The Wedding of the New Moon and the Red Thread of Fate

Chapter 2

When Mrs. Higurashi parked the vehicle outside of the building where the wedding ceremony would take place, it seemed most of the guests had already arrived and were waiting for the bride and groom. Staring wide eyed at all the metal monsters Kagome called "cars" that were parked nearby, InuYasha's heart was in his throat. So many people had been invited to their wedding, most of whom were people he'd never met before. He'd figured that Kagome's friends, Yuka, Eri and Ayumi would be invited and he wouldn't be too surprised if that Hojo guy showed up too. They were friends of his bride, after all. But what about all the other guests? Friends of the Higurashi family perhaps, but total strangers to InuYasha.

For the second time that day, Mrs. Higurashi had helped him snap back to reality. She had already exited the car and was now tapping at the window, immediately attracting the hanyou's attention.
"InuYasha dear, are you coming?" his future mother-in-law's gentle voice was but a muffle to him where he remained seated in the backseat. "Just...give me a minute...I'll be right there.." Averting his eyes, he clenched his fists in his lap as his forelocks covered his eyes. The sun was slowly setting over the city and in moments, he'd turn into nothing but a weak mortal. Perhaps all of this was simply a way of his body and mind reminding him that soon, strong human emotions would overcome him. But it was still too soon!

While he found little consolation in it right now, the fact remained that turning human in Kagome's era would mean fewer stares from strangers. Nobody would so much as question his appearance because he looked more or less like your average human man. Apart from his long hair, there was nothing about him that stood out.

There was another tap on the vehicle's window as his mother-in-law's eyes were filled with concern. Mrs. Higurashi had waited for 5 minutes already but the hanyou still hadn't come out of the car yet. Something was definitely bothering the young man and her mother instincts told her to do whatever she could for her dear InuYasha...
Without warning, she opened the door on the opposite side of the car and sat down next to InuYasha in the backseat. Putting her arm around his shoulder just as she would to her own children. "What's wrong, dear...?" her words reached his ears without fail, but there was no answer.

Instead of using words to communicate, InuYasha stared the woman straight in the eyes with a painfully sorrowful and nervous look to his amber orbs. A look that broke her heart...
Just as instinctively as her other actions, she quickly pulled him closer, embracing him tightly. Mrs. Higurashi's embrace reminded the hanyou so much of how his own mother would hug him...

M-mother...?

It felt as though he had no control over his own mind. No matter how embarrassing he found the situation, he couldn't help but hug back.

"D-dammit.." InuYasha spoke at last, much to Mrs. Higurashi's surprise. Finally pulling away from the hug, she examined his face. The look of hopelessness had yet to leave his features but at least now he seemed to be willing to tell her what's bothering him. "I can't go in there...!" InuYasha growled low, cursing under his breath. He wanted to finally marry Kagome more than anything else, but now that their wedding day was finally here, all he wanted was to go back in time to when he proposed. The thought of a wedding hadn't felt nearly as nerve-wracking back then as it felt right now. "I never thought this day would ever come...For someone like me..I never believed I'd ever find a girl who'd want to marry me..!"