The young bride looked at the door, really confused. Why had he seemed so sad as soon as he saw her face? He had barely glanced at her before turning away.

Looking down at the small cat that sat at her feet, Kagome crouched down and scratched her ears. Kirara purred softly, her tails flicking back and forth, making the young woman smile.

"I guess maybe Inuyasha wasn't as happy or excited to meet me as Rin tried to tell me," she thought to herself. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I doubt he had much say in Sesshomaru arranging me to be his wife and I'm certainly not the great beauty everyone tries to make me out to be."

Standing back up, she stretched and shook out her tense shoulders. What was done was done. If he wanted to ignore her until she lay in his bed, there wasn't much she could do about it.

Kagome was, after all, just a mortal woman. And Inuyasha...

As she felt his presence, it had been like she was suddenly drenched in a warm summer's rain. Warmth flooded into her body, right down to the inside of her chest, countering the Daiyokai Lord's cool demeanor towards her. Her inner turmoil seemed to resolve and she had been unable to stop herself when she felt the owner of such a calming youki staring down at her.

She'd just had to look up.

He was beautiful. Maybe that was an odd description for a man, but that was the word that had come to Kagome's mind once the veil was raised from her face enough to gaze upon her new husband clearly. She hadn't known what to expect, but after having met the commanding and overwhelmingly aristocratic Lord Sesshomaru, the being she witnessed looking down at her, claws clutching into the wood railing with such tension was certainly a surprise.

You could tell they were related, though Inuyasha was gifted with softer features, his golden eyes not being as slanted and cold. The silvery white hair seemed more unkept, despite the way part of it was banded up atop his head, his bangs spikey and almost fluffed like fur.

And speaking of fur, the great surprise was that the curious tufts she swore had been moving as he looked down at her, were in fact, his ears. Adorable, upright , slightly over-sized, white-furred dog ears that she had to almost bite her lip to make sure she didn't reach up and try touching.

Something told her that might be seen as rude.

Let's just say, Kagome found her husband quite attractive, not despite the claws and fangs that she hadn't failed to notice in the brief moment they stood face to face, but because of them. They were features that morphed together into someone quite appealing and mysterious, like the Kami sent hero of so many stories.

That's what made his seemingly instant rejection sting just a little more than it probably should have considering she had just as little say as he did in getting married.

Shaking her head to try to get out of her funk, Kagome turned to the politely sitting cat scratching her ear between her feet.

"Let's go Kirara," She says to her new companion. "Might as well go stretch our legs and take in the garden." The little yokai stretched herself and followed Kagome as she clutched up the vibrant purple fabric and opened the door, slipping out.

As she stepped onto the wood of the raised walkway that connected the chamber she had been brought to, the wind began to blow around the young woman. Numerous small white lanterns hung from the trees and fine silks were draped over a raised platform near a large tree. A few yokai of all shapes and sizes milled about, bringing out trays of food and hanging the last decorations up.

The young bride carefully descended from the walkway and onto the soft grass. She could feel some eyes on her, but she ignored them as she kept walking forward, her eyes taking in the sights of all the flowering trees and bushes that decorated her new home. There were lilies and iris and all sorts of roses. Some other ones she had never seen before glowed with an eerie light.

It was breath taking.

Making her way over to the large tree, she smiled as she felt the breeze lowing through its branches. It was a Goshinboku, a sacred tree like the one she grew up playing beneath in the Sunset Palace. She felt her body calm down and Kirara let out a questioning mew which made her smile at her.

Kagome folded the veil she still carried in her sleeve and laid it over a tree root, carefully sitting in a way that wouldn't tear or stain her kimono. She sighed, leaning against the tree trunk, and trying to have a moment of blank thought. She felt her nekomata companion crawl up onto her lap and one of her hands lazily stroked the small, fluffy creature as her eyes studied the branches that moved gently above her.

From the castle, just inside the shadows, this young bride's husband watched as she sat by the tree. Now that he had taken the time to walk away from her, he could see she wasn't who he had thought. She had a resemblance, one that made him want to tear out his heart, but he knew from her scent on the breeze the longer he sat there with the wind carrying it to him that this girl wasn't the priestess of fifty years ago.

Just an imitation his brother had tracked down after hearing of her power over Midoriko's treasure.

Sesshomaru had confirmed such suspicions and that he had only met the girl once, not even thinking about it. Most mortals looked the same to someone who had lived so long avoiding them.

Sighing, he walked down the steps and over to her. She turned to face him and sighs, looking away. She couldn't bare that look of frustration that would no doubt be taken out on her once the royal bed chamber doors slid closed.

"What is it?" He asks and the young woman's blue eyes turned to him, not one bit of the fear he had expected to see was shown through them. Instead, she almost seemed shy, and he could smell just a hint of nervousness coming off of her as she spoke softly.

"Given your reaction earlier, I'm guessing it's fair to say you don't like me," Kagome says and he shrugs, leaning against the tree. "Especially considering that scowl you have now."

"The idea of you makes me want to wretch," Inuyasha growls.

"Look, it isn't like coming here was my idea," She says.

"I figured that much," He sighs. "It ain't like human women line up to marry some halfblooded dog demon."

"Oh I don't care about that," she says.

"You don't?" He replies, his ears twitching, and she looks at him. He had his head tilted, almost like a well, like a curious dog. She smiled and looked directly at him, wanting desperately to portray her honesty to him. 

After all, if they at least got along, it would make this whole, terribly awkward situation of forced intimacy a little easier.

"It's that you're a stranger that bothers me," she says. "I don't care that you're a hanyo. That was never something that bothered me as long as this whole arrangement has been planned." She looks down at Kirara and scratches the now sleeping cat's ear. "After all, there is good and bad in this world and being mortal or yokai, or even hanyo like you doesn't dictate that."

"You have some pretty foolish ideals," Inuyasha says, watching as Kagura throws her fan forward, causing her wind to blow through her set of wind instruments and start a song, "There is not such thing as a truly good demon, and I am absolutely no exception to that."

"Believe what you will, but I don't judge you for what you were born," She says softly, looking out at the moving servants. "Hanyo are born of love, and there is nothing wrong with that. Who am I to judge such things when my parents bore me out of duty to a royal bloodline?"

He looked at her, feeling that claw around his heart again and he watched as she reached up on the tree to pull herself up. She suddenly winced and he smelled her blood. She pulled her hand away and sucked on her finger. beside her, he saw a small thorn sticking out of the ancient tree.

"Damn it! That hurt!," She pulls her hand away from her mouth to show a small cut across the index finger on her right hand.

"You were right," He says, unable to help but chuckle at the prim and proper appearing princess using what was probably considered foul language for one of her status,  "You really are a klutz." Noticing the purple fabric laying on the tree root, he picks it up.

"Yeah, well," She was obviously trying to find some excuse, but he carefully grabbed her hand in his and used his teeth to tear a strip off fabric from the veil, "Hey, that was expensive!"

"So what? It's just a piece of cloth," Inuyasha pressed her finger against his lips and licked away the collecting drop of blood before wrapping the strip of silk around her fingertip. Her blood was sweet as her scent, which almost made him sick as he stood so close.

"Inuyasha," Kagome sounded almost shocked as she watched him wrap the small wound to her hand. Amber eyes slowly met stormy blue and he found himself to be the first to look away, a dusting of pink growing on his cheeks as he tied the thin fabric tight to her fingertip.

"Yeah, yeah," He says. "Just shut up and let me to this." He felt his ears pull back in embarrassment, but he could tell that at least his cheeks weren't turning and redder. She flexed her fingers he let her go and she smiled, looking down.

"Thanks, but it really wasn't a big deal, " She says. "A little pin prick was all." He looked away from her and saw his brother and Rin standing not far off. The woman was grinning like a fool, as she giggled behind her hand.

"You two are adorable," she says, and the young couple glanced at one another both turning quite red before turning away from each other. "We came to join you for dinner. Master Jaken told us it was ready."

As she spoke, a quartet of small green Imp creatures walked up with food trays, hopping up on the raised platform and setting them down for the four members of the Inu no Taisho Clan to have a formal meal.

"Fine then," Inuyasha says, stepping away from his new bride and hopping up onto the platform himself, sitting down in front of one of the trays. Kagome looked at Sesshomaru and Rin awkwardly before dipping her head.

"Shall we?" She asks, sounding a little nervous. Sesshomaru sends a glare at his brother for his indiscretion but then nodded to the young mortal woman who stepped up and kneeled to her own place at Inuyasha's side. The others followed suit and soon were sitting across from one another, eating their meals.

Inuyasha glanced at the woman at his side as she settled down and delicately ate her meal. She looked out at the garden every once in a while as though she as studying every little thing that she could see. Her blue eyes almost seemed full of wonder at all the yokai milling about the garden, glowing in the lantern light. Suddenly, she turned to look at him, the chopsticks hanging from her mouth.

"Are you staring at me?" she asks, and he quickly looked away. He should have known she'd feel his attention. After all, she did have spiritual powers. 

"Why would I stare at you?'" he grumbles, looking at his own plate, picking at the pieces of meat with his claws, finding to be a bother to use the set of twigs for such big pieces of food.

Kagome glanced at her husband, letting out a sigh as she carelessly picked at her food. Despite the fact that she hadn't eaten all day, her stomach tossed and turned about her impending wedding night far too much for her stomach to accept much of the food that she picked up. Most of it was slipped to Kirara after she had wandered beneath the tray.

Rin kept trying to make conversation, but no one really wanted to engage in it. Kagome could feel tension in the air as the two brothers glared at one another. They clearly did not like each other and being so close was like a match next to a barrel of gunpowder. It was safe enough for now, but she knew that she should also be prepared to take cover if the word that caused the hand to drop the light was uttered.

Music played in the background and one of the little imps with a staff walked up and stopped at the foot of the platform. He quickly bowed to Sesshomaru and side eyes Inuyasha.

"Milord, Ah-Un is tacked and ready to depart," He says and Sesshomaru barely indicates he heard him, just setting down his sake and standing, causing Rin to suddenly do the same. She quickly bows to the newlyweds, smiling.

"Thank you for allowing us to spend your special day with you," she says. "We won't impose any longer as you settle in." Kagome watched as her new husband sent a glare to his brother.

"Like I had a choice," His eyes seemed to growl.

Rin stood up and took her husband's arm, following him as he left, a bunch of the small green demon servants following them as well as the woman playing the wind flutes. As the garden suddenly fell silent, Kagome reached for the jewel around her neck, rolling it around against her chest.

Inuyasha could smell the nerves flowing off of the woman next to him and he looked at her after his brother had disappeared. Was she really that scared to be left alone with him? He watched as the small yellow cat crept out from under the food tray and rubbed her head comfortingly against the young woman's leg.

"Why is Kirara hanging around you so much?" He mumbles and she glances at him, her hand gently stroking the kitten sized demon's head.

"She was a wedding present from the demon slayers," She says, "I didn't know you knew her."

"Sango is an officer in my troops," He says. "I've fought many battles with that cat. I'm surprised she would be given up so easily, greedy as mortals are by nature."

"I don't think it was an easy thing for Sango to do, but she said her time with Kirara was over," She says quietly. "That now that the jewel was in my protection instead of theirs, it was time for her to leave the demon slayers and stay with us." Inuyasha nods and stands up, glancing at her as she slowly looked up at him.

"Let's go," He says, just wanting to get this damn thing over with. Besides, he was tired himself from being woken up at the butt crack of dawn and groomed into this uncomfortable git-up he was currently dressed in.  

"Where?" She asks, looking up at him.

"To bed," He says, jumping off the wood floor and into the grass. "It isn't like we have to sit here entertaining anyone."

"Already though, it's still," He could see her eyes look up at the moon and stars that shown above them. Sighing, she stood up, and folded her hands on her middle. Head down, she stepped off the stage and followed as he quickly turned and started his way into the looming castle. Her footsteps behind him were quiet and he had to train his ears back, making sure that she was she was still there. There wasn't even any creaking as she followed him up the steps into Eastern facing tower that was his private quarters of the palace.

Her scent in a closed place was driving him nuts, but he kept his eyes forward as he headed to the bed chamber. He just wanted to get undressed and go to sleep. Hopefully she wouldn't decide to strip down right in front of him. He really couldn't guarantee how the more animalistic aspects of his being might take that, as attracted to her scent as he undoubtedly was.

Inuyasha slid open the door and walked into the room. Kagome hesitated a moment, watching as he sat on the raised futon near the back of the bedchamber. He sat down cross legged, turned away from her as he started removing the elaborate robes that seemed to cause him some semblance of discomfort. 

Carefully pulling the sliding door closed behind her, she entered the cozy chamber.  There was a large window, streaming in moonlight, and as Kagome approached it, she noticed the way that the bottom panel could swing out, allowing access to a private balcony that overlooked a more private part of the palace gardens than where the wedding banquet had been held. Looking to her left, she saw a mirror leaning against the wall, along with a large trunk that she recognized as one where she packed her more precious belongings, formal kimonos, family jewelry and the like. 

Kneeling next to the elaborate trunk of clothes that had been brought up at some point, Kagome flicked open the gold plated latches that held the lid closed. She opened it and started rooting through it , finding her jewelry box, tucked safely in the bottom right corner where she had left it. Opening it, she reached up and started to untie the ribbon that had been tied and braided into her hair. Her fingers trembled a little, but she took a deep breath and pulled the purple ribbon free, wrapping it around her fingers and laying it in the box.

Kirara jumped up, making her way into the layers of warm cloth folded up in the trunk. She purred and nestled herself in, curling her tails around her body. Reaching forward, Kagome unburied her and sat her down next to her, making the cat let out a questioning mew that she couldn't help but give a small smile in response to.

She then took the chopsticks from her hair and let the braids that had kept her intricate bun up and tight, carefully brushing them out. She felt like she was waiting to be pounced on, not sure of when or how the hanyo who was undressing behind her would approach her to make her fulfil her duty to him.

She heard a growl of annoyance behind her and flinched a little. Was she taking too long and making him impatient? Glancing behind her, she saw that Inuyasha wasn't growling at her, but the golden band pinned in his hair. Clearly, claws were not made for unhooking the tiny hinge he couldn't see.

Closing the jewelry box and shaking out her own hair as she felt the tension of the braids release its hold on her scalp, she got up, walking over to him. "Do you want me to try?" He frowned at her and turned up his nose.

"Feh, I can get it myself," he says, clawing at it angrily. "Damn it!" Kagome crossed her arms, sighing to herself. Her little brother was more mature. He was acting like a brat.

"You're only going to get it knotted and tangled worse if you keep doing that," She says. "I'm a woman. I know a thing or two about metal hairbands." He glared at her, his yellow eyes clearly annoyed.

"Do whatever you want, wench," He says, and she just looks at her fingers. "What, I thought you said you'd help me!"

"I have a name, Inuyasha," Kagome says. "Maybe I'd be more inclined to help you if you used it." Huffing, he turned away from her and she rolled her eyes. Was he really going to act like this much of a child? He was nearly 200 years older than her for crying out loud, yet she was the one being mature about this whole thing.

Slowly, she reached forward and pushed his soft, silk-like hair out of the way, her fingers brushing the fuzzy ears as she tried to untangle the long strands that were now in knots from his frustrated pawing. She giggled a little as they twitched, and he let out a growl.

"Leave my ears alone!" He huffs, not liking the little tingles it gave off as she touched them. They were making him, feel other things. Things he really didn't want to think about revolving around this terrified girl right now.

"Sorry," she says, moving her hands away.

"I didn't say stop, Stupid!" He says. "Just don't touch my ears."

"Uh, alright," she says reaching forward again, tilting her head so she could see better in the single lamp's light.

"Aren't you done yet?" Inuyasha asks, huffing. He really didn't like that he was sitting in just a kosode and fundoshi. He could feel his cheeks growing red as her scent washed over him. His claws were digging into his arms beneath his sleeves as he willed his body not to react the way that his lower region certainly wanted to.

"Just sit still," Kagome replies, "I've almost got it." Carefully flicking the finally free clasp and pulling it away, she watched as quite a few silver strands had come away with it from his earlier struggling. "There. Better now?" As she watched, he shook his head like, well, a dog and scratched his claws just behind his ear. She turned and carefully kneeled back down, turned away from him.

"Yeah, I guess," he says, continuing to scratch at his head as he felt the skin on his scalp release from its forced position.

Inuyasha glanced back at her as she started untying her robes, the layers peeling away and opening like the petals of a flower. She was meticulous, carefully laying each robe flat across the top of her belongings, as though she were stalling and making it take as long as possible. He could smell her fear more and more as each one was laid out. Her head was down as she was left in the thin nagajuban that served as her undergarment, her dark hair falling forward and off her shoulders.

To him, she didn't look like a happy bride on her wedding day. Rather, she looked like a sacrificial animal awaiting her slaughter. In all honestly, that seemed to be closer to the truth anyway. Huffing to himself, he pulled on his fire rat hakama that had been haphazardly thrown to the side that morning in favor of Sesshomaru's orders that he would wear the itchy imperial silk, and tied it over his fundoshi. If he had any intention, it was swept quickly away by her fear scent, any and all excitement extinguished as both the human and demon halves of his soul came to a unanimous decision. 

He would never be able to forgive himself if he took advantage of her. It didn't matter that she offered herself when he knew she was terrified of him so much she shook.

"I'll sleep closest to the door," he said finally, making her turn her head, "Stay on your side." She clutched the marble shaped jewel around her neck.

"You mean, you aren't gonna-" he could see the fear slowly draining off her face.

"Mating with someone who stinks of fear as much as you do would only give me nightmares," Inuyasha huffs, laying on his side and turning away from her.

Kagome straightened her hair, glancing down. Her heart was racing like a hummingbird, and she felt tears welling up in her eyes.

He, he wasn't going to force her? They were just going to sleep? Of all the possibilities that had run through her head about this night over the last three years, refusing to touch her at all was certainly the lowest on that list.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and slowly stood up. Kirara, who had been kneading the blue yukata into a nest, quickly got up and followed her, deciding that sleeping next to the young woman's belly on the futon would be more comfortable, and not to mention warmer, than sleeping alone on top of a garment trunk.

Blowing out the lamp, she sat down next to him on the soft, feather filled futon, carefully laying down with her back to him. She carefully pulled a blanket up, cuddling it up against her chest. Her eyes blinked out into the darkness that , feeling so alone even though she was lying next to another person. She could feel the small cat creature nestling herself into a place up against her middle, but she kept staring forward, the relived tears falling from her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" she heard him voice behind her, she turned her head a little and saw that he was facing away from her, propped up on his hand.

"I'm not-" She tried to say, and he interrupted her.

"I can smell your tears," Inuyasha says, still not looking at her. "I told you, I'm not gonna touch you. So stop crying about it." Kagome reached for Kirara, gently scratching her little ears.

"I'm not," she says, before shaking her head and resolving that she might as well tell him the truth, "It's not about that." She sighs and rests her head back down, "I guess I've just been holding a brave face about all this for so long, to hear that nothing is going to happen to me, that you don't have any plans for me like everyone else seems to, I guess I'm just so relieved that the tears I was holding about all this fell out." She wiped the little bit of moisture away from her cheeks. "I'm sorry if they're bothering you."

Inuyasha sighed, his eyes still on the sliding door. His sword was resting beside the pile of discarded clothing he'd crumpled and tossed off the side of the raised bed and he reached for it, resting it against his shoulder. He didn't want to say it, but he was relieved that those tears weren't anything he caused.

"They ain't bothering me, just knock 'em off," He says, and she nods even though he can't see it. "There's no reason for you to be scared or worried bout nothin' 'cause I'll protect you. Just go to sleep, alright?" Kagome blinked in the darkness, turning her head to glance back at him. A yellow eye was gleaming back at her, but he quickly turned back away, huffing.

"Okay," she says quietly, laying her head back down, taking comfort in the gentle vibrations that Kirara's purring gave off as the small furry body cuddled against her chest. It made her feel so much less alone, though in truth, his words had greatly taken all the pent up nervous tension away and allowed her to feel just how exhausted she was that day. Her breathing evened out and her eyes closed, slowly allowing the tiredness to take her away.

Her husband let out a deep breath of his own tension once her soft snores reached his ears. Good, she was asleep and out of his hair for now. He sat up looking at her as she lay, her hair sprawled out on the pillow around her. She was so peaceful and looked so much like the priestess of so long ago. He shook his head to get rid of the memories and carefully pulls the blanket up onto her shoulder.

Kirara blinked upon an eye and glanced at him before turning over and laying on her back, black paws flicking in the air. Inuyasha gently reached over the sleeping maiden and scratched the cat's belly, smiling to himself. Pulling his claws back, he turned and lay back down.

"What the hell am I gonna do with her," He growls to himself, closing his eyes and eventually falling asleep himself in the calm of the room with the precious mortal woman sleeping at his back.