InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The 500 Year Engagement ❯ Small Deceptions ( Chapter 27 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
The 500-Year Engagement
Small Deceptions
By Majicman55

Disclaimer: The characters from “InuYasha” are not mine; they are the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, and Viz. I do not benefit financially from these writings. I just like to play with the characters.

I apologize for taking so long to get back to this. I had some health problems (now getting better) and a lot of personal issues I had to work through.

The story was started before I saw the final season, so I guess it’s not really a continuation, anymore. I’ve decided not to change anything or re-categorize it, though. Also, I promise not to take so long to publish the next chapter. A week or two, at most; plus, I don’t think there will be more than a few chapters.

I would appreciate any reviews. They’ll motivate me. Thanks!


Kagome sighed. There was still so much to do.

Fortunately, Shippo had brought many of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and, as the saying went, “many hands make short work.” Unfortunately, when your help consisted of kitsunes, things tended to go awry a lot. They were all natural tricksters and if no human targets happened to be available, they might even indulge in tormenting each other.

But at least under Shippo’s direction the work was getting done. If no one else, the kitsunes respected and obeyed their patriarch…as long as he didn’t leave them alone for long.

The first thing they built was a special enclosed passageway into the main shrine where the wedding would be…one through which all wedding attendees must pass.

To the casual observer, it looked like a type of ceremonial passage that led from the top of the shrine steps into an enclosed pavilion. And the only way to see inside the pavilion was to enter through the passageway.

While such a structure was unusual, its presence could be explained by the elaborate murals painted (by Shippo, of course) on its inside walls. These murals depicted scenes from Kagome and InuYasha’s life on one side, and from Sango and Miroku’s life on the other.

Upon arrival, the guests would be treated to this unique visual presentation of special moments in the two couple’s lives as they passed into the shrine (Shippo being careful to leave out youkai battles and the like).

Kagome smiled as she recognized some of the scenes. If someone ever saw them outside the passageway, the clever perspective painted into them by Shippo could be spoiled.

It was good that her adopted son was so talented.

“Kagome!”

The miko looked up to see Sango crossing the shrine grounds towards her. “Ohayou, Sango-san. Where’s Miroku?”

“He is still asleep.”

“In all this noise? What did you do? Wear him out last night?” Kagome smiled as her friend’s cheeks turned bright red and she fumbled for a response. “It’s okay, Sango. Personally, I always found pregnancy quite liberating when it came to sex. At least you don’t have to worry about getting pregnant when you already are.”

The taijiya shook her head. “It’s going to take me a while longer to get used to this world and how people think. You came from here, and InuYasha has had years to get used to it. Miroku and I…”

“I understand.”

Sango looked around at the organized mayhem. “How is it going?”

“Fine, everything considered. Yes, it will be ready in time.” There was a crash in the distance, followed soon after by the sounds of juvenile squabbling. “I hope.” Kagome watched as Shippo rushed to the site of what undoubtedly had been another practical joke.


***************


Mama Higurashi watched as some of the kitsunes carried in and set up tables and chairs. She had informed the caterers that they would not have to provide these as the shrine kept a store for just these occasions. It would have been awkward, indeed, if the phony catering company’s personnel had been present during all their special preparations.

So Mama told them that family and friends would place the tables and chairs. She watched two of the kitsunes carrying a long table down the passageway. It looked normal enough, but she knew that they and the table were shrinking as they proceeded. They would be smaller than dolls and doll house furniture by the time they exited.

The enclosed pavilion at the apparent other end of the passageway (as seen from outside) was just for show. A few of the kitsunes set up tables inside the giant tent, just in case anyone was watching.

Mama Higurashi giggled. She felt like part of an intricate and secret plot. It was all such high adventure. But then Mama Higurashi turned serious again.

The wedding was in less than a week.


******************

A few days later, Katashi Sato stared through the field glasses and an increasing alcoholic haze into the Higurashi Shrine grounds. How had it come to this? He scowled. Here he was, on top of an office building half a block from the shrine, doing donkey work for Kano. He was an important man, damn it! Just a few months ago, he was raking in the dough as one of Tokyo’s hottest porn merchants! Now he was reduced to being a spy for

He took another swig from the flask he always kept with him. “Just wait till this is over,” he thought. “I’ll show that…”

His thoughts traveled back to the fake prize trip subterfuge and an unforgettable image of Kano in shark form, jumping over their boat and taking the top half of Katashi’s date for the night in one bite.

He grumbled and picked up the field glasses again. “What the hell are they doing down there?” It had been several years since he had been to a wedding, but what they were doing was just plain weird. He considered mentioning his suspicions to Kano.

“It’s probably nothing,” he thought. The miko worried him almost more than Kano. Almost. After all he had been through at her hands, it was only natural that he was suspicious. But this would be a wedding, with guests. She wouldn’t be able to pull any of her tricks,
even if she did see through his disguise at the wedding reception.

Katashi decided not to tell Kano. “It would just give the bastard something more to growl at me for.”

Mr. Sato took another pull from his flask; then looked through the binoculars again…and groaned. Looking at the miko reminded him of the photo session and the few pictures he actually had from it. One of his thugs had brought his own camera – and one picture in particular, of the miko and her athletic friend, on that bed was hanging on his office wall…

Still looking through his binoculars at the miko, he unfastened his pants and opened his fly.


******************


“Oi! Kagome!”

The miko looked up as InuYasha walked onto the shrine grounds. Getting ready to confront an evil youkai had gotten her thinking about the old days and, for a moment, she had enjoyed the memory of her hanyou slowly settling to the ground after one of his prodigious leaps.

“Those were the days,” she thought. Of course, it wouldn’t do for the hanyou to go half-flying around Tokyo…something he still did on the occasion of dark, near-moonless nights, sometimes taking her along for one of their midnight romps. Although, more often he would carry her around the estate they shared with Sesshoumaru and Rin.

She smiled at the thought. “Yes, InuYasha?”

“Daijoubu?”

“Everythin g’s going well. Shippo’s even got his kitsune’s behaving.” There was another crash in the distance. “For the most part.”

“Everything will be ready?”

“Hai.”

“We’ve spent five hundred years together, had hundreds of pups…” The hanyou reached out to caress his mate’s belly. “You’re pregnant again…and now you want to get married?”

Kagome couldn’t help giggling. “It’ll make Mama and Ji-chan happy.”

“Keh! You just keep your mind on the real issue, here. That Kano bastard ain’t gonna just stand by and pay you pretty compliments, you know.”

“I think your future wife can handle it.” She gave InuYasha a chaste kiss on the lips. “Besides, we have our friends back with us, now.”

“Keh.” The hanyou turned to leave, but then paused and looked back over his shoulder. “Be careful.”

“What?”

InuYasha held his hand in front of him, hidden from prying eyes, and gestured backwards with his thumb. “There’s some guy watching you from that rooftop, and you don’t wanna know what he’s doing.”


******************


The Great Lord of the Western Lands paused in his designs.

He put down his pencil. Once more he had tried to sketch some new lingerie for Sesshoumaru’s Secret, starting as he always did with a nude drawing of Rin, but he couldn’t help worrying about the fast-approaching wedding.

“A sea youkai,” he thought. He hadn’t encountered any for hundreds of years, since the treaty dividing the two types of youkai into their own, separate worlds. Even before then, he hadn’t had much to do with them. He remembered vague rumors from the time their father was alive. Something about how the sea youkai were jealous of the land youkai and had designs on their lands. His father (InuYasha’s father, too), the Inu-Taisho had warned him to keep an eye on the sea. He hadn’t trusted the ocean-dwelling youkai.

Sesshoumaru hadn’t thought about them for centuries.

Now that he was aware of that there was some sort of plot going on, he wondered what kind of challenge they might present. The tales of sea serpents and other malevolent sea creatures attacking men and their ships had diminished over the years. And swimming around for most of your life wouldn’t lead to the development of much skill with a katana…so most of these creatures probably didn’t pose any kind of significant threat.

But a shark youkai. That might be different. They were born hunters, and killers…as was he. Sesshoumaru smiled at the thought of facing a foe worthy of his mettle.

He felt invigorated. He felt more alive than he had in years.

He felt…aroused.

He began sketching Rin in a sharkskin bustier.


******************


“Kagome! Wake up!”

Kagome wondered who was disturbing her rest. She had been in the middle of a nice dream in which InuYasha was just about to…

“Class is over, Kagome! Wake up!”

The miko raised her head and looked around just as her classmates started filtering out of the room. Had she really been asleep? She looked over to where that voice had been coming from. “Oh. Eri.”

“Honestly, Kagome. You haven’t slept in class like this since you were sick all that time.” Kagome’s friend looked genuinely worried. “You aren’t getting sick again, are you? That would be really rotten with just two days before the wedding.”

Schoolwork, combined with making all the wedding arrangements, had been taking their toll on Kagome. “I’m okay. I’ve just had a lot to do. All the arranging. You know.”

“I guess,” said Eri, smiling. “Come on. Yuka and Ayuma will be waiting.”

“Huh?”

Eri frowned. “Did you forget your own bachelorette party?”

Kagome groaned inwardly. Ever since she had announced that the ceremony would be traditional Shinto, in honor of her Ji-chan, but that everything else would be western-style, the girls had really gotten into the spirit. “Fine. As long as there are no male strippers.”

Eri stared at Kagome. “Strippers?” She laughed nervously. “Kagome, we’re not old enough for that.” The girl looked lost in thought for a moment. “Do you know where we could get one?”

Kagome rolled her eyes. “I was kidding. Of course there won’t be any strippers!” The miko turned away so Eri couldn’t see her bemused expression as she berated herself for not remembering that she was still supposed to be an innocent school…

She glanced down at her tummy where a small bulge was just barely starting to show.

…well, semi-innocent, schoolgirl.

Eri blushed at what she had asked. “Come on!” She led Kagome away from their lockers and towards the school doors where their two friends were waiting. “We’re just going to WacDonald’s, anyway.”


******************


Back at the Higurashi Shrine, InuYasha was suffering a similar fate. Shippo had decided that he would throw a bachelor party for the hanyou…and for Miroku as well.

“Feh! Don’t wanna!”

Shippo crossed his arms and glared at his adoptive dad. “You’re going.”

“Feh!”

“You can drop the act. Don’t you think I know you after five hundred years?” The kitsune just shook his head. “Baka.”

InuYasha almost laughed, but maintained his grouchy face. “Can’t drink and carry on in public. You know that. So, what’s the point?”

“It’s at Midori’s son’s bar and it’s reserved for our private party.” The fox youkai nodded towards the monk. “Besides, the party’s for the baka, too.”

“I don’t know.”

“There will be girls.”

“Feh!”

“They’ve gone to a lot of trouble, InuYasha,” the monk chimed in. “We cannot disappoint them.”

The hanyou glared at the monk.” What do you think Sango will say?”

“Sango is meeting Kagome and her friends…”

“…at WacDonald’s. It’s hardly the same.” InuYasha scowled. “Besides, with a pup on the way, you shouldn’t be ogling other girls!”

“Still, it would be rude of us to disappoint.”

The hanyou sighed. “Your funeral if Sango finds out.”

At that moment, Jaken in his diminutive human chauffeur form showed up at the top of the shrine ground steps. “M’lord awaits ye both, below.”

“Sesshoumaru arranged this? Oh, I ain’t goin’ now.


******************


Sango walked into WacDonald’s, led by Rin, the two girls spying the miko and her school friends in a corner booth with their table piled high with cheeseburgers, French fries and sodas.

Kagome waved them over, noticing immediately that Sango had brought Hiraikotsu with her. “Grab a couple of chairs.”

Rin slid two chairs from a neighboring table up to the booth. “Hi, Kagome! I brought Sango, like you asked.”

Yuki, Eri and Ayumi greeted Kagome’s new friends. They recognized Rin from school, of course. The oddly-shaped satchel carried by the taijiya gave her away. “Aren’t you one of the re-enactors from the Higurashi shrine?”

“That’s right,” answered Sango, who smiled back…albeit a bit nervously. This was all still pretty new to her…a lot to take in.

Enough time had passed since Sango and Miroku’s arrival that they both had ceased gaping at all the wonders in the modern world, but that wasn’t to say they didn’t still get nervous. Sango just felt safer having her weapon along. Kagome supposed it would be okay. It wouldn’t hurt to cover for her, though.

“Did you come straight from rehearsal?”

“Hai, Kagome. Miroku and I…and InuYasha…we’ve been rehearsing the show all day.” Rin and the taijiya finally sat down.

Kagome’s school friends were fascinated to meet one of the shrine re-enactors up close and even insisted that she let them see her weapon to the accompaniment of much ooh-ing and ah-ing. Finally, after the embarrassment of being the center of attention of both the girls (and the other patrons), Sango set her weapon down flat across two tables. It was good that WacDonald’s wasn’t as busy right after school and this long before supper.

“Speaking of rehearsals, I have an announcement!” Everyone turned towards the miko. Kagome continued. “Sango…and Miroku…have become our close friends. And I hope that Sango doesn’t mind my revealing this (the taijiya looked somewhat apprehensive), but it so happens that she and Miroku are expecting, too.”

A small commotion erupted at the table. Sango was giving Kagome a “where are you going with this?” look. “Since Sango has no family here…and neither does Miroku…they will be joining us in a double wedding.”

An even bigger commotion erupted with comments like “that’s so cool” and “that’s really nice of you and InuYashaa, Kagome-chan.”

Unfortunately, the manager of WacDonald’s concluded that the celebration going on at the corner booth was the signal to begin certain festivities that had been prearranged by the girls.

He signaled and two employees – dressed as Donald WacDonald and Grimashu-kun – began parading through the restaurant and towards the girls’ booth.

He had discovered the Grimashu-kun costume in storage – it hadn’t been used since the ‘90’s – but he had decided to throw in the extra character just to get into the spirit of things.

More unfortunately, when Sango saw the startled look in the eyes of Kagome’s school friends and spun around to see what was going on, the taijiya found herself facing one youkai with a white face and bright red hair accompanied by a second, purple (and rather dumb-looking) second youkai. Naturally, she jumped to her feet, seized Hiraikotsu and took up a fighting stance. The restaurant was cramped quarters for her weapon, but what choice did she have?

“HIRAI-“

“NO, SANGO!”

“-KOTSU!”

The miko did the only thing she could do.

A pink glow appeared under Hiraikotsu, nudging it upwards. The weapon passed just over the actor playing Grimashu-kun (who was, fortunately, short) and barely missed the actor playing Donald WacDonald. In fact, it practically scalped the red wig off his head before lodging in the wall behind him.

Kagome gulped. “I think this party’s over, guys!” Before the manager, the staff and the patrons had a chance to stop gaping, everyone grabbed their stuff, the taijiya pulled Hiraikotsu out of the wall, and all in the erstwhile bachelorette party bid a hasty retreat.

A moment later, the restaurant door opened inwards and the manager found the miko smiling in at him. “Just send the repair bill to the Higurashi shrine and we’ll take care of it.”

Kagome let the door close and turned to hurry off after her friends. “InuYasha’s gonna kill me for this one.” For once, she wished she didn’t have to keep up the schoolgirl act. She could have used one drink to settle her nerves.

But she smiled as she caught up with her friends. At least that would be one bachelorette party long remembered, no matter how brief it had been.

She rather hoped that InuYasha’s and Miroku’s bachelor party wouldn’t be so…eventful.


******************


Meanwhile, at the bar owned by Midori’s son, InuYasha and Miroku sat at a table along with Sesshoumaru. The hanyou scowling and grumbling the whole time.

“Easy, little brother,” said The Great Lord of the Western Lands (and lingerie mogul), Sesshoumaru. The miko won’t be happy if you bring that attitude home with you tonight.

“This coming from a daiyoukai who allows his human wench to call him Fluffy,” sniped InuYasha.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t rise in anger. “This coming from a hanyou who allows his wench to plunge him face down into the ground using a common dog command.”

“Oi! Only I get to call her wench.”

Miroku looked up from his drink. “I thought you two were getting along better these days.”

“Shut up, bouzu. It’s a game. First to laugh, loses.”

“I…see.”

“Sp eaking of seeing,” interjected Sesshoumaru, “I have a little show for this auspicious occasion. At his gesture, the house lights were lowered, except for the lights on the karaoke stage, and loud music with a driving beat started just in time for the first lingerie model to step onto the stage.

Miroku gulped. “Good thing Sango isn’t here.”


******************


It was a shame that their bachelorette party had been cut short, but the girls held an impromptu after-party at the shrine with even Mama joining in; however, the three genuine high school girls were still a bit nervous over the incident.

Kagome assured them that everything would be okay, but all three of her school friends decided to leave early.

Kagome then filled her mother in on what had happened and told her not to be shocked when they got a bill for repairs. She and InuYasha would take care of it. It was then that Rin let the neko out of the bag.

“Want to crash their bachelor party?” asked Rin. “It’s just down the street at Midori’s son’s bar. I don’t know all that’s going on, but I heard Fluffy ordering Jaken to line up lingerie models.”

“What?”

Kagome shot Rin an “are you nuts?” look, then turned quickly to the taijiya who had suddenly forgotten her starring role in the soon-to-be- infamous WacDonald’s incident. “Now, Sango…”

Sango had Hiraikotsu back out of its case and was checking the weapon for battle-worthiness. “Lead on, Rin.” The taijiya looked back to the miko. “You coming?”


******************


Back at the bar, the music was loud, the drinks were cold and the models were hot. Jaken had stressed to the models how important Sesshoumaru was and insisted that they put on their best show.

Of course, in this day, the kappa couldn’t very well relate how important a daiyoukai his master was. It wasn’t that the Great Lord of the Western Lands was afraid of what would happen if these stupid ningen found out there were youkai living among them. Jaken imagined that his lord and master simply didn’t want to go to the trouble of killing all of them.

True, Sesshoumaru’s attitude had softened over time – especially since he had mated with Rin and had children who were, inevitable, hanyou like InuYasha – but that didn’t mean he was any less great!

So Jaken had to be content with describing his master as a great and important businessman. All the girls smiled and winked at him as he stressed how they should take good care of him and his guests. He assured them that they would be well paid if they did.

All the girls had giggled at that, and one of them even had the nerve to wink at him. The gall of these humans!

Shrugging, the imp picked up the microphone, tapped on it and then blew into it. There was a screeching moment of feedback.

Sesshoumaru, InuYasha and Miroku all winced, but especially Sesshoumaru and InuYasha as their Inu ears were so sensitive.

Jaken gulped when he noticed the Great Lord of the Western Lands glaring at him. His voice quavered at first. “F-forgive me, m’lord.” Seeing Sesshoumaru settling down, Jaken continued. “Our first model is wearing a chiffon babydoll with tempting features that include a sheer body with the barest minimum of lace panties.”

The girl paraded around the stage for a few moments before stepping down and walking to the boys’ table, coming to stand behind the daiyoukai…but not before making sure that all three men got an up close and personal look at her ample cleavage.

“What is she doing?” mumbled Jaken. But before he could do anything about it, the second model appeared on stage. The imp dutifully returned to his narration. “Our next model is wearing a glittered glamour teddy with pleated detail in the front, an ultra-deep-V neckline and adjustable garters.”

Again, to Jaken’s surprise, the model stepped down from the stage and walked to the table. She gave the first model a little scowl and the first model smirked back at her, having had first choice in the matter. The second model made a quick appraisal and chose Miroku to flirt with.

Having come from an age in which seeing anything of a girl above the knee was a great scandal, the flirtatious monk cringed and blushed so brightly that it was visible even in the darkened bar.

Jaken was about to give the girls what for. The only reason he hadn’t was that the first girl had shown at least some respect by choosing his master first. But this was too much!

The third girl took the stage. The imp looked at his master, who nodded at him to continue. “Our third model is wearing a lace-up stretch lace bustier with sharkskin accents, new from Sesshoumaru’s Secret and not even in the catalog!”

The third model paraded around the stage for a few moments, and then she too walked down to the table, Jaken staring after her with mouth agape. The girl, perforce, settled on InuYasha, and even went so far as to attempt sitting in the hanyou’s lap.

It was all too much for Jaken. The imp grabbed the Staff of Two Skulls from its nearby hiding place and make for the table in order to chase away these ningen girls who didn’t know their place around his master, the Great Lord.

Unfortunately, the lighting was bright in his eyes, but did not make it easy to see the edge of the stage.

SPLAT!

The kappa began inch-worming his way to Sesshoumaru. “Forgive me, master! I don’t know what has gotten into these human girls!”

By this time, the girl in the sharkskin bustier had settled on hanging onto InuYasha’s shoulders as she stood behind him. The girl behind Sesshoumaru had gone so far as to start massaging the daiyoukai’s neck and shoulders.

Miroku was still cringing, which didn’t please the girl with him, much.

“Hn.” Sesshoumaru allowed enough of his youkai to come to the surface that the model attempting to work her wiles on him actually felt it and backed off. In truth, the girl’s attention was not welcome, but the daiyoukai had been proud of that sharkskin bustier and, after going to so much trouble to have it ready for their party, he was not about to pass up showing off his design.

He had intended to have Rin wear it, later.

But now the model wearing it was fawning all over his idiot brother.

“Enough!”

Quicker than the eye could follow, one claw (miraculously) sliced the bustier so that it dropped off the model.

If the Great Lord of the Western Lands thought that this would result in all three models running for their dressing room, he was mistaken. Given the girls’ preparation by Jaken (and the fact that the whole bar was empty except for them), the models had concluded that this was one of those parties…and that the guys were undoubtedly rich.

The other two girls took it as a sign that the real party was underway, immediately shrugged their way out of what little they had on, and began going to “work” in earnest.


******************


Standing at the entrance of the bar, Kagome wondered why the door was locked to the public. Rin and Sango waited patiently behind her. The miko looked around carefully to be sure no one would see what she was about to do. She concentrated and a pink light began to emanate from her fingers and penetrate the lock.

“Don’t worry, guys. I have a little trick to get this open.