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

Chapter 8

Kagome and his mother-in-law had done well to teach him about weddings and typical traditions ahead of time, long before the day they would get married, at long last. And although it was sometimes difficult for him to understand certain words the two women would use, he remained quite attentive, his soft triangle-shaped dog ears perking up.

"The welcoming speech is followed by the exchange of our vows," Kagome had once explained to him. However, judging by the look of confusion he'd given her back then, she had assumed that this term had been foreign to InuYasha up until that point. "Marriage vows are a lot like promises, or words of commitment," she'd clarified, surprised InuYasha hadn't the faintest clue what she had been talking about. After listening closely to her explanation, though, he went from looking like a confused puppy to a child who had just figured out how to solve a relatively easy math question in class.

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"Kagome.." while unfolding the note he had held onto so tightly while they had been waiting for this very moment, he spoke her name so softly that it reminded the bride of fine silk. As the note passed from his hands and over to hers, his dark amber grey eyes stared deeply into her chocolate ones. In that instant, it was as though there were nobody but them in the entire room. Perhaps it was due to the fact that every single one of their guests, including Mrs. Higurashi and Kagome's friends were quiet as mice, holding their breaths while waiting for them both to exchange their vows at last.

"I want you to be happy," Kagome commenced in the moments of silence that followed, her rosy pink lips curving upwards into a smile. A smile which would make anyone's heart melt, and InuYasha certainly wasn't an exception, "and I want you to laugh a lot. I want to stay by your side for as long as I live... I know that your past has been difficult, but I know that our future will be bright because we will stay together, through the happy days, as well as the sad days."

When she finished, the color of InuYasha's face changed from his usual light tan to a bright crimson red that was almost identical to the color of his robe of the fire-rat. Her words had left him utterly speechless, flustered, and his mouth was left wide open. What had just happened? Why had she told him that just now?

After a moment of processing the situation and Kagome's words in his mind, his eyes softened in realization. Where those very words her marriage vows? If they were, in fact, her words of commitment, was she expecting him to say something along those lines to her in return? She didn't yet know about the note's purpose because he hadn't had the chance to tell her about it...

Kagome's lips, which had curled upwards so softly as she had expressed herself so freely...slowly tightened. What was the reason behind his silence as he stood opposite her? Why hadn't he said anything?

When InuYasha noticed the changes in her features, he gulped and his heart skipped a beat. If he'd had his usual superhuman abilities, such as his keen sense of smell, he could have easily figured out exactly what Kagome was feeling.. Casting a glance at the unfolded note she held in her hands, it was as though her eyes were asking him what exactly this note was, and why he had given it to her.

"Why don't you read it to find out, Kagome..?" the groom whispered softly into her ear, the nervousness clear in his voice. "I promise, you won't be disappointed once you read it..."

"I always believed that in order to find my place in this world, I had to become stronger..." The note said. "There was no place for me, so I had to make one for myself. But then I realized. I had a place, but I was the only one in it. I didn't know any other way to live...I never thought that anyone except my mother would love me, unconditionally love me. And then I met you. You didn't care that I was different.. You wanted me to be happy...but more importantly, you wanted to stay by my side. And in return, I promised to protect you with my life. And make you happy..."

This was the first time she had actually read, and paid attention to what was written on the piece of paper. The first part had left her puzzled, but as her eyes skimmed through the rest of the words, her disappointed look changed back to that lovely smile she had worn just minutes before, in addition to a light pink blush that matched the colors of her lips.