuff which she'd brought along with her. "Well first I thought Id let you have a nice, long, piping hot bath with this special path salts I picked up. And then Im going to comb and set your hair. Oh, yeah and Ayame said she might stop by later on and I thought we could watch a bunch of trashy movies and let you have a small bachelorette party."

Instantly I frowned. "Sango...," I started, my tone warning.

Sango's hands intently flew up to her chest like I was holding a gun to her heart. "I know, I know. You said no bachelorette party but-"

I shook my head, cutting Sango off. "No buts. I don't want a bachelorette party. I don't want to play trashy games or anything like that." I crossed my arm's, signaling the topic wasn't up for discussion. "End of story."

Sango sighed theatrically but was still wearing an ear splitting grin. "Fine. How can I argue with my best friend who just happens to be the bride?"

I beamed and stood up and lopped my arm into Sango's. "You can't. Thats how."

Sango started laughing and I joined in with her by giggling quietly and she led me over to the bathroom. "Ill prepare the just go and get ready." Sango opened the bathroom, flicked on the lights and led me inside. The bathroom was gigantic, just like the rest of the labyrinth InuYasha liked to call home. The walls were painted a calming light green with tall, white ceilings. The countertops were made of exquisite dark granite that matched perfectly with the show and the bath tub.

I moved over to the golden rimmed bathroom mirror and freed my hair from its pony-tale. I liked to wear it up in a loose topknot while I rode piggyback when InuYasha took me out for our morning runs.

My hair tumbled down to the middle of my shoulder blades in loose, dark waves. My cheeks were pale and flushed and I had slight circles underneath my eyelids caused by lack of sleep. I hadn't slept much in the past few days, my mind had been working over time, far to much for sleep.

Sango made her way over to the obscenely large marble bathtub that was placed a few feet from where the stained glass, walk-in shower and started drawing the bath. After the water was halfway up the tub, she reached into her pocket and brought out a few little colorful soaps that were shaped like hearts and stars.

She dropped a few of them into the bathwater and they sizzled and finally dissolved, leaving a frothy layer of pink and blue. The bubbles popped like little fireworks.

She tested the temperature of the water and then smiled. "The water's perfect." She turned to me and frowned, seeing as I was still fully clothed. "Well?" She asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

I folded my arms over my chest and huffed. "Im not taking my clothes off in front of you!"

She blanched and stood up. "Oh right, sorry." She laughed and shook her head at he own sluggishness, heading for the bathroom door. "If you need anything," She smirked, "just holler for me. Ill be out in the bedroom watching Tv on the wicked flatscreen."

I chuckled and started removing my shirt. "Thanks Sango." She mumbled out a lazy "uhuh," before walking from the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

I stripped myself of my clothes and combed my hair up into to side pigtails before heading over toward the massive tub. The water smelled like jasmine and lavender and I took a greedy, deep breath. Hesitantly, I lifted up a foot and tested the colorful water with my toes. "Ahhhh," I breathed, lowering myself down into the perfectly heated water.

The water swirled around my aching body, the bubbles popped against my skin, instantly soothing my muscles and my mind. I placed my hands on either sides of the tub and tipped my head back, basking in the steamy bath. "This is heaven," I sighed.

After the tub was completely full, I turned off the water and sunk myself further into the soapy water. It was so calming and refreshing, I started to doze off. I must have dozed for at least a half an hour before a knock and Sango's concerned voice floated through the door broke me from my trance.

"Kagome? Are you done in there?"

I sat up from my slouched position and stared at the door dumbly. "Um yeah," I stammered, embarrassed that Id actually fallen into a light sleep. "Ill be out in a few minuets."

"Thats okay. Take your time. I was just coming to say that I bought you something and its out here for you when your done."

I felt my eyebrows come together in confusion. What had Sango bought me? "Okay. Thanks." I heard Sango's footsteps fading away from the door and I fully sat up in the tub. Reaching over the side of the tub where a small basket of toiletries was placed, I grabbed a purple loofa and began to scrub at my skin, trying to become as clean as possible.

I was scrubbing in-between my toes when my mind wandered to what InuYasha was going to be up to tonight.

"He better not be going to a strip club," I muttered sourly to myself, surprised Id actually said that aloud.

Miroku was a pervert. I knew it, Sango knew it, Inuyasha knew it. Hell Im pretty sure everyone knew it. And I just didn't want him filling thoughts into Inuyasha's head about strippers and strip clubs just because it was his bachelor party.

I scoffed at the thought of InuYasha anywhere near a strip club and placed the loofa to the side before standing up. The soapy water slid off of my body sluggishly and I reached over and grabbed the white, beach sized towel and dried myself off. I stepped out of the tub, some of the water splashed against the floor though I didn't take much notice of it and I wrapped the towel around my body.

"Alright Sango, what did you buy me?" I asked, opening the bathroom door and stepping out into the bedroom, allowing the hot air from my steamy bath to escape. The cool air tickled against my skin. Whatever had been in the bathwater had left my skin feeling peeled and completely exposed.

Sango, who'd been flipping channels dully on her stomach, turned and smirked. "Its over there," she answered, nodding to the white fabric that was folded on the love-seat placed by the window. Sango turned off the T.v and watched as I headed over to the couch and picked up the fabric which I now knew to be-

"A robe?" I asked her confusedly. "You bought me a robe?"

She grinned and stood up, chuckling as she walked over to me. "Turn it around."

Doing as she said, I flipped the supremely white robe around. On the back, there was the word 'bride' written in sparkles and sequence.

My mouth fell open a little by her thoughtfulness. "Sango," I breathed as a few tears started fogging up my vision. Since when I had become so sensitive to becoming a bride, I didn't know. But Sango's consideration had really touched me.

She shrugged as though it was truly no big deal, but I saw her getting a little misty eyed as well. "I just saw it and I knew you had to have it. Plus," She grinned, moving toward her bag-o-goodies, grabbing out another piece of white fabric, though this time she held it up for me to see. My mouth dropped open and a heated blush scorch my cheeks. "I needed something to go with this," She finished with a devious smile.

The fabric Sango held up, or the lack of fabric I should say, was a sheer chemise with a rather large spit down the middle. The straps and bodice was lined with beautiful cream lace. Right above the neckline was a delicate blue bow, giving the illusion of a sexy sort of innocence.

I felt my face flush yet my cheeks flared hotly. "Sa-Sango!" I squeaked. "What...is that?" I asked slowly, trying to understand just what it was she'd bought me.

She rolled her eyes and set the aforementioned clothing down onto the love-seat. "Its lingerie," She answered in a duh tone like I was a dumb, naive child.

"But...but...but what's it for?" I asked dumbly as my mouth hung open like it was broken.

Yet again she rolled her eyes and reclined back onto the edge of the couch. "Do I really need to tell you Kagome? Do I need to teach you about the busy little bird's and their very horny friends the bee's?" As I continued to stare, my eyes nervously flicking over to the lingerie, and back to her, it dawned on her. "Wait." She pushed herself upward. "Kagome have you...ever...you know before?" She mumbled quietly in a knowing tone.

I opened my mouth and before I could even stop myself, I uttered, "Of course I have!" In a boisterous tone, bitting my lip afterward. 'Not!' I thought to myself.

Sango only stared at me pointedly. "Kagome, have I ever told you were a terrible liar?"

I threw my hands up into the air and shuffled over to the bed. "What is it with people telling me Im a terrible liar today?"

"Well you do plan on...doing it tomorrow night on your honeymoon right?" She inquired, ignoring my ranting.

I scoffed, and unwrapped the towel and placed my new robe around my body. "Sango," I sighed. "I don't know okay?"

She flopped down onto the bed. "Well why wouldn't you? Have you seen InuYasha?" Her drifted and glazed over a bit as she began daydreaming about my fiancé. "I mean he is totally drop dead fuckable."

I snorted and sat down next to her. "Yeah, I know. I am the one whose marrying him, not you." I glared at her playfully. "Im warning you to stay away from him. Recently, I've been taking a few classes from InuYasha and now I know how to bite," I growled and snapped my teeth shut.

"Woa, woa! Down girl. I was just making an observation, not an offer." She winked and pushed herself up from the bed. She was rummaging through one of her back looking for something when she stopped and gazed out the window. She turned a gave me a very toothy smile. "Hey, I think someone wants you."

"Huh?" I sat up and let my feet dangle off the bed. "What are you talking about?"

She snorted and folded her arms across her chest. "Your Romeo is beckoning you oh fair Juliet."

Still a little confused to what it was she was talking about, I walked over to the window and peered outside. InuYasha was sitting on the front of his motorcycle, or as he liked to call it his 'baby', staring up toward the window. He was holding something red in the clawed hand that wasn't resting on the handlebars. Miroku, Sesshomaru and Mr. Takahashi were watching him as they all stood causally by the side of a sleek, black limo.

I snorted at the sight of him and waved, blowing a kiss in his direction. I saw him chuckle before setting whatever he held in his hand down onto a marble bench that was placed next to the driveway. He looked back at me again and all I could do was stare longingly as he put his helmet on, revved the engine and took off down the road with the limo following after his tail-lights.

It took me a few seconds to realize what he'd left on the bench was a bright, red rose.

An un-intentional breathy sigh slips from my lips as I walked back over to the bed. Sango watched me with an amused glint in her eye. "That boy seriously loves you doesn't he?"

I sighed and stared up at the ceiling, smiling cheekily. "Well I really hope so. Im becoming his mate tomorrow."

A few hour's after the sun set over the horizon Ayame finally made her appearance at the Takahashi mansion. With her, she brought soda's in all types of assortments, a large bag of candy and snacks, makeup and her bridesmaid dress, hair curlers and, despite my warnings, trashy movies.

We pigged out on the snacks, inhaled our soda's and watched a few trashy movies while munching on our candy. I even watched a few of the movies without taking it all to seriously.

We were all sitting on the large king bed, Ayame had made herself comfortable at the foot of the bed with her feet swinging in the air, her white tail twitching contently, Sango in the middle and I at the head. I took a sip of my drink and smiled, loving my friends. They were the best a girl could ask for.

After our last movie had ended, Sango had ordered me to sit in front of her so she could set my hair with hair curlers while Ayame painted my nails- white, french tips with a sparkling snowflake on each ring finger. I sat back, watching jealously as Ayame continued to paint my nails. She had made them looked perfect without even really trying. If I had tired to do that, my nails would have looked like I let a five year old loose with a bunch of nail polish.

After my nails were dry, somewhat, and my hair was settled on top of my head in pink overnight curlers, we turned off the T.v and sat back against the plush pillows and just talked. Ayame rambled on and on about how her and Koga's relationship was going and ho much she adored him. I didn't interrupt her to tell her I was becoming a bit tired because she seemed so in-tuned to talking about her wolfish boy-toy.

When Ayame finally fell quiet, Sango took the opportunity and started talking. And she didn't just talk about Miroku and their love life though. She talked about how her classes were coming along and how well she and her brother were doing.

I didn't know much about Sango's younger brother even though we told each other everything. The only thing I knew was that he was sick with some sort of illness and that he was in the hospital. I would ask Sango what was wrong with him, but she seemed like she really didn't want to talk about his disease. So I didn't ask.

Finally, after a few hours of talking about anything and everything, squealing loudly when we got to juicy parts of the story, everything got quite and still. It was only until Ayame's soft snoring in the quiet room made me realize she had fallen asleep. I glanced over toward Sango and noticed that she too had fallen into the embrace of sleep. I smiled and reached over Sango carefully, trying not to wake her and turned off the lamp that was placed on the nightstand next to the bed.

Everything went black.

xXx

It wasn't until I woke up that I realized I had even fallen asleep. My eyes flicked around the quiet room as I listened to my friends rhythmic snoring and deep breathing. I watched Sango as she slept, the moonlight casting a place glow onto her face.

A soft pattering against my knee made me glance down and I brought up a hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh, still aware that they were sleeping. As Ayame dreamed, her feet started kicking and twitching restlessly, much like a dogs or wolves does when they dream their chasing some type of bunny or animal.

Still smiling, I carefully untangled my arms and legs from my friends limbs and pushed my self to the edge of the bed and got up. I pattered my way over toward the door and glanced at my sleeping accomplices, silently thanking both of them for the amazing bachelorette party, before turning and shutting the door quietly.

I turned down the hallway to the left and toward the south wing of the gigantic home. Yes that right. The mansion has wings. I swear I spent my first month here just wondering around trying to figure out where the hell I was.

I continued down the tall hallway and made another left and came face to face with the dark oak door that led into Inuyasha's room. Slowly, I grabbed onto the door nob and turned it, quietly opening the door as if he was actually in there sleeping.

InuYasha's room didn't leave much for the imagination. It tells you all about him. His furniture is dark which gives beautiful contrast to the red accents he has everywhere. His canopy bed is set up in the middle of the room with a black duvet comforter with blood, red silk sheets underneath. The pillows placed on his bed are red and the pillows behind them are black. His rather large flatscreen T.v is mounted on a wall directly across the bed and the small couch that is placed in front of it.

Perfectly adjacent to InuYasha's room and walk-in closet, is another room which he uses as a type of sitting room. Theres a black couch, a coffee table, and another T.v set up in there. Theres also a mini fridge which is stocked regularly.

Carefully sliding into Inuyasha's bed, I made myself comfortable on 'my' side of the bed. I pulled the impossibly soft blankets and sheets up and under my chin and nuzzled my face into Inuyasha's pillows. I couldn't help myself as I rolled over and got comfortable, grinning. The blankets, sheets, and pillows faintly smelled of Inuyasha. I took a deep, greedy inhale, letting the manly smell invade my nose.

My hand reached out tentatively and softly touched the empty spot where Inuyasha usually makes himself comfortable when he sleeps. InuYasha is a very light sleeper and normally pulls the blankets up until all that can been of him are his white ears poking out of the top. If it had been a normal night, I would have curled my body tightly against his, intertwining our legs and hands, pressing my back into his warm chest.

But this wasn't a normal night and InuYasha was gone.

xXx

I have nightmares.

And these aren't just regular nightmares where something 'scary' happens. These nightmares are severe and terrible, causing me to be forced awake in a pool of my own sticky sweat, tangled in the bed sheets draped over InuYasha's bed. InuYasha usually has to force me awake with him roughly shaking my shoulder's. When I finally come to and wake up, I cry. InuYasha normally holds me, whispering calming words into my ear as I cry into his chest, trying to shake the nightmare images from my brain. But they never go away.

All of my nightmares are the same. Precisely the same. The night before my wedding day- tonight- was no exception. They always start out the same, in the same exact way in the same exact place. When I have these terrible nightmares, I seemingly watch from outside of my own body, watching myself from a different point of view.

In my nightmares, which seems harmless in the beginning, starts out in the middle of a deserted meadow with me sitting in the middle, having no clue as to how I got there or where I came from. I would just appear in the meadow.

The exact same meadow.

The meadow itself seems completely peaceful and serene with little blue and white flowers growing here and there. Birds chirp overhead, the wind blows calmly.

As I continue to sit there, I start to wonder where it is exactly that I am, seeing as how I have never been to that meadow before. Eventually, slowly, I get up and take a look around. I start searching the meadow, trying to find something or someone, though I can never figure out what it is. I only knew it was very important.

In my search, I come upon a deserted town just on the outskirts of the meadow. Out of curiosity, I venture into the small village.

The exact same town.

The town is always completely deserted, completely void of people or any living creatures. Though that never bother's me any as I continue to make my way into the town. The calm wind that had started blowing in the meadow, which was once a clam and peaceful breeze, is now starting to pick up harshly. The wind starts to blow harshly into my back, guiding me forward to the heart of the town. I allow it to, letting the wind force me forward.

I pass a few stop lights which are flicking spasmodically as though cars would appear any minuet or second. A few stores even had the 'Open' signs in the window, though the inside of the stores are terribly dark and ominous looking.

The wind continues to lead me throughout the town until I reach the heart of the town- a small, white church.

The same small, white church.

I always stand there stupidly, staring at the perfect little church, staring at its seemingly perfectness. After the initial shock of seeing such a delicate church with a perfect trimmed lawn in front of it passes, I take a small, hesitant step forward, reaching out toward the building when the front door opens slowly with a creaking groan.

"Kagome..." A mysterious voice whisper's from inside the darkness, inviting me inside.

I take another miniature step and the voice, closer and louder this time, whisper's again. "Kagome..."

The same exact voice.

I take a few more steps. "Kagome..." The honeyed voice always whispers, seemingly next to my ear.

Another step. "Kagome.." The voice beckons, getting closer, inside my head.

Another step and I reach the threshold to the perfect little house of worship. I peer inside, searching for the face that matched the voice. "Hello?" I murmur.

Suddenly the wind picks up to hurricane proportions, forcefully blowing me inside. I trip over my own two feet and fall. Falling, falling, falling, tumbling downward as the churches floor vanishes and I scream with all of my might, causing my throat to become raw and painful. I frantically wave my arms about, hopping to latch onto something and end the death fall.

I continue this free-fall, almost like falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in wonderland, until the ground come's into focus. As I fall closer toward the floor, closer and closer, I gain momentum and speed. It seem's like I am about to collide with the ground, ending my life. I clamp my eye's shut tightly, waiting for the painful crack of my skull against the cold hard ground and the white, light that never comes.

Slowly, I crack open my eyes and gasp, realizing that I had stopped and was floating mere inches from the ground.

"Kagome..."The mysterious voice whisper's yet again, sending shivers up and down my spine. "I see you've made it."

Suddenly, as though it had been turned off by some kind of a switch, gravity starts working again. My body flops onto the ground like a fish being chucked onto dry land. I wince painfully and force myself into a sitting position.

Gazing around and taking in my surroundings, I begin to realize that Im nowhere. It seems as though I was placed in the middle of a dark and empty room. "I've made it in time for what exactly?" I ask the voice, going back to our conversation.

The voice chuckles darkly. "For what indeed."

I sneer and make my way to stand. "Who are you?" I demand, feeling groggy as though I've just come out of some kind of trance or spell.

"For your beloved's execution, of course." The voice drawls casually, his laugh echoing around me, ricocheting off the walls.

I begin to feel my heart starting to hammer in my chest and I whirl around in a one-eighty, searching for the mysterious person. My eyes narrowed and I stopped moving. "Show yourself!" I shout angrily, my voice cracking.

And then he's there. Standing in front of me in the suddenly massive room is the man who has haunted my dreams and days, frightening me to absolutely no end.

Naraku.

"My dear Kagome. How've you been?" He smiles charmingly, as though we are long time friends merely exchanging pleasantries. "You've been good I hope?" He grins maliciously and his eyes flicker away from me, seemingly on something over my shoulder. "InuYasha here was just telling me how much of an angel you have been since my imprisonment."

I become morbidly still, afraid to look over my shoulder. Still, I force myself around and gaze upon InuYasha who is chained up to a wall, blood dripping down his unclothed chest and face like vibrant tears.

"INUYASHA!" I hear myself holler. InuYasha is chained up to a cemented wall by his wrists and ankles, hanging limply at a very odd angle. His head is always bent forward, his silvery hair covering his face. He looks like he has been through a bit of torture already seeing as how his hands have dark bruises covering them and his hair is matted and caked with dried blood that looks like it had been there a while.

"INUYASHA!" I scream yet again, racing forward and kneeling next to his side. I go to pick up his head so I can see his face but something slippery and wiggly, wrapping itself around my wrist stops me from doing so.

"Im going to have to ask that you don't do that," Naraku's voice chortles from somewhere close behind me.

Morbidly, I glance downward and notice that the thing grasping my wrist is a disgusting dark tentacle, pulsating, tightening its hold against my skin. The piece of flesh has come from somewhere on Naraku's body. I scream and the sound echo's loudly in the room around us. Naraku chuckle's, seemingly delighted I had been horrified so easily.

I always reach down and try to pry the wiggling appendage off with my bare hands, tying to rip it off of my arm. "LET GO!" I screech. I start to claw at the squirmy limb, using my nails as dull talons. Still, the tentacle does not remove itself.

"Ka...gome," InuYasha croaks, his head still bent downward.

I always go to reach for him again, the need to be close to him ever pressing, the desire to hold him to my chest, comfort him, never ceases. Even in my dreams the desire never wavering. My nightmares.

As my hand extends for him however, another wriggling tentacle forces it way around my arm, partially covering my hand. Naraku is suddenly in front of me, cackling loudly like a deranged witch. I always struggle against his hold, fighting, scratching and clawing my way away from him. Yet he never vanishes.

"LET GO OF ME!" I yell again in vain.

Naraku, still holding me in place with his disgusting appendages, glides over toward InuYasha. "Don't waste your time or energy my pet. You can never escape from me or my hold over you." He leans downward and grabs a fist full of InuYasha's hair, forcing his head up roughly with a quick jerk of his wrist. He leans down and gets real close to InuYasha's face. "Now, shall we begin where we left off Inu-Ya-sha?" He asks, enunciating each syllable in his name.

InuYasha can only glower spitefully, a little bit of blood trailing down his forehead and getting into his eyes. "You bas...bastard!" He half yells half snarls.

Naraku chuckles and drops InuYasha's head before standing up straight. He always reaches into one of his rather large, billowing sleeves and pulls out a sharp sword. The handle is made out of some sort of fine crafting material which is lined with real jade.

The same sword that was used on the stage in Shikon High.

The same sword.

Naraku chuckles and un-sheeth's the gleaming blade, thrusting at InuYasha's neck, right above his pulse point. "Any last word before I take this blade and ram it into your pathetic excuse of a body you worthless half-breed?"

InuYasha gurgles something incoherent, then lifts his head to smile gently at me. A few tears steam down his face, his eyes shine back at me full of devotion and longing. As blood drips from his lips, staining them a vibrant color, he utter's three perfectly wonderful words its almost sinfully painful to hear them.

I can only watch mortified, terrified, as Naraku scoffs before brining his arm back, positioning the blade and thrusting it into InuYasha's heart. I scream yet no sound is made, no sound is heard except the beating of a heart slowing, until its finally stopped beating all together.

Its not InuYasha's heart.

Its mine.

InuYasha's body slumps forward, a last fleeting breath escapes his lips as his eyes dull from their beautiful golden color.

"I love you," Inuyasha had whispered.

Naraku, after whipping InuYasha's crimson blood from the blade, turns to me and sneer's maliciously, the desire for bloodshed in his eye as he slowly saunters toward me. "Now then, my pet. Your mine."

Thats when I finally wake up.

xXx

My body jolted forward, sitting up instantly without much of my will. Mercifully I had been pulled from my hellish dream. Still, Naraku's face invaded my vision.

I forced myself to take a breath, mentally reassuring myself that I was fine and that Naraku is gone. After calming down some I took a quick glance around the empty room. In the secretive recess of my mind I was searching for InuYasha, though I know he is nowhere to be found. Pearlescent grey light of early dawn streamed down through InuYasha's window, dancing across my eyelids, giving the the room a ethereal feel to it. I let my eyes flutter close my eyes and basked in it all.

'Today is the day. Today, I am going to merry my best friend. Today I am going to become a wife, a mate, and a life-long partner to someone.'

Despite the ever pressing fact that my body had a sheen of sweat layered onto my skin from my recurring nightmare, I was smiling. I was giddy. My toes were curling in unadulterated happiness.

"Im marrying InuYasha today," I giggled quietly to myself. I flopped back onto the pillows and watched as the morning sun began its slow accent into the sky, casting beautiful orange and pink rays into the blue sky.

A nock suddenly sounded on the door and yelled for whoever was at the door to come in.

"Kagome, are you in here?" Sango asked, poking her head into the room. When she saw my curled up on his bed she gave me a kind smile. "Ayame and I woke up and were wondering where you'd gone. I take it you couldn't sleep very well last night?"

I pushed my body deeper into the bedding. "Sorry. I cain't sleep very well without him."

The corner of her mouth twitched upward as her eyebrow quirked amusedly. "I know how you feel. I cain't sleep soundly without Miroku next to me."

A long, comfortable pause followed as we both started daydreaming about the men in our lives. I was thinking about how much I was going to enjoy the rest of my life with InuYasha when Sango cleared her throat, jolting me from my thoughts. "Are you ready to get going? The limo that's going to take us to the church will be here soon and I want to make sure everything is ready."

I grinned, unable to help myself and sat up and stretched my limbs. "Trust me, I am more then ready Sango."

She continued to grin as she silently beckoned me toward and out the door. I laughed and got up and allowed her to lead me through the doorway and down the hallway. Sango stopped suddenly and I glanced back over my shoulder, staring at her confusedly. "Sango?"

She then got this bemused smile on her face and at the top of her very lungs she yelled, "KAGOME AND INUYASHA ARE GETTING MARRIED!" Before skipping off down the hallway with me following after her, laughing so hard I thought I was going to fall over.

xXx

~INU POV~

"I still cain't believe there were absolutely no strippers or strip clubs involved last night. What a shame..."Miroku whined for about the thirtieth time that morning. He stood in front of me, starring at his perverted reflection in the mirror as he slicked his hair back.

I rolled my eyes and continued to examine myself in the floor length mirror, double checking that everything was in place."Keh'. I cain't believe you're still talkin' about it. I told you before and Ill say it again; I didn't even want a bachelor party. But nooooooo you all had to go and ignore me. Stupid ass no nothing people not giving a damn about-"

"Inuyasha!" My father snapped. "Watch your language young man."

Next to me Miroku snorted and even Sesshomaru gave a cocky smile. I huffed and turned to glare at my father who was now sipping sake leisurely as he reclined back on a futon. "Dad! Im 'gettin married today. Don't you think you might be able to, oh, I don't know...stop treatin' me like a kid?!"

He chuckled and stood up and walked over to me, suddenly tackling me into a bear hug, rubbing the palm of one of his hands agains't my hair. "But your my son," he cooed. "Your always going to be my little baby boy."

Miroku finally lost it, unable to hold himself back he started gut laughing and Sesshomaru had to force himself to regain and compose his stuck-up composure. I pushed my dad away and took a glanced at myself in the mirror. "Shit!" I cursed, running up to the mirror so I could fix my bangs which I had already spent a lot of time on. "Thanks a lot dad. Do you know how much time it took me to comb out my hair?!"

"Of course we do. We watched you spend forty-five minuets to long on it." Sesshomaru drawled as he also joined our father on the couch.

I stopped finger combing my hair and stared incredulously at the both of them. They both wore impeccably black, western style tuxedo's. The suit jackets were pressed carefully and were fitted perfectly with matching black slacks and shoes. In each one of their breast pockets were identical red pocket squares. Sesshomaru had even taken the time to comb and place his hair on top of his head much like our fathers, which made the both of them look like they were identical twins. Its was almost scary how much they looked alike.

I was about to give Sesshomaru a piece of my mind seeing as he deserved it, when Miroku finished getting dressed and ready and gave me a firm slap on the back. As if that was comforting in the least. "You have to relax my friend. I can tell you're starting to become jittery and nervous."

I smacked Miroku's hand off of my back and scowled at the three of them. "I am not jittery. I've never been jittery before in my life."

Both my father and Miroku cast me the same disbelieving look while Sesshomaru stared thoughtfully into his sake cup. I frowned and turned away from the lot of them. I knew my father could sense and smell my nervousness. Its was almost pathetic to try and lie to him. And Miroku was pretty smart for a human which men't that he could probably perceive it too, even with his dull senses.

I scoffed and turned and faced the mirror again, trying to hide my embarrassment. "By the way," I grunted roughly, "why is it that Im the only one that's gatta' wear this traditional crap?"

"Watch your tongue boy. Be respectful of your heritage." Dad barked.

"Your father is right Inuyasha. Besides, wasn't Kagome the one who requested you wear it?" Miorku asked as he joined the both of them on the couch.

I glanced down at the very formal black kimono, haori and hakama I was forced to wear and frowned thoughtfully. When Kagome and I had talked about the kind of wedding we wanted, we agree'd we wanted to have a more modern wedding ceremony with traditional attire and then a western style reception. Which was why I had to wear a montsuki and Miroku, Sesshomaru and my father wore regular tuxes.

"Yeah it was," I muttered, defeated.

Miroku grinned and took a sip of his own sake. "Well then there you go."

I continued to stare at my reflection, mentally willing myself to man up. Seriously, it was Kagome for Kami's sake. She shouldn't make me nervous in the least. Still, why did I feel like there was a huge and angry moth demon fluttering around in my stomach?

"Hey, do you think I might be able to have some of that sake?" I asked, the words spilling out of my mouth before Id really even thought them over.

My father nodded, filled up a cup and brought it over to me. "Savor it. Its the only one your getting until after the wedding ceremony."

"What? Why?"

"You don't want to be stone cold drunk when you get married now do you?" He asked taking the now empty cup away.

I scoffed and turned away. "Keh. Im a two-hundred and seventeen year old man. Don't ya' think I could have more then one glass of sake?"

Sesshomaru shook his head slowly and took another sip of his third cup. "No."

My upper lip lifted into a snarl. "Listen here you-"

The door suddenly opened into the private office we were currently using a type of dressing room. Sango's head popped in and she smirked at all of us. "InuYasha? Kagome's ready to see you now." Her eyes traveled over to Miroku and she winked before shutting the door behind her.

"Finally!" I growled quietly, trying to, once again, cover the blush tinting my cheeks. I opened the door after Sango and walked down the darkened hallway in the old Higurashi shrine.

I walked out into the courtyard Kagome was supposed to be in and gazed around for her. It really wasn't traditional for her to see me before the ceremony, when her father is supposed to give her away, but seeing as how she didn't have a father, we were breaking the rules. That, and I desperately wanted to see her.

Outside in the shrine garden, the morning sun had disappeared behind a thick layer of dark clouds and thick, white snow was drifting down from the sky. The tree's were covered with a fresh, white layer of frost and everything was white and pure. I stepped out onto the snowy ground and it crunched loudly underneath my foot.

"InuYasha? Is that you?" Kagome's voice flittered into my ears with ease.

I fully stepped out into the garden and followed her scent with my nose and found her sitting on a stone bench underneath a gigantic tree. Her chin was titled upward and she was gazing up at the sky. She looked...

"Beautiful," I whispered to myself. She looked absolutely gorgeous in the immaculately white wedding kimono she wore that fell to her ankles. Her face had little makeup on it which I loved. Her natural beauty was obvious. A few, white flowers had been pinned into her hair which had been pulled on top of her head into a very detailed messy bun. A few stray hairs fell down her face and curled around her neck. She completely fit in with her surroundings. She was as pure as the newly fallen snow.

Her head suddenly turned to me and she gazed at me for a few seconds with those eyes that made me feel like I was melting into a puddle of goo. Slowly, a smile appeared on her face. "Hi."

I felt my mouth tilt upward at her aloofness. "Hey."

She scooted over and gently pat the spot next to her, silently inviting me to join her. I folded my arms into the large sleeves of my haori and made my way over to join her. "Lovely day for a wedding." I commented, eyeing the sky.

She giggled and shook her head and I made myself comfotable next to her. "Can you beleive this?" She asked me quietly, reaching out one of her hands to catch a falling snowflake.

"No," I chuckled honestly and watched the weather. "Were getting married in a few minuets."

"I know!" She giggled, her breath coming out in a puff from the frosty air.

We sat there, underneath that huge tree, watching the snow as it feel slowly down from the sky. Each snowflake was uniquely different, designed specificlly different from every other snowflake in the sky, blanketing the earth with a thick layer of white.

"We better get going," Kagome sighed suddenly, reaching over and stroking one of my arms.

"Why?" I asked playfully. "Its not like we really have anywhere to be right now..." I smirked as one of her eyebrow's rose into her hairline and she sent me a pointed glare.

"InuYasha," She warned cutely before leaning forward and planting a delicate kiss on the end of my nose. "Aishiteru."

I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against her own, fighting off the urge to say "Screw the wedding, lets run away," pick her up, and take her away. "Aishiteru." I replied, willing myself to hold on a little more. I wanted to kiss her so badly.

"Hey, love birds. Its wedding time!" Miroku suddenly shouted from inside the shrine doorway.

Kagome chuckled and waved Miroku away and he complied easily. She sighed again and swallowed once he was gone. "Well, I guess its now or never."

"Keh.' What are you talkin' about? We have forever together. Whats this now or never stuff?"

She tilted her head in my direction and stared at me out of the corner of her eye. She smirked. "You're right. We have forever."

"I know Im right. Im never wrong."

She scoffed in a very me-ish way. "Your getting cockier everyday Takahashi, you know that?"

I nudged her gently. "And your getting more smart mouthed."

She nudged me back, only harder and I tipped over and fell off the bench and onto the cold ground. "I was taught by the master." She giggled and even pointed at me as I struggled on the snow pile I had fallen into. Reluctantly she reached down and helped me stand and helped me brush the snow off of my hakama. Then she turned and started swaying her way toward the shrine. "Come on InuYasha. We don't have all day." She looked over her shoulder and gave me a cheeky grin. I growled playfully and eventually caught up with her, heading into the building with her to start our future.

xXx

The wedding was beautiful.

The ceremony was beautiful.

The decorations were beautiful.

She was celestial.

We had the wedding ceremony outside underneath a snowy canopy of tree's. We had a western style wedding isle and a few isles of chair's for our guests. It wasn't a big ceremony, just a few of our close friends and family. Kagome's grandfather had been the shrine priest that married us- against his rather large hatred of me.

We had been blessed, we had been purified, we had scent prayers up to the Kami and we drank out of three cups of sake, signifying that our relationship had deepened. Then, because Kagome had asked me and because I can never say no to her, we exchanged vows.

Kagome had a small bouquet of royal blue lilies and roses which she handed over to Sango, her maid of honor and then grabbed my hands. She stared up at me with her lovely dark brown eyes and allowed me to pour my soul out to her. Miroku, the best man, stepped up from behind us and handed me Kagome's ring and Sango did the same.

"I, InuYasha Takahshi, take you Kagome to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death part's us.' And here I do pledge you my faithfulness."

A few tears slipped down her eyes and I smirked proudly, glad she didn't hate my vows to her. I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and whipped away her happy tears with my thumbs.

"Hey! We haven't gotten to that part yet," Kagome's grandfather, Jii-chan, snapped hotly. A few people chuckled at that and I only glared at the old man.

Kagome sniffed back her tears and smiled as I slipped the ring onto her finger with ease.

Kagome cleared her throat and straightened her spine purposfully. "I, Kagome Higurashi, take you Inuyasha to be my wedding husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death part's us.' Here I do pledge you my faithfulness." With shaking hands, she slipped the wedding band onto my finger and then smiled gleefully.

"I now pronounce you husband and bride. You may kiss the bride," Jii-chan announced with a hint of dejection in his voice.

I leaned forward and cupped Kagome's face with my hands and brought her close to me. She tilted her chin up and allowed my lips to press against hers.

"My mate."My inner demon, which I had suppressed forcefully, growled happily. And I had to agree. She was mine now. All mine.

A small round of applause echoed in the small forest we had perched ourselves when we were announced for the very first time as "Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi."

I captured my wife's hand and mine and lead her down the small isle, past her crying mother and my frowning brother and father who looked like he was about to check his watch for the time, and back into the old shrine she used to call home.

It was time to start forever with her.

xXx

~KAG POV~

He bought a tent.

That sounds kind of ridiculously stupid. But it wasn't. It was perfect.

InuYasha bought a large, white canopy tent. He set it up in the backyard of the Takahashi mansion, underneath snow, heavy trees. Set up underneath it, was a large, dance floor set up in what would have been a grassy meadow.

There were about a dozen tables set up off to the side of the dance floor, with tiny, blue candles and little snowflake decorations. Off to the left of the dance floor was where the D.J we hired, played a slow song. Soft.

I thought it might be cold, seeing as how there was no window's or walls all around us, but somehow, InuYasha had managed to buy and hide a heater large enough to keep the space comfortably warm.

The best part though, and my favorite, was the twinkling chandeliers that hung down from the large branches of the forest tree's, casting a magical glow into the blanketed meadow.

"How in the world did you do that?" I wondered out loud as I eyed the seemingly floating golden rimmed, royal style chandeliers.

InuYasha, who had barley left my side and had been sticking to me like glue since we had said "I do," smirked. He shrugged easily. "Keh'. That?" That was easy. Sesshomaru and my dad helped me set them up."

Ah. That explained a lot.

I smirked and stopped walking. Inuyasha and I had been taking a small walk around the mansions backyard, enjoying a little time to ourselves before we were swamped with our family and friends.

Inuyasha stopped walking and looked at me to as if to say "Why'd you stop?"

I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist, leaning into the heat that was radiating off of his body. "I have to go and change. Okay?"

He nodded...reluctantly. "Okay."

I leaned away and gazed up into his beautiful eyes. "Okay." I started moving away from him. "Ill be back soon. I promise."

He smirked and almost stopped and went back to him. "Okay."

I turned fully and ran toward the house where my other dress was waiting for me. I entered through the back door and I walked upstairs and into the spare bedroom Sango, Ayame and I had been using as a kind of dressing room.

I opened the door quietly and stepped inside the room. It was dark, quiet. Calm. The sun had just set and the pre-dusk light reflected off of the snow, giving the walls a pale blue glow to them.

I slowly undressed from my wedding kimono, which was no easy task. The obi was particularly difficult to remove and I stumbled and struggled with it a little bit. When it was all finally off, I folded it carefully and placed it into a bag and zipped it closed. Thats when I walked over to the closet and pulled out the garment bag that held my western style wedding dress.

Slowly, with a small smile on my face and the pale light illuminating the room, I un-zipped the bag.

xXx

"Are they gone?" I whispered quietly through the crack in the door.

Sango giggled softly and nodded from her look out position in the hallway. "Yeah. You can come out now."

I sighed and fully opened the door. I slowly stepped out into the hallway and Sango's mouth unhindged itself. "Good. I though they would never leave."

Sango's hand slowly rose to her mouth as she continued to openly gawk at me. I looked down, examining myself for any blemishes I might have missed. "What? What is it?"

Her eyes were wide and and I glanced down again. "What? Would you stop looking at me like that?"

"Its just you...I mean you really...I think you look-"

"Beautiful." A gruff, voice I instantly recognized, finished her sentence.

Sango nodded dumbly and slowly fingered her bouquet. "Yeah. That."

I blushed and turned to look down the hallway. "Hey you."

Koga, who had to miss the actual wedding ceremony due to some wolf tribe thingy, came sauntering down the hallway with a wolfish grin spread across his face.

He wore a crisp, black suit and pressed white shirt. Not tie. His hair had been brushed back onto the top of his head, showing off his high cheekbones. One clawed hand was sitting lazily in his front pocket and his polished, black shoes clacked loudly on the hardwood flooring. "There she is. Just the person I wanted to see."

I giggled and started walking toward him. By the time I made it into his arm's, I was running. I hadn't realized, until I saw him, how much I actually missed him. I pressed my face into the tan crook in his neck and smiled. He smelled like the back of the breeze when you drive down a long highway with the window's rolled down.

He smelled like freedom.

"I missed you." I whispered.

"I missed you more." He whispered back.

I shook my head. "Doubtful."

He squeezed a bit tighter before letting go. "Im sorry I missed the wedding." He shrugged. "You know, being a wolf tribe leader and all."

He set me back down onto my feet and grasped both of my hands into his. He glanced down at my dress and smiled. "Let me get a look at you." He spun his finger around in the air, gesturing for me to turn. "Spin, spin." He demanded.

I giggled and complied. I grasped the hem of my train and twirled slowly in the middle of the hallway.

My dress, which I had bought with my mother, was truly a master piece. It had a sweetheart neckline with delicate lace and beads that lined the bosom. The material fell behind my thighs in a circle where the rest of the dress finished off, showing off my shoulder's and part of my back. The material fanned out in a backward A in a small train, trailing behind me in a river of material.

Sango clapped her hands and let out an excited squeal and Koga only laughed. "You look perfect."

"Your right, you idiot wolf. She does look perfect." A rough voice growled behind me, sending a shiver up my spine.

I smirked but didn't look back at him. "Stop it InuYasha. Be nice."

Koga crossed his arms over his chest and got a superior look on his face. "Yeah mutt face. Be nice."

A large, warm hand wrapped tightly around my waist as he brought me closer to his side. "Do I have to?" InuYasha whined pathetically into my ear.

I glanced up and him and frowned thoughtfully. "I guess not."

InuYasha grinned maliciously in Koga's direction. "Didja' hear that you flea bag?" He cracked his knuckles and took a fighting stance.

Koga readied himself as well. "Any time. Anywhere."

I lightly slapped InuYasha's chest and started making my way down the hallway. "Stop it boys. This is still my wedding day and Ill be damned if I get any blood on this dress."

Sango chuckled at their confused expressions and I continued to walk. I linked my arms with hers, as we always did, and we made our way down toward our guests.

"Hey wait up!" Koga shouted when he realized we were leaving as he started chasing after us.

"No ignore him! Wait for me! Im your husband remember?!" InuYasha hollered and joined in the chase.

xXx

~INU POV~

She was dancing with him. Again.

I stood by the side of the dance floor, glaring as Koga, that flea bag, spun Kagome around in time with the music. Every once in a while he would lean close to her ear and whisper something to her. She would laugh. She would tip her head back and laugh.

The only reason it wasn't me dancing with her was because I had two left feet and I hated dancing in public. I cain't dance to save my life if it depended on it.

I eyed the pair as they did a small spin before Koga dipped my wife. I smirked. The wolf had some moves I had to admit.

"Just dance with her you pansy ass half-demon." My demon growled, upset that I wasn't near my soon-to-be mate.

"I will." I assured the rough voice. "Just not here..."

"Idiot."

I rolled my eyes at the voice, but didn't disagree. I made my way through the tables that were set up and over to the open bar and ordered a whisky. While I was waiting, I watched everyone as they danced with the music.

Miroku was also spinning Sango across the floor and she was also laughing. Her face was flushed and her cheeks were pink from laughing so hard at whatever the pervert was saying to her.

Kagome's mother was slowly spinning around with Jii-chan, watching their daughter and grand-daughter as she swayed with the music.

"You know InuYasha," Ayame drawled as she suddenly appeared next to my side. "If you don't dance with your wife, then I cain't dance with my boyfriend."

I smirked and grabbed my drink. "Do I sense a little bit of jealous over them? Of Kagome?"

Said woman tipped her head back and laughed. Again. Ayame nudged me in the side and eyed the pair as they moved.

"No. Its just..." She suddenly frowned and twirled the straw in her drink. "Its just I wished he would look at me that way."

I glanced over at Ayame. She had for-gone her usual pigtails and was wearing her hair down, a look that I thought suited her quite well. Kagome had made Sango and Ayame wear knee length, light blue bridesmaid dresses. They matched the whole 'Winter wonderland' theme we had going on. And she looked really stunning in her dress.

I looked from her to the dance floor and eyed Koga. His eyes were sparkling, something I didn't really care for, and his face was light and easy. Come to think of it, I never really saw Koga and Ayame that way.

I shrugged easily and took another swig of my drink . "They just have this...connection." I said, though I knew that wouldn't help her very much. "I knew when I asked Kagome to merry that there were going to be more then one man in her life." I gestured to the wolf. "For some odd reason, a reason I probably will never understand, they get along like best friends."

"Now I could totally flip out, go marching over there and rip her out of his hands. Which I would love to do by the way." Ayame chuckled and I smiled at the thought. "But don't you see how completely happy she is?"

And she was. Kagome was radiant. Her smile lit up the whole room and that was all I ever cared about. I only cared about Kagome's happiness.

"Besides," I continued, "sometimes we cain't help the things that are men't to be." Just as the words left my lips, did the song end.

Kagome said something to Koga and he nodded. Then, without warning, he came walking over toward where Ayame and I were standing.

He smirked at her when he was a few feet away and held out his hand. "Care for a dance?" He asked.

I lifted an eyebrow at Ayame and she smirked. She set down her drink and took Koga's hand and he led her out onto the dance floor as a slow song came on. Koga wrapped his arms around Ayame's waist and brought her close to his chest. She placed her cheek on his shoulder and her rested his chin on the top of her head.

When her eyes caught mine from across the room, I raised my glass to her and mouthed, "Some things are men't to be."

She smirked and mouthed, "Thank you," and closed her eyes, obviously enjoying her dance with Koga.

"You know," Sesshomaru muttered as he slinked up to my side. He held a scotch in his hand. "You should probably go dance with your wife you moron."

I snorted and took the final sip of my drink. "You know I don't dance."

His face deadpanned. "InuYasha, you truly are in idiot."

"Oh yeah? And why is that exactly?"

He sighed, completely irritated that we were having this conversation. "Because," he growled, "she wants to dance with you. Are you really going to let Kagome down just because your afraid of what people might think of you?"

I opened my mouth to respond to that, to say that I was not, in fact, afraid of what other people might say, when his large hand on my back shoved me forward and out into the middle of the dance floor. I turned around and glared at Sesshomaru who now wore a bemused smile on his face.

"InuYasha!" Kagome's voice giggled somewhere behind me. "Are you going to dance with me now?"

I turned and watched as Kagome swept her way up to me. A few strands of her hair had fallen out of her messy bun and were hanging limply agains't her face. Still, she looked gorgeous. I brushed some of the hairs that fell in front of her face, out of her eyes and tucked them behind her ear. "Well, actually-"

"Dance with me." She murmured, cutting me off in the process. She wrapped her arms around my waist and she gazed up at me with big, pleading puppy dog eyes. "Please." She added in a quiet, innocent little voice.

I sighed and glanced over at Sesshomaru and glared. "Thanks a heap you bastard." I thought mentally. As if he could read my mind, his smirk widened and he took another sip of his drink.

I growled quietly under my breath but took Kagome's hands in mine and lead her to the center of the dance floor.

"Alright everybody make room for the bride and grooms first dance!" The D.J announced loudly, sending everyone into a small frenzy. When everyone had moved off and to the sides of the dance floor, the D.j started playing the song I requested for our first dance...if we were to ever have one.

If every word I said,
could make you laugh
Id talk forever (together my love)
I ask the sky just what we had
Mmm it shone forever

I took Kagome's hands into mine and brought her close to my body. She leaned her head into my chest and ran one of her hand up and over the curve of my shoulder and curled her finger's in my hair.

I started moving, swaying my hips with the beat of the acapella song. Kagome and I soon picked up a gentle, rocking rhythm.

(together my love)
If the song I sing to you
Could fill your heart with joy
Id sing forever (together my love)
Forever
Forever

Kagome glanced up and me and smirked. I couldn't help myself as I leaned down and let our lips mesh. I could, at that moment, have died right there and would have been totally fine with it. The warm, sweet taste of her mouth made me dizzy.

I've been so happy loving you

She ran her hand over the base of my neck and I pressed my palm into the small of her back, brining her closer to me.

(Do do do do do do do do do) together my love

Let the love I have for you
Live in your heart
And beat forever (together my love)
Forever
Forever
I've been so happy loving you

I broke the kiss and cupped Kagome's cheek with my hand, rubbing her cheek with my thumb. She closed her eyes and leaned into my touch. My ears twitched and swiveled as I heard Kagome start humming to the song.

Baby just let me sing it my baby
I wanna be singin my baby
Baby baby baby my baby
I wanna be singin
I wanna be singin my baby
(Oh oh oh oh)
(My my my my my my)

So Im goin away
Mmm but not forever
Na na na na
I gotta love you anyway

I brought her closer to me again, needing to be nearer to her. I encircled her body with my arms resting gently around her waist and I could feel the clean line of our two biddies connecting-legs tangled up in legs, hips cradled into hips, our chests heaving in time with each other. I rested my head against her hair and inhaled the pure scent that was Kagome. She wrapped her arms around my neck and gazed up at me, her eyes drilling into mine with a smirk on her face. We continued to sway.

"I love you." I whispered.

She blinked and her smirk turned into a full blown smile. "I love you more."

I shook my head and rested my forehead against hers. "I love you most."

Forever.

A/N: Here you go! The first chapter. I want to sincerely apologize for not uploading this when I said I would. I had written the story and I was fully ready to upload it but my computer broke and all my story's were lost. So I had to start from scratch.

I lost a lot of stories and my writing and I had to start all over. Im sorry it effected so many of you. Hopefully, I made it up to you all with this chapter.

Also, the song I wrote Kagome and InuYasha dance to is the Acapella version of Forever by the Beach Boys, which means there were no instruments. Only sining. If you want to here this version of the song, you can find it on Youtube.

Yourgoldeneyes ©2013.