InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Strength of Bond ❯ Dressing ( Chapter 9 )

A/N: 9/16/04 Well here I am again. No internet at home, so I see you've all been disallowed to read anything new. This chapter is far longer than the others as there is quite a bit of terminology and descriptions. Please feel free to look them over. No lemon and there won't be one in the next either… but we will get to see some new faces (aka old faces from the series) and some interesting twists will be brought in.

Chapter 9

He woke in the morning, his ears picking up the soft clinking of cooking utensils sounding out from someone in the kitchen. A particularly loud sound flicked his ears back in reaction, causing him to wince from the movement more than the sound. He forced his focus to return to his ears and found them to be incredibly sore, as if they had been yanked at least fifty times. The sore pain did not seem to stop there, however, as he soon realized that his whole body throbbed in pain each time he breathed. Strange areas such as his nose, claws, and teeth also seemed to be bathed in the tremors of pain. Even the very thought of movement hurt. Scratch that. His head was pulsing like that of a severe hangover that mere complex thought was impossible.

"Kami," he whispered hoarsely, followed by a wince. His voice, though raw, was still rather loud to his own ears. His other senses were also humming at a near tangible level that he could almost taste and feel the air and world around him. The majority of his senses, however, were mainly focused on the girl sprawled on top of him, sound asleep and utterly content. He slowly opened his eyes to focus upon her, only to wince and close them after nearly blinding himself. The vibrant colors had been enhanced to such a degree that he had to reorient his mind before he could open them again.

When he did so, he opened them by slowly blinking the eyelids several times to drive away the blurriness and intense brightness. When he could look up to the ceiling without becoming dizzy, he came to an unnerving thought. He could clearly see the ceiling, and yet there was no light in the room, but there appeared to be a glow in the room. Where was it coming from? He tilted his gaze downward to look upon the girl, and his breath caught in his throat. Pulsing blue waves of her aura flared outward toward his own to wrap, meld, and mix with his own. The ease that they intertwined, clearly said what words could not clearly epitomize, two halves of one soul.

He inwardly winced just thinking about how the girl might feel when she woke up. It was one thing to know what the mixing meant, quite another to force both partners to live by it. Of course, that was just the tip of the ice berg. From their bonding she would gain heightened senses, ones that would dull in time as the bond solidified, but would overwhelm her upon waking. He shifted slightly before a red tint flecked his cheeks as he noticed another interesting problem. How was he going to deal with her when she discovered, upon waking, that they were still intimately joined together?

He didn't have to wait long to find that out, when the smell of eggs and ham stirred the sleeping girl. As she groaned in pain, he winced as he felt her pain through their spiritual link. This literally sucked. Bad enough to feel your own pain, quite worse to feel another on top of your own. Her eyes opened slightly, closing quickly as she muttered into his chest about the room being too bright. He couldn't blame her, for he found the room rather bright as well. When she nuzzled her nose into his chest, his breathing practically stopped, before she began to settle back down to sleep.

He cursed silently, startling the girl fully awake from her light doze by the loudness. Her eyes flashed opened before she squinted them closed, echoing the curses of her mate's. Wearily she peered down at the smooth skin of her bonded's chest with slitted eyes. Small, almost invisible white hair was distributed along the center line of his body, keeping the area warm and soft. The beat of a heart loudly thumped steadily in her ear, slightly faster than someone asleep or relaxed would have. She could feel his chest rising and falling in short breaths as well, proving to her that he was floating in a sea of anxiety. The crazy thing that topped it all off was the fact that she could also hear his voice with the barest of whispers. "Shut up," she mumbled, wanting badly to have her head stop hurting. Immediately Inuyasha's mouth closed, and she let out a soft sigh. Slowly, she moved one sore arm up the chest, rubbing through the soft white curls with languid strokes. The heart beat picked up again and Kagome smiled.

"Are you just going to lay there, wench?" he whispered.

She, in turn, nuzzled his chest again, stifling a yawn. He, however, had heard her answer mumbled answer... it was a resounding yes. His mouth curved into a small smile as he shifted downward upon the bed, wrapping one arm around her middle. His other hand reached out to drag up some blankets to help them reestablish warm comfort and modesty.

One hand of Kagome's reached out to grab the covers as well, drawing it up to her head. A slight rumbling chuckle and an answering stronger hold, relaxed her further into his embrace. "What time is it?" she asked quietly, her throat sore and rather raw.

"Late enough for someone to be cooking."

She yawned slightly, her eyes closing because of the pain that accompanied the motion. "That could be anyone. Mama cooks breakfast most of the time, but on Sunday it is usually grandfather or myself. Souta's still too young to effectively cook without burning something down in the process."

"How well do you cook?"

Kagome's face heated and she buried her face into his chest again. "Well enough to not burn down the house in the process, though edibility is much to be desired."

A soft chuckle followed. "Good enough. I would burn down the whole neighborhood given the chance to cook."

A sound of movement outside the door told them of a new presence. "Wake up you two. We must get you both ready for the ceremony today. Oh and Inuyasha, your brother sent you appropriate clothing to change into. They are in Kagome's room as well as a male servant to help you get dressed after your morning wash. As for you Kagome your will take a bit of time, so I suggest you shower as soon as possible. Breakfast is ready whenever you are. I took the liberty of placing two robes inside the room on the table and cleaning up the dishes this morning. Hayaku." The footsteps faded down the hallway.

"What did she mean by `coming in here this morning?'" Kagome mumbled.

Inuyasha sniffed the air delicately, finding the slight trace of another person's scent. How had he not waken to another presence while he slept? Why had he not known the person was there when he woke up in the first place? Was he really that out of it? Or was it something else?

"What ceremony?" She asked, yawning ever so slightly, to break the silence that followed her unanswered question.

Inuyasha moved his hands to his eyes rubbing the sleep out of them. "Feh."

She smiled, "I'll take that as you don't know."

Slowly, he drifted his hands back down to his sides. "Actually I do know. I just had to remember what day it was."

Kagome lifted her head up to look at her bonded, her blue-gray eyes widening slightly. If all hanyou looked like him, she would be hard pressed to keep her hands to herself. He had a strong chin, a trait sometimes referred to as stubborn and pigheaded. It was smooth and unblemished which meant he was not old enough to have to shave. His skin was a soft creamy peach, almost a little too white and pale. She shifted herself upward, before she froze, a horrible blush covering her face.

Inuyasha's eyes widened at the movement his train of thought completely lost with her movement. He lifted his head and used his arms to lift his upper body off the ground slightly. Her face was red and getting redder by the moment as their eyes locked to one another for the first time. Their auras swirled around them sparking as they blended and fought one another. A long moment stretched out before Inuyasha cleared his throat, a blush staining his cheeks, as he forcefully broke eye contact.

Kagome's eyes lowered in embarrassment for her staring and the position they were in. Slowly she shifted her body off of his most intimate part, wincing at the pain the movement caused. With a subtle grace, she didn't know she had, she lifted herself off of his body and onto the mat beside him, laying down on her belly to hide herself from his eyes. He, in turn, pulled the blanket up to cover himself more as well as her.

Kagome, without much to look at anymore, turned back to study his face. He had a slightly turned up nose which made her inwardly smile at the arrogance she already knew he exuded. His eyes, of course, were a brilliant honey gold that were slitted ever so slightly that unless one studied hard enough, one could never tell the difference between human and hanyou. He had thick black eye brows, which amused her greatly as his hair was a very light silvery color that one finds in clouds. On top of his head were two adorable ears, ones she had felt before, covered in a white fur. They were pulled back like when a dog is afraid or angry. She was curious to what he was feeling at that moment.

"Are you done staring at me?" he snapped, a little harsher than he meant. It was more than a little unnerving when people gawked at him. Usually the extended silence was never a good thing, and the way she seemed to be a bit disappointed wasn't helping.

Of her own accord she shook her head at his question. Her eyes traveling up to his ears wanting very badly to remember the feel of them. Her hand itched just with the idea of being allowed the privilege. "Umm… Inuyasha?"

His ears flattened at the voice, his eyes closing slowly to accept the words he knew would be spoken. "Yes, Kagome?" he said very softly.

"Can I touch your ears?"

A long pause followed, as the hanyou tried to process what she had said. Where were the insults? Where was the hatred? Where was the disgust? His ears? Why does she always want to touch his ears? "Uh- Okay." He peeked an eye open to see her reaction.

Kagome rewarded him with a brilliant smile as she reached her hand up to touch an ear. It flicked out of her reach upon the first tentative touch, but returned slowly to repeat the flicking motion. When she finally grasped it between her thumb and pointer finger it quivered like a frightened rabbit. Slowly, she caressed the ear with a gentleness that put animal lovers to shame.

Inuyasha watched her face glow with the activity and he mentally kicked himself for ever doubting this innocent and sweet creature. She had already said she didn't care what he was, and he had kept the belief that seeing him would change that idea. He was glad he had been wrong about that. He leaned his head into her hand to get a better rubbing of his ears. It had been years, over a decade, since his ears had been giving such attention. Most people tended to pull his ears, intentionally or not, which made him lose his trust in people touching them.

She withdrew her hand, a soft blush speckling her cheeks, as she mumbled a soft thank you. Before the conversation could continue another loud knock was made upon the door. "Hurry up Kagome! I think you want some food before you have to change." As her mom faded away, Inuyasha had reached out around her and grabbed a small robe. He was holding it out for her with his head turned to give her some privacy. She smiled and slipped into the robe, tying it shut. "Thank you Inuyasha. I better go. I shall see you soon."

Inuyasha nodded his response, not looking at her. It was in vain, however, to hide his face from her view. The feel of a hand upon his shoulder caused him to look back at her. Confusion marred his features, wondering what she could possibly want. It was cleared up by a soft chaste kiss upon cheek, fleetingly in touch, but eternal in memory. She blushed heavily and practically ran from the room. Feeling a bit more assured of himself, he allowed a small smirk to spread his features. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad?

~~~~~

Kagome stood in the tatami room, shifting nervously as four servants and her mother entered the newly cleaned room. They carried various things from fabric to cloth ties to hair and makeup supplies. Carefully they laid out the items, before giving her a very low bow. "Umm... `Kaasan?"

Kagome's mother smiled slightly. "These young ladies were sent here from Lord Sesshoumaru, Lord Inuyasha's nii-san. The outfit is actually an heir loom from Inuyasha's side. His mother was human and had a traditional shiro-maku."

Kagome's mouth went dry. A shiro-maku? A white wedding kimono?! Ones that typically cost over ten million yen (~$100,000 us dollars). "I'm getting married?" squeaked Kagome.

Her mother laughed. "Of course you are, but that's tonight. The Shinto ceremony will be held here this evening and the celebration and gifts will be concluded at Lord Sesshoumaru's estate." Noticing Kagome's severe pallor her eyes softened. "Of course, legally we cannot have an official wedding ceremony until you are eighteen, but the sake ceremony and the youkai ceremony are still binding and strings are pulled everyday by the counsel for such things."

Kagome was still in shock as two servants moved forward and took off her robe. The other two moved forward fitting her in the nagajugan- undergarments for the kimono, which consist of skin tight hadajuban to hold things in place for bust and underwear. Then they placed the susoyoke first layer- which was actually a bright red color, instead of white. It was tied with a matching tie of silk just below the breast line. Another cloth was brought forward, the first under kimono, nagajuban. It had the large billowy sleeves and extended to her knees. Elaborate pines and bamboo were embroidered into the white cloth by silvery white threads. The first tie was brought forth- the koshi-himo- and it was pulled extremely tight, cutting off normal air flow to the diaphragm. The date-jime was tied directly over it with the same tightness.

Two more layers of white nagajuban were placed upon her, this time extending to her feet with seven more ties to each. Finally they brought forth the final layer of the kimono. It was breath taking to behold the pearly white mesh of plum trees and bamboo. The cloth was very heavy silk and was held delicately between all four servants. Two of the servants placed on the outer kimono, straightening the collars to perfect positions and moving the hands inside the sleeves to have them all fit in nicely and uncurled. The other two began to level out the kimono to fold over her other layers properly, tying areas here and there to insure the right placements. After tied into place the four servants moved around straightening and pulling gently at the cloth to make sure no creases, folds, or unaligned edges remained. When they had finished this, they brought forth the obi- a large four meter long, one foot wide, heavily embroidered cloth. They folded the width in half and brought it to her waist. They wrapped it twice around her body to give a stiff unyielding flat belly, before they began to tie the intricate bow in back. Several more ties were used including the obiage and the obiita to hold the bow into place. It had taken all four of them to secure it to her form and to develop the bow in back. When they had finished they stepped back and bowed.

Kagome had been standing there for a good hour and a half as they tied and straightened each fold. She truly felt like a doll and she decided she didn't like that much. For one she could hardly breath as they tied each sash extremely tight for a dainty waist. Not to mention that her feet hurt from having to stand up for them to put all these things on her. How did people in older times do this all the time?

Her mother moved forward and tied the obi-jime, a white braided cord of silk, around the obi, positioning the knot in the proper place of an unmarried woman soon to be married. She then placed a small fan into her obi on her right side, and then finished the outfit with a small kaiken into the left side. "These are my grandmother's," she said as she fixed their positions properly. "The Susojoke is yours to keep. I bought it for you yesterday while you slept. Something new. The kaiken and fan have been in our family for five generations. Something old. This kimono is also Inuyasha's mother's shiro-maku. Something borrowed. And lastly," Her mother pulled out a soft blue silk scarf and tied it around the waist tucking it into the obi, allowing only a glimpse of it to be seen. "Something blue."

When this was completed the servants moved once again to the final item of the outfit, the uchikake. A bright red attire, this piece is normally placed on a married individual to celebrate their marriage. The sleeves are usually sewn closed and the patterns and colors are very vibrant. As Kagome and company were to be heading to the council first, the uchikake would be worn to celebrate their pending marriage, however, it would be removed for the evening ceremony. The uchikake is decorated with cranes in flight over a field of flowers and bamboo with colors of pink, red, blue, gold, and silver patterning the cloth. They tied the cloth with another obi called the kakeshita, which held Inuyasha's family crest in the center of two silver cranes on a red obi background.

When that was complete, she was told to have a seat. Kagome practically sighed in happiness at the prospect of sitting down. It was all for not00 as the four servants began to do her hair and make up. Two of the servants placed gold combs in her black hair, pulled up and back in a very formal and casual style. Thankfully they did not put her hair up into the traditional bunkin-takashimada not the kanzashi added. A tsunokakushi was lying upon the table, the soft white hood telling her exactly when she would adorn that. Her make up was applied last, dark eyeliner to highlight her eyes, but more cool winter tones to decorate her pale face. One servant kneeled down and placed tabi socks upon her feet and then the vinyl geta shoes. When they were done, they stood and bowed before they departed from the room.

Kagome turned to look at herself in a mirror to her side. She hardly recognized herself with the hair, clothes, and cosmetics. She looked older than her years, yet youthful in a way. Would Inuyasha approve of her new look or would he scoff at her? She was certain that she was not as beautiful as someone of his kind would be. Was he even disappointed with her? They hadn't had a real chance to talk, let alone get to know each other. A nervous tremor went through her. She was bonded to him for life, soon to become his official wife and mate. Would they fall in love eventually? Or would it become a loveless marriage?

Her mother came to stand beside her, tears in her eyes. "I am so proud of you my daughter."

Kagome turned her head to look at her mother. "Why?"

Her mother smiled. "Because you are now a young woman taking a big step into a new world. I am proud to know that you will be strong and safe. Your bonded cares about you very much, and I know you will soon care for him, if you don't already. Besides, I would never give you to someone if you weren't ready or did not have a decent mate."

Kagome smiled, many of her fears assuaged. Of course her mother wouldn't allow her to end up in a horrible situation and life. Not to mention that she could always come home if she needed to. She reached over and picked up her white hakoseko and tsunokakushi."Thank you okaasan."

~~~~

Inuyasha was just finishing up putting his haori on, when he was told it was time to be leaving. The male servant behind him was pulling his unruly hair back and tying it in a loose ponytail at the nap of his neck. His first layer of clothing was a short white undergarment followed a black montsuki kimono with his family crest, the two kanji for symbols for Taishou, in red and white on the back. The crest was also on the front flaps of the kimono in the same red and white colors. He wore kaku pleated hakama pants of the same black color with thin white pinstripes. Over the kimono he placed the haori, complete with a large silver dragon wrapping around sleeves and finishing with head in the back. His family crest was also positioned on the front of the haori. On his feet he wore white tabi socks and black velvet zori sandals.

It took him only about thirty minutes to get dressed, which had allowed him time to get to know the rest of Kagome's family. Her little brother Souta had found an immediate attachment to him, which both unnerved him and made him smile. Her grandfather, however, was completely the opposite, throwing sutra and the like at his face throughout breakfast. They were not very good sutra because he didn't feel anything from them, however, they did tend to get stuck in his hair. Kagome's mother, he had seen little of, except for a moment before she had rushed off to help Kagome get dressed. Poor girl. All in all they appeared to be a well rounded family. Why couldn't he have grown up in a family like that?

He thanked the servant and stepped out of Kagome's room heading down the stairs to the living room. The other servants were just now departing back to his brother's home, no doubt to get ready for the ceremony this evening. He could already hear preparations outside the house in the home's shrine being made for the sake ceremony that would be held this evening. It had snowed the night before and thus it was far too wet and cold to hold the ceremony outside. The grandfather's nasal voice rang out where things should go and would not allow any complaints- even if he changed his mind six times. Inuyasha smirked. The old man would be busy for a while with a pouting Souta that he would not have to worry about any more sutra getting stuck to his clothes.

Kagome's mother descended the stairs then, wearing a dark blue dress and light blue shawl. She was a member of the high council, the highest ranked miko to be exact. He bowed respectively and she smiled warmly. "We're to be family, Taishou, Inuyasha-sama, so there is no need for formalities."

"Like wise, Counselor and High Miko Higuarshi-sama." He smiled and rose back up from his bow. "You look beautiful." He watched as her mouth curved in a smile that was a bit myschievious.

"Ah, but you should see my musume."

As the words left her lips, Inuyasha saw Kagome stepping into view down the stairs. She was absolutely radiant and drop dead beautiful. He ducked his head slightly to avoid the blush that had spread across his features. A blush brought on by more than her looks, but by his own want to remove the garments that hid her from his view. "Kagome," he said formally, giving her a bow.

Kagome blushed profusely. He had looked good this morning, but he looked even better now. Maybe it was the feel in the air, but she could feel his eyes lingering on her, even with his head bent down. She blushed further wondering if he was already mentally undressing her as she was for him. She made a slight bow, not being able to move much. "Inuyasha."

"Well, we best be off. We can't be late now can we? Hayaku!" Her mother called as she shuffled the too dazed teens out of the house and into a limousine, outside the shrine doors. Thankfully the area was dry so that no mud or wetness would ruin the slightly dragging kimono. They were moving before they trio had even finished sitting down.

--------------------------------------------------------------- ---------

Translation and Pronunciation Guide:

Souta- (soh-tah) Helpful priest. ^.^;;;

Hayaku- (hah-yah-coo) Hurry.

Nii-san- (nee-sah-n) A short form for big brother (oniisan/ oniichan).

Shiro-maku- (she-row mah-coo) Shiro meaning white, maku meaning pure; Traditional wedding kimono. Very pricey.

Yen- (yeh-n) currency.

Nagajugan- (nah-gah jew-gah-n) undergarments

Hadajuban- (hah-dah-jew-bah-n) Undershirt. Part of naga jugan.

Susojoke- (sue- soh-joh-keh)- small sleeveless half slip used under a kimono. Length to about mid thigh

Nagajuban- (nah-gah-jew-bah-n) Under kimono. Can either be full or half lengths.

Koshi-himo- (koh-she he-moh) First sash tied around the waist for wedding kimono.

Date-jime- (dah-the gee-meh) Second sash tied directly over the first tie.

Obiage- (oh-be-ah-geh) Bustle sash to hold obi bow as well as lower ties around bust.

Obiita- (oh-be-e-tah) Tie to hold the obi into place.

Obi-Jime- (oh-be gee-meh) Braided silken cord tied around the obi.

Kaiken- (ki-keh-n) small short sword for women to wear with wedding kimono. Really more like a small letter opener.

Uchikake- (oo-chee-kah-keh) bright elaborate over kimono worn over various types of kimonos. Traditionally worn after the Shinto sake ceremony to reception to proclaim the bride as a married woman. Last time she will ever be allowed to wear a bright colored kimono and long sleeved kimono.

Kakeshita Obi- (kah-keh-she-tah oh-be) Heavily embroidered cloth used to hold and tie the uchikake over the wedding kimono.

Bunkin-takashimada- (boo-n-kee-n tah-kah-she-mah-dah) Traditional hair style with gold combs and kanzashi.

Kanzashi- (kah-n-zah-she) Hair ornament of gold which has two golden `horns' white are to be hidden by the tsunokakushi.

Tabi- (tah-be) Long cloth used for mating socks. Separates big toe from the rest of the toes.

Geta- (ge-tah) Split heeled shoes. Very formal if in vinyl.

Tsunokakushi- (sue-no-kah-she) White hood worn over the head to represent obedience during the Shinto wedding ceremony by the bride.

Hakoseko- (hah-koh-she-koh) purse worn with wedding kimono.

Montsuki- (moh-n-sue-key) Groom's kimono, typically black, blue, gray, or brown.

Kanji- (kah-n-gee) Chinese character or ideograph.

Taishou- (Ty-show) Great Victory.

Kaku- (kah-coo) Stiff.

Zori- (zoh-re) Falt bottom wooden shoes with velvet or vinyl holds.

Sutra- (sue-trah) Papers with magical spells or curses written upon them.

Sama- (sah-mah) Ending to a person of higher rank than yourself.

Musume- (moo-sue-meh) Daughter.